Between the Lines and Behind the Scenes of "Dallas"
Some Trekkies prefer “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to the original series and some Whitney Houston fans insist her version of “I Will Always Love You” is superior to Dolly Parton’s. Do any “Dallas” fans like the new show better than the original?
Your #DallasChat Daily question: Which “Dallas” series do you like best — and why?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Remember the “Miss Ellie Rule”: Keep it civil. Have a great discussion!
You want more #DallasChat? You’ve got it.
Starting today, #DallasChat will become a daily feature at Dallas Decoder. I’ll post a new question each weekday; you can drop in and answer at your leisure, then check back throughout the day to see how other fans have answered the question and to comment on their posts.
There’s one rule: Keep it civil. I’ll moderate all posts and rude comments won’t be approved, so don’t bother leaving them. Remember the “Miss Ellie Rule”: If you wouldn’t want Mama to read what you’ve written, don’t hit the “post” button.
Otherwise, have at it. Let’s make this a forum for fun, lively and insightful conversations about our favorite TV show.
I plan to offer a daily #DallasChat question until TNT’s “Dallas” resumes its third season on Monday, August 18. And yes, I’ll continue to host #DallasChat discussions on Twitter so we can talk about the show in real time.
Ready to start the new era of #DallasChat? Here’s your first question. Go answer it!
Michael Wright and the “Dallas” cast last week. (Getty Images)
“Dallas” could fit nicely with TNT’s new strategy to draw younger viewers by airing edgier programming, but the show’s future depends mostly on the strength of its ratings, industry observers say.
For years, TNT focused on shows that appeal to older audiences, such as “Major Crimes” and “Rizzoli & Isles.” Last week, the cable network’s executives said they’re shifting strategy because advertisers are increasingly interested in series like AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad,” which generate media buzz and draw younger consumers.
“To help draw more advertising dollars, having a breakout, buzz-worthy show is key. ‘Dallas’ is probably the closest [TNT has] to that now,” said David Campanelli, senior vice president and director for national broadcast at media-buying firm Horizon Media.
“Dallas” boasts TNT’s biggest presence on social media, with 1.6 million Facebook fans and 89,000 Twitter followers, but the show has struggled where it matters most: the ratings. “Dallas” is averaging 1.9 million viewers on Mondays this season, down about 25 percent from last year.
The series is on hiatus until mid-August, when its third season will resume. TNT has not announced if “Dallas” will return next year or a timetable for making a decision; the conventional wisdom is the network will wait to see how the show performs during the summer run before deciding whether to renew it.
Campanelli’s take: “Renewal will depend on strength of ratings, because it still is on strategy. But the audience still needs to show up.”
“Dallas” averaged 4.2 million viewers when TNT aired the first season during the summer of 2012. The show has since lost longtime star Larry Hagman, who died during the middle of production on Season 2, and moved to TNT’s winter schedule, where the competition is tougher.
Overall, TNT’s prime-time audience has declined 13 percent during the past five years, from 2.2 million to 1.9 million viewers.
Last week, the network pitched advertisers on the shows it’s developing for next season, including time-travel drama “Fix-It Men” and “The Shop,” a sequel to Stephen King’s “Firestarter.” TNT also unveiled a new slogan: “Boom,” which programming chief Michael Wright said is meant to evoke the network’s new emphasis on surprising storytelling.
“Dallas” cast members Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Josh Henderson were among the TNT stars who attended the network’s presentation to advertisers. This could be a sign the network sees a future for the show, said Marc Berman, editor of the industry news site TV Media Insights. “I’m still hopeful it will be renewed,” he said.
Will you watch “Dallas” this summer? Share your comments below and read more news from Dallas Decoder.
Thanks for the memories
Who wants to make #DallasChat history?
The next edition of #DallasChat, our weekly “Dallas” discussion on Twitter, will be held Monday, May 19, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time. The theme will be “Memories and Milestones.” At the end of the discussion, I’ll ask the 500th #DallasChat question — and I want you to tell me what that question should be.
Leave your suggestions in the comments section below, tweet them to me @DallasDecoder or post them to my Facebook page. I’ll choose the best question and ask it at the end of the chat.
