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Talk:Site of Special Scientific Interest

Untitled
Re adding the Woodland management link- sensitive woodland mangement can be relevant to SSSI's so hopefully as both articles develop the relevance of a link will become apparent...) Cheers quercus robur

List of SSSIs
The list of SSSIs on this page is never going to be complete, I suspect. I'm not sure it adds much to the page. Perhaps it should be made into a category (if there isn't already one) and removed from the actual SSSI page? A few examples of SSSIs with reasonable pages can serve instead. Any views on this suggestion? Naturenet 11:02, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * I agree - given that there are over 4000 SSSIs in England alone, attempting to list them is not only a futile task but could be quite misleading (someone visiting the page at the moment could be forgiven for thinking that they're mostly found in Derbyshire, Kent and Somerset). Most SSSIs would never qualify for an article on that basis alone, anyway. A category is the way forward I think. Blisco 14:41, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

How protected
The article fails to explain what ramifications the designation has. HOw are these areas protected? Owned by the state?, restricted from development?, restricted from entry? just a pretty name to hang on the door? Rmhermen 17:27, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

 * I've had a go at covering the legal aspects -- any comments?  Richard New Forest 23:46, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

New template
I've set up a new template, SSSI. Using * generates:

Link to example

I'm happy if people want to copy this for other countries; or to add a country/ designating body field and the relevant URLs. Andy Mabbett 11:05, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Areas of Search problem (England only)
Hi. We have a small problem with the English Areas of Search. The areas which we list don't quite match the actual Areas of Search as originally defined by the NCC. Most of the problem is because some of the larger counties were divided into two or more AOSs but there also some smaller deviations from the metropolitan counties-based system, usually where there is a National Park involved. The Welsh & Scottish ones are fine.

Here's the list of AOSs that are OK (I've linked to the SSSI list pages):

Avon • Bedfordshire • Berkshire • Buckinghamshire • Cambridgeshire • Cheshire • Cornwall • Dorset • East Sussex • Gloucestershire • Greater London • Hertfordshire • Isle of Wight • Kent • Lancashire • Leicestershire • Northamptonshire • Nottinghamshire • Oxfordshire • Shropshire • Somerset • South Yorkshire • Surrey • Warwickshire • West Midlands • West Sussex • West Yorkshire

The problem cases are as follows:

a) Counties that are comprised of multiple Areas of Search

 * County Durham - two AOSs
 * Cumbria - three AOSs
 * Devon - two AOSs
 * Essex - two AOSs
 * Hampshire - two AOSs
 * Hereford and Worcester - two AOSs
 * Humberside - two AOSs
 * Lincolnshire - two AOSs
 * Norfolk - two AOSs
 * North Yorkshire - three AOSs
 * Northumberland - two AOSs
 * Suffolk - two AOSs
 * Wiltshire - two AOSs

b) Other problems

 * Cleveland - doesn't exist as an AOS, Cleveland SSSIs are in either the E Durham AOS or the N York Moors AOS
 * Derbyshire & Staffordshire - the Peak District NP is an AOS in its won right
 * Greater Manchester and Merseyside - these two are combined as a single AOS
 * Tyne and Wear - doesn't exist as an AOS, Tyne & Wear SSSIs are in either the E Durham AOS or the E Northumberland AOS

What shall we do? SP-KP (talk) 13:38, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

 * It is already covered to some extent earlier in the article, under biological SSSIs. The AoSs as they were in the original selection guidelines (which being for the NCC applied to the whole of Britain) were Watsonian vice counties (well-established divisions used for biological recording, roughly based on the administrative counties).  In theory Natural Areas  ought to have replaced the vice-counties as the Areas of Search in England.  The vice-county system does lead to anomalies, where county boundaries cut through more natural features, requiring both AoSs to represent the feature in the SSSI series – for example there are two almost identical woods half a mile or so apart, one notified for Kent, one for Surrey (if you go to the Clacket Lane services on the M25, you're surrounded by the Surrey one).  Nevertheless, most existing SSSIs were selected under the vice-county system, and the NE web page makes them sound current:
 * "'Areas of Search (AOS) are a practical framework for the selection of sites within the national range of variation in habitats and species assemblages resulting from differences in environmental factors – climate, topography, geology, soils and land-use. Within each AOS, a minimum aim will be to represent all the differenthabitats and species that are present by at least one – and preferably the best – example or population. In practice, administrative areas i.e. counties or vice-counties, have been adopted as the AOS for SSSI selection'"

 * Geological SSSIs (and some biological ones such as rivers) have never been selected using AoSs, but nationally. Richard New Forest (talk) 20:46, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Hi Richard.

Re: "The AoSs as they were in the original selection guidelines (which being for the NCC applied to the whole of Britain) were Watsonian vice counties" - I have the original guidelines in front of me now, and that's not the case, I'm afraid - although you are correct in saying that in some of the larger counties e.g. Norfolk, Devon, the VC boundary was used as the basis for the subdivision (hence, NE's statement is true, although it clearly has the potential to mislead).

What I was getting at here is - what should we do regarding the lists of SSSIs. Some accurately reflect an AOS, some combine more than one, and some (e.g. Cleveland) use a different area entirely. The standard introductory text, however, says (I paraphrase) "This is a list of SSSIs in the X Area of Search". Options include - a complete re-structuring of the pages as per the AOSs, leaving as is, with changes to the introductory text where it is inaccurate, or something in between. Any preference?

SP-KP (talk) 22:03, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

I've listed the English AOSs at Area of Search SP-KP (talk) 22:24, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

 * This certainly does make the listing of SSSIs more complicated than I first thought. At the moment I would prefer to keep the current lists that we have. The first reason for this is that the Natural England website lists SSSIs in the same counties that we have lists for (see here). Second the pdf files for each SSSIs that I have seen list the county the site is in and hardly ever mention the AOS. However some changes will be necessary. Introductions on each list will need to talk about which and how many AOS are incorporated in the list. For example the Cleveland list could have an extra column showing whether a site is in the E Durham or N York Moors AOS. Thoughts? Suicidalhamster (talk) 10:19, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

 * The citations only list the planning authorities, not the AoSs – so they will not, for example, list Hampshire County Council for a site in Southampton Unitary Authority, and the New Forest will list the New Forest National Park Authority as well as Hampshire CC and New Forest District Council (though bear in mind that the many citations are quite old, and may predate the current planning authority situation). The NE website (mostly) uses the counties (not AoSs) as they were before Unitary Authorities, and I think that is also the way to do it here.  --Richard New Forest (talk) 10:37, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

 * Are there lists online showing which AOS a particular site is in? This would be useful for referencing the appropriate lists. There are many pdfs here do they have the relevent information? Suicidalhamster (talk) 12:45, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

Referencing problem
The English Nature citation sheets are now no longer viewable at the web location cited in our articles here. I'll try to find out whether they are still online - presumably they're at Natural England's website. We'll need to do an update across all SSSIs - not a small task - maybe it could be done semi-automatically? Does anyone have any experience of bulk updates? SP-KP (talk) 09:59, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

 * They appear to be back online - lets hope they stay like that! Suicidalhamster (talk) 18:49, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
 * They are? :) A long time in the waiting. Rudget   (Help?) 19:21, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Requested move
to not move the article. While its clear the original legislation did not capitalize the term, its also clear the ongoing, and common usage adopted capitalization. In this case, verifiability trumps any claims of "truth". Rockpock e  t  18:21, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

