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November 21, 1980…Who Shot J. R.? The Big Reveal

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November 21, 1980…Who Shot J. R.? The Big Reveal

On this day in 1980, 83 million people tuned in to television’s popular primetime drama ‘Dallas’ to find out who shot J.R. Ewing, the character fans loved to hate. J.R. had been shot on the season-ending episode the previous March 21, which now stands as one of television’s most famous cliffhangers. The plot twist inspired widespread media coverage and left America wondering “Who shot J.R.?” for the next eight months. The November 21 episode solved the mystery, identifying Kristin Shepard, J.R.’s wife’s sister and his former mistress, as the culprit.

The CBS television network debuted the first five-episode pilot season of ‘Dallas’ in 1978; it went on to run for another 12 full-length seasons. The first show of its kind, “Dallas” was dubbed a “primetime soap opera” for its serial plots and dramatic tales of moral excess.

That summer, the question “Who Shot J.R.?” entered the national lexicon, becoming a popular t-shirt slogan, and heightening anticipation of the soap’s third season, which was to air in the fall. After a much-talked-about contract dispute with Larry Hagman was finally settled, the season was delayed because of a Screen Actors Guild strike, much to the dismay of fans. When it finally aired, the episode revealing J.R.’s shooter became one of television’s most watched shows, with an audience of 83 million people in the U.S. alone—a full 76 percent of all U.S. televisions on that night were tuned in—and helped put ‘Dallas’ into greater worldwide circulation. It also popularized the use of the cliffhanger by television writers.

The shooting of J.R. wasn’t “Dallas’” only notorious plot twist. In September 1986, fans learned that the entire previous season, in which main character Bobby Ewing had died, was merely a dream of Pam’s. The show’s writers had killed the Bobby character off because Duffy had decided to leave the show. When he agreed to return, they featured him stepping out of the shower on the season-ending cliffhanger, and then were forced the next season to explain his sudden reappearance.

The last premiere episode of ‘Dallas’ aired on May 3, 1991. A spin-off, ‘Knots Landing’, aired from December 27, 1979 until May 13, 1993. ‘Dallas’ remains in syndication around the world. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_iwxkaKhnE

The reveal of Who Shot JR in US Soap/Drama Dallas. First Transmission : November 21st 1980 R.I.P Larry Hagman (1931-2012) Enjoy! Please comment, like and sub…

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4 responses to “November 21, 1980…Who Shot J. R.? The Big Reveal”

  1. Kenneth Johannessen

    Didn’t watch this episode. Watched David Brinkley on “NBC Magazine” instead. I figured there should be at least one person in America who did.

  2. Matt Gregan

    St Elsewhere, a show I loved, ended with the entire show being the daydream of an autistic kid looking into a snowglobe. There was no reason for it at all. I’m still pissed off.

  3. Edwin A. Santos

    Loved “Dallas” since it first aired and placed together on Friday nights with “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “The Incredible Hulk.” BUT, after that ‘It was all Pam’s dream” season, I stopped watching. That stunt was beyond “jumping the shark.”

  4. James Stanley Barr

    It was sad how the original went out with such a whimper. By the time it ended, only Larry Hagman, Ken Kercheval, and Patrick Duffy were left. And then all we heard was a gunshot, (Thankfully 5 years later, we found out he only shot a mirror.)

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