Dallas - I think its day has come and gone

When it comes to television shows, there are some that can stand the test of time, and some that cannot.

When you think back to a TV show that you watched as a kid, you probably remember it as being really good. M*A*S*H is an example of one like that for me.

The thing about M*A*S*H is that it has stood the test of time. It can still be seen in reruns on cable channels, and it's just as good now as it was back then. Maybe moreso, because now I'm older and more attuned to some of the humor that probably escaped me when I was younger.

There are other shows, too, that are just as good now as I remember. Get Smart was and is brilliant to this day. My nephew Joseph has all the seasons on DVD; I just wish I had the time to watch them. The one thing that makes me a little sad about Get Smart is that the advent of the cell phone now makes his shoe phone a little less awesome, but only just a little.

Then there were shows like Bonanza, The Beverly Hillbillies, and more recently Cheers. All great shows, all still very watchable and enjoyable.

But, sadly, not all shows are like that. Some definitely do not age well. One example of this is Dallas.

There were very few people who were as avid fans of Dallas as my family. Everything came to a dead halt when it came on. Mom, Dad, my sister and I were gripped! When it was over, my sister and I would moan and say, "We're as far away from the next episode as possible!'

My nephew Joseph, the owner of the Get Smart DVDs, was born during an episode of Dallas! I was in England at the time, going to school. I was in the common room of Broomhurst Hall on the evening of April 24th, 1985. When I went back to my room after the show, there was a note under my door telling me I had a new nephew!

We didn't miss an episode. I even had a pin that I wore proudly at the end of one season, that stated, "I shot JR!" What a cliff-hanger that was!

But, then, about a year ago, I happened to come across an episode of Dallas on some cable channel. I watched it for a while, and got very depressed. I could not believe how dated and corny it was! The clothes that Sue Ellen and Pam wore - the height of fashion then, but looking like po' white trash now. It broke my heart. I would never have believed that a show I loved so much in its day, could lose so much lustre.

Then this morning, I came across a headline on Drudge Report (one of my favorite websites for headlines), that says that Larry Hagman, Linda Grey and Patrick Duffy have all signed up for a reincarnation of Dallas, that focuses on the lives of their sons, John Ross and Christopher.

I dunno. I'm not feeling real optimistic about this. I think this is a sleeping dog that really should be left to lie. It will never achieve the 14 years that the original Dallas did. And, the whole spectre of JR's relationship with Sue Ellen, well, that can never be rejuvenated. I think that Dallas is best left to memory. It was a great show in its time, but probably should be put out to pasture, one of the sweeping pastures at Southfork would do nicely.

*humming the theme music, with fond memories*

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