Dallas

Based on the original Emmy award-winning CBS show of the same name, the new series of Dallas, currently showing on Channel 5 in the UK, follows the lives of JR and Sue Ellen's son John Ross, and Bobby and Pam's son Christopher, as they battle it out over whether to drill for oil on the South Fork ranch, or look for more "green" energy sources in Texas.

That's the official blurb, now let's look at some of the fine detail. It's ironic that it's Larry Hagman who's been fighting with cancer off-screen, while it's Patrick Duffy's character Bobby who's battling with the disease on-screen – making it tempting to side with JR's team right from the off. Meanwhile poor old Larry is clearly struggling to learn his lines – reading every word painstakingly through bloodshot eyes from an off-camera autocue.

Do we care? No. We're so damned pleased to see JR back on our TV screens we wouldn't mind if Hagman played every scene with his script written in lipstick on the heavily botoxed forehead of Sue Ellen.

Should we be concerned that all the 20-something male actors in the cast look so similar to each other that it's often difficult to tell them apart and keep track of who's zooming who? Not really. And who gives a heck if Victoria Principal is too busy to do the gig at all, and Cliff Barnes can't even be bothered to show up until episode three? Dallas got as popular as it did in the UK partly because Terry Wogan talked about it so much on BBC radio. It was he who coined such immortal phrases as "The Poison Dwarf" and catapulted the series to the cult status it enjoys today. Thanks to Terry, the Brits learned to love Dallas like we love the Eurovision Song Contest. Because it was so bad it was good. Well, it's still bad, and it's still good.

In this new incarnation we can additionally enjoy JR's massive eyebrows. It is rumoured that they have already been offered a spin-off series of their own. But best of all, we can hungrily devour such classic lines as, "I was gonna tell you about the earthquake, dad. Really I was." Long live Dallas. Now that it's in High Definition we can more clearly see the irony.

Well, well, well... ...as probably one of the biggest fans of the original series (and a German tourist who actually visited Southfork as some sort of "sacred" place in 2003) I must admit that I actually didn't know about the new series until it had already started. Having watched the first season now I must say that I don't care about glitches in the plot, far-fetched stories and somewhat ludicrous biographies. The question I asked myself is: Was I entertained? And the answer is: YES YES YES! J.R. is better than ever, actors' performances (even those of Chris and John Ross) are sometimes (not always) superb.

After all those years of abstinence it was about high time to see the Ewings back in the ring. I thank you TNT!!!

I started watching "Dallas" in the fall of 1978; frankly, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch Victoria Principal rise up out of the pool, practically bursting out of a black swimsuit. I quit watching "Dallas" the season after the death of "Jock Ewing" (the late, great Jim Davis). The show was never the same after Davis' death and the scripts began repeating themselves; only the characters involved changed ("JR" and "Bobby" nearly die in a plane crash; "Dusty Farlow" is crippled in a plane crash; "Pam's mother" dies in a plane crash. Give me a break.) However, I couldn't keep myself away from watching the "Dallas" reunion a few years back; I was pretty shocked how bad Victoria Principal looked, though she still had that heart-stopping figure. Anyway, I was curious to see how the updated version would be; and I have to admit, I am pleased. While the epic dramatic tension and warmth has not yet appeared (and none of the women can hold a candle to the young VP), the plot machinations are, if anything, better than the original show. Clearly, "John Ross" and "Christopher are MUCH more complex characters than "JR" and "Bobby," and "Elena" (Jordana Brewster) promises to essay a much stronger woman than "Pam Barnes (Victoria Principal)and clearly won't be saddled with the "Goody Two-Shoes" passivity which, I am sure frustrated Principal and led to her dramatic departure from the show. It is clear much of the dramatic conflict of future episodes will revolve around the "lover's triangle" of "Elena," "John Ross" and "Christopher," and that is a good thing. This trio promise to become compelling enough to eventually carry the show as "Bobby," "Sue Ellen" and "JR" leave by attrition. After all, Larry Hagman is 80 years old and has been in poor health.

On a less positive note, I am really disheartened that David Jacobs, who created "Dallas," has been, reportedly, very badly treated by the new show's producers. I believe that is a mistake, as I read Jacob's book, "Dallas," which was published shortly after the premiere of the original show, and he is a VERY good writer. The book was much too raunchy for the 70s or 80s, but would past muster on any cable network now; though, even now, Jacobs' "Dallas," would probably feel much more at home on FX than TNT. No bother; the raunchy elements were not what made "Dallas" compelling; Jacobs ability to create memorable characters and situations was. I'm sure he could still teach these new producers a thing or two about creating compelling television. That being said, "Dallas" 2012 shows great promise and is off to a very good start. I give it a "7".

A premiere that was ballyhooed since last year finally arrived on TNT tonight. The feuding and backbiting Ewings of Dallas have come back with a pair of feuding cousins who are both looking to prove something to their fathers.

Bobby is ill with cancer and is looking to sell the family homestead of Southfork Ranch. He wants to preserve it's scenic beauty as a park and he still honors the promise made to his mother from the original series that they'll be no oil drilling on Southfork.

His nephew John Ross Ewing wants to make his mark as his legendary father JR Ewing did, he's found oil, a lot of it that will make him independently wealthy of all concerned.

And JR is in nursing home, but how many steps he's lost is something only he knows and I suspect not too many. As usual he's proving to be a master puppeteer.

That's the barebones outline of all the new premises established for the revived Dallas series. The Ewings were an interesting family to watch back in the day. Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, and Larry Hagman are all back and in real time as well as these folks have aged in real life as well as their characters.

Jesse Metcalfe and Josh Henderson are Bobby and JR's sons and these two cousins are already feuding over business and women. And the issues of the day as Metcalfe as Christopher Ewing is into alternative energy and Henderson as John Ross Ewing wants to put Ewing oil back on the top of the energy heap.

Looks like Dallas is back in business. Whether the TV public is interested, time will tell. I'm interested.

Who'd have thought it? It looked doomed to disaster, but in fact it's great. It has exactly the same crazed atmosphere and bizarre plot twists as the original series. I never thought they'd crack it.

There's lots to love: Linda Gray seems to have metamorphosed into an anorexic animatronic puppet, with the skin precariously stretched over her face bones. You feel she might shatter at any moment - but she is still strangely attractive and fascinating to watch. She can still pack a punch as Sue Ellen. Admittedly in season two she undergoes a complete mentality switch in no time flat, but, hey, it's Dallas. Bobby and J R are still very good (though J R's just died here in the UK run).

Perhaps more importantly the two cousins are very good actors. Josh Henderson is great as John Ross. The make-up and hair department have let him down a little by overdoing the sleazy look - who'd buy a gallon of anything from this man? Jesse Metcalfe is the perfect counterfoil. He has a more difficult part to play as the goodie, since in drama is notoriously harder to make a goodie interesting. The young women are only so-so. Elena is just a younger and less interesting skeleton than Sue Ellen and Pam just pouts most of the time. Neither of them can hold a candle to Victoria Principal in her prime, or to Linda Gray. However, Brenda Strong is excellent and has the best acting ability on the set, at least among the women.

Don't cancel it, TNT. We want to see it here in the UK, despite the ridiculous time slot Channel 5 has given it.