Dallas

In its time in the US, it had its place on television. However, the post-revolutionary cult it has become in the Czech Republic was a mistake. Now, after my experience with the 2012 version, I am reviving my roots and it really did have charm. From 1978-1991, the series made history as one of the longest-running series and it enjoyed many highlights, including the legendary "Who Killed J.R.?" plot. The opening mini-series offered the basic premise of two feuding families, the Ewings and the Barnes and how simple, dear Watson - Romeo married his Juliet, by that I mean Bobby Pamela, and that was more than enough. Of course, the Dallas and Southfork ranch setting wouldn't be so appealing if the main family weren't rich, had a history, and had a trio of disparate brothers. What's fascinating is that even the spin-off Knots Landing made it to 14 seasons, and its core was just the background character of little Lucy, who grew up in Southfork with her grandparents and had an affair with a rancher. Dallas was, in short, a family saga with all the pros and cons of the soap opera genre. (21/06/2010)

So, under normal circumstances, I'd blast Dallas somewhere towards the garbage, but in an age of embodied evil in the form of South American soap operas, I'm going to take the rest of my tolerance and give up those two stars. (23/03/2003)