Nothing is sacred in Hollywood, an industry that would remake ‘Casablanca’ if it could turn a profit. So TNT’s upcoming reboot of the classic soap opera ‘Dallas’ hardly strikes one as sacrilege.
The new ‘Dallas,’ to star longtime cast favorites (Larry Hagman and Linda Gray) alongside a new, more youthful cast (Jesse Metcalfe and Jordana Brewster), is slated to debut in Summer 2012. But the latest press release on the show hints at a new division of Ewing Oil.
Anyone fearing the sight of J.R. on a green soap box should be dutifully warned:
J.R., Bobby and Sue Ellen Ewing are all back at Southfork, with plenty of secrets, schemes and betrayals in mind. This time, they’re joined by the next generation of Ewings, who take ambition and deception to a new level … TNT’s ‘Dallas’ stars Josh Henderson (‘Desperate Housewives’) as J.R. Ewing and Sue Ellen Ewing’s son, John Ross, who is determined to undermine his grandmother’s legacy by drilling for oil on Ewing land. Jesse Metcalfe (‘John Tucker Must Die’) is Christopher, Bobby’s adopted son, who hopes to take the family business in the new direction of alternative energy sources.
It wouldn’t be shocking for a television show to promote the green agenda even in the wake of Solyndra and other green-tinged debacles. Heck, the entire Peacock network stops cold for its annual Green Week festivities.
The original ‘Dallas’ hardly painted oil man J.R. Ewing as a saint. He was not to be trusted, or crossed. But Hagman managed to make J.R. the villain you couldn’t help but love. If TNT can pull off a similar feat with ‘Dallas 2.0,’ the program can be as green as Ed Begley Jr.’s house and fans of the original show will still give it a look see.