It is a common mistake to refer to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (capitals), rather than the correct form of sites of special scientific interest. I imagine this is because when using the acronym SSSI, one uses capitals and therefore people think the phrase must be capitalised. This, however, is a statutory term (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981), and the legislation clearly provides for sites of special scientific interest: http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/legResults.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&title=wildlife&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&TYPE=QS&PageNumber=1&NavFrom=0&activeTextDocId=809266 See sections 28, 28B, 28C, 28D, 28E, 28G, 28H, 28I, 28J, 28N28P, 28Q, 28R, 31, 32, 52. Mooretwin (talk) 00:20, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Could someone move this page accordingly? Mooretwin (talk) 00:21, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * No, that does not constitute adequate discussion at all. It needs to have more discussion, and a request made at WP:RM which you should already know about, given your previous contributions on a number of articles.  DDStretch    (talk)  00:26, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Why does it need more discussion? Who is disputing this? Mooretwin (talk) 00:30, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * A number of editors, if you look at the editing history, where your change has been reverted twice. Take it to WP:RM.  DDStretch    (talk)  00:38, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Support: seems like a good move. Rockpock  e  t  02:07, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose. The question is not the legislation, but what people actually write. All of the sources here capitalize, as they really ought to; so does the BBC. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 03:43, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * An oft-repeated mistake is no less of a mistake. The primary source is clear that capitals are unnecessary. Mooretwin (talk) 09:12, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose. The capitalization of this article (and some if not all of the others that were nominated at the same time by Mooretwin (Special Protection Area, Area of Conservation, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Site of Special Scientific Interest, and Special Area of Conservation) have well-established capitalization schemes which are present in the current names of the articles and which can be easily found on a simple Google search. Additionally, changing the name of this article will break many uses of the term on wikipedia, including catgories, and other articles (in this last instance, of Site of Special Scientific Interest (Hong Kong), for example.) which can be verified by means of a wikipedia search on "Site of Special Scientific Interest"  DDStretch    (talk)  08:35, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Those categories can all be fixed. This is an encyclopaedia. It should be correct. Mooretwin (talk) 09:12, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose - generally I find that it's useful from a clarity point of view to capitalise specific legal classifications like this. It both enhances the connection with the commonly-used acronym, and makes it clear that this is a term with a specific legal status rather than just a descriptive one. Certainly the capitalised version seems to be the more widely-used. ~ mazca  t 08:54, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * By that logic, should "civil partner" be written as "Civil Partner" because it has a specific legal status? Mooretwin (talk) 09:22, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * It would perhaps be logical, were it regularly abbreviated as "CP". But that's really irrelevant here - my comments on logic and clarity are there to explain the likely reasoning behind the fact that it's regularly capitalised in most sources relating to SSSIs. It's the fact that common usage in reliable sources tends to capitalise it that makes that the correct Wikipedia article title - the same is not true for civil partners, making the comparison not very useful. ~ mazca  t 11:16, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * My goodness, so you think that if something is abbreviated using initials, therefore the phrase itself has to be capitalised? Yes, I accept - indeed, I specifically stated it in this RM(!) - the reasoning behind people using capitals. But that is a mistake - you don't have to capitalise a phrase because it is commonly abbreviated. The capitalisation in other sources is not correct - WP, as an encyclopaedia should reflect the correct form as per the legislation. If other bodies choose to use capitals that is their business. Mooretwin (talk) 11:42, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * I have no idea how you arrived at that conclusion based on what I said, you seem to be completely putting words in my mouth. I've said all I feel I need to here, any further interpretation of what I said is your choice. Thanks. ~ mazca  t 13:46, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose This title has special meaning in the UK where this applies. The term is capitalised by government agencies and in broadsheet newspapers.— Rod talk 08:57, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose English Nature (now Natural England), the body that oversees SSSIs in England, use the capitalised form in all of their publications. Example: SSSI citation for Cheddar Reservoir. For more examples look at any of the citation sheets produced by English Nature on List of SSSIs in Somerset or indeed any of the other SSSIs referenced on Wikipedia.--TimTay (talk) 09:02, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Natural England's mistakes need not be repeated on Wikipedia. Mooretwin (talk) 09:12, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Natural England is the official agency that oversees SSSIs in England. It is very arrogant of you to suggest that they have made a mistake on every single piece of documentation that they have produced w.r.t. SSSIs. --TimTay (talk) 09:30, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * That doesn't make it immune from sloppy writing. Look at the primary source - the statute which created the designation! Goodness me. Think about it. Mooretwin (talk) 09:46, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Support - quite clearly, the correct form does not have capitals. Lazy writing by various individuals and organisations need not be replicated in an encyclopaedia. Mooretwin (talk) 09:22, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment - as the nom your !vote of support is already assumed. Please strike this from the !vote sheet. Coldmachine Talk 09:55, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose The article relates to areas designated by official bodies in the UK, not "areas of scientific interest" in any wider general sense, and as others have stated the term is capitalised in official use as an indicator that a site has been so designated.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:27, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, we know that, but the designation doesn't have capitals. Look at the primary source which created the designation!! THAT is the official use! Mooretwin (talk) 09:46, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * No, that is not the "official use", it is the statute. "Official use" is what is used in official circles now.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:58, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * See my comment below: the sources quoted in support are not the primary source. Richard New Forest (talk) 10:04, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose: as above (no need to repeat arguments/points already made in my view). Coldmachine Talk 09:54, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose: Ditto.  ♦ Jongleur100 ♦  talk 10:00, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose. The proposal arises out of a fallacy: it is not true that it "is a common mistake"; the normal use is correct.  The term "Site of Special Scientific Interest" does not derive directly from the legislation.  In fact, the phrasing in the defining parts of the relevant Acts (NPAC 1949, WCA 1981) has always been "area of land ... of special interest by reason of...", and the marginal notes said "Areas of special interest" – for many decades the SSSI phrase itself did not occur anywhere in the legislation, despite being in wide formal use.  SSSI (originally often "Site of Special Scientific Importance") is a convenient term used to summarise the designation, not one defined by the legislation. In general usage it has always been used with capital initials, and (as correctly observed above) it is usage which governs us here.  The phrase has since been used in legislation, but the principal defining legislation is still Section 28 of the WCA 1981, which has not changed its wording in this respect. (Note that the CROW Act 2000 amended the WCA, it did not replace it.  It did however – for England and Wales but not Scotland – change the marginal note in S28 to "Sites of special scientific interest".  It also inserted sections – S28B, S28C etc – which use the phrase, but these are not the defining legislation).  For what it's worth, I worked for many years for NCC and EN on SSSI notification, and I still sometimes lecture on this subject.  Richard New Forest (talk) 10:01, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * That's a very roundabout way to argue for capitals! The legislation establishes and then regulates the designation, and no legislation ever uses capitals ... yet you say it should use capitals just because the exact phrase isn't used in section 28 (even though the marginal note to section 28 doesn't use capitals!) Tell me - why does none of the legislation use capitals, if the phrase should be capitalised?! Why does the marginal note not use capitals, if the term is meant to be capitalised? Mooretwin (talk) 10:09, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * And - by your own stated logic - do you accept that "area of outstanding natural beauty" should not be capitalised, since the "principal defining legislation" in that case quite clearly uses lower case letters? Mooretwin (talk) 10:16, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Here's a recent example, which uses SSSI, but spells it out without capitals: [The Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (Scotland) Regulations 2008] - article 3(2) The SSSI register is to contain the following information and map in relation to each site of special scientific interest ... Mooretwin (talk) 10:10, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Please read my comments above. The phrase does not come directly from the legislation, it is an independent phrase far older than its use in any legislation.  It makes no difference what the usage in later legislation is: usage in legislation is quite different from that in general writing.  Richard New Forest (talk) 10:17, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Where does the phrase come from, then? Mooretwin (talk) 11:42, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * It was just made up to be convenient: it was too much trouble to say or even abbreviate "Area of Land of Special Interest by Reason of Its Flora, Fauna, or Geological or Physiographical Features". The original widely-used "Importance" was later changed to "Interest" to match the phrasing in the Act better.  However, in notification documents the Act's phrasing is used: something like "It is the opinion of Natural England that the land outlined on the map is of special interest by reason of ..." etc.  Site of Special Scientific Interest is a formal name given to the designation for convenience.  Richard New Forest (talk) 13:56, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * And that formal name does not need capitals, and is not capitalised in the legislation which governs it. Mooretwin (talk) 16:23, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * The legislation does not "govern" the capitalisation. Anyway, no-one is saying it specifically needs capitals, though in my view if I had the choice I'd probably use them; you would prefer not.  Neither of us can choose: the usage has "chosen", and we are both stuck with it.  In the case of ancient woodland, I backed down on the same discussion, because usage there is generally (and mysteriously) not capitalised.  It's about time you did the equivalent. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Richard New Forest|Richard New Forest]] (Richard New Forest|talk]] • Richard New Forest|contribs]])

