Dynastie

Dynasty concerned the goings-on of a wealthy Denver, Colorado family, the Carringtons. While it was surreal, campy, and wayyyy out to the left of reality, it was still FUN. It still caught and kept your attention and left you wanting much more. John Forsythe's Blake Carrington was the family's patriarch, always seeming a little bit confused about what was going on. His lovely young wife, Linda Evan's Crystal, was always getting stuck in some kind of trouble. Joan Collins as Alexis was sheer delight! A campy witch who was always causing trouble. The cast was large and the stories grand and fun. I never missed an episode of Dynasty during it's original run. Not until I went to college during the 1987-88 season... What I wouldn't give to see it all again!

I watched Dynasty from episode one and very rarely ever missed the Wednesday night saga of the Carringtons. Having recently purchased the DVD set of the first season, I've been giving the show a lot of thought... Like many other TV shows both past and present, Dynasty started without a clear focus and eventually matured into something unique and far removed from what the producers originally intended. The show had two distinct eras: pre-Alexis and post-Alexis. No, Joan Collins didn't make or break Dynasty, but she gave it a heck of a fun "flavor." At its inception, Dynasty was a serious, almost somber account of the lives of the super rich Carringtons of Denver, CO. There was patriarch Blake, confused son Steven, spoiled brat Fallon, and Blake's new and very overwhelmed wife, Krystle. Having now watched a little of that first season, I find myself eagerly waiting for Alexis to turn the family on its collective ear! Dynasty's ultimate strength, and also its downfall, was in its becoming campy and larger than life. While some of us may expect the super-wealthy to act crazy, Dynasty added plot lines and characters that were the traditional soap-opera themes magnified with a huge budget, and beautiful people... illicit affairs, long-lost children, traumatic pregnancies, murders, trials, etc... There were frequent mis-steps (the Moldavian Prince, Michael, comes to mind as well as the entire 'The Colbys' series) and there were truly fun characters like Alexis and son Adam whom we loved to hate. But to me, the bottom line will always be that Dynasty was campy and much larger-than-life. It was a lot of fun those eight years, always wondering what would happen next...

Where else can you find the bitchiest 50 year old, dressed in the most extravagant gowns of all time? Sounds like the perfect show to me! Yes, Dynasty was without a doubt that one show that basically encouraged fans to sit back, put up their feet and watch how these "rich bastards" are living! No other show, not even the ultra popular Dallas, could take fantasy to that level. The show made you feel as though you too could be a Carrington living in a mansion and drinking champange. The "storylines" or perhaps lack of, left plenty of room to emphasize what audiences really wanted to see: sex, power, vanity and the most expensive jewels in all the world! This is Dynasty and the 80s at its very best!

Although ABC's "Dynasty" really began as a response to the wildly popular "Dallas" on CBS, the show became so much more over its original U.S. run, from 1981 to 1989.

While "Dallas" had a bit of the earthy element of the ranch and the land and their value (think Miss Ellie) mixed in with the big-bucks oil industry, "Dynasty" was all glitz, all the time. After the show found its way during the first season, and Alexis arrived for the second, the characters went great guns in their portrayal of '80s capitalism and high living. We all wanted to watch. Maybe, in a way, we all wanted to live those lives. But would we, really? Hmmm ...

Being a chick, I enjoyed the **fashions** and the intrigue as I watched the show originally in the 1980s. I was a teen who hadn't yet experienced the big world out there yet, and I think the show appealed to a lot of people my age for that same reason. I'm thankful that the show has been released on DVD now, because I talked to so many fans over the years who desperately longed for the videos (back before DVD)!

the duel between Linda Evans and Joan Collins. this is the basic memory about the competitor of "Dallas", trip in a dark and game of appearances world. its virtue - the science to give a special voice in the family of soap opera. the fine art of tension and mystery and evil and good intentions and nice portrait of rich people. and this fact did "Dinasty" a must see again for the fans of genre. so, a modern fairy tale. inspired. and charming.