While the "new" Dallas could have been much worse, it could have been exponentially better. Having watched all three seasons of the reboot here are my random thoughts which I expressed succinctly in the title.
1. Without regard for their good looks, charm, and acting ability, Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe both looked too young and behaved too immaturely to carry their roles. Both actors looked closer to 25 than 35 and this lack of gravitas is a problem. As the "good seed" Metcalfe was too light weight to be a be believable counterbalance to John Ross and bad guys in general.
2. As the new series began, J.R. should have been in power and pulling strings and pulling levers from behind a desk (as he always did on the original) instead of traipsing all over from Dallas, to Las Vegas to Mexico etc trying to make a comeback. By 2012 Larry Hagman was too old to carry off the role as it was written, but it was not the proper milieu for the character in any case.
3. The role of Christopher was poorly conceived and written. He was not a strong enough character to be the good guy in charge so an aging Bobby once more filled that role. It is a difficult task to be both nice and tough and Christopher/Metcalfe were not up to it. He spent most of his time being judgmental and self righteous with no redeeming qualities like strength and forgiveness.
4. The show would have benefited enormously if the producers had paid for the rights to show flashbacks from the original. That it would have been a synergistic relationship should have been obvious to all. The new show would have gained depth and purpose while the owners of the original would have sold thousands of DVD sets that they otherwise will not.
5. I understand the need to introduce new blood but a blizzard of new characters dislocated the center of the show which had stayed true throughout 13 years of the original. As interesting as the Ryland clan was, and it was fine to feature them as the bad guys for an arc or two, as continuing characters they foolishly compete with the Ewings. Why was this new family invented out of thin air and the McKays relegated to one smart-ass nerd who gets himself hung?
6. To continue in that vein, why wasn't the old Carter McKay part used? Even if George Kennedy was too feeble for even a short guest role, his daughter Traci could have had a son, or even Carter McKay Jr (remember when last seen, McKay was back with Rose who was of child bearing age).
7. Way too many drug goons. When ordinary folk mix it up with drug king-pins, the ordinary folk wind up dead. It beggars belief that the Ewings would ever engage people like that in a tit-for-tat kind of game. The on and on with the Mexican drug story-line is not credible.
8. Not enough oil. Dallas was always about oil, and so it should have remained. While its reasonable that alternative energy would be featured to some extent, OIL should have remained the focus of the Ewing family.
9. Not enough Texas. The original was best in those years when its focus was close to home. The more the various characters went globe trotting the less believable it all was. Pam trying to find her mother in Austin was interesting, while her looking for Mark Graison in Asia was groan inducing. Cliff Barnes as head of the Texas OLM was believable stuff. Cliff Barnes as national energy czar, not so much. Trying to be "the biggest independent in the state of Texas" which J.R. identified as his goal early in the original, was far more compelling than the later attempts to take Ewing Oil international etc.
10. There should have been more meaningful roles for old cast members and their offspring known and unknown. Was everyone who worked on the new show unaware that Bobby had a son with Jenna that Ray, presumably, raised? What about J.R.'s other kids, the Beaumont boy (and his son) and Cally's child (and heaven knows how many others given J.R.'s lack of restraint).
11. John Ross was too bitter toward his family. One episode he even spoke harshly about Miss Ellie which made no sense at all given his relationship with her as a child. His condescension toward Bobby was over the top. His sense of entitlement was embarrassing. His father was such a strong character because buried beneath all the evil scheming J.R. did have some charm, redeeming qualities and love for his family.
12. Like any show of this sort, Dallas needed a decent center, a core of characters that the viewer can count on to generally do the right thing. The new Dallas turned just about everyone into messed up sleazy creeps. Bobby's new wife should have been a rock instead of an unstable head case. Bobby himself stooped to levels he would never have contemplated on the original.
I liked the two young female leads. Obviously they are both gorgeous, but they are two very different types, decent actresses, and frankly deserved better treatment than they got from their male counterparts. Bobby and Sue Ellen were not used to their potential but they did OK. In fact that sums up my feelings very well, the new Dallas was "OK". I watched it out of a sense of loyalty to the original and because even though sometimes it was pretty bad, occasionally it hit the sweet spot and made the time investment seem worthwhile.