 * Oppose As per Naming conventions (common names), Use the most common name of a person or thing that does not conflict with the names of other people or things. Most sources I have found use the capitalised version, therefore I cannot support the move. ColourSarge (talk) 10:57, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Comment - [MOSCAPS] might be helpful: ''Titles such as president, king, or emperor start with a capital letter when used as a title (followed by a name): "President Nixon", not "president Nixon". When used generically, they should be in lower case: "De Gaulle was the French president." ... Similarly, "Louis XVI was the French king" but "Louis XVI was King of France", King of France being a title in that context.'' Therefore, "Littleworth Common Site of Special Scientific Interest is in England", but "Littleworth Common is designated as a site of special scientific interest". Mooretwin (talk) 12:19, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * This is a spurious argument. "SSSI" is not a title, it's a designation, and it makes no difference whether it's the name of a single one or the term for the designation generally: both are almost always capitalised. Richard New Forest (talk) 13:56, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * It's not spurious. The same principle applies, whether it's a title or a designation. Mooretwin (talk) 16:23, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * You claim that this situation is equivalent to President, King etc. Caps are indeed used for Site of Special Scientific Interest when it is "Somewhere Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest", but (as you now very well know) they are also used for the name of the designation generally – unlike President etc.  The two situations are not equivalent, and so yes, it is a spurious argument.  Richard New Forest (talk) 17:57, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Comment - [MOSCAPS again]: When showing the source of an acronym, initialism, or syllabic abbreviation, emphasizing the letters that make up the acronym is undesirable: Incorrect: FOREX (FOReign EXchange), Incorrect: FOREX (foreign exchange), Correct: FOREX (foreign exchange)  Therefore, Incorrect: SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), Correct: SSSI (site of special scientific interest). Mooretwin (talk) 12:19, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Again, spurious. It's not capitalised because it's an initialism with the initial letters emphasised, it's capitalised just because it is capitalised.  You won't change it by finding other examples which are not comparable.  Richard New Forest (talk) 13:56, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * But it shouldn't be capitalised. It is grammatically wrong so to do, and I believe the error has begun by people thinking it ought to be capitalised because the abbreviation is in capitals (someone on here even said as much). An oft-repeated grammatical mistake is no less a mistake. Mooretwin (talk) 16:23, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Grammatically wrong...?! Where does that come from?  Cap initials are common in English for such terms, and there is no "grammatical" rule against them.  Richard New Forest (talk) 18:04, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose These are not mistakes and it is spurious to claim they are. BigDunc  Talk 14:33, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Comment Do we have a hint of where this problem originates? Mooretwin said above that "no legislation ever uses capitals". I wasn't aware of this, but as far as I can find out it does seem to be the case: for example, this source says "British laws don’t use initial capitals for defined terms". If it is true (for whatever reason), it would explain why SSSI, AONB and the rest do seem to be written with lower case initials in legislation. However, if legal writing uses a particular style, it does not make that style "correct" and all contrary usage "incorrect" – for example, legal writing generally avoids commas, but those are by no means incorrect in other writing. Mooretwin, I think you have misunderstood the significance of the lack of caps in the legislation: all you are doing is trying to impose a particular legal idiosyncracy onto general writing, where it does not belong. Actual usage in general writing is the guide for use here, and that usage is very clearly almost always with cap initials. (That would apply even if the phrase originated in the legislation, which as I've pointed out above, it does not.) It's surely clear enough by now that the whole proposal is an unfruitful one, for SSSIs as for the other examples mentioned. I suggest you retire gracefully at this point. Richard New Forest (talk) 14:35, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose Every agency responsible for Sites of Special Scientific Interest uses the initial letter in upper case. So should we here. Daicaregos (talk) 14:38, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Note to closing editor: There appears to be a violation of WP:CANVASS on Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style, since the section was started by Mooretwin after the various RMs were proposed by him, and the message is phrased using non-neutral wording and phrasing. I ask Mooretwin to either remove the message or edit it to make it neutral (such as the various messages are that I posted to a variety of projects which the articles would be relevant to by virtue of dealing with UK geographical topics, and/or which have project templates on the corresponding talk pages.)  DDStretch    (talk)  15:54, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose - The use of caps reflects the fact that this is an official designation, not just any old place which Joe Blogs considers to be a site of special scientific interest. In the first 4 pages of Ghits, three articles use lower case... and one of those uses both versions! PamD (talk) 16:21, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose - the correct naming convention (visible here) is widely used in British media and other mediums of public display. Caulde  18:50, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose - both capitalised and non-capitalised versions can be and are used. The legislation is not definitive in such matters. If anything, the capitalised version is more common but even if it were not there is no justification for a move. Therefore I support retaining the status quo not because one version is 'more correct' but because both have some currency and no move is necessary. Naturenet | Talk 00:39, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

 * Oppose It is a proper noun referring to a specific legal status. It is not descriptive. Proper nouns are capitalized in English. --Bejnar (talk) 06:16, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

So it's more than 72 hours since the move was requested (just before 01:00GMT on 12/12) and we have had a lot of comment. The guidance is to wait a "few days" for consensus. Do we now have consensus that the move should not be allowed? --TimTay (talk) 08:52, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Welsh SSSI lists
User:MarcusBritish and I have been having a productive discussion about the Welsh SSSI lists at his talk page, but there's one point where we have different opinions and I felt it would be useful to get some other editors' views. See User talk:MarcusBritish for the original discussion.

The discussion revolves around how the information on Welsh SSSIs should be grouped into pages. I'm fine with Marcus's proposal that we use modern local government areas rather than Areas of Search, but what we haven't resolved is what should happen to the current Area of Search based pages. Actually, we agree on some of them: where an AOS covers an aras which is now represented by multiple local government areas, we agree that there should be some explantory text and then links to lists for all of these smaller areas. However, we part company where multiple AOSs are now subsumed into larger local government areas. Take a look at List of SSSIs in Brecknock: this consists of the introductory text and then a link to List of SSSIs in Powys. My problem with this is that it's a "List of X" page which doesn't actually contain a list of X, but just acts as a redirect to another page which is a "List of X and Y and Z", and I can't think of another example of this anywhere else on Wikipedia. I'd propose instead just redirecting the page.

Do any other editors have a view on this? SP-KP (talk) 17:23, 31 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I do not see the logic of treating the two cases differently. There will always be a few users who are interested in reading details of AOSs and the reorganisation, but most will want to go straight to the list of SSSIs they are interested in. The problem I have with the Brecknock page is that it forces the reader to go through the explanation to find where to get the information they want. I suggest that in all cases there should be a lede paragraph of the form: "Brecknock is now part of Powys, so for SSSIs in Brecknock see List of SSSIs in Powys." Readers can then skip the details if they are not interested. Dudley Miles (talk) 18:27, 31 August 2012 (UTC)
 * In terms of the explanation now on each of the AOS pages, I produced that alongside SP-KP in order to find the right wording, but also to keep it concise. The prose is only 241 words, so I would have to dispute that readers are being "forced" to go through anything for more than a minute or two, with the links at the bottom being easier to find than in-line links. However, we could also use a hatnote, instead of or in addition to the external links section, such as:

 * But the for does only hold 4 links, so a custom hatnote maybe required for longer splits:

 * That does look cluttered and messy though. Maybe this would work:

 * That would then be the very first thing readers see, so they wouldn't be "forced" to read anything, and they could either go straight to the county that interests them, or spend that minute or two learning something extra.
 *  Ma ®© usBr iti sh {chat} 03:26, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

 * My first reaction was that if the list is at 'Powys', the old 'List of' should redirect to it, but with List of SSSIs in Mid & South Glamorgan for example, being required to work more like a disambiguation page, I can see that doing the same, even when there is only one site to direct to, would be more consistent. It would, in effect be a 'list of one Principle Area'. RobinLeicester (talk) 20:31, 31 August 2012 (UTC
 * MarcusBritish's suggestion seems fine to me. Dudley Miles (talk) 11:43, 1 September 2012 (UTC)
 * All Welsh AOS pages now hatted as indicated above, and tagged (with WikiProject Protected Areas banner).  Ma ®© usBr iti sh {chat} 22:00, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

AOSs still valid?
I am in doubt wether Natural England still uses the AOSs, as in the database here you can't select for ex. "Avon" but only "Somerset" which also includes some of the Avon entries like for example Ashton Court. For me that seems that Natural Enland is using a new system. Also, many of the links provided in the article are dead. --Matthiasb (talk) 00:14, 17 March 2017 (UTC)

 * NE is not using a new system. So far as I know AOS has always meant county as here. Avon is a former county which was abolished in 1996, and when most of the lists were created in around 2006, NE had not got around to updating for the change in boundaries. They finally got around to moving sites to the current counties and deleting the defunct counties a few years ago, but no one has updated the Wikipedia lists. There is a great need for someone to move the sites from Avon and Humberside (the other defunct county) to their current counties, but it would be a big job. It is also true that many of the links in the SSSI article are now dead links - as in so many articles.Dudley Miles (talk) 00:58, 17 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Sadly, there weren't that many links in the article to start with. But I've now updated all the dead ones and deleted two to a personal website which only provided a lookup tool which no longer exists. I've worked with SSSIs over many years since 1990, and have to admit to never encountering AOS.The search database uses counties, whilst NE also use Landscape Character Units (formerly Natural Areas). I think the govt's forthcoming 25 Year Environment Plan is using even larger priority areas to take action in. So I suspect it's the tense of this section that needs changing so that it refers to the c1989 selection process, and doesn't imply it's relevant to today's situation.Nick Moyes (talk) 01:26, 17 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Follow up: I've now changed the tense and added references to support the AOS concept. I've also lowered this section's hierarchical significance by one level, which seems appropriate. Nick Moyes (talk) 01:55, 17 March 2017 (UTC)

Indefinite article
On this page, we have a few instances of the term "an SSSI". From personal experience I've not heard of a Site of Special Scientific Interest being an "ess-ess-ess-eye"; rather, I commonly hear "triple-ess-eye". The latter would mean the article should be "a SSSI". Thoughts? MIDI (talk) 07:52, 21 September 2020 (UTC)

 * I think both are correct. If you google how to 'pronounce "SSSI"' there are several audios which all have "ess-ess-ess-eye", but maybe this is more common among non-experts whereas "triple-ess-eye" is more common among experts. I don't think we need to change the article. Dudley Miles (talk) 08:31, 21 September 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree with . I've worked in the environmental/biodiversity field for 30 years, alongside staff from English Nature and its successor, Natural England. Referring to an SSSI as an 'ess-ess-ess-eye' is extremely common, both amongst insiders and the general public. Clearly, that's how the letters are spelled on the page, ant can't be pronounced as a word. Yes, We do also call them triple-ess-eyes, but I think that is really on only an expert/insider term. Just thinking about WP:COMMONNAME, how would non experts even think to know it's referred to as a 'triple SI'? Both terms are valid, and "an SSSI" is the right way to refer to a Site of Special Scientific Interest. (and not 'a SSSI'). Thank for raising it, though. Nick Moyes (talk) 09:50, 21 September 2020 (UTC)

