broadcastarchive-umd:

Dynasty was a prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from 1981 to 1989. The series revolved around the Carringtons, a fictional wealthy family, residing in Denver, Colorado.

At the end of the first season, powerful oil tycoon Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) Blake was charged with murder. A veiled surprise witness for the prosecution appeared at the final moment and cast members gasped in recognition. The audience, however, never saw her face. The actress who would play the part hadn’t been hired yet.

In the first episode of the second season, the mysterious witness removes her sunglasses to reveal British actress Joan Collins as a new arrival to the series. Collins’ Alexis Carrington blazed a trail across the show and its storylines.

Ratings for the show’s first season were low, but the fall 1981 arrival of Collins as Blake’s scheming ex-wife saw ratings enter the top twenty. By the fall of 1982, it was a top ten show, and by the spring of 1985, it was the #1 show in the United States. (Wikipedia)