These days, it’s rare that a network isn’t deeply invested in the success of a show on its roster — but during the run of the 1978 hit primetime soap opera “Dallas,” the series was expected to fail from the very beginning, when it was just a five-episode miniseries. After creator David Jacobs (who, actually, knew nothing of the namesake city) enticed CBS with his epic Texas saga rewrite of his original neighborhood drama pitch, the network requested five episodes for a miniseries.
Doing a short run of episodes would undoubtedly test the concept in front of a national audience, similarly to the more modern tactic of doing a six-episode opening season before building things out a bit more once there’s a viewership in place. However, CBS didn’t exactly set the show up for success knowing it had a short amount of time to make an impression with viewers. They scheduled the show in a Sunday night slot, where it was most likely expected to just take up some space and not become a hit. “Dallas” did exactly the opposite.
Dallas went on to become one of the biggest hits in TV history
“Dallas” ended up striking a chord with audiences and soon was moved from the less forgiving Sunday night slot to Friday night, where the series truly thrived. Ratings skyrocketed and the show — which we named one of the best shows ever set in Texas — became an absolute cultural sensation, maintaining its winning Friday night slot for over a decade.
The show’s dramatic portrayals of rivaly, wealth, sex, and family dynamics were steeped in human truth, and they guaranteed its place in the zeitgeist, helping “Dallas” endure in its 14-season run and beyond. The primetime soap was finally canceled in 1991 following several years of dipping ratings — but because it was such an audience favorite in its time, CBS made the TV movie “Dallas: J.R. Returns” five years later in 1996 and another TV movie, “Dallas: War of the Ewings,” two years after that.