Status of GCR sites
I have recently learned from a seasoned practitioner in these matters that those GCR sites which didn't subsequently achieve geological (or indeed mixed) SSSI status are nevertheless considered to be 'candidate SSSIs' and as such treated as though they were already SSSIs when it comes to the planning process - at least in Wales though it could conceivably be different elsewhere in the UK. Might be worth adding, if suitable sources are identified. thanks Geopersona (talk) 17:47, 16 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Ah, in fact I note this text in reference to Scottish sites:"However, more than 200 GCR sites, known as ‘unnotified GCR sites’, have no protective SSSI designation status. Significant areas of almost 30 further GCR sites also have no protective SSSI designation status. National Park authorities and some local authorities, therefore, treat unnotified GCR sites as ‘candidate SSSIs’ and afford them the same protection as SSSIs." on the NatureScot page at https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/local-designations/geological-conservation-review-sites Geopersona (talk) 17:54, 16 March 2024 (UTC)


text:
Dallas (1978 TV series)

Dallas is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991. The series revolved around an affluent and feuding Texas family, the Ewings, who owned the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the cattle-ranching land of Southfork. The series originally focused on the marriage of Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes, whose families were sworn enemies. As the series progressed, Bobby's elder brother, oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, became the show's breakout character, whose schemes and dirty business became the show's trademark. When the show ended on May 3, 1991, J.R. was the only character to have appeared in every episode.

The show was prominent for its cliffhangers, including the "Who shot J.R.?" mystery. The 1980 episode "Who Done It" remains the second-highest-rated primetime telecast ever. The show also featured a "Dream Season", in which the entirety of season 9 was revealed to have been a dream of Pamela Ewing. After 14 seasons, the series finale "Conundrum" aired in 1991.

The show was mostly an ensemble cast, with Larry Hagman as greedy, scheming oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, stage/screen actress Barbara Bel Geddes as family matriarch Miss Ellie and Western movie actor Jim Davis as Ewing patriarch Jock, his last role before his death in 1981. The series won four Emmy Awards, including a 1980 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series win for Bel Geddes.

With its 357 episodes, Dallas remains one of the longest lasting full-hour prime time dramas in American TV history, behind Gunsmoke (635 episodes), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (551 episodes as of May 2024), Law & Order (501 episodes as of May 2024), Bonanza (430 episodes), and Grey's Anatomy (428 episodes as of May 2024). Dallas also spawned spin-off series Knots Landing in 1979, which also lasted 14 seasons and a total of 344 episodes.

In 2007, Dallas was included in Time magazine's list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-Time".

The series finale had a cliffhanger that was resolved in the first of two subsequent reunion films: Dallas: J.R. Returns. There was a second film Dallas: War of the Ewings, and a retrospective special Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork.

In 2010, TNT announced it had ordered a new, updated continuation of Dallas, ignoring the events of the two reunion films. The revival series, continuing the story of the Ewing family, premiered on TNT on June 13, 2012, and ran for three seasons, ending its run on September 22, 2014.

Original premise
Dallas debuted on April 2, 1978, as a five-part miniseries on CBS. Although the miniseries was created as the series' pilot, by the time it was aired, neither the producers nor the network were hopeful that it would continue beyond these five episodes and had no plans for expansion. It was shown in a late Sunday night time-slot, known for low ratings. However, the miniseries proved popular enough to be turned into a regular series and broadcast for 13 full seasons from September 23, 1978, to May 3, 1991. The five pilot episodes, originally considered a miniseries, are now referred to as season 1, making fourteen seasons in total.

The show is known for its portrayal of wealth, sex, intrigue, conflict and power struggles. Throughout the series, the main premise is the longtime rivalry between the Ewing and Barnes families, which came to head when the Barnes daughter Pamela (Victoria Principal) eloped with youngest Ewing son Bobby (Patrick Duffy), in the first episode. The series is largely set in Dallas, Texas, and fictional Braddock County, where the Southfork Ranch is located.

The backstory was that, in the 1930s, wildcatter John Ross "Jock" Ewing (Jim Davis) had allegedly cheated his one-time partner, Willard "Digger" Barnes (David Wayne/Keenan Wynn), out of his share of their company Ewing Oil, and married Digger's only love, Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth (Barbara Bel Geddes/Donna Reed). In contrast to Jock, Miss Ellie came from a long line of ranchers with great love for the land and the cattle. Following their marriage, the Southworth family ranch, Southfork, became the Ewings' home, where Jock and Miss Ellie raised three sons: J.R. (Larry Hagman), Gary (David Ackroyd/Ted Shackelford) and Bobby.

J.R., unscrupulous and unhappily married to former Miss Texas beauty queen Sue Ellen Shepard (Linda Gray), was frequently at odds with Bobby, who had the morals and integrity that J.R. lacked. Middle son Gary was Miss Ellie's favorite as he displayed Southworth traits; however, Gary had been in conflict with both Jock and J.R. since childhood and was dismissed as a weak link. At 17, Gary secretly met and married 15-year-old waitress Valene Clements (Joan Van Ark), producing the first Ewing grandchild - petite and saucy Lucy (Charlene Tilton) - before returning to Southfork with the intention of settling down. Although Jock warmed to Valene and supported Gary's fledgling family, J.R. pressured Gary into alcoholism by landing him with bad business deals that caused him to flee Southfork. With Gary gone, J.R. persecuted Valene until she left the ranch and the state, leaving Lucy to be raised by her grandparents.

During the first episodes of the series, teenage Lucy is seen sleeping with ranch foreman Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly). Later, in season 4, Ray was revealed as Lucy's uncle, an illegitimate son of Jock's through an extramarital affair during World War II. Unhappy with his small, one-dimensional role, Kanaly had considered leaving the show; to add depth to the Ray character, Hagman suggested that the writers create a plot wherein Ray becomes half-brother to J.R., Gary, and Bobby, noting his resemblance to Davis. The episodes where Ray and his niece Lucy had a fling are, as Kanaly told Dinah Shore in an appearance on her show, "prayerfully forgotten, I hope".

Ray had previously engaged in a short fling with Pamela, but she fell deeply in love with Bobby, and the pilot episode begins with the two of them arriving at Southfork Ranch as newlyweds, shocking the entire family. J.R., who loathed the Barnes family, was not happy with Pam's living at Southfork, and constantly tried to undermine her marriage to Bobby. Meanwhile, Pam's brother Cliff (Ken Kercheval), who had inherited Digger's hatred towards the Ewings, shared J.R.'s objections to the marriage and continued his father's quest to get revenge.

Most of the seasons ended with ratings-grabbing cliffhangers, the most notable being the season 3 finale "A House Divided", which launched the landmark "Who shot J.R.?" storyline and was ranked No. 69 on TV Guide list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time". Other season finale cliffhangers include an unidentified female corpse in the Southfork swimming pool (season 4); a blazing house fire (season 6); Bobby's death (season 8) and subsequent resurrection (season 9); and J.R.'s apparent suicide (season 14).

Main cast
For the original five-episodes miniseries (season 1) six actors received star billing: Barbara Bel Geddes as Ewing matriarch Miss Ellie, whose family were the original owners of Southfork; Jim Davis as her husband Jock, the founder of Ewing Oil and head of the Ewing family; Patrick Duffy as their youngest son, Bobby; Victoria Principal as Pamela Barnes Ewing, the daughter of the rival Barnes family whom Bobby brings home as his wife in the pilot episode; Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing, the oldest son, who strongly objects to his new sister-in-law; and Charlene Tilton as Lucy, Bobby's. J.R's. and Ray's teenage niece, who adores Bobby, Ray but resents J.R. for disposing of her parents in order for her to be raised by "true Ewings".

Not receiving top billing during season 1, although appearing in the majority of the episodes, were Linda Gray as Sue Ellen, J.R.'s long-suffering, alcoholic wife; Steve Kanaly as Pam's ex-boyfriend Ray Krebbs, a Southfork ranch hand who would later turn out to be Jock's illegitimate son; and Ken Kercheval as Pam's brother Cliff Barnes, J.R.'s archrival. Gray and Kanaly were promoted to the regular cast as of the first episode of season 2 and Kercheval as of the first episode of season 3. David Wayne received guest star billing as Willard "Digger" Barnes.

Further on in the series, several new characters were added as the original actors departed the series:

For season 5, after guest starring since season 2, Susan Howard joined the main cast as Donna Culver Krebbs, politician and widow of a former Texas governor, who becomes Ray's first wife and mother to his daughter Margaret.

