TNT wisely cancels TV drama ‘Dallas’ after three seasons

Even if you had not seen the original CBS drama, "Dallas," there was little to love except nostalgia for the opening theme song, of the TNT remark, mashup of "Dallas," which the cable giant just announced would not be renewed for a fourth season.
Yes, there were anchor actors Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing and Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing, and they even dragged in Ken Kercheval as Cliff Barnes, now more evil, petty and jealous than ever.

But, it was JR Ewing (Larry Hagman) they tuned in to see. Ratings for the first season were fairly good and everyone was thrilled to see JR one more time, but knowing Hagman's poor health, the writers started the show with JR in a nursing home, in a wheelchair, wondering whether he'd eaten his oatmeal yet.

Now, try and build ratings off of that!
Some people loved the new show, but as a devotee, one of millions, to the original show, actors Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe were stunted by scripts that made them appear imbecilic, whiny, and let's just call it for what it was, poor excuses for the name Ewing. Jock and Miss Ellie would not have been proud of the Generation Y's Ewings. No, sir.

Good move, TNT.

These 'kids' didn't have what it takes to bring it to the name Ewing. In anything else, they're sure to build a following as actors, but this wasn't their breakout starring role op, either.

Given Texas' current and outgoing governor, Rick Perry, Sue Ellen Ewing was right up there as a Texas gubernatorial candidate.
After all, everything is bigger, including egos, in Texas, right?

Sometimes it’s true that you just can’t go home again. Such is the case for The Ewings, an iconic but fictional television family, whom TNT resurrected from three decades ago, at the height of the oil boom. It was a kinder, gentler time when oil barons and the best in nighttime soap operas that were actually must-see programs worth arranging your schedule around. On October 3, 2014, TV Line reported that TNT decided it was time to put a(nother) fork in Southfork and call it done after three very long seasons on cable.

Who among Baby Boomers didn’t tune in to see what J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), the man everyone loved to hate, was up to each week? His never-ending battle with younger brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) was more a battle of the wits with love undergirding the jealousy and competition, which endured for 357 episodes. Back in the day Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing was consistently beautiful and tortured as she tried to survive life at Southfork amidst everyone either hating or pitying her. Good times? Not so much. With the remake the scripts were just not what she needed to establish the "new" Sue Ellen as solidly.

Curtain rings down on TNT drama 'Dallas' and after three seasons, it was definitely time to go. Sue Ellen didn't have anyone to really battle after Larry Hagman's "JR" passed away. (Photo by Rick Diamond)

Sadly the writers of the 21st-century Ewing saga weren’t attuned to the original David Jacobs formula, and it was a "silk purse, sow's ear" reverse transformation, compared to the original CBS and Lorimar Production's “Dallas” that was an American and international favorite. It was also both hard to watch and even more traumatic to compare the two shows. It was barely palatable if you weren't old enough to have seen the first one.

Curtain rings down on TNT drama 'Dallas' and after three seasons, it was definitely time to go. In another vehicle, Josh Henderson can flourish, just not in Big-D. (Photo by Rick Diamond)

Three seasons ago, when Larry Hagman was alive, it was clear that he was ill, but he gave it his very best and the scripts were basically solid enough to help you drift back and remember the days of Jock (Jim Davis), Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes and Donna Reed). The second-generation of “Dallas” didn’t include Victoria Principal’s Pamela, nor did the added strength (and built-in adversary) of Steve Kanaly’s Ray Krebs character and those omissions did matter.

Curtain rings down on TNT drama 'Dallas' and after three seasons, it was definitely time to go. The women of 'Dallas' were not like Sue Ellen or Pamela. No, sir. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Patrick Duffy looked simply aggrieved most of the episodes in the next-gen “Dallas,” likely due to wondering why and how he stayed after Hagman’s passing. The biggest flaw in the entire concept was the casting of Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe as John Ross and Christopher Ewing, respectively. It’s hard to know whether it was script quality or acting ability that the “kids” failed to hold anyone’s attention for more than four seconds. In other vehicles they may fare quite well, but they no more embody the offspring of the evil J.R. and the good Bobby than the man in the proverbial moon. Likely they were more eye candy than Ewing-caliber.

Curtain rings down on TNT drama 'Dallas' and after three seasons, it was definitely time to go. Jesse Metcalfe played Christopher Ewing but the part had no grit. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Without the early, established presence of Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) in the show, J.R., in a wheelchair and potentially brain-numb and it went downhill from there. The women of Southfork were equally disappointing, the plots were confusing and well, let’s just say it was time to pull the curtain. Even the show opening was muddled until Season 3 when they went back to the blatant reproduction of the original show’s three-way screen split and the theme music sounded closer to real.