If you’re new to #DallasChat, here’s how it works: For one hour, I tweet 10 questions to my fellow “Dallas” fans. Each question is numbered and includes the hashtag #DallasChat, so your answers should do the same. Please include the show’s official hashtag, #DallasTNT, in your tweets too.
Here’s a sample exchange:
Q1. When did you begin participating in #DallasChat? #DallasTNT
A1. I was here for the first #DallasChat on April 29, 2013. Fifty discussions later, I’m still chatting! #DallasTNT
Here are two tips:
• During the discussion, enter #DallasChat in Twitter’s search field. This will help you watch the search results so you can follow the conversation. Click “All” to see all the related tweets.
• Be sure to include #DallasChat in your tweets. This allows the other participants to see your contributions to the conversation.
This will be an historic #DallasChat. Don’t miss it!
High plains dreamer
You’re invited to join Dallas Decoder’s next #DallasChat on Twitter, which I’ll hold Monday, May 12, from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time. Our theme will be: “What If? II.”
Like the previous “What If?” discussion, this one will focus on alternate outcomes and twists for “Dallas” storylines.
Leave your suggested questions in the comments section below, tweet them to me @DallasDecoder or post them to my Facebook page. I’ll choose one or more questions and ask them during our discussion.
If you’re new to #DallasChat, here’s how it works: For one hour, I tweet a series of questions to my fellow “Dallas” fans. Each question is numbered and includes the hashtag #DallasChat, so your answers should do the same. Please include the show’s official hashtag, #DallasTNT, in your tweets too.
Here’s a sample exchange:
Q1. What if Patrick Duffy hadn’t returned to “Dallas” in 1986? Could the show have held onto its audience? #DallasTNT #DallasChat
A1. Probably not. The show would’ve continued to fall apart without Bobby. #DallasTNT #DallasChat
Here are two tips:
• During the discussion, enter #DallasChat in Twitter’s search field. This will help you watch the search results so you can follow the conversation. Click “All” to see all the related tweets.
• Be sure to include #DallasChat in your tweets. This allows the other participants to see your contributions to the conversation.
You won’t want to miss this discussion. See you tonight!
The uniter (Allison Shelley/Getty Images)
It turns out there is something everyone in Washington can agree on: They all love Patrick Duffy.
The “Dallas” star was the toast of the town when he came to D.C. last weekend to attend the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner — a.k.a. the “nerd prom,” an annual schmooze-fest that brings together Beltway insiders and Hollywood elite to celebrate journalism. Think of it as Washington’s version of the Oil Baron’s Ball, but without the food fights.
Throughout the weekend, social media buzzed with pics of muckety-mucks posing with Duffy, including MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, who ran into the actor at a pre-dinner shindig and tweeted, “This weekend is gonna rock when the first person I meet is ‘Bobby Ewing.’” Later, CNN reporter Elise Labott tweeted a selfie with Duffy, along with her observation that “[h]e’s still so handsome.”
Duffy also got a shout out during the dinner from comic headliner Joel McHale, who ended his monologue thusly: “Here’s why America is the best country in the world — a guy like me can stand before the president, the press and Patrick Duffy, and tell jokes without severe repercussions. And instead of being shipped off to a gulag, I am going to the Vanity Fair after-party.”
(McHale is probably no stranger to the Duffy dynasty: Emily Cutler, the wife of Duffy’s son Conor Duffy, once wrote for McHale’s sitcom “Community.”)
Duffy was a guest of Time and Fortune magazines at the correspondents’ dinner. He sat with recent Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and her “12 Years a Slave” director, Steve McQueen, as well as “Gravity” director Alfonso Cuarón and actor Armie Hammer.
The actor seemed to take it all in stride, telling USA Today he suspects the dinner is a lot like the Academy Awards, although he doesn’t know since he’s never been to the Oscars. Incredibly, Duffy said he’s never attended the Emmys either — although if there’s any justice, that’ll change when the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences finally gets around to recognizing the knockout work he’s been doing on TNT’s “Dallas” lately. (We still get chills whenever we watch the midseason cliffhanger scene where Bobby shouts at Ann. Yikes!)
Duffy came to Washington with son Padraic Duffy, a playwright whom “Dallas” fans will remember as the American kid Bobby befriended in Paris during the original show’s final season. Padraic’s wife, Emily Kosloski, has a recurring role on the TNT series as Rhonda Simmons, the mystery woman who helped the Ewings put Cliff Barnes in jail.
