JR (Larry Hagman) is back to his cutthroat ways —even when it comes to his son (Josh Henderson) — on "Dallas."
Soaps fans can be such snobs sometimes.
Oh, they'll gush over how the vapid "Gossip Girl" or glossy "90210" are great guilty pleasures or heap praise upon the original "Beverly Hills 90210" but roll their eyes over the update of "Dallas" (premiering 9 p.m. today, TNT).
This new generation of soap devotees are declaring it as being your grandma's soap, not yours, and sweeping off this latest chapter of the Ewing clan as being hopelessly out of touch and woefully mired in the past.
Poppycock.
The 2012 "Dallas" has all the charms of the original while giving a sleeker and darker tone to the proceedings.
"Dallas" may be an old horse, but writer/ producer Cynthia Cidre's vision shows this iconic series has plenty of giddy up and go left.
The bulk of the plots are centered on the latest generation — John Ross, the spoiled son of J.R. and Sue Ellen, and Christopher Ewing, the adopted son of Bobby and the biological nephew of Sue Ellen. In Facebook terms, these relationships are "complicated."
The Ewings are out of Ewing Oil but has enough money to be very comfortable, not mega-rich. Bobby and his latest wife, Ann, live on Southfork Ranch. J.R. is catatonic. John Ross and Christopher are on their own. John Ross is an opportunist with daddy issues. Christopher is an environmentalist.
They grew up like brothers and have eyes for the woman Christopher is marrying.
"Dallas" is familiar but not too repetitive. It does what a good soap should do: Borrowing from the past and exploring new implications for the future.
This is a fun ride and exactly the kind built for summertime viewing.
Score: 4 stars (out of 5)
Terry Morrow may be reached at 865-342-6445 or morrowt@knoxville.com.
© 2012, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 1
joekarglo (Inactive) writes:
Watched a good bit of "Dallas" back in the day--don't remember a lot, but do recall the way-cool Mercedes station wagon. Today, the world's coolest wagon is very rare and built by Cadillac.
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