(first written in October 2014, updated and expanded April 2015)
1. Without regard for their good looks, charm, and acting ability, Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe both looked too young and behaved too immaturely to carry their roles. Both actors looked closer to 25 than 35 and this lack of gravitas is a problem. As the "good seed" Metcalfe was too light weight to be a be believable counterbalance to John Ross and bad guys in general.
2. As the new series began, J.R. should have been in power and pulling strings and pulling levers from behind a desk (as he always did on the original) instead of traipsing all over from Dallas, to Las Vegas to Mexico etc trying to make a comeback. By 2012 Larry Hagman was too old to carry off the role as it was written, but it was not the proper milieu for the character in any case.
3. The role of Christopher was poorly conceived and written. He was not a strong enough character to be the good guy in charge so an aging Bobby once more filled that role. It is a difficult task to be both nice and tough and Christopher/Metcalfe were not up to it. He spent most of his time being judgmental and self righteous with no redeeming qualities like strength and forgiveness.
4. The show would have benefited enormously if the producers had paid for the rights to show flashbacks from the original. That it would have been a synergistic relationship should have been obvious to all. The new show would have gained depth and purpose while the owners of the original would have sold thousands of DVD sets that they otherwise will not.
5. I understand the need to introduce new blood but a blizzard of new characters dislocated the center of the show which had stayed true throughout 13 years of the original. As interesting as the Ryland clan was, and it was fine to feature them as the bad guys for an arc or two, as continuing characters they foolishly compete with the Ewings. Why was this new family invented out of thin air and the McKays relegated to one smart-ass nerd who gets himself hung?
6. To continue in that vein, why wasn't the old Carter McKay part used? Even if George Kennedy was too feeble for even a short guest role, his daughter Traci could have had a son, or even Carter McKay Jr (remember when last seen, McKay was back with Rose who was of child bearing age).
7. Way too many drug goons. When ordinary folk mix it up with drug king-pins, the ordinary folk wind up dead. It beggars belief that the Ewings would ever engage people like that in a tit-for-tat kind of game. The on and on with the Mexican drug story-line is not credible.
8. Not enough oil. Dallas was always about oil, and so it should have remained. While its reasonable that alternative energy would be featured to some extent, OIL should have remained the focus of the Ewing family.
9. Not enough Texas. The original was best in those years when its focus was close to home. The more the various characters went globe trotting the less believable it all was. Pam trying to find her mother in Austin was interesting, while her looking for Mark Graison in Asia was groan inducing. Cliff Barnes as head of the Texas OLM was believable stuff. Cliff Barnes as national energy czar, not so much. Trying to be "the biggest independent in the state of Texas" which J.R. identified as his goal early in the original, was far more compelling than the later attempts to take Ewing Oil international etc.
10. There should have been more meaningful roles for old cast members and their offspring known and unknown. Was everyone who worked on the new show unaware that Bobby had a son with Jenna that Ray, presumably, raised? What about J.R.'s other kids, the Beaumont boy (and his son) and Cally's child (and heaven knows how many others given J.R.'s lack of restraint).
11. John Ross was too bitter toward his family. One episode he even spoke harshly about Miss Ellie which made no sense at all given his relationship with her as a child. His condescension toward Bobby was over the top. His sense of entitlement was embarrassing. His father was such a strong character because buried beneath all the evil scheming J.R. did have some charm, redeeming qualities and love for his family.
12. Like any show of this sort, Dallas needed a decent center, a core of characters that the viewer can count on to generally do the right thing. The new Dallas turned just about everyone into messed up sleazy creeps. Bobby's new wife should have been a rock instead of an unstable head case. Bobby himself stooped to levels he would never have contemplated on the original.
I liked the two young female leads. Obviously they are both gorgeous, but they are two very different types, decent actresses, and frankly deserved better treatment than they got from their male counterparts. Bobby and Sue Ellen were not used to their potential but they did OK. In fact that sums up my feelings very well, the new Dallas was "OK". I watched it out of a sense of loyalty to the original and because even though sometimes it was pretty bad, occasionally it hit the sweet spot and made the time investment seem worthwhile.
(first written in October 2014, updated and expanded April 2015)