Dallas is the granddaddy of over-the-top, family-based prime-time soaps. Now the Ewing-family drama, which ran from 1978-91 on CBS, is enjoying a sudsy revival.
The show’s first two seasons are out on DVD, and CBS will air Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork on Nov. 7. Plus, a Dallas feature film is in the works for early 2006.
“It’s the Dallas story, retold and current,” says show creator David Jacobs, who also launched the sex-in-the-suburbs saga Knots Landing.
Unlike Charlie’s Angels and The Brady Bunch, the Dallas movie will not be a parody of the classic show. And it’s got buzz: A-listers Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones are said to have starring roles.
Modern hit soaps Nip/Tuck and Desperate Housewives push boundaries, just as Dallas did in its day, says Jacobs proudly. But he’s struck by how fast some characters cut to the chase. “We never could have done that on Knots Landing or Dallas,” he says, referring to sex scenes. “We had sort of the same implications, but not that fast!”
