What would YOU have done differently?

[Fajita Mel]

I thought this might be a cool subject to throw out on the table. We all have certain aspects of Dallas that just irk us....storylines, plots, characters, etc. Pretend for a moment that you can go back in time and take some kind of creative control. Through all 13 years of Dallas and its two subsequent reunion movies, what would YOU have done differently as a writer, a producer, or whatever, and why?

[westley]

I would not have had Sue Ellen shot J.R. after Nicholas' death. The writers painted themselves into a corner -- they wanted Sue Ellen to be remain sympathetic. But it was nearly impossible to feel sorry for her after that, imho.

[Ray&Donna]

I would have gotten rid of Jenna at the end of season 7--with Bobby dead, she had no ties to the Ewings left. Additionally, getting rid of her early in Swan Song would have eliminated the need for her coming back post-Dream.

[emmalovesdallas]

I would have gotten rid of Jenna at the end of season 7--with Bobby dead, she had no ties to the Ewings left. Additionally, getting rid of her early in Swan Song would have eliminated the need for her coming back post-Dream.

Completely right. The only time PP was good was in Naked Gun! JR&Sue Ellen would have had another child.

[TJames03]

The whole dream season would never have happened, Pam would have stayed on the show (as well as Sue Ellen). After VP left, I left too so I really can't say any more as I am not familiar with (well, I am, but not COMPLETELY) Seasons 10-13.

[Fajita Mel]

JR&Sue Ellen would have had another child.

I would've liked to have seen that. Sometimes it seems like the second generation of Ewings was allowed one child per couple.

[Scarlett]

I would have done-away with Sue Ellen making a movie about J.R. That was the end of her relationship wit him, all she could do was leave. In my opinion, J.R. and Sue Ellen should have gotten back together after J.R. married Cally. It would have created great conflict for J.R./SE/Cally.

[Vote4Cliff]

I would have had a lot more Cliff scenes - clothing optional!

[Sugar&Slick]

My list is endless ..

First off, NO Mandy...secondly, another child for J.R and SE, thirdly, NOT have Sue Ellen leave with Don! Fourthly, end the series with the ORIGINALS!! ..and the list continues

[emmalovesdallas]

Don't stop there S&S. Finish it cause I completely agree with you!

[Oil Baroness]

Couple ideas:

* I would have explored the female characters more. Instead of weakening them in later seasons, I would have made them stronger and more in control. I loved SE at Valentine. I would have liked to see Pam really become a tough business woman, and not someone who checked out to lunch all the time. It also would have been interesting to see Lucy claim her birthright at Ewing Oil and go to work there.

* I would have liked to have seen Pam and Bobby have a baby. But the baby doesn't stop Pam, and she keeps on working in a high-powered role.

[Vote4Cliff]

I would have liked to see Lucy take a more active role in Ewing Oil, too. Could have been some great storylines.

[theatre2film]

Honestly, I think you all have good solid ideas. But the thing that I would really liked to have happened was giving the audience closure on Wes Parlemae. Was he or wasn't he Jock? And if he was, more story lines for Clayton and Ellie. I'm a huge Howard Keel fan.

I also think the studio should have shelled out more money to keep the originals.

Still more... I think Sue Ellen should have ended up with Dusty Farlow (in my opinion - one of the best characters on the show). They were so good together. It was complicated at times, but he cared sooooo much for Sue Ellen and vice versa.

Other than those things, I really love this show and there really isn't too much I would change. It's DALLAS, and we're all here because it played out the way it did, and that's a good thing.

[Daphne]

I would have had Sue Ellen and JR more together in the end than they were. Because, well, let's face it they were together in the end, in there own right. Nothing can truly split those two up.

[Ewing1]

Alright, here are some of my ideas...

Season 1
Bobby and Pamela would have had the first Ewing Boy and named it Christopher. After that point, it would be revealed that Pamela couldn't have another baby.

Season 5
Lucy would have went along with the birth of the Child after Roger raped her. However after giving birth, Lucy would die leading to Bobby and Pamela adopting their Niece and calling it Valerie Ewing.

Season 6
Sue Ellen would have given birth to a second child and name it James (there would be no James Beaumont in the later seasons).

Season 10
Pamela would die after the car crash leaving Bobby as a widower with two young children.

Bobby is determined to get back Ewing Oil after having the charter stripped away from him. Meanwhile near the end of the season Bobby begins to romance with April.

JR and Sue Ellen would have a falling out, leading to a Separation. JR would begin to bed Kimberly while Sue Ellen goes after Nicholas Pearce. John Ross and James Robert would continue to live on Southfork with JR.

JR gains control of West Star while Bobby gets back the Ewing Oil name. JR tries to sell the Ewing assets to Bobby in exchange for a partnership in Ewing Oil, however Bobby rebuffs the offer and stays in the oil business by himself. JR then takes the Ewing Oil Assests from West Star and puts them into JRE Industries.

JR loses control of West Star when Jeremy Windell comes back. Clayton becomes co-owner of Southfork and JR moves out. Sue Ellen goes after the children after seeking divorce from JR.

In the season 10 cliff hanger, JR throws Nicholas over the balcony and Sue Ellen shoots JR.

Season 11
JR would be left paralyzed while Sue Ellen mourns Nick's death by returning to the bottle. Sue Ellen drinks herself into a hole and ends up getting picked up by a cowboy who rapes her.

Bobby and Cliff become partners at Ewing Oil and Bobby continues to Romance April Stevens. Bobby and April get married and go on their honeymoon to Vienna.

JR hires a man named Carter Mackay to run JRE Industries while he recouperates from his shooting.

Sue Ellen continues to drink and fears that she maybe pregnant after being raped. She is tested by the doctor, but is not pregnent. However, the Doctor does find out that she has HIV. This forces Sue Ellen into deeper depression and alcoholism.