And in case you’re wondering: Yes, your Dallas Decoder lives in D.C. and tried his best to catch up with Duffy while he was in town, but to no avail. Maybe next time. Given his popularity among Washingtonians, he’s bound to return, right?
Et Cetera
• While Duffy was taking D.C. by storm, Josh Henderson was commanding the red carpet at the Kentucky Derby.
• Dallas Decoder readers know Kevin Page, a.k.a. Bum, the Ewings’ go-to private eye, is also an accomplished artist. Last week, he spoke to the Dallas Morning News about his latest adventures in digital artwork.
• The house used to film the interior Southfork shots in “Changing of the Guard,” the first episode of TNT’s “Dallas,” just sold for $3.5 million, Realty Today reported last week.
• Reminder: There’ll be no #DallasChat tonight. The next discussion will be Monday, May 12, at 9 p.m. Eastern. See you then!
“Drill Bits,” a roundup of news about TNT’s “Dallas,” was published regularly. Share your comments below.
Young love
Memorandum
To: Jeff Bewkes, chairman and chief executive officer, Time Warner Inc.
From: Dallas Decoder
Re: “Dallas”
So TNT wants to start chasing younger viewers, huh?
That’s what you told investors yesterday, and it sounds like a smart plan to me. As you pointed out, TNT traditionally targets somewhat older audiences — a strategy that served the cable channel well for a long time, but not so much these days.
The numbers tell the tale: According to the Los Angeles Times, TNT’s prime time audience has declined 13 percent during the past five years, from 2.2 million to 1.9 million viewers, while the median age has gone up, from 47 to 52 years.
So yeah, I see why you think it’s time for a new strategy.
The good news is your lineup includes “Dallas,” a show that could become a cornerstone in your plans to rebuild TNT.
Yes, it’s true “Dallas’s” ratings are down: The show averaged 2.7 million viewers last season, including roughly 958,000 adults between ages 18 and 49, the demographic often used to gauge a show’s youth appeal. This year, “Dallas” is averaging 1.9 million viewers, including roughly 630,000 18-to-49-year-olds.
But here’s the thing: Even though “Dallas’s” numbers have dipped, it still performs pretty well when compared to TNT’s other original dramas — especially where the younger crowd is concerned. For example, this winter, “Rizzoli & Isles” averaged about 952,000 adults between ages 18 and 49, while “Perception” grabbed approximately 574,000 viewers in this category.
Also, all the shows boost their audiences when you add DVR users who record the programs and watch them later in the week. Sometimes, the increase is dramatic: Thanks to DVR users, “Dallas’s” season premiere hit 1.4 million 18-to-49-year-olds, while the midseason cliffhanger snagged 1 million viewers in the demo.
There’s also this: “Dallas” is TNT’s biggest show on social media — and we all know how the kids love to post, tweet and share these days. “Dallas’s” official Facebook page has 1.6 million “likes,” while the show’s Twitter feed has 89,000 followers. By comparison, “Major Crimes,” TNT’s most-watched show, has 491,000 Facebook likes and 12,500 Twitter followers.
You also told investors you think TNT’s programming should be a little edgier. Well, my goodness, did you see “Dallas’s” midseason finale? It wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it sure got people talking.
I guess it all comes down to this, Mr. Bewkes: As the head honcho at Time Warner — the conglomerate that owns TNT, the channel that televises “Dallas,” and Warner Bros., the studio that produces it — the show’s future rests in your hands.
And since you’re a smart fellow, surely you can you see how “Dallas” can serve as your bridge to the younger, media-savvy viewers you’ve set your sights on. It’s one more reason this show deserves a fourth season.
A word of caution, though: Just because TNT is going to start chasing younger viewers, don’t get any wacky ideas about sidelining “Dallas’s” veterans. This show has always had multi-generational appeal, and even though fans love the new generation of buff, young Ewings running around Southfork these days, we still want longtime favorites like Bobby and Sue Ellen to get plenty of screen time.
In other words: Mess with Miss Texas and you’ll receive a much different memo from Dallas Decoder.
Why do you think TNT should renew “Dallas”? Share your comments below and read more opinions from Dallas Decoder.
Dallas Decoder 