Who shot J.R. is never going to die…

When I heard Dallas was coming back to television, I couldn’t imagine what a producer could do with that. So often, Hollywoods lack of creativity gives birth to recycling previously popular ideas, like Dallas. So, my expectations were REALLY low for this undertaking. How to do Dallas with no Miss Ellie, no Jock and J.R. old and rickety…

Story: They did it! The original creator, David Jacobs in collaboration with Cynthia Cidre have successfully advanced the story, using the same basic formula. But now, the elders are Bobby, J.R. and Sue Ellen and the rivals are their kids: John Ross and Christopher. Cliff Barnes’ daughter with Afton Cooper is also a part of the new generation of rivals…

Everyone is still fighting over South Fork, they’ve taken a rehabilitated Sue Ellen and gotten her back on the bottle again; Cliff Barnes is now a bitter OLD man still chasing after J. R.; Bobby is still a do-gooder and J.R. is still up to no good. But now, they’re using cameos to sentimentalize the stories: Gary came back… Lucy came back with Ray Krebbs… They even brought back Afton Cooper as Pamela Barnes mother.

And, they did manage to introduce some new story lines as well. I think to give strength to the new story lines, they mixed in the vintage stories and characters. Smart move. It works.

Characters: Bobby, J.R., Sue Ellen, Cliff Barnes, John Ross, Christopher. The vintage characters make the show. Elena, her mother and her brother are the housekeeper and her kids, who, I mildly remember from the original show, but, none-the-less, fit in seamlessly with the Ewings.

Bobby’s new wife, Ann, brings a whole set of Texas baggage with her to include her ex-husband Harris Ryland, their daughter and his mother. Obviously, he’s a Texas big-shot, so, drama ensues. But, they all fit together perfectly.

Visual: I can barely tell the difference between then and now. Clearly, South Fork looks exactly the same, but, I think what I like a bit better is that the show is going into the city a bit more. I don’t recall leaving South Fork so much in the late 70’s, but, now, the kids have condo’s in the city and some of the other character actually live somewhere OTHER than South Fork!

And don’t forget the big hats and cowboy boots…

Rating: Dallas 2012 gets a B+. I think the reincarnation is fantastic, but, there are moments when there’s a bit of over-acting and outcomes that don’t make sense. Not that most daytime and night time dramas don’t do that regularly, but, I still don’t like it.

I wasn’t sure what would happen with the death of Larry Hagman and at first, I was very disappointed with how they handled it. But, in the end, it just turned out the team decided to take the scenic route to the resolution. So, I’m still on board…

If you were a fan of the original series, catch up on the new version on streaming or DVD – we’re only 3 seasons in… it’s not too late. I’m glad I did…