TNT has managed to pull off something that Cliff Barnes could never get done: They’ve managed to get rid of the Ewings.

Less than two weeks after the Season 3 finale saw a major character go boom, TNT has announced that they are not going to renew Dallas for Season 4.

Dallas_emailblast_m2From a statement on the official TNT Dallas Facebook page:

TNT has decided not to renew Dallas. We are extremely proud of the series, which defied expectations by standing as a worthy continuation of the Ewing saga. We want to thank everyone involved with the show, from the extraordinary cast to the impeccable production team, led by the show’s creative forces, Cynthia Cidre and Mike Robin. We especially want to thank the people of Dallas for their warm and generous hospitality during the production of the series.

The new version of Dallas did very well for TNT in its first season, which we will note was the only season to be completely seen in the summertime. The show brought back original series leads Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, and Patrick Duffy alongside a young cast of new characters. Other faces from the original series, including Ken Kercheval, Charlene Tilton, Ted Shackelford, and Steve Kanaly, also made [sometimes very brief] guest appearances. We were able to visit the Dallas, Texas sets of the series earlier this year and were treated very well by the cast and crew; the real-life Southfork Ranch, not directly associated with the show anymore, will continue to be a tourist attraction for decades.

Unfortunately, unless Warner Horizon can shop the show elsewhere – it’s a shame CBS couldn’t pick up and make Dallas the hit that it once was, again – this probably marks the end of the Ewing story. We will never know who got Elena pregnant, or if Sue Ellen found love again. We won’t see how Bobby reacts to losing a son, Cliff Barnes will rot in Mexico, and – sorry Cathy – we still don’t know the name of Cally’s baby. On the bright side, we won’t have to deal with the drug cartel or the magically-created-with-no-connection-to-the-original-series daughter that J.R. supposedly had.

Occasionally, the new Dallas had some great moments. It was fantastic getting to see J.R. Ewing in what would end up being his final days, and “J.R.’s Masterpiece” is still one of the best stories in the Dallas canon. When you combine the new series with the CBS original, they hit around 400 episodes. Not a bad run, overall. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m off to have some J.R. Ewing Bourbon. Who’s with me?

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KSiteTV Editor-In-Chief Craig Byrne has been writing about TV on the internet since 1995. He is also the author of several published books, including Smallville: The Visual Guide and the show's Official Companions for Seasons 4-7.

3 Comments

  1. The first season was pretty good, but with the introduction of Emma and the whole Elena storyline in season 3 I kind of gave up on the show so I can’t say I’m too heart broken.

  2. Carla Krae on

    I’m bummed. The decision to not keep it a fully summer show is one of the things that hurt. TNT made various mismanagement decisions.

  3. There is petition circulating to save Dallas and have TNT reconsider the cancellation (yes, I signed it), but I do not see any chance of that. I have never even heard of a network reconsidering a canceling after the fact.

    TNT is not a good home for Dallas anyways. What really hurt was the so few and scattered episodes. What Dallas needs, as Craig said, is a new home, with 25 to 30 episodes in a year. I would not mind CBS as the new home.

    Is Cindy Cidre and Warner Brothers honestly trying to shop Dallas somewhere else or is that just a hope?

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