Season 8 saw Howard Keel promoted to the star cast after appearing since season 4 as wealthy, occasionally hot-tempered rancher Clayton Farlow, Miss Ellie's husband following Jock's death, and of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley as Bobby's teenage sweetheart Jenna Wade, who gives birth to Bobby's only biological child, Lucas, and eventually becomes Ray's second wife. Jenna had previously been played by Morgan Fairchild for a season 2 episode, and Francine Tacker for two episodes in season 3 before the role was permanently taken over by Presley in season 7. Donna Reed also joined the main cast during season 8, temporarily portraying Miss Ellie until Barbara Bel Geddes returned in the following year.

Dack Rambo, portraying wandering cousin Jack Ewing, was promoted to regular status for season 10, after having appeared regularly since the end of season 8. However, he was written out of the show midway through the tenth season. Jack's sister Jamie Ewing Jenilee Harrison appeared in season 8. Jack's ex-wife April Stevens Ewing, played by Sheree J. Wilson, first appeared during seasons 10 and 11, before being promoted to a main character for season 12. Originally a scheming character, April eventually became Bobby's second wife after his divorce from Pam.

Season 13 saw several additions to the main cast: Academy Award winner George Kennedy as Carter McKay, who buys Ray's ranch and eventually becomes the head of Ewing Oil rival WestStar; Cathy Podewell as the young and naïve Cally Harper Ewing, J.R.'s second wife, whom he married to escape false rape charges; Sasha Mitchell as J.R.'s illegitimate firstborn son, James Beaumont; Kimberly Foster as April's devious sister Michelle Stevens, who marries both James and Cliff Barnes; and finally Lesley-Anne Down as PR woman Stephanie Rogers. While Kennedy and Podewell had appeared regularly throughout season 12, Mitchell, Foster and Down's characters were all new to the series when they joined the regular cast.

Finally, for the 14th and final season, after guest starring in the last episodes of season 13, Barbara Stock joined the cast as Cliff's fiancée Liz Adams.

Supporting cast
During its fourteen-year run, Dallas saw several actors appearing in supporting roles. The most notable include:
 * David Wayne (seasons 1–2) and Keenan Wynn (season 3) as Willard "Digger" Barnes, alcoholic wildcatter father of Cliff, legal father of Pam and sworn enemy of Jock;
 * Colleen Camp (season 2) and Mary Crosby (seasons 3–4 and 14) as Sue Ellen's scheming sister Kristin Shepard, who has an affair with J.R. and is revealed to be the one who shot him in the "Who shot J.R.?" storyline;
 * Jared Martin (seasons 3–6, 8–9, and 14) as Sue Ellen's cowboy lover and Clayton's adoptive son, Steven "Dusty" Farlow;
 * William Smithers (seasons 4–5 and 8–12) as Jeremy Wendell, villainous WestStar Oil frontman who tries to conquer Ewing Oil;
 * Leigh McCloskey (seasons 4–5, 8 and 12) as medical student Mitch Cooper, Lucy's on-off husband;
 * Audrey Landers (seasons 4–8 and 12–13) as Mitch's sister Afton Cooper, an aspiring singer and Cliff's longtime girlfriend;
 * Priscilla Pointer (seasons 4–6) as Rebecca Barnes Wentworth, Pam and Cliff's estranged mother;
 * Morgan Brittany (seasons 5–8 and 11) as Rebecca's daughter Katherine Wentworth, Pam and Cliff's psychotic half-sister who falls madly in love with Bobby;
 * John Beck (seasons 6–7 and 9) as Mark Graison, Pam's lover and eventual fiancé after her first divorce from Bobby;
 * Miss USA winner Deborah Shelton (seasons 8–10) as model Mandy Winger, girlfriend of Cliff Barnes; longtime mistress of J.R.;
 * Jenilee Harrison (seasons 8–10) as Jamie Ewing Barnes, Jack's sister who eventually enters into an ill-fated marriage with Cliff Barnes;
 * Andrew Stevens (seasons 11–12) as Casey Denault, a young hustler who works for J.R., romancing Lucy and April in order to get to their money:
 * Leigh Taylor-Young (seasons 11–12) as Kimberley Cryder, the wife of a WestStar oil executive that J.R. romances to further his business empire;
 * Ian McShane (season 12) as Don Lockwood, an English film producer who becomes Sue Ellen's second husband;
 * Gayle Hunnicutt (seasons 12–14) as Vanessa Beaumont, mother of James and J.R.'s sweetheart, later temporarily his fiancé.

Longtime child characters include J.R. and Sue Ellen's son John Ross Ewing III (portrayed for seasons 4–6 by Tyler Banks, and for seasons 7–14 by Omri Katz); Bobby and Pam's adopted son Christopher Ewing (portrayed by Eric Farlow for seasons 6–8, and by Joshua Harris for seasons 9–14), and Jenna's daughter Charlotte "Charlie" Wade (Shalane McCall, seasons 7–11, also played by Laurie Lynn Myers for a season 2 episode).

Among the most frequently appearing business associates of the Ewing family are oil cartel members Jordan Lee (Don Starr, seasons 2–14), Marilee Stone (Fern Fitzgerald, seasons 2–13) and Andy Bradley (Paul Sorensen, seasons 2–10); Jock's good friend Marvin "Punk" Anderson (Morgan Woodward, seasons 4–11) and his wife Mavis (Alice Hirson, seasons 6–7 and 10–11); and shady investment banker Vaughn Leland (Dennis Patrick seasons 3, 5, 7–8). Other longtime Ewing acquaintances include Dallas PD detective Harry McSween, serving as J.R.'s source within police force (James Brown, seasons 2–12); family attorney Harv Smithfield (George O. Petrie, seasons 3–14); and Donna's stepson, U.S. Senator Dave Culver (Tom Fuccello, seasons 3–6, 8, 10–11 and 13–14).

Also appearing in many episodes are several background characters, including Bobby's secretaries Connie Brasher (portrayed by Donna Bullock in season 1, Ann Ford and Nancy Bleier in season 2, and Jeanna Michaels in season 2–4) and Phyllis Wapner (Deborah Tranelli, seasons 4–14); J.R.'s secretaries Louella Caraway Lee (Meg Gallagher, seasons 2–4) and Sly Lovegren (Deborah Rennard, seasons 5–14); Cliff's secretary Jackie Dugan (Sherril Lynn Rettino, seasons 2–5 and 7–14); Ewing Oil receptionist Kendall Chapman (Danone Simpson, seasons 6–14); Southfork maid Teresa (Roseanna Christiansen, seasons 6–14); and Oil Baron's Club staff Dora Mae (Pat Colbert, seasons 7–14), Cassie (Anne C. Lucas, seasons 5–10) and Debbie (Deborah Marie Taylor, seasons 11–14). Widely known supporting actor Tina Louise, played J.R.'s secretary, Julie Grey, during the first two seasons before her character was killed off.

Main cast departures
By the end of the series, only three of the series' original characters (J.R., Bobby, and Cliff) were left in Dallas, the others having either died or left town.

Jock Ewing was the first main character to depart the series, as Jock died offscreen in a mysterious helicopter crash in South America, during season 5. Actor Jim Davis, who played Jock, had died just after production had completed on season 4 in 1981.

Bobby Ewing's death in the season 8 finale, alongside his subsequent absence during the following season, was explained away at the beginning of season 10 as having been dreamed by Pamela, thus erasing everything that had happened during season 9. Patrick Duffy had left the series to pursue other opportunities, but due to declining ratings, he was convinced to return to the series by production company Lorimar as well as by series star Larry Hagman.

Jack Ewing left Dallas to continue his travels and get away from J.R., midway through season 10, and returned a final time for two episodes towards the end of the season. While there has been no official reason as to why actor Dack Rambo was written out of Dallas, Rambo himself later stated that he believed the reasons to be his bisexuality or his conflicts with Larry Hagman, which Rambo said had particularly intensified during his last season on the show (season 10). Before Dallas, Rambo and Hagman had worked together on Sword of Justice in the late 1970s. Hagman later denied any involvement in Rambo's dismissal from Dallas.

Pamela was severely burned after driving a car into an oil tanker, which then exploded into flames, in the season 10 finale in 1987. During season 11, Pam disappeared after her half-sister Katherine was seen around the hospital, with Pam seemingly leaving Bobby and Christopher due to her unwillingness to let them see her in such a physically disfigured fashion. While Victoria Principal never returned to Dallas again after the season 10 finale, Margaret Michaels, a Principal look-alike, played Pam in the opening episode of season 12. Having undergone plastic surgery which explained the difference in her appearance, it was revealed that Pam was dying of a disease, though only she and her doctor knew about this. After this episode, Pam is never seen again. Unable to reach a salary agreement and having a desire to start her own business, it was Principal's own decision not to return to the show after the season 10 finale.

Budget cuts also meant other long term cast members were let go. In addition to Pamela's departure, Ray and Donna divorced at the end of season 10. Donna moving to Washington, D.C., where she later married Senator Andrew Dowling (guest star Jim McMullan), with whom she raised Ray's daughter Margaret. Actress Susan Howard stated in 1987 that the producers had told her that her character had run its course. As season 11 ended, Ray sold his ranch to Carter McKay and left Dallas for Switzerland with Jenna and Lucas, Charlie having already moved there to attend a finishing school. Ray returned for five episodes in the early period of season 12.

