Next summer, TNT is taking a slightly different approach to a classic television series. While networks have rebooted shows like Hawaii Five-O and Charlie’s Angels, TNT is going a different route and resurrecting Dallas as a continuation of the original series. Not only will storyline continuity exist from the original series (which ended in 1991), but three of the show’s original actors are returning to reprise their roles: Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing) and Linda Grey (Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing).
Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives) joins the cast as the fourth member of the older generation (and Bobby’s new wife, Ann), while four young actors and actresses dominate the younger generation, consisting of J.R. and Bobby’s sons and their girlfriends. After taking a break after shooting the pilot, production on Dallas resumed recently and we had an opportunity to chat with Brenda about her role on the show, what it’s like working with the original Dallas actors, and what’s in store for the feuds that will always dominate the Ewing family.
Being Part of a Legendary Show. Let’s be clear, Dallas was a big deal back in its day. It ran for 13 seasons and 90 million viewers domestically (360 million internationally) tuned in to watch the “Who shot J.R.?” episode. I asked Brenda what it was like being part of a show that is so iconic, especially since she was a fan of the original, and she said that while being part of a popular primetime soap like Desperate Housewives helps in terms of preparation, “[Nothing can] ever prepare you for something of this magnitude. It already has a history. The nice thing is that nobody’s walking around going ‘this is important’. We’re just all going to work and showing up and doing our jobs. The previous cast - Linda, Larry and Patrick - are so incredibly grounded and down to earth and all about the work. They don’t make you feel like you have big shoes to step into, although we’re totally aware of that. You kind of put that onto the backburner so that you can just do the work and let the audience decide.”
As for working with Larry, Patrick and Linda, Brenda has nothing but good things to say about the original Dallas cast members. While it’s a bit intimidating working with actors that she herself used to watch on television, she understands that sometimes you need to “drop the awe, otherwise you can’t function.” And she has a special place in her heart for her on-screen husband: “Patrick Duffy….I feel like I’ve been married to him for 8 years. He’s made me feel so incredibly welcome and he's just a really generous, kind, grounded human being. He makes it so effortless.”
Drama, Drama and More Drama. Plus, Cliffhangers. The original series utilized cliffhangers like nobody’s business, and nearly every season of the show ended on a cliffhanger. Not much will change in the first season of the new series. Brenda promises that the audience will be dazzled by all of the shocking twists and drama packed into each episode: “Our scripts are incredibly dense. The audience will not, in any way, shape or form, be bored. I’m amazed at how much territory we cover within every script. We’re in the middle of shooting [episode 2 and episode 3] and I’m already going ‘holy cow, this is moving so fast!’. I think the audience will be really, really happy with the level of drama they’re given in every episode and within the first season. And yes, there will be cliffhangers. There will be a couple of cliffhangers, not just one, at the end of this season.”
Meet Ann Ewing. Brenda’s not out to replace any of Bobby’s former wives or the actresses who played those roles. Ann is her own person, who doesn’t just serve as a decoration (lovely though she is) on Bobby’s arm. Like the Ewing family, Ann herself comes from money, but Brenda stresses that “there’s something really grounded about her”. While Ann is smart, loyal and loving, she is very protective of her family and is definitely the type of strong-willed woman who can go toe-to-toe with J.R. She’s pure of heart, but is also "a tough cookie". “She rides and she shoots and she can dress up for charity events with the best of them, but when push comes to shove I think she’s most happy in her boots and jeans, out on a horse. There’s a sense of depth and diversity in her that I’m starting to enjoy playing with.” Expect Ann’s history to play out in the beginning of the series, showing us that his woman has a past that must be reckoned with.
Ann’s relationship with Bobby is very loving, as is her relationship with his son, Christopher. Brenda explained that Ann came into the picture when Christopher was already in his 20s, which means that she’s in a parental role but she’s not really raising him. While she may not act as a typical mother to him, “because he’s part of the Bobby Ewing family I think she’s embraced him, wholly. She’s very much an advocate of his and will actually go to Bobby and fight for Christopher’s rights as a Ewing. She’s definitely on his side and wants what’s best for Bobby’s family. At the same time, she’s wanting to make peace with the other side as long as they don’t play dirty and when they do, she’ll let them know they’ve crossed a line.”
The Feud: The Next Generation. The original Dallas was dominated by the feud between the Ewing brothers, J.R. and Bobby, over their family home (Southfork) and Ewing Oil. The trailer for the new series (watch it here) shows that nothing has changed with the new generation. Christopher and John Ross are at each other’s throats. “They’re fiercely competitive, not only for the family fortune, but also for love.” The relationship is even more complicated by the fact that John Ross doesn’t consider the adopted Christopher a real Ewing. “Imagine putting two bulls in the same pasture. There’s going to be trouble. It’s really the legacy that J.R. and Bobby left to them. In some respects when you think of the psychology of families, they don’t really have a choice, they’re gonna have to fight it out. It’s part of what Jock and Miss Ellie put into motion. Miss Ellie was always the peacekeeper and Jock was always the one who wanted to grab the gold. It’s kind of an interesting dynamic.”
A Touch of Authenticity. Unlike the original Dallas, which eventually moved production to Los Angeles, the new series is filming in Texas, on the original Southfork Ranch. Brenda believed this lends an authenticity to the show that they simply couldn’t get filming anywhere else. Production has the benefit of the wide open spaces of Texas, as well as the Dallas skyline, and it allows the actors to experience life like the locals: “I just went to the Dallas opera [recently] because I wanted to observe the Dallas social scene. It was fascinating. You just don’t get that in LA. It’s a different quality of wealth and infrastructure. [Even] how men and women relate, I’m noticing, is different. Being here kind of allows you to have these characters fed through osmosis through the skin and the history of the city.”
Dallas returns to our screens in the summer of 2012.
Alaina Huffman is not in it (auditioned) so I'm not interested.