Dallas
DALLAS creator, David Jacobs Excluded from New TNT Series Reboot! And says, "Bobby's son should have been the bad one & JR's, the good one!"
Courtesy/TNT
Oh what a mess! The creator of the original version of the series, Dallas, David Jacobs, who also created our favorite nighttime soap, Knots Landing, spoke out to Forbes.com in an exclusive about how the new TNT version scheduled to debut on June 13th excluded him from any input on the new series. Jacob’s will only receive a “created by” screen credit, with no money and no participation in the project.
Jacobs informed Forbes.com that the new show producers have cut him out completely. “I will not waive my rights. The material isn’t bad. But I read the scripts and found they were very plot driven. I thought she was going to have trouble down the road. The original Dallas and Knots Landing ran five years too long because the audience was so engaged with the characters. You didn’t need to come up with constant plot points. The scripts are good. But they should have made Bobby’s kid the bad one, and JR’s kid the good one. Bobby has a new wife, and she’s from Houston. She should have been from main line Philadelphia or Boston or New York. Or very rich. But I never had the opportunity to express any of this.”
What do you think of Jacob’s exclusion from something he created? And, what do you think of what he had to say about making Bobby Ewing’s son the bad seed, and JR Ewing’s son the good seed? Let us know!
To be honest, given Jacobs is alive and well, the creative powers of the new series should have at the very least taken advantage of that and consulted him. Mr. Jacobs’ seemingly objective, and would have contributed to some fine ideas. I like the conflicts – JR/John Ross’ relationship interwoven with Bobby/Christopher’s; and JR and Sue Ellen looking down on Bobby’s new wife Ann for not being a true Texas native. The possibilities Jacobs shared would have been lush – and familiar.
I’m gonna hold my critique til June 13th
Dallas! Finally returning. It’s been long awaited and feels like a dream come true. People will definitely be tuning in to this on June 13th. Yes, I do think they should have given him some kind of credit since he is the creator of the original show. Without David Jacobs, there would be no Dallas. Give credit where credit is due. As far as Christopher being the bad guy? Nah! People are soooo looking forward to watching JR Ewing’s son follow his Daddy’s footsteps, and no one but Josh Henderson could do it! I think the casting is excellent and I do believe it will be an exciting new show. Time to rid the REALITY SHOWS. There are way to many of them. I have heard many people say there are no good writers today and they do not know how to create a good show anymore. So they create junk reality shows. No talent whatsoever in them. Now if they would only bring back “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” along with “Dallas”, life would be perfect! 😉
I have faith in the DALLAS reboot, too, Nancy. I shall wait until June 13 to offer any opinions, but David Jacobs offers some good ideas. Stories these days are driven by plot points anymore, rather than character. Look at REVENGE (which I love, by the way). That ABC serial spends no extra time on character as story spins quickly. I do like character explorations though… which is why I loved the pre-Bobby’s Dream DALLAS and KNOTS LANDING.
I miss ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE, too. Here’s hoping the Daytime Emmy Awards honor them both with some nominations next week!
Well, if they dont want you, you pick up ur marbles and go play somewhere else!
this is good ,and 1loveabcsoaps will tell me I am getting off subject here ,well maybe ,at the start of this post I will ,abc/disney are you reading any of this/abc/disney should give agnus nixon the rights to her stories and characters back,so we can go back to landview for another 43 years .I love dallas I cant wait to watch it again and I am sorry to hear that David Jacobs is being excluded from dallas he created it so he should have the right to say anything he wants about the characters,I think he is right about bobby and jr’s son,dont know about bobbys wife ,I will have more to say after I see the first episode ,Hollyweird sure likes to take things that don’t belong to them ,abc/disney give agnus the rights to her stories and for heaven sakes let the guy who created dallas have the rights to his creation,seriously I dont get it.Here we have another great program being taken over by other writers sometimes thats a very big mistake,I’d give examples but I would be here for a very long time .I hope this decision doesn’t hurt dallas I am looking forward to spending time with another family that I love the ewings ,Let the oil wells flow the ewings are back in business.
The power of the show is the “new” JR. John Ross has to be the chip off the old block. The show will work if the writing is good and if we love to hate Josh Henderson the way we did Larry Hagman.
It does sound like a good idea to have Bobby’s son be bad and JR’s be good. Sounds like more potential for story and conflict. Too bad they didn’t at least want his input.
Always someone has to be negative! Stop complaining Mr. Jacobs. You obviously already thought you were going to have all the control and you were outnumbered!!!!
I agree and I also think the sons of JR and Bobby have been WOEFULLY miscast.
They are two of the weakest young actors around and I think about all the talent, especially from daytime, that could have bee tapped to play these roles.
I will definitely give it a chance but Jesse metcalf?!?! really? The other one Josh whatever-his-name is was horrible on desperate housewives and completely unlikeable.
Also, what about Bobby and Betsy? Gary and Val’s kids. It would have been interesting to have one or both try to get their share of the pie.
New blood and new ideas are not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the new “Big D” stays true to history (unlike some daytime soap story lines). It will be a huge success with the older Dallas fans (we all know the networks don’t care us). The young, hip cast surely should attract the coveted 18-34 demographic only if the writing is superior and edgy.