Lucy Ewing, who had left with husband Mitch at the end of season 8, returned to Southfork in the final episodes of season 11, only to leave again two years later for Europe. On both occasions, Charlene Tilton's axing was a decision made by the creative team, who had difficulties creating storylines for her.

Sue Ellen left in the season 12 finale, moving to London with her new husband, film director Don Lockwood (guest star Ian McShane). While Linda Gray was let go by the same budget cuts that ended Steve Kanaly's run on the show, Sue Ellen's exit has since been described by Gray as a mutual decision by her and Leonard Katzman, agreeing that the character "had come more than full circle".

Stephanie Rogers was let go as Cliff's PR representative at the end of season 13, making actress Lesley-Anne Down the most short-lived member of the regular cast, appearing in 8 episodes and being on the opening title sequence in 13 episodes.

Barbara Bel Geddes had quadruple heart bypass surgery on March 15, 1983, just days after finishing her last scenes on season 6. Bel Geddes then missed the first 11 episodes of season 7, as she had a period of rest and recuperation following the surgery. After the season 7 finale, Bel Geddes left Dallas entirely after disagreements over her workload and salary in the period following her heart surgery. The role of Miss Ellie was then recast with Donna Reed for season 8, with Reed signing a 3-year contract. Bel Geddes was asked to return for the start of season 9, a request to which Bel Geddes agreed, resulting in a high-profile public relations debacle that left Reed infuriated and in litigation with the series producers, who eventually made Reed a $1 million out-of-court settlement. Reed died unexpectedly of pancreatic cancer a few months later, in January 1986. Miss Ellie remained on the show until near the end of season 13, when she and Clayton left Dallas, deciding to travel around Far East Asia before eventually settling in Europe near Ray and Jenna. Following her exit from Dallas in 1990, Bel Geddes retired from acting.

When the 14th and final season of the series commenced, ten actors received regular cast status. Although half of them left the show prior to the series finale, all of them remained billed in the series' opening sequence throughout the year. Clayton Farlow made four appearances, clearing up business that included deeding Southfork to Bobby; April Stevens Ewing died early on in the season, kidnapped on her honeymoon by Hillary Taylor (guest star Susan Lucci); Cally Harper Ewing left midway through the season to build a new life, with a new boyfriend and her and J.R.'s newborn son; Liz Adams broke her engagement to Cliff and left near the end of the season, and James Beaumont left the show a couple of episodes prior to the series finale, to start a new life on the east coast with his newly discovered toddler son Jimmy, and Jimmy's mother Debra Lynn (guest star Deborah Tucker).

As the series concluded, Carter McKay stayed put at WestStar, as powerful as ever; Michelle Stevens was left heartbroken and humiliated, alone in the ranch she had bought from McKay hoping to live there with James; Cliff Barnes was once and for all the sole owner of Ewing Oil, and Bobby Ewing, now owner of Southfork, was finally able to find closure after April's death. J.R., however, having lost both Ewing Oil and Southfork, as well as being abandoned by his sons, was at the end of his rope; the series ended with the unanswered question whether or not he killed himself.

Seasons 1–8
Series creator David Jacobs's partner Michael Filerman suggested Dallas as the name for the show. Jacobs knew nothing about the city other than the Kennedy assassination and the Dallas Cowboys; only after visiting the state to prepare for filming did he realize that the show should be called Houston as the petroleum industry is much more important there, while Dallas has banking and insurance. He wrote the first and the final episode of the original five-part miniseries (season 1), with the other three episodes being written by Arthur Bernard Lewis, Camille Marchetta and Virginia Aldrige. While Aldrige did not return to the series again and Marchetta left during season 4, Lewis grew to be one of Dallas's most influential writers.

Leonard Katzman had been a part of season 1 as producer, and during season 2 his influence increased, as he began writing and directing episodes. Series creator David Jacobs left his day-to-day duties as executive story consultant at the end of season 2, in order to focus on the production of spin-off Knots Landing. The executive producers of Dallas in the first 3 seasons were Philip Capice and Lee Rich. During the first 8 seasons of the show, Dallas's production team remained basically intact (the main exception being Rich's leaving after season 3). After Lee Rich's departure, Philip Capice served as the sole executive producer, Leonard Katzman as producer and showrunner, Cliff Fenneman as associate producer, and Arthur Bernard Lewis as executive story editor/supervising producer. And, although 25 writers contributed with scripts, the trio of Katzman, Lewis and David Paulsen wrote nearly two-thirds of the episodes during these first eight seasons. Paulsen had joined the show during the season 4 and was promoted to story editor for season 6. Notably, the three of them wrote every episode but two during seasons 7 and 8.

Season 9
Creative conflicts between executive producer Philip Capice and producer Leonard Katzman led to Katzman leaving the show at the end of season 8. Although Katzman was to continue writing for the show during season 9 and also acted during this season as "creative consultant" (which meant he was sent copies of all scripts and asked to give his input), Capice decided to bring in a new production team: joining him and associate producer Cliff Fenneman were James H. Brown as producer and Peter Dunne as supervising producer/showrunner, executive story consultant Joel J. Feigenbaum, and story editors Hollace White and Stephanie Garman.

However, increased production costs and the claim of decreased ratings (though the accuracy of this has been disputed) caused production company Lorimar to persuade both Patrick Duffy and Leonard Katzman to return. As season 9 came to a close, Katzman was on board to return as showrunner for the following season and the season finale saw Patrick Duffy inexplicably resurface on screen.

Season 10
As of the season 10 premiere, there was another major overhaul of the crew, with Leonard Katzman not only returning to the production side of the show but also getting promoted to executive producer, reportedly on the condition that he would get "total authority" of the show, while Philip Capice and most of the season 9 staff left the production. Alongside Katzman, David Paulsen was brought back as the show's new producer, while the position as supervising producer was offered to newcomer Calvin Clements Jr. and Cliff Fenneman remained associate producer. A new writing staff was hired to work alongside the producers, including Katzman's son Mitchell Wayne Katzman as story editor and Leah Markus as story consultant. Markus left after two years, while the others remained until the show's end.

Scriptwise, Patrick Duffy's return was explained by having the entire season 9 being a dream of Victoria Principal's character Pam, effectively sweeping away the events occurring during the period in which Katzman's involvement with the show had been minimized.

Even the cast were affected by the production and political struggles. While Larry Hagman (J.R.) reportedly supported Katzman, and had played a great part in bringing Duffy back, Susan Howard (Donna), who also had written the script for one of the season 9 episodes, had sided with Philip Capice, and was opposed to the idea of annulling the events of season 9. While she returned to write another episode for season 10, she left the show, both as a writer and as a cast member, at the end of the season.

Seasons 11–14
During the final four years of the show, Leonard Katzman remained showrunner, with series star Larry Hagman joining him as executive producer (beginning with season 12) and Ken Horton as co-executive producer (as of season 13).

Supervising producer Calvin Clements Jr. left the show after season 10, and was replaced for seasons 11 and 12 by the returning Arthur Bernard Lewis, who remained a writer on the show until its end. Lewis was thus reuniting with Leonard Katzman and David Paulsen. However, Paulsen left Dallas at the end of the 11th season (to join rival soap  Dynasty), and was replaced as the show's producer first by Howard Lakin for season 12, and then by longtime associate producer Cliff Fenneman for the final two years. Lakin spent seasons 13 and 14 as supervising producer.

Mitchell Wayne Katzman was promoted to co-producer as of season 12, while Frank Katzman (the other son of Leonard Katzman) and John Rettino (Leonard Katzman's son-in-law), served as associate producers during seasons 13 and 14. Additionally, Katzman's PA Louella Lee Caraway was credited as executive coordinator for the final three seasons. The final major addition to the staff was Lisa Seidman, who joined the show as executive story consultant for the final two seasons.

Filming locations
The pilot season was shot entirely on location in Dallas, Texas, and at the Cloyce Box Ranch in Frisco, Texas. Later, most interiors for the show were shot at the MGM Studios in Culver City, California (which was purchased outright by Lorimar in 1986), with some exteriors being shot at the Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, and other sections of Dallas. For season 13, rising production costs led to all filming being relocated to California. Typically the cast and crew would spend six to eight weeks filming on-location sequences in the Dallas area during the summer prior to the season, then film the remainder of the season in the Los Angeles area; fewer than half of the episodes in a given season had on-location sequences filmed in Dallas. MGM built a full-size replica of the Southfork Ranch backyard and pool on one of its soundstages, allowing for filming of "location" shots during the latter part of the season.

Directors
Leonard Katzman is the most prominent director on the show, having directed episodes of every season except seasons 1, 9 and 12. Next to Katzman, Michael Preece, is responsible for having directed the most Dallas episodes, having joined the show during season 4 and remaining until the end. Of the two directors attached to the original miniseries, Robert Day did not return for subsequent seasons, while Irving J. Moore remained on the show until season 5, and then returned for the final three.

