The original Dallas ran for fourteen seasons, and changed the television landscape forever. The show developed the cliffhanger, which has become standard fare for most television dramas. As a fan of the original series, when TNT launched a Dallas reboot in June of 2012, P was intrigued, especially since Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray as JR, Bobby and Sue Ellen Ewing—arguably the most important characters from the original series were part of the main cast. I thought, Maybe you can go home again!
While the reboot wasn’t as good as the original, it certainly was fun to watch. Much of the action was driven by the next-generation Ewings, the writers were careful to give JR, Bobby and Sue Ellen Ewing plenty to do. Unfortunately, the death of Larry Hagman during the second season was unexpected, and left a hole in the show that was never really solved. For me, the show seemed lost and uneven once JR. wasn’t there as an anchor of sorts.
Aside from a horrible midseason cliffhanger that didn’t work at all, there was some moments of intrigue that kept things interesting in spurts. Unfortunately, more often than not, the series seemed to forget its long established roots. Stories revolving around the Ewings as a family unit were pushed aside for drug cartel storylines, and other larger issues that just didn’t feel like Dallas. Much of the appeal of the original show was that JR, Bobby, and the rest of the Ewing clan could create enough soapy drama to last a lifetime without looking to far past their own dinner table.
The idea that John Ross (Josh Henderson) is a scoundrel just like his father, seem appropriate. Even better, Sue Ellen was on to him. John Ross was one character I would have liked to see develop. For whatever reason though, the writers decided to focus much less on family dynamics, which was a real detriment to the series. The drug trafficking storylines felt forced, and out of place. Let’s see some oil deals! I have a feeling if Dallas hadn’t been canceled it would have turned into a series about drug cartels, and therefore something entirely different than the original series. Yuck.
The fact is, a significant part of Dallas died with Larry Hagman. With him gone it’s unlikely we’ll see the Ewings again. However, the forty episodes made for this Dallas reboot give the entire Dallas series nearly 400 episodes and serve as a nice (if imperfect) final visit to Southfork.
The 15 episodes are presented in 16×9 widescreen in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Subtitles are offered in English, French, and Spanish.
Dallas: The Complete Third and Final Season is spread over three discs and contains nearly an hour of deleted scenes.
