Event spoiler culture and reboot-proof oil-opera mythology.
Why it matters
Episode guide
356 episodes across 14 seasons — titles, air dates, and synopses.
At a glance
Oil-opera Ewing family intrigue on Southfork with J.R. as villain America loved to hate. Cliffhangers owned summers; “Who shot J.R.?” taught TV how to own a news cycle. Wealth, betrayal, and Texas myth on weekly drip.
Network & studio
- CBS — broadcast network
- Lorimar Television — production studio
- Lorimar-Telepictures — production studio
Why watch now
Event spoiler culture’s founding text — plus a dream season so audacious it still starts fights.
Cultural impact
Dallas invented modern event-cliffhanger mania and reboot-proof oil mythology. International J.R. fever was soft power with a Stetson.
Creators
David Jacobs
Key cast
- Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing
- Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing
- Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing
- Victoria Principal as Pamela Barnes Ewing
- Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing
- Jim Davis as Jock Ewing
Flash facts
- CBS prime-time soap (1978–1991) centered on the Ewing oil family of Southfork.
- Created by David Jacobs; Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing became a global antihero brand.
- The 1980 “Who shot J.R.?” cliffhanger drove international appointment viewing.
- Spun off Knots Landing; later TV movies and a 2012 TNT continuation followed.
- Helped define the late-’70s/’80s prime-time soap boom.
FAQ
Who created Dallas?
David Jacobs created the series for CBS.
What was “Who shot J.R.?”?
A 1980 cliffhanger mystery about an assassination attempt on J.R. Ewing that became a cultural event.
How long did original Dallas run?
Fourteen seasons from 1978 to 1991.
Cultural eras
Official & further reading
External sites for further reading — TV Flash is not affiliated with these networks or studios.
Back to the decade
More from the 1980s — Glitz, Soaps & Nighttime Neon. All shows.
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