For modern-day fans of shows like Succession, Yellowstone, and other tense, gripping shows with turbulent family dynamics at the center, the cast of Dallas says you have their hit show to thank.
The nighttime soap ran for 14 seasons CBS from 1978 to 1991, and along the way, it not only won four Emmys but ostensibly invented the modern cliffhanger when on March 21, 1980, it left millions of viewers on the edge of their seats when character J.R. Ewing (the late Larry Hagman), was shot twice by an unseen assailant.
The question of the year, "Who shot JR?", instantly ingrained itself into the pop-culture lexicon, going viral before the internet existed. Fans had to wait until November 21 of the same year to find out what happened, and when it finally aired, between 83 million to 90 million people tuned in, which at the time counted for 76% of all U.S. television viewers.
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Now, as the show celebrates the 45th anniversary of its 1978 premiere, its stars Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Charlene Tilton, Audrey Landers, Steve Kanaly, Joan Van Ark, Sheree Wilson and Cathy Podewell reunited to reflect on the legacy they left behind.
"Dallas was so influential," Gray, who played Sue Ellen Ewing and is now 82, told People at their reunion, explaining: "Because the show ran for so many years, the audience got to know the characters so genuinely and they really cared for [them] and the characters all went through so much.
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The actress added: "I think the fans really loved to relate to the stories that were bigger than life. I think that they were definitely bigger than life so they could live vicariously through those characters."
It is her belief "that Dallas was like daytime soaps that were very popular and Dallas came into play and it was gigantic and it filled that same need that people love to have a recurring story, suspense and something to look forward to."
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Duffy, 74, who starred as Bobby Ewing, feels the same way about the show's influence and legacy. "I really thought about it with Succession," he admitted, adding: "The way Dallas was written, its standard writing template for shows that run any period of time from a few episodes onto years. But yeah, it all started with us."
Tilton, 64, who played Lucy Ewing, added: "I think it was, to the best of my knowledge, the first show that gave you characters that were truly flawed, but they were loved by the audience. And every one of us had a major flaw, but still they were human and the audience still loved them."
After the show ended in 1991, much of the cast returned for a 2012 revival on TNT that ran for three seasons. It included J.R. Ewing himself, Hagman, though he passed away aged 81 after the first season.
Before his passing, Hagman went on to star in other movies such as 1995's Nixon, another Dallas reunion in 2004, and 1998's Primary Colors. His wife Maj Axelsson, who he had been with since 1954, passed away four years after his death. They shared children Heidi, 65, and Preston, 61.
Gray has continued acting, and most recently starred in PureFlix television series Hilton Head Island, which first aired in 2017, though it has only released two seasons. She lives in Santa Monica, and from 1962 to 1983, she was married to Ed Thrasher. They had two children together, Kehly Sloane, 56, and Jeff Thrasher, who passed away in 2020 aged 56 after a battle with leukemia.
Duffy has also continued acting, most recently in 2021's Lady of the Manor. Last year, he listed his longtime Oregon ranch for $14 million. In 2017, his wife since 1974, Carlyn Rosser, passed away. They had two children together, Padraic, 49, and Conor, 43. Since 2020, he has been in a relationship with actress Linda Purl.
Tilton lives in Nashville and is also still acting. Before she was cast on Dallas when she was 17, she was raised by a single mom who had severe mental health issues, and she saw her co-star Hagman like a father. She has been previously married to Domenick Allen (1985–1992) and Johnny Lee (1982–1984), and has one daughter, singer Cherish Lee, 40.