
Applause! (Paley Center for Media)
I want to take a few moments to applaud everyone who participated in the #SaveDallas campaign. We’re all disappointed with the outcome, but we shouldn’t be disappointed with ourselves. We put up a good fight.
If nothing else, the past few weeks revealed how much “Dallas” means to its fans. When you read the tweets, Facebook posts and reader comments on sites like this one, you begin to appreciate how this show about fictional feuding families brought many real families together. An entire generation came of age while watching “Dallas” at the knees of their moms and dads. Now many of those kids are adults who watch “Dallas” with their own children. Few other shows can make that claim.
The #SaveDallas campaign also provided fans with an opportunity to share wonderful stories about how “Dallas” touched their lives. I loved hearing from the woman who told me about the Friday evening in 1981 when her mother went into labor with her; it seems mom wouldn’t leave for the hospital until “Dallas” was over. “I was a fan before birth!” the daughter tweeted. Other stories were poignant, like the one from the widow who wanted “Dallas” saved because she enjoyed watching the show with her late husband. “Dallas is all I got left,” she wrote. I wish the series could’ve been rescued for her alone.
It was also gratifying to see the extended “Dallas” family come together to support the fans as we tried to support them. We received so much encouragement from Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and other cast members, as well as several stars from the original series. Since #SaveDallas ended yesterday, it’s been equally heartwarming to read the thank-you messages the cast has sent everyone through social media. Not only do the fans love “Dallas,” but “Dallas” loves the fans back.
Special commendations go to everyone who did the heavy lifting behind the scenes, beginning with executive producers Cynthia Cidre and Michael M. Robin, who poured their hearts into getting “Dallas” back on the air. I also admire the good people at Warner Horizon, the studio that produced “Dallas.” These folks knocked on a lot of doors in their quest to find a new home for the show. They deserve our gratitude.
Above all, I salute my fellow fans. Everyone who participated in this campaign tried their best, including the fans behind the petitions, Facebook pages and videos, as well as everyone who jammed the switchboards at the networks we targeted and filled the inboxes of the industry’s top executives. Special thanks go to the fans who sent approximately 1 million #SaveDallas tweets during the course of our six-week effort. I recommended the hashtag and so I’m quite biased, but as far as I’m concerned, each tweet was an expression of love for the show and the people who made it.
I wish all the tweets, Facebook “likes” and petition signatures had been enough to keep “Dallas” going — and for a while, I thought they might — but I guess that wasn’t realistic. Television is a business, and this show’s fate was destined to be decided on a spreadsheet, not on social media. This doesn’t mean fans didn’t have an important role to play, because we did. Our job was to raise our voices and let the world know how much we love “Dallas” and wanted the show to go on.
By that measure, #SaveDallas was a huge success.
What did you think of the #SaveDallas campaign? Share your comments below.