You can find the complete collection of 14 seasons of the original 1970s and 1980s show on DVD at amazon.com and other outlets near you. The original Southfork Ranch in Plano, Texas, is still available for tours and there’s even a Southfork Hotel for the full experience at the Ewing Mansion. So next time you're craving nostalgia, get in your car and drive over Dallas way. Turns out that TNT really does know drama, when it is, and when it’s not.

[Note: Full story previously published on examiner.com]

Happy Together 2015 Tour Lineup Announced

Fresh on the heels of the wind-up of the 2014 Happy Together Tour, audience response and ticket sales have driven this successful musical touring package across the country and over the border into Canada. Will your favorites be on the 2015 Tour? Six groups tour for the first time this year.


On Oct. 1, 2014, Paradise Artists booking agency shared the new tour poster for the 2015 Happy Together Tour on their web site, which is great news for the classic rock lovers across the country, who can’t wait to see this tour back in their home towns. Thirty years after the Turtles launched the first “Happy Together” tour based on the song with the fun, upbeat “bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah” chorus, they’re back “one more time” to do it all over again.

For the first time, the 2015 Happy Together Tour will feature six groups, featuring music of and by The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, The Buckinghams, The Association, The Cowsills, The Grass Roots, and Mark Lindsay. Classic rock lovers keep showing up to see Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, aka Flo & Eddie, aka The Turtles and all of their friends on their tremendously successful annual tours of fun and music.

New to the Happy Together Tour for their debut year are the wonderful Cowsill siblings, Susan, Paul and Bob, whose hits include “The Rain, the Park and the Other Things,” “Hair/Let the Sunshine In” (from “Aquarius”) and “We Can Fly,” to name just a few. Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna, The Buckinghams, return in 2015 after having been on the original Happy Together early tour in 1985, plus back for the 25th anniversary year (2010), then in 2011, and 2012. “Kind of a Drag,” “Don’t You Care,” “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song” and more will make you remember falling in love for the first time.

Mark Dawson and Dusty Hanvey, also return to carry on the music of the Grass Roots (when they tour together with Joe Dougherty and Larry Nelson) after a similar hiatus. Everyone appreciates “The River is Wide,” “Bella Linda,” “Midnight Confessions” and more. When Rob Grill was alive and on the tour, he always used to say, “You guys really know how to throw a party!” and that was always true.

Good-natured fun and remembering when takes place as not only Baby Boomers but a new generation of fans joins in to fill arenas, casinos, festivals and fairs, frequently selling out the places they go well in advance of the concert. Autograph sessions after the concerts happen often, but pay attention to where and when those will happen, because the concert dates go night after night after night and they have to keep the show on the road!

Cherokee nation and singer Mark Lindsay will both return, as no New York Radio City Rockette can kick as high as Mark can when he takes the stage. Talk about “I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone” or “Kicks” that Mark Lindsay is “Hungry” for, he’s at the top of his game and shares stories and songs as the former lead singer of beloved band Paul Revere & the Raiders.

Bringing the music you love and fell in love to and with continues from The Association are Del Ramos (brother of the late Larry Ramos), Jim Yester, and Jules Alexander (who also tour also with Bruce Pictor and Jordan Cole in full concert settings). “Never My Love,” “Windy” and “Cherish” always have the crowd singing along.

It has not yet been announced who the touring band will be, but since 2010, the skillful musicians who’ve been rolling down the roads with them include Godfrey Townsend (guitar), John Montagna (bass), Steve Murphy (drums) and Manny Focarazzo (keyboards). These talented tour guys, who used to tour with the Alan Parsons Project many years ago, and each who pursue their own individual careers, know all the words to all the songs. Because fans definitely love seeing every member of the full band on tour, the fast pace of featuring six different musical acts requires that you simply must have one band behind the artists to keep the show flowing.

Concert dates are being finalized and the full touring schedule will be released when it becomes available. Despite what Gene Simmons said a few weeks ago, classic rock is alive and well, at least if you’re a Baby Boomer. Let the good times roll, one more time!

The reviews for the Happy Together Tour continue to be stronger than ever.

Here's the touring group for the Happy Together Tour for 1985-1986. Thirty years have flown by, but these guys still bring it vocally, and with even more fun than ever before.

Story originally published on examiner.com and registered

Photos by Lora Evans, courtesy of The Buckinghams in Concert Blog, with the exception of Happy Together Tour Poster, courtesy of Paradise Artists, and The Buckinghams on the 1985 Happy Together Photo, courtesy of West Communications.