The Next Generation
Will J.R. Ewing get shot (again) in Dallas? New TV pilot ordered
Between 1978 and 1991 (13 seasons!) television viewers were captivated by the soapy, backstabbing machinations of a greedy Dallas oil baron named J.R. Ewing, and his family, living on a sprawling cattle ranch called Southfork. The show Dallas brought glamour, big hair, big oil, cowboy hats and cat fights to home screens around the world. It was hot stuff.
Larry Hagman, a bona fide Texan from Fort Worth, played the family patriarch J.R. Ewing, the man everyone loved to hate. One season cliff-hanger, an episode titled “Who Shot J.R.?,” was the highest rated single episode ever of a television series at that time.
Well, dust off your Stetsons, Dallas may be coming back to the tube. Not a remake mind you, but a next-generation series that will carry on the Ewing dynasty.
There have been rumors for years, but TNT announced today it has ordered a pilot for a planned Dallas update. It will be executive produced by Cynthia Cidre, creator of the TV series Cane and writer of the film, The Mambo Kings. The new series will focus on the offspring of brothers J.R. and Bobby Ewing. No word yet on whether Hagman will make a cameo appearance.
Texans who work in the industry are on-pins-and-needles hoping, if the pilot leads to a series, it would be shot in the real Dallas — that’s not a given. Janis Burklund, film commissioner for the city of Dallas, told me she has a call in to the producers, Time Warner Horizon, but hasn’t heard anything yet.
There’s a movie version of Dallas, as well, that’s been in development for seven years. According to Burklund, however, it is still “in the deep development stage” and probably won’t surface any time soon. Plans for a movie version starring John Travolta and Jennifer Lopez were scrapped a few years ago.
Michael Wright, executive vice president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies, told Deadline Hollywood that the Dallas pilot reflects “our enthusiasm for relatable but complex everyman heroes, showcased in exciting storytelling environments.”
Any ideas on who should be cast in the updated series?