A family ruthless in its quest for power and passion.
Overview
The world's first mega-soap, and one of the most popular ever produced, Dallas had it all. Beautiful women, expensive cars, and men playing Monopoly with real buildings. Famous for one of the best cliffhangers in TV history, as the world asked "Who shot J.R.?" A slow-burner to begin with, Dallas hit its stride in the 2nd season, with long storylines and expert character development. Dallas ruled the airwaves in the 1980's.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.2/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
TMDB: 6.8/10
Production
CBS
Cast
Patrick Duffy, Kimberly Foster, Larry Hagman, Ken Kercheval
Curator Review
Verdict
A landmark primetime soap that helped define the genre: glossy, scheming, addictive, and built around long-running power struggles that reward patience. It starts as a slow burn, but once it finds its rhythm in season 2, Dallas becomes a hugely bingeable mix of family warfare, corporate intrigue, and melodramatic cliffhangers.
Best for
Fans of classic soaps and prestige melodrama
Viewers who enjoy long arcs, betrayals, and cliffhangers
People curious about TV history and 1980s pop-culture touchstones
Audiences who like character-driven ensemble drama with a glossy surface
Skip if
You want fast pacing from the first episode
You dislike melodrama, repetition, or exaggerated soap-opera behavior
You prefer tightly serialized modern drama with minimal filler
You are looking for a short, self-contained series
Overview
Dallas is one of the defining American TV soaps, and its reputation is well earned. The series turns family dysfunction into a business model, using the Ewing clan’s rivalries, marriages, betrayals, and boardroom games to create a steady stream of hooks and reversals. It is glossy, shameless, and extremely watchable once it settles into its groove.
Worth noting
The early episodes can feel more restrained than the show’s later legend suggests, but season 2 is where Dallas really locks in: the storytelling gets bigger, the character dynamics sharpen, and the long-form plotting becomes the point. From there, it becomes a model of primetime soapcraft, with memorable cliffhangers and a knack for making petty grudges feel operatic.
Bottom line
Its cultural impact is enormous, especially for viewers interested in the era when network television could dominate conversation for weeks. Some of the later years are more uneven, but the core appeal remains strong: rich people behaving badly, with just enough sincerity to keep the drama emotionally sticky.