“Dynasty” stars (Linda Evans, Diahann Carroll, Joan Collins) pose at the 1984 Primetime Emmy Awards with Roxana Zal (holding statuette) who is the youngest person to ever win an Emmy, for “Something About Amelia”.
“Dallas” aired on CBS from 1978 until 1991 and became one of the world’s most popular TV shows. Tracing the stories of the feuding Ewing and Barnes families against the backdrop of the Texas oil industry, the show featured an ensemble cast. Larry Hagman starred as ruthless oil tycoon J.R. Ewing.
After a slow start, the show became a Top 10 ratings hit, and was the top-rated prime-time show in the U.S. for three years in the 1980s. Here’s a clip of a “Dallas” episode open in 1984, as aired on KCTV in Kansas City:
“Dallas” was famous for cliffhanger episodes to close its seasons, guaranteeing a big audience at the start of the next season. It’s 1980 “Who Done It” episode, which revealed who shot J.R. Ewing (the question became a cultural phenomenon), remains the second-highest rated single television broadcast in U.S. history.
“Dallas” lead to a spinoff series (”Knots Landing”), a prequel TV movie, two TV movies that aired after the series was canceled, and a 2012 TV revival that ran for three seasons on TNT.
My Third Parent 