JR fears that Mackay is working for somebody and investigates, finding out that Mackay is really working for Jeremy Windell. JR sets Mackay up and then fires him from JRE Industries; returning to the company himself even though he's confined to the wheelchair.

Bobby and Clayton force JR to put Sue Ellen into the San once again to be treated for her depression; Sue Ellen keeps the HIV a secret from the family.

Cliffhanger for season 11 would have Cliff learning about Afton's daughter being his as well. Cliff hears that Pamela Rebecca is hit by a bus and races to Corpis Christy to be with Afton and Pamela Rebecca. MacKay comes to Southfork to cause JR problems. Becoming frustrated after MacKay leaves JR tries to walk, however he halls down the stairs at southfork.

Season 12
JR is found by Ellie and is rushed to the hospital. Cliff tells Pamela that he is her Daddy. JR finally gets back in with Ewing Oil.

Sue Ellen finally returns to Southfork after being in the San. Sue Ellen and JR recogncile again to the delight of John Ross and James Robert. Sue Ellen confides in April that she was raped and now has HIV.

Jeremy Windell is removed from West Star and Carter MacKay takes over. He begins to fight with Ewing Oil.

JR is finally able to walk again after much physiotheropy.

Cliff gets hired to head and Oil commission in Texas and leaves Ewing Oil.

Bobby, April and JR go to Vienna for an Oil confrence and JR meets Vanessa. JR and Vanessa make love in Vienna after the ball.

Sue Ellen learns about Vanessa and divorces JR once and for all. However she stays at Southfork to be with the children.

Ellie and Clayton leave Dallas for a trip to California.


the Cliffhanger for season 12 is te collission with the Ewing Oil tanker and West Star tanker.

Season 13
An Investigation begins with Cliff leading the charge. After the trial, it is revealed that the collission was an accident.

JR is removed from Ewing Oil and chases after West Star.

Ellie and Clayton's plane crashes and both are found dead. Ellie wills Southfork to Bobby and JR gets upset.

April becomes a partner at Ewing Oil along with Sue Ellen while JR steals his way into West Star.

Vanessa comes to Dallas and gets together with JR again. JR proposes to Vanessa who accepts.

After the wedding, JR meets with the board at West Star and is about to take control of the company when it is revealed that Cliff Barnes has been brought in as Chairman of the Board.

Series Finale...

Sue Ellen moves out of Southfork with John Ross and James Roberts once and for all as they decide to move to Florida. While on his honeymoon with Vanessa. JR meets with Carter Mackay who exhanges briefcases with JR. unknowning of the fact that there is a bomb inside the briefcase JR puts it in his hotel room. Vanessa arrives at the hotel and enters the room calling for JR. She shuts the door and the bomb goes off...

Was JR in the room??? Find out in the Dallas Reunion.

These are the changes I would make in the Dallas series over the last few seasons.

[ArmCharm]

No Mark Grayson ugghhhhhh such a turn off.
ArmCharm

[champagne]

I would have done a competition between Bob and JR for... a woman ! Both in love with the same woman... (but which one...)

[SnarkyOracle!]

*No Donna Reed, or she'd be Jenna's wiggly, dithery aunt

*If Bobby were resurrected, it would have been explained thru a hidden-away-for-a-year scenario (Yes, it's also far-fetched, but the only acceptable, least damaging resolution).

*No Ray and Jenna romance, and if there was one, let's not pretend it would have "lasted"

*The tanker Pam crashed into would be revealed (first to the audience) to have been a truck doing illegal oil business in the desert for JR despite the Ewing charter being revoked, thus motivating JR to run around trying to hide this from the feds AND from Bobby

*Jeremy Wendell wouldn't be written out, and Pam's disappearance and Jeanne O'Brien's appearance would eventually be linked to Wendell

*The reason Miss Ellie doesn't want to call in the authorities during the range war has to do with the area of Southfork on which its being fought (later turns out stuff is buried underneath that only she and Jock knew about--- and, as would be revealed near the end of the series, Wes Parmalee, who referred to it when he whisped in her ear just before disappearing)

*Lady Jessica's return would be a full out murder spree, done horror movie style, for most of Season 12. It would turn out her motives had to do with Dusty's inheritance (and resulting in, as I believe per James' suggestion, her "going thru" all the perspective biological fathers)

*Upon Miss Ellie's death in 1990 (also as per James' suggestion), she would whisper the revelation that JR was Digger's son, not Jock. Setting off a tidal wave of reaction amongst the family, Cliff, and JR himself. (If w all find that too unsettling, it could be proven "wrong" via DNA testing after one year of catastrophic response)

*Bobby and Cliff would learn that Pam had eventually succumbed to neurofibramitosis, thus proving she was Digger's daughter after all

*I dont like the idea of DALLAS ending happily.

[Fajita Mel]

You guys all have what would've been some great ideas. I look forward to hearing more.

[SnarkyOracle!]

oh, and...

*Halleyville wouldn't have been so stupid

*Bobby's relationship with Tracey would have lasted longer in another Romeo & Juliet scenario, and she would have been killed in Paris, infuriating further an always infuriated Carter. (Bobby and April would never have married, despite the adorable "April in Pairs" title they got out of it.)

*And Vanessa would have been Maria, a hispanic, former Southfork maid with whom JR had been involved in the mid-60s

*The Susan Lucci/Barbara Eden characters would have been combined

*Bobby would become involved with Afton in the final season after Cliff marries April's sister for her shares. Then Cliff would be enraged that another Ewing "stole a Barnes' woman".

*After Section 40 is opened up against Miss Ellie's wishes, the Ewings go crashing down into the well.