Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996)

Five years after J.R. Ewing lost Ewing Oil and apparently committed suicide, he turns up alive and well. He returns to Dallas and plots to bring his family back together, and regain control of Ewing Oil from his archenemy Cliff Barnes.

Director:

Leonard Katzman

Writers:

Arthur Bernard Lewis (story), Leonard Katzman (teleplay)

Stars:

Rosalind Allen, Chris Demetral, Patrick Duffy

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rosalind Allen	...	Julia Cunningham
Chris Demetral	...	Christopher Ewing
Patrick Duffy	...	Bobby Ewing
Linda Gray	...	Sue Ellen Ewing
Larry Hagman	...	J.R. Ewing
Omri Katz	...	John Ross Ewing
Deborah Kellner	...	Pamela Rebecca Cooper
George Kennedy	...	Carter McKay
Ken Kercheval	...	Cliff Barnes
Audrey Landers	...	Afton Cooper
Tracy Scoggins	...	Anita Smithfield
Deborah Rennard	...	Sly Lovegren
Buck Taylor	...	Steve Grisham
George Petrie	...	Harv Smithfield (as George O. Petrie)
Blue Deckert	...	Detective Markham

Storyline

Years after J.R. Ewing lost Ewing Oil and apparently committed suicide, we learn that he is alive and well. He returns to Dallas, and plots what could be his greatest scheme: Bringing his family back together, and regaining control of Ewing Oil from archenemy Cliff Barnes. Will he be successful?

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Plot Keywords:

tv series reunion | second part | judge | detective | sequel | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last Dallas (1978) project in which the series' executive producer Leonard Katzman was involved. Katzman died on September 5, 1996, more than two months before this television film aired, at the age of 69.

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Goofs

When Bobby Ewing rescues Julia Cunningham from the back of a galloping horse, the ground changes several times between grass in the long shots to sand in the close-ups.

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Quotes

Anita Smithfield: You know what really turns me on about you?
J.R. Ewing: What's that?
Anita Smithfield: You make Machiavelli look like Mother Teresa.

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Connections

Followed by Dallas (2012)

User Reviews

Dreadful -- with a Big "D"

If this forum permitted it, the "caps-lock" key would have been in force in titling this review -- it only seems fitting. For a series that so revolutionized television to be this badly given artificial respiration is a TV tragedy.

"Dallas: JR Returns" is everything that was horrid about the original show, with none of what made it so special. While the original was, at its best, a character-driven drama with a solid back story, the sequel is an overly-plotted morass of mediocrity.

Not only has the cast aged -- frighteningly, for the most part -- but so has television continued to grow. "JR Returns" is a throwback to the worst of 1970s television ... meaningless and ultimately unsatisfying.

Kudos only to Linda Gray (of the original cast) and newcomer Chris Demetral (as the grown Christopher, adopted son of Bobby and Pam). No one else displays any passion or vitality.

Some things are better left untouched. The legacy of "Dallas" is one.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dallas - Il ritorno di J.R.

Filming Locations:

901 Main St, Dallas, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eagle Point Production, Olive Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1