Dallas

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.

Finally after years of god awful reality TV shows, bad remakes of classic shows and other stuff, we finally have a real popcorn television show with Dallas, a continuation based on the 1978-91 prime time soap opera about a wealthy family in oil and cattle ranch in Dallas Texas, this time it's main focus will be on john Ross (scheming son of the man everybody loves to hate J.R. Ewing) played by Josh Henderson and bobby's son Christopher played by former passions star Jesse metcalfe and of course the three legends played by Larry hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray, although they are some flaws in this one, but the rest are just so good, including the emotional scene featuring bobby talking to J.R. at a nursing home about the Ewing legacy and how john Ross and Christopher should not follow the same mistakes that they made in the past, Jordana Brewster is also good as john Ross's love interest and Julie Gonzalo is also pretty good as Christopher's now wife Rebecca, and Larry hagman's back in top form as the man everybody loves to hate J.R. Ewing and so is Patrick Duffy as bobby, Brenda Strong (who was so good in the discontinued desperate housewives) is very strong in her role as bobby's new wife Ann.

Although I Have problems with the southfork ranch though, the HD is beautiful and the kitchen is nice, but it needs a feel to be home, still despite that, this is a very good version of a classic, something most TV shows lack today.

and I'm giving it a B+

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".

As the "oringial" Dallas was before my time, I watched the reruns faithfully and truly fell in love with the show. The characters of the Ewing Family were one of a kind and in my opinion can never be duplicated by any other show. When word came that Dallas was going to be continued I was overjoyed and even more so when the premiere date was announced. I watched every single second of the "2012" Dallas and was simply amazed that after over 20 years they were able to create a way to continue the show and it's story without ruining the legacy of the original. I give this show 10 out of 10 and look forward to many more episodes of Dallas.

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.