Five of the series' stars also directed episodes: Larry Hagman (seasons 3-14), Patrick Duffy (seasons 4-8 and 10-14), Linda Gray (seasons 9-12), Steve Kanaly (seasons 10-12) and Ken Kercheval (seasons 13-14).

Ratings
Dallas originally aired on Saturday nights when it debuted as a regular series. Within a month, the show was moved to Sunday nights, where it stayed until halfway through the season, when it took a Friday-night slot. Dallas remained on Fridays until the show ended in 1991, alternating between 9p.m. and 10p.m. airings.

The "Who Done It" episode of Dallas that revealed who shot J.R.?, the famous 1980 cliffhanger, received the highest domestic ratings at that point with over 90 million American viewers (representing more than 53% of the U.S. households and 76% of the U.S. television audience for November 21, 1980) tuning in for the answer. The episode surpassed the ratings record of the final episode of The Fugitive, broadcast in August 1967, but the record of Dallas was broken only by the last episode of M*A*S*H in 1983, falling into the second internationally most watched U.S. television episode, with nearly 360 million viewers in over 57 countries worldwide (by the year 1980) tuning in to see who shot J.R.

Although the soap's audience had consistently declined since the "Who Done It" episode of 1980, the series finale of Dallas, "Conundrum", garnered 33 million viewers and a 22 household rating from 9 to 11pm on May 3, 1991, becoming the country's 14th most watched television series finale. Its competition, Manhunter (on NBC), only drew a 9.8 rating.

Films/specials
Date / title / network / household rating / share / viewers / time
 * November 15, 1996 / Dallas: J.R. Returns / CBS / 13.4 / 23 / 18.1  / 9–11pm (lead-in The Lion's Pride drew a 6.3 rating)
 * April 24, 1998 / Dallas: War of the Ewings / CBS / 7.8 / 14  (lead-in Candid Camera drew a 6.8 rating)
 * November 7, 2004 / Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork / CBS / 8.5 / 14 / 12.7 /  9:30–11:30pm

CBS

 * April 2–30, 1978: Sundays, 10:00pm (ET/PT)/9:00pm (CT/MT)
 * September 23 – October 14, 1978: Saturdays, 10:00/9:00pm
 * October 15, 1978 – January 14, 1979: Sundays, 10:00/9:00pm
 * January 26, 1979 – November 27, 1981: Fridays, 10:00/9:00pm
 * December 4, 1981 – March 16, 1990: Fridays, 9:00/8:00pm
 * March 30 – December 21, 1990: Fridays, 10:00/9:00pm
 * January 4 – May 3, 1991: Fridays, 9:00/8:00pm

Syndication
Beginning in fall 1984, Dallas was packaged for off-network syndication by Lorimar to local stations; among the stations to purchase the program initially was the Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate, WFAA-TV. Only the first 222 episodes (seasons 1 through 9) were part of the syndication package. However, Dallas did not achieve the same type of rating success in local markets as it did during its CBS primetime run.

During the 1990s, the show aired briefly on TNT (from September 1992 to August 1993, again the first nine seasons only), followed by a run on TNN beginning in the fall of 1996 (the first network to air all 357 episodes of the original series, but the episodes were heavily edited for time), and from 2003 to 2008 the entire run aired on the all-soaps cable network, SoapNet, uncut and unedited, as it was originally broadcast. On January 1, 2011, CMT aired the show for one day, and prior to the premiere of the 2012 sequel, select episodes were shown on CMT and its website.

In 1981, Mediaset, Silvio Berlusconi's Italian media conglomerate, translated and serialized Dallas on Italian primetime, where it became popular throughout Italy.

Broadcasts in the United Kingdom
In the UK, the rights to show Dallas had been bought by the BBC and quickly became a ratings winner, drawing audiences of over 20 million. However, in 1985 the corporation refused to pay $60,000 per-episode asking price for the next (ninth) series. Whilst negotiating with the distributor to acquire the next season, their commercial rival, the ITV franchise holder Thames Television unexpectedly stepped in and met the price. The BBC reacted angrily to this development, pulling the current series mid-run, and threatening to broadcast the remaining episodes simultaneously with Thames Television's intended scheduling in November of that year. It caused a furore in the press and a question on the matter was even asked at Westminster in Parliament. The BBC relented, and re-commenced their broadcasts of the current series. Ultimately, numerous other ITV franchises in particular Granada television and YTV were not happy with the deal thus complained to the regulatory Independent Broadcasting Authority. After a few months pressure from the IBA and other ITV franchise holders resulted in Thames Television backing down on their plans, and sold season nine back to the BBC, at a loss. Dallas continued to be broadcast on the BBC, being shown on BBC1 until the end of the series run until 1991.

Cliffhangers
Dallas is notable for its cliffhangers. Throughout the series' run, every season ended with some sort of cliffhanging ending designed to drive ratings up for the season premiere later in the year.

