Dallas (TV series)

For 14 seasons, from April 1978 to May 1991, CBS aired *Dallas*, a prime-time soap opera centered on the wealthy, feuding Ewing family of Texas. The Ewings controlled both the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the sprawling Southfork cattle ranch. The show’s original focus was the marriage of Bobby Ewing and Pam Ewing, whose families were sworn enemies. However, Bobby’s older brother, the scheming oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, quickly became the breakout character, and his dirty business deals and plots became the series’ trademark. J.R. was the only character to appear in every one of the show’s 357 episodes.

The series was famous for its cliffhangers, especially the 1980 “Who shot J.R.?” mystery. The episode that resolved it, “Who Done It,” remains the second-highest-rated prime-time telecast in U.S. history. Another notable twist was the “Dream Season,” where the entire ninth season was revealed to be a dream of Pamela Ewing. The series finale, “Conundrum,” aired in 1991. That finale’s cliffhanger was later resolved in two reunion TV films: *Dallas: J.R. Returns* and *Dallas: War of the Ewings* (1998). A retrospective special, *Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork*, aired in 2004.

The ensemble cast included Larry Hagman as the greedy J.R., Barbara Bel Geddes as family matriarch Miss Ellie, and Jim Davis as patriarch Jock—his final role before his death in 1981. The show won four Emmy Awards, including a 1980 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Bel Geddes. *Dallas* also spawned a spin-off, *Knots Landing*, in 1979, which also ran for 14 seasons and 344 episodes. In 2007, *Time* magazine listed it among the “100 Best TV Shows of All-Time.”

The show debuted on April 2, 1978, as a five-part miniseries. Neither the producers nor CBS expected it to continue beyond those episodes, and it aired in a late Sunday time slot known for low ratings. But the miniseries proved popular enough to become a regular series, running 13 full seasons from September 1978 to May 1991. (The five pilot episodes are now considered season 1, making 14 total.) The backstory: in the 1930s, wildcatter Jock Ewing allegedly cheated his partner, Willard “Digger” Barnes, out of his share of Ewing Oil and married Digger’s only love, Miss Ellie Southworth. Miss Ellie came from a ranching family, and Southfork became the Ewings’ home. Jock and Miss Ellie raised three sons: J.R., G