I totally agree with Nancy. I’m so sick of talk, reality, and competition shows I could scream.
As far as good/bad younger Ewings, both boys have some serious baggage. Remember, Sue Ellen was drinking heavily, and John Ross was born most likely with fetal alcohol syndrome. Furthermore, the poor kid stayed in the crib for a year, not being accepted by his mother or father. Christopher was abandoned by 2 mothers; first by Kristin who left him with her druggie husband (then of course she died), then by Pam who thought she would ‘spare” Christopher the pain of dealing with her deformity/illness.
I think the idea of John Ross being impaired by fetal alcohol syndrome would be a very interesting twist ———– A guilt-ridden Sue Ellen blaming herself for causing her son’s condition, struggles to remain sober. JR struggles with the reality that his son, THE Ewing heir, doesn’t match up to the macho man Texas oilman image of the Ewing men. John Ross unsuccessfully tries to keep up with Christopher in life an d business and harbors resentment towards his cousin for outdoing him.
Barbara, I’ve often wondered (I’m so gonna be busted for this), is JR really John Ross’ father? Think back to the paternity episode. When the results were read, the family and guests were preparing to leave for the Oil Barron’s Ball. Harv the attorney just walked in and said JR, no doubt about it; you are the daddy! What if…Jock and Harv conspired to give false information? While Harv was a fine, upstanding no crap attorney, he could have been strongly persuaded by Jock to lie. I’m no biologist but it seems Cliff and Sue Ellen hooked up way more than JR and Sue Ellen. It could come out now that Harv lied (he confided to his widow on his death bed, she chose to keep it a secret and wrote it in a journal found by her children upon her death). Farfetched? Maybe. LOL. Oh well, I love Dallas and can’t wait til June 13!
Shelly, Very interesting,could be.I love dallas to and cant wait either.
Bring back PAM!!! She was so perfect for Bobby and Christopher. She could deal w/Sue Ellen and not put up with JR’s crap and could hold her own. And what about Lucy? Will she be there too, I hope? She could, also, hold her own, particularly w/JR. I guess Miss Ellie is already deceased I do not know though, hopefully not. Pam is a very strong character and did great in dealing with the Ewing family.
Just bring back PAM EWING!!! And Cliff as well, as well as his daughter, too.
Looking forward to the Dallas reboot. But, I have to say David Jacobs new how to develop characters and write stories. I consider Dallas & Knots to be exceptional in the soap genre. I hope Dallas succeeds and is enjoyable as the original.
Obviously, without seeing an episode yet, none of us can if the show would have been better if Jacobs’ ideas had been implemented.
However, his ideas are VERY interesting and certainly would have altered the dynamics from what we know about the characters.
Jacobs makes a very accurate comment about the old Dallas and Knots Landing — That both shows were very character driven and viewer interest in the characters kept them on longer. I totally agree with his comment. The quality of the writing for both shows dwindled in the last two years for each. However, I kept watching both of them just because I liked the long-term characters who still appeared on them.
Is Jacobs working these days? I really like his ideas. I wish Y&R would hire this man as a consultant. The approach he is advocating, focusing on the characters, is desperately needed on Y&R.
Dear David;
As a creator, writer and Producer I deplore the fact that an original creator wouldn’t be included in their own creation. Maybe I don’t have all of the details but it seems like the only respectful thing to do. I currently live in the L.A. area but lived in Houston during the “Dallas” years and I can tell you that every Friday night the city was glued to the television or you couldn’t make conversation on Monday morning at every oil company that I worked for!
I loved “Dallas” but just when I thought television couldn’t get any better along came my own personal favorite, “Knotts Landing”. I even bought my first house at 22 years old in Houston on the corner of a cul de sac! My best friend bought a house in Arlington, TX on Knotts Landing without knowing it was my favorite show. All of your characters were bigger than life !!
If you would consider bringing “Knotts” back it would be a dream to work on it with you with a 21st Century spin. Those characters I will never forget! All the best in life!
Melissa
I think it would be interesting if creators remembered that Christopher is actually JR and Kristen Sheppards love child and that makes John Ross And Christopher Brothers not cousins so Christopher could well turn out to be the baddy !
Dallas
Lifetime’s ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’ Brings Epic Food Fight and “Slapfest Coup de Grâce”
Get ready for the feuding soap opera divas, when five actresses known for their signature primetime and daytime roles are brought together in Lifetime’s new holiday film, Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.
Saturday night, December 2nd on Lifetime (8pm ET/7PM CT) marks the highly-anticipated holiday movie premiere featuring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing), Nicolette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest et al), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).
Here’s what we do know! In story, five alums from the long-running soap, The Great Lakes reunite for a live Christmas finale. Uh-oh! Now take a look at the backstory of the colorful cast of characters (pay special attention to the clever twists on the actresses names!)
Photo: Lifetime
LAUREN EWING (Linda Gray) “Everyone thinks I’m so damn good all the time,” confesses the junk food-loving Lauren of her second act as a lifestyle guru. “I don’t know how Gwenyth Paltrow does it!”
