J.R. Getting Shot Didn’t Change ‘Dallas’ — This Episode Did

The big picture

• The return of Bobby Ewing to
  Dallas
  in the infamous shower scene completely changed the history of the show, erasing an entire season.
• The show's declining ratings led to the return of Patrick Duffy, leading to a major plot twist that revitalized the series.
• Dallas continues to be remembered as an iconic television staple because of the impact of Bobby's resurrection on the show's longevity and cultural significance.

Dallas premiered in 1978 on CBS and completely changed the way Americans watched television. The show gave Americans soap operas following a dark episodic narrative that continued weekly, not in standalone episodes. Splashy cliffhangers kept audiences talking all summer long, eagerly waiting for the new season to begin. “Who shot JR?” was the issue of the summer of 1980. Spoiler alert: His wife's sister, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), which was also from JR (Larry Hagman) ex-lover, Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby), shot JR because he threatened to frame her for prostitution if she didn't leave town. But no Dallas cliffhanger managed to shock the world or change the show more than the season 9 cliffhanger when Patrick DuffyBobby Ewing's character came back from the dead in that infamous shower scene. Not only was the return of a dead character shocking, but the show's explanation of how it happened changed Dallas forever.

Bobby Ewing dies a hero, but “Dallas” begins to crumble

Bobby Ewing was the youngest son of Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing (Jim Davis i Barbara Bell Geddes). He was a young man who always tried to do the right thing, which usually put him at odds with his older brother, JR. The series begins with Bobby bringing his new wife, the daughter of an Ewing rival, Pamela Ewing, née Barnes (Main Victory), to the ancestral ranch, Southfork, to meet her disapproving family. Their love story would help drive Dallas at the top of the charts for most of the 1980s and cemented Duffy as leader material. When his contract ended in 1985, Patrick left the show that made him a household name. Bobby Ewing was heroically killed, saving his beloved Pam. The spectators were devastated, and Dallas lost a core cast member who helped make the show a ratings success.

Duffy had no plans to return to the show. In a 2014 interview with HuffPost, he spoke about his decision to leave: “My contract was for seven years. It was obviously an ensemble show, and I thought if there was ever a moment that lived up to the popularity of that show, that I might be able to launch myself into something that was more of a unique and leading place, that it would be the time to do that, and that didn't happen.” A few TV movies had fallen into his lap, but none of the success he had hoped for.

In the meantime, Dallas fell in the ratings, falling out of the top 5 shows in America for the first time since 1980. A call from Larry Hagman caused Duffy to rethink his position on whether to return to the show that had made him a household name. The two sides agreed to terms, and the show announced that Patrick Duffy would return to the show, but did not say whether he would return as Bobby or another character. On May 16, 1986, Pam Ewing opened the shower door and Dallas it was never the same.

Seasons of 'Dallas' change like the weather when Bobby returns

With the equivalent of a dropped bomb, the return of Bobby Dallas rocked the show to the core. The 31 episodes that formed ceased to exist in the canon of the program. Bobby was hit by a car, his death and everything that came after was a dream. Sue Ellen and JR did not reconcile. Jenna (Priscilla Presley) did not have a nervous breakdown. Pamela did not marry Mark (John Beck). Donna and Ray (Susan Howard i Steven Kanaly) never adopted Tony (Solomon Smaniotto). Angelica Nero (Barbara Carrera) never blew up the Ewing Oil offices as revenge against JR. Instead, Pam and Bobby get married. Jenna gives birth to Bobby's son. JR loses Ewing Oil to Justice Department. Some characters either ceased to exist thanks to Pam's dream or never died.

In an interview with People magazine in 2023, Steven Kanaly opened up about that time saying, “It was a 10% audience loss, at least from that point on, because people were offended by seeing the [death] He went on to talk about the crew's reaction, saying, “I don't want to mention them, but several members of the cast were upset that their stories were lost as a result of this. And it had a big impact.” Victoria Principal leaves the show at the end of season 10, with her character incinerated in a fiery explosion, never to be seen again. Viewers who had tuned into Bobby and Pamela's love story began to tune out. , i Dallas it fell to 48th place on television before its cancellation in 1991.

'Dallas' remains a television staple

Decades later, people still roll their eyes when talking about this episode. It was wild, but it worked. The show had lost its way with season 9 and probably wouldn't have made it another 150 episodes without Pamela's dream. The character of Bobby Ewing would not be as prevalent in our culture without this episode. Sue Ellen and JR could have buried the hatchet. But without Bobby, JR would fall back into his old ways (not that he strays far from them on a good day) and stop at nothing to keep Southfork and the family business under his control. Without his brother, he fell out with a cartel and his wife was exploited because of it. Thank God for Pamela's dream, which he did Dallas what is this. Even people who have never seen an episode of Dallas felt the impact because family man I wouldn't have made “Da Boom” without Dallas deciding to make an entire season completely moot.

Someone should send some flowers to Main Victory.

Dallas is streaming on Prime Video in the US

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