Somewhere along the line, did I completely miss word that a Dallas continuation show was in the works? Apparently, because as I just saw over at TV Guide, not only is it in the works, but original stars Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and, yes, Larry Hagman himself, are reportedly in negotiations to contribute to the show. TNT is speaking with the old school crew about reprising their roles as Bobby Ewing, Sue Ellen and one of the the greatest bad guys in TV history, J.R. Ewing respectively. The show would center around the next generation of Ewings, specifically, J.R.’s and Sue Ellen’s son, John Ross, and Bobby’s and Pamela’s (Victoria Principal) son, Christopher. Other details include that Miss Ellie and Clayton (Barbara Bel Geddes and Howard Keel) are dead and buried and Bobby is remarried to someone other than Pam (unless that’s just a dream of course).
Hagman commented on the proposal: “I read the script and liked it,” says Larry. “A lot of it is exposition
to explain what’s happened since we went off in the ’90s. Miss Ellie’s
passed on and such. But they haven’t made a firm offer yet. We’re
kicking ideas around, but nothing’s been struck in gold. We’ll see how
it goes; I’m still ambivalent about it.” Duffy commented: “I read the script and was extremely impressed with it,” says Patrick,
who has heard shooting will take place in Texas, Louisiana or New
Mexico. “I’d managed to read the scripts for the feature films Fox was
planning a few years ago and they were atrocious. Just awful, so I
didn’t know what to expect from TNT. But this read like one of the
better episodes at the height of Dallas. It’s a perfect sequel to continuing the Dallas tradition.”
The last I had heard of a Dallas project was the aforementioned feature film, and that Travolta and J.Lo were in discussions. It’s probably well and good that that project never coalesced. I used to watch Dallas waaaay back in the day for about the first five years or so (it was part of CBS’ eclectic but great line-up of The Incredible Hulk and The Dukes of Hazzard). But by the time it ended in 1991, I had been long gone. By my recollection, John Ross should be around 30, with Christopher in his mid-20s, so hopefully they don’t fudge the ages of the two principals to make them early twentysomethings. Otherwise, they should just drop the show in the CW weekday lineup somewhere.
Personally, I’m hoping Jock shows up in a cyborg body or some shit. Regardless, I’m sure Steve Kanaly and Charlene Tilton are going to be keeping their phone lines clear in case they need some help with craft service.