TNT’s ‘Dallas’ is a solid update of the original

New York Daily News ^ | 6/13/12 | David Hinckley

[JennysCool]

When you aim to remake “Dallas,” partner, you’re putting on a big hat.

But TNT and the producers of Dallas 2.0, which launches with back-to-back episodes Wednesday night, have the cattle to do it.

They start with the smart move of bringing back the original Ewing brothers, Larry Hagman’s J.R. and Patrick Duffy's Bobby.

Then they make the smarter move of not pretending this old guard would still be dominating the world of Southfork Ranch, as if no descendant of this screwed-up family had ambitions of his or her own, good or evil.

Instead, the producers simply let the gene pool do the work.

J.R.’s son John Ross (Josh Henderson) shares J.R.’s obsession with money, power and domination. Bobby’s adopted son Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) envisions a future where clean energy will replace fossil fuel and make the world a better place.

Fossil fuel, of course, by which we mean oil, has been the Ewing family ticket to vast, unapologetic wealth.

So there are those in the family who see this alternative energy foolishness as a direct personal insult.

-Snip!-

So we’ve got love and money both in play here, and soon they swirl together into a tale that’s got more kick than Texas chili made with live rattlesnakes.

It’s also soapy, of course, not to mention campy. Hagman in particular hasn’t lost an ounce of his villainous sleaze.

No one expects “Dallas” to have the kind of reach now that it had three decades ago. But between old fans who will enjoy a revisit and young folks who never even heard of Miss Ellie, TNT is placing a sound bet.

[nutmeg]

The chick that shot J.R.? I have no idea.

See Impy's posts 68 and 69 on this thread...

[nutmeg]

IMHO the character of Bobby always was and still is a pansy liberal fantasy of how we Texans should really be in the ‘real’ East/West Coast elites’ world that only flies over us unwashed, political incorrect common folk—

I didn't know much about Texas back in the 1970's/1980's but your statement above seems pretty correct to me now. Bobby seems kind of like an Austin liberal elite - first thing I thought of while watching the new show last week.

... After Kristin's death, it was learned that her husband, Jeff Faraday, and not J.R., was the father of her child, who had become Bobby and Pam's adopted son, Christopher Ewing. Kristin had miscarried the child she had conceived with JR.”

Whoa, Christopher Ewing's biological parents are Kristin Shepard and Jeff Faraday? What happened to Jeff Faraday? (I don't remember him at all, to be honest)

[Bender2]

Re: What happened to Jeff Faraday? (I don't remember him at all, to be honest)

Gadzooks... neither do I!

But it didn't take long to find that Jeff Faraday/Jeff Farraday was played by Art Hindle in 11 episodes in the 1981-82 season. But his character was so minor there is absolutely no hint of him in the main Wikipedia "Dallas' article, only is he mentioned at the Kristin Shepard Wikipedia page.

He looks familiar... but I cannot recall anything he was in--

Art Hindle at IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0385543/

If red X above go to http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/8222/padreactor8xg.jpg

BTW yes, big, "Miss Ellie is still dead"... but only in the syndicated episodes where she ain't--

[big'ol_freeper]

Forgot about syndication!!

[Revolting cat!]

I dream of Jeanie.

[nutmeg]

Thanks once again, Bender2!

I'm afraid I don't remember "Jeff Farraday" (Art Hindle) at all in "Dallas". He sure looks familiar though...

[Impy]

Interesting.

From his IMDB page this looks like his biggest role. He played 7 different people in 7 episodes of Walker Texas Ranger.

[Impy]

Well I saw it in syndication like 6/7 or 8 years ago while I’m assuming you last saw it in the 80’s. ;d I watched the last TV movie in 1998 without having ever seen the show before (I’m 28).

I got into it and Dynasty, they stopped showing Knots Landing before I could watch all of that though. I think Bobby was still dead as far as his brother Gary and the Knots cast was concerned.

Christopher’s biological father Jeff Faraday sold him to Bobby (who assumed he was JR’s son and was gonna hand him over till barren Pam saw him and thought he was for her, JR then found out and started blackmailing Bobby). He ended up dead after that, I don’t know how but he was a scumbag, probably murdered. He was very minor, all I remember from him is the scene where he sold Christopher. I think his sister showed up years later and tried to kidnapped the boy.