DANA CUNNINGHAM (Donna Mills) Now a sitcom mom, she’s yet to make amends to ex-bestie Juliette after abruptly leaving the soap back in the day. Not that she hasn’t tried: “When I thought the world was going to end in Y2K,” Dana says, “I reached out to her, and she never called me back.”
LILY MARLOWE (Loni Anderson) After replacing Dana on ‘Great Lakes’, Lily never again found a role to win her acclaim. “What do I have to show for (my career)? An arc on For the People – Shonda Rhimes’ only flop!”
JULIETTE MATHESON (Nicollette Sheridan) “She left me for L.A.,” the party girl turned fashion mogul recalls of Dana’s betrayal. Will their feud derail the entire event?
MARGEAUX ROBERTS (Morgan Fairchild) “Fasten your face-lifts, ladies, it’s gonna be a bumpy weekend!” The sassy grande dame of ‘Great Lakes’ sees the Juliette-Dana beef as the perfect escape from her own domestic drama.
Photo: Lifetime
Now, making this all the more hysterical is the director of The Great Lakes reunion special, which makes the five women live under the same roof, is its former child star Alex, who has gotten his ex-girlfriend, Nell to direct the finale. Meanwhile, in the subplot. the ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ come up with a plan to get Alex and Nell back together.
As with any good soap opera, there is a major food fight. Linda Gray shared with USA Today ,”The food fight was one take. And it was fabulous.” And of course, their is a bitch-fest slap-fest. Morgan Fairchild revealed, “Oh honey, we all got ours in. Mine was a simple, ‘How dare you?’ with a slap. But I was hoping for a punch.”
Photo: Lauren Dukoff/Lifetime
The movie’s EP, Larry Thompson, who is a Hollywood manager and has Donna Mills as a client, said that the entire scene peaks with the”slapfest coup de grâce.” What is that exactly? That is when Donna Mills pushes Nicollette Sheridan into a pool in a nod to Dynasty’s Lily bond battle between Dynasty’s Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystle (Linda Evans).
In case you missed it previously, check out the trailer for Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas below, also starring Patrika Darbo, Alec Mapa, Mills real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, and Christopher Atkins with theme song by Tiffany.
Now let us know, will you be tuning in to the movie for a premise that should delight many a longtime soap fan? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Dallas
Morgan Fairchild, Nicollette Sheridan & Donna Mills Visit ‘Tamron Hall’ to Talk ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’
UPDATED: Monday November 27th, soap opera favorites, Morgan Fairchild (GH, ex-DAYS, DFT, The City, Dallas, Falcon Crest et al), Nicollette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing) and Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing) visit with Tamron Hall on her syndicated talk show. (find times in your area here).
The trio is set to give some inside intel to Tamron on their highly-anticipating holiday film, Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas, set to premiere on Lifetime on Saturday, December 2nd (8pm ET/7Pm CT) and streams next day.
As previously reported, Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas also stars Linda Gray (Dallas) and Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati) and in story, five glamorous ‘80s soap opera stars reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera.
The producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the whole production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies’ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to “act” as if they all still love each other. When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together. Along the way, the divas also discover that the love between them all is still very strong too.
Photo: Lifetime
Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas also stars Christopher Atkins, Patrika Darbo (ex-DAYS, B&B, The Bay), Alec Mapa, and Mills’s daughter, Chloe Mills. In addition, the holiday film features a theme song performed by none other than ’80s pop star Tiffany.
Check out the official trailer for ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ starring Donna, Nicollette, Linda, Morgan and Loni below, followed by the Tamron Hall Show segment.
Now let us know, are you looking forward to watching Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Breaking News
Donna Mills, Linda Gray, Nicollette Sheridan, Morgan Fairchild, Loni Anderson to Appear in Lifetime’s 80s and Soap-Themed Holiday Movie
Wowza! Now here’s a line-up of soap opera and primetime favorites all in one movie! Coming up for the holidays, Lifetime has revealed they have an 80s and soap-themed film starring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing, General Hospital), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas), Nicollette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing and Dynasty), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest, SFT, DAYS et al) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).
Filmed earlier in 2023, Ladies of the 80’s is said to follow five soap opera divas (how fun and perfect!), as they reunite to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera!
In story, the producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), who happen to be old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies’ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to “act” as if they all still love each other. When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together.
But wait, there’s more! In addition to the five leading ladies, the cast also includes: Days of our Lives favorite Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy), Alec Mapa, and Donna Mills’ real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, plus 80s heartthrob, Christopher Atkins.
Photo: TiffanyX
There is even a Ladies of the 80’s theme song, performed by none other than 80’s pop star, Tiffany!
In a statement on the project, the movie’s EP Larry A. Thompson shared: “The opportunity to bring together Donna, Morgan, Loni, Linda and Nicollette, five powerhouse women into one holiday movie, has been like finding the perfect gift under the Christmas tree.”
The official airdate of the holiday movie will be revealed shortly in the networks’s A Wonderful Lifetime Holiday movie schedule. Deadline first shared the news.
What do you think of this upcoming soap opera-themed movie featuring Donna, Linda, Nicollette, Morgan and Loni? Comment below.
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