 * Pilot Season/Season 1 cliffhanger: Although this really was not a cliffhanger, the end of the fifth episode of the original Dallas miniseries saw J.R. (Larry Hagman) go up to the loft of the barn to talk to Pam (Victoria Principal), who had gone up there to find her cousin Jimmy (James Canning), after Digger (David Wayne) had fallen off the wagon at the Ewing barbecue. J.R., intoxicated, tries to convince her to tell Bobby (Patrick Duffy) not to leave the ranch. However, she does not want to be bothered, and, in trying to escape J.R., she falls from the loft, landing square on her stomach. Pam, who is pregnant, miscarries her unborn child. Later, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) questions J.R. as to whether it was really an accident or did he mean for Pam to fall on purpose. J.R. says, "I did not." When Sue Ellen asks J.R. if he cares that Pam lost the baby, J.R. does not answer her, leaving it up to the viewer to decide.
 * Season 2 cliffhanger: Sue Ellen's drinking problem has landed her in a sanitarium, where she is pregnant with a child she believes is Cliff's (Ken Kercheval). She escapes from the sanitarium, gets drunk, and then gets into a severe car accident, putting her life and the baby's life in danger. The doctors deliver the baby, named John Ross Ewing III, but he is very small on delivery and is not out of the woods yet; nor is Sue Ellen, who, as the episode ends, is clinging to life. A distraught J.R. is watching his wife at the end of the episode in tears, saying that she has "just gotta live".
 * Season 3 cliffhanger: J.R. has made so many people in Texas hate him with a passion: men he has cheated in business, women he has cheated in relationships, family members he has angered, and a Marilee Stone (Fern Fitzgerald), whose husband committed suicide after a particularly disastrous business deal. After all this, somebody waits outside J.R.'s Ewing Oil office late at night, and when J.R. hears a noise, asks who it is and walks to the door, somebody shoots him twice in the abdomen. The cliffhanger to this episode leads to the now infamous "Who shot J.R.?" debates and speculation, and also speculation as to whether J.R. would actually survive the shooting or be killed off.
 * Season 4 cliffhanger: Sue Ellen tries to sneak her son John Ross off Southfork, but is caught by J.R., who banishes her from the ranch. Pam later intercedes, taking John Ross to his mother while J.R. is away—throwing J.R. into a rage. Kristin (Mary Crosby) returns demanding more money from J.R., who tells her it is not too late to prosecute her for shooting him. While heading to a late-night business meeting with Bobby, Cliff finds a brunette woman's body floating in the Southfork pool. He jumps into the pool to see who it is, and when he looks back up, J.R. is standing on the balcony over the pool. Believing J.R. is responsible, Cliff says to his rival, "She's dead. You bastard." The face of the body was not shown, leading to speculation over whether it was Sue Ellen, Pam, Kristin or someone else. This was the show's highest-rated season-ending episode.
 * Season 5 cliffhanger: Earlier in the season, Cliff had J.R. facing a financial mess, when J.R.'s plan to blackmail the Farlows into handing over John Ross, by stockpiling 5 million barrels of the Farlows' crude oil, backfired on J.R., when the market price of crude oil started to plummet. In order to stockpile the Farlows' crude oil, J.R. had taken out a $200,000,000 loan and used $50,000,000 worth of Ewing Oil assets as collateral. Cliff, along with Jordan Lee (Don Starr), Andy Bradley (Paul Sorensen) and Wade Luce (Robert Ackerman), then worked with Vaughn Leland (Dennis Patrick) in order to buy into the notes owed by J.R., and they planned to foreclose. With Cliff seemingly putting one over on J.R., Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) bailed Ewing Oil out of this mess by agreeing to a deal with Clayton (Howard Keel) that Clayton would pay the price that he would have paid at the time that the oil was stockpiled. By the season's end, J.R. and Cliff's situations had turned sharply in the opposite direction, as Sue Ellen, with whom Cliff had had an off-and-on relationship, decided to return to J.R., planning to marry him again. In addition, J.R. had set a trap for Cliff by making sure that a fake geological report would convince Cliff to invest millions of dollars in buying property on supposedly oil rich land which was actually bone dry. Cliff was then fired by his mother Rebecca Barnes Wentworth (Priscilla Pointer) from running Wentworth Tool & Die, due to Cliff's embezzlement of company funds. Cliff attempts suicide with an overdose of pills, and a guilt-ridden Sue Ellen rushes to his bedside as Cliff lies in a coma. J.R. tries to convince Sue Ellen that it was not anybody's fault but Cliff's for what happened, but Sue Ellen disagrees and says she does not know if she can remarry J.R. if Cliff dies. Cliff's life hangs in the balance as the season ends.
 * Season 6 cliffhanger: Earlier in the season, Sue Ellen gets drunk after having seen J.R. in bed with Holly Harwood (Lois Chiles). She gets into a car and Ray Krebbs' (Steve Kanaly) cousin Mickey Trotter (Timothy Patrick Murphy) tries to stop her and they are involved in an accident, in a car belonging to J.R., just outside Southfork. Sue Ellen emerges with nothing worse than bruises, but Mickey is paralyzed from the neck down and in a coma. In the final episode of the season, Ray finds out that the driver of the other car was Walt Driscoll (Ben Piazza), who helped J.R. in a previous scheme. He also learns that Driscoll deliberately caused the accident, thinking that J.R. was driving, as a means of revenge for being put in jail by J.R. earlier in the year. An angered Ray comes to Southfork late at night demanding answers from J.R., who was not expecting to see him. J.R. asks him what is going on and Ray says he is going to kill J.R. for what happened. J.R. throws a candle holder at Ray, which misses him and knocks over another candle holder with lit candles in it. As the two brawl, the candles ignite a fire and the smoke starts to creep into both John Ross and Sue Ellen's bedrooms as they sleep. Sue Ellen had been given a sedative by the doctor earlier in the day so she does not wake up. J.R. notices the fire and tries to break free of Ray, finally knocking him out with a telephone, and runs upstairs to try to save his wife and son. Ray recovers and runs after J.R. but is consumed by smoke and falls. J.R. is hit with a falling beam as he gets upstairs and both men are unconscious as Southfork burns.
 * Season 7 cliffhanger: Reminiscent of the season three cliffhanger, a mysterious figure enters the Ewing Oil building late one night. Proceeding to J.R.'s office, the figure produces a gun and fires three shots into the back of J.R.'s chair in which somebody is sitting. As the victim falls out of the chair and to the ground, we see it is Bobby Ewing that has been shot.
 * Season 8 cliffhanger: Bobby, who has been divorced from Pam for over a year and is now engaged to Jenna Wade (Priscilla Beaulieu Presley), decides that he wants to remarry his ex-wife instead, and Pam agrees. The next morning, as Bobby is leaving Pam's house, someone drives a car at high speed toward Pam. Bobby shoves her out of the way just before she is hit but cannot get out of the way of the car in time to save himself. We see that it is Katherine (Morgan Brittany) who was driving the car, and that she was also killed when her car crashed after running over Bobby. Bobby is rushed to the hospital, where he later dies, with Pam, Jenna, J.R., Miss Ellie, Clayton, Ray and Donna (Susan Howard) at his bedside.
 * Season 9 cliffhanger: Evil businesswoman Angelica Nero (Barbara Carrera) intends to kill J.R. and his cousin Jack (Dack Rambo) for double crossing her, but J.R. has her apprehended by the police. Unfortunately, Angelica has already had a bomb attached to Jack's car, which explodes with Jamie (Jenilee Harrison) inside. After hearing this on the phone, J.R. runs out of his office to go to Jack's apartment. As he leaves the office, Sue Ellen arrives in the other elevator looking for him. As soon as she enters J.R.'s office, another bomb left by Angelica goes off, and the entire floor that houses Ewing Oil explodes, showering debris onto the street below. The scene then shifts to Pam in bed, the day after her marriage to Mark Graison (John Beck). Pam wakes up to hear the shower running. Assuming it is Mark, she opens the shower door, only to find Bobby Ewing, alive and well. (In the Season Ten premiere, Bobby's death and all of Season Nine was revealed as a dream of Pam's).
 * Season 10 cliffhanger: The Ewings suffer a devastating loss as Ewing Oil is closed down by the US Justice Department as punishment for J.R.'s shady dealings which caused an international incident. Pam, on her way home to Bobby from the doctor's office after finding out she can finally conceive a baby, crashes into a fuel tanker, which then explodes.
 * Season 11 cliffhanger: J.R. and Nicholas Pearce (Jack Scalia), Sue Ellen's new boyfriend, fight in J.R.'s penthouse hotel suite. The fight ends up with both of them on the balcony, and Pearce falls over the balcony to his death. Shocked by what she has just seen, Sue Ellen then picks up a gun from the floor and shoots J.R. three times. She then picks up the phone and tells the police she would like to report a double murder.
 * Season 12 cliffhanger: Sue Ellen prepares to leave Dallas for good, but with a final surprise for J.R.: with the help of her new boyfriend Don Lockwood (Ian McShane), Sue Ellen has made a biographical motion picture about her marriages to J.R. (with actors portraying them and the other Ewings) and previews the film to him, leaving him shocked and horrified. Sue Ellen tells J.R. that she is leaving Dallas, but if he ever crosses her again in the future – or even if she wakes up on the wrong side of bed one morning – she will release the film and J.R. will be made "the laughing stock of Texas", before finally and triumphantly leaving.
 * Season 13 cliffhanger: After deliberately committing himself into a sanitarium in order to persuade Clayton's sister, Jessica Montford (Alexis Smith), to sign over her voting majority in WestStar Oil, J.R.'s plan backfires when Cally (Cathy Podewell) and James (Sasha Mitchell) coerce him into signing a property waiver before they will allow him to be released. Once he does, James tears up J.R.'s release papers anyway leaving him trapped in the sanitarium with no means of escape.
 * Season 14 cliffhanger: After finally losing Ewing Oil to Cliff Barnes, control of Southfork to Bobby, and being abandoned by his wife and children, a drunk and despondent J.R. begins walking around the ranch alone with a loaded gun wishing he had never been born. A gunshot is later fired in J.R.'s bedroom as Bobby returns to Southfork, and he rushes up to J.R.'s room and gasps, saying "Oh, my God!" as the series ends.

Knots Landing
Prior to the premiere of Dallas, Jacobs originated the idea for a drama series about four married couples in different stages of marriage, inspired by Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage. However, CBS wanted a "saga-like" show, resulting in Jacobs creating Dallas. When the series proved to be a hit, CBS reconsidered Jacobs's original idea, which evolved into Dallas spin-off series Knots Landing, premiering in late 1979.

Knots Landing followed the lives of Lucy's parents, Gary (Ted Shackelford) and Valene (Joan Van Ark), as they move to California to start a new life following the start of their second marriage in 1979. During the early seasons of Knots Landing, several Dallas actors (Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton, and Mary Crosby) made guest appearances in the new series, and Shackelford and Van Ark continued to make occasional appearances in Dallas. In addition to this, some storylines crossed over, such as the reading of Jock Ewing's will, with events having an impact on characters in both shows.

The ongoing bond between the two series was eventually cut in 1986, as the tenth-season premiere of Dallas declared Bobby's death the previous year had been a dream. Bobby's death had had some influence on the Knots Landing storylines as well, with Gary grieving for his dead brother while Gary's wife Abby (Donna Mills), who had lost her brother Sid (Don Murray) a few years earlier, consoled him. Abby and Greg Sumner (William Devane) then took advantage of Gary's grief and Gary's journey to Dallas for Bobby's funeral to gain politically at Empire Valley. Val also named her and Gary's son "Bobby" in memory of his late uncle. Unlike the Dallas producers, the Knots Landing producers were not prepared to reset their series, resulting in the producers cutting ties between the two shows. As a result, there were no further crossover episodes or storylines; Bobby's return was simply never addressed on Knots Landing, nor was he mentioned again (ironically on Dallas, however, mentions of Gary increased, and archive footage of Joan Van Ark appeared in Season 12). However, Shackelford and Van Ark did reprise their roles for the Dallas series finale "Conundrum" in 1991, which showed what would have happened to their characters if J.R. had never existed.

Between Seasons 1 and 4 of Knots Landing, there were nine episodes where Dallas characters appeared, played by their respective actors.

 * Season 1 (1979–80 season)
 * Episode 1: "Pilot". Guest starring Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing.
 * Episode 2: "Community Spirit". Guest starring Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing.
 * Episode 6: "Home is For Healing" Guest starring Charlene Tilton as Lucy Ewing.
 * Season 2 (1980–81 season)
 * Episode 5: "Kristin". Guest starring Mary Crosby as Kristin Shepard.
 * Episode 9: "A Family Matter". Guest starring Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing.
 * Episode 13: "The Loudest Word". Guest starring Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing.
 * Episode 17: "Designs". Guest starring Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing.
 * Season 4 (1982–83 season)
 * Episode 2: "Daniel". Guest starring Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing.
 * Episode 6: "New Beginnings". Guest starring Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing, