Family dynamics haven’t changed in the 21 years since ‘Dallas’ went off the air. The most backstabbing clan of oil magnates on TV has a new generation out for money, power and … alternative energy? Meet the men.
JR Ewing
Played by Larry Hagman
The eldest son in a family of oil tycoons and ranchers, JR was the most ruthless (and possibly drunkest, and most womanizing) — to the point where his sister-in-law famously shot him.
“How many people do you know working at 80? And doing a job that they love with the people he loves?” Hagman says when asked why he signed on to a “Dallas” reboot. “Oh, yeah, I’m a very lucky man.”
John Ross Ewing
Played by Josh Henderson
The son of JR and Sue Ellen Ewing, John Ross, like his dad, is determined to prove his worth as an oilman — even if it means destroying Southfork in the process.
“The first scene that I had with Larry,” Henderson recalls, “he just looked at me, and literally, I don’t want to say … I almost peed my pants. I mean, the history, it electrified the room. It’s amazing to see [the original cast] and their characters come back to life. And to be a part of it, it’s very special.”
Bobby Ewing
Played by Patrick Duffy
The youngest Ewing, a romantic married to a rival family’s daughter, was torn between the family’s oil interests and tending to the homestead of Southfork ranch. His “favorite son” status ignited the ire of JR, leading to the brothers’ feud.
“What Cynthia [Cidre, head writer and co-executive producer] did in the script that we have now is she brought the [original] cast and the new cast, which are grown-up versions of the old cast, back to that starting point of purity that made ‘Dallas’ what it was,” Duffy says. Of course, “Dallas” at its core was never very pure by most standards. Expect acts of hubris, nefarious power plays and a sex scene — all in the first episode.
Christopher Ewing
Played by Jesse Metcalfe
The adopted son of Bobby and his first wife, Pam, Christopher is keenly aware that he is not a “real” Ewing, as John Ross likes to remind him. Christopher wants to restore the Ewing name by investing in alternative fuel technologies.
“It’s like [the younger] characters are defined by who [the original characters] are and what they’ve already done in those last 14 seasons,” Metcalfe says. “We’re just kind of jumping off from that. Every bit of who Christopher is is part of Bobby, you know, and the same with [John Ross] and JR.”
