TV REVIEW: The return of Dallas

TV trivia fans already know that before The Wire or West Wing, the original Dallas introduced cinematic scripting and cultural commentary to the small screen with the depiction of villainous oil tycoon J.R. Ewing. But does the new one live up to the deliciously drama-filled original?

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TV REVIEW: The return of Dallas

POSTED: Tuesday, June 12, 2012, 10:00 AM

Filed Under: TV

The new cast of Dallas

Looking for a character-driven drama that doesn’t involve the undead? Well you’re in luck. Dallas, the original appointment television, reboots tomorrow night on TNT and there’s nothing like good old-fashioned money, sex and intrigue to keep you engaged. TV trivia fans already know that before The Wire or West Wing, the original Dallas introduced cinematic scripting and cultural commentary to the small screen with the depiction of villainous oil tycoon J.R. Ewing at a time when energy crises, economic turmoil and political corruption had just ravaged America. Given the parallels it’s no surprise Dallas is back and, like the original, it easily transcends the schmaltz of other soaps.

Just as the original produced innovations like the season cliffhanger (a la “Who Shot J.R.?”), the new Dallas is unique in that it picks up the series thread within a pre-existing storyline surrounding the third generation of Ewing men assuming their daddy’s roles in the unending family rivalry. While John Ross (played by sexy Josh Henderson) schemes to rebuild the Ewing oil fortune, Christopher (Desperate Housewives’ Jesse Metcalfe) aims to redeem his family’s name by taking on a more eco-friendly trade and just maybe making up for that time his uncle bombed that Arabian country to spike oil prices (paging George W.).

While the presence of many original characters (pictured left), including J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen and Cliff, make the show fun for original fans, new viewers will enjoy the complex plot twists and dynastic power struggles. Unfortunately, what’s missing is the glamour of the original: Thirty years ago the Ewings clinked cocktails before dinner, today they sip coffee at the kitchen counter overlooking the family room. (Yes, grandma, the Ewings have a family room now.) Though most modern viewers probably won’t notice these changes, having been in-utero when the show last aired in 1991, the collision those Ewing family dinner scenes provided is still palpably lacking. If the new series plans to compete with today’s cable programming it should try looking backward in time and get everybody an office, an accent and, for God’s sake, a wet bar, because that is how things are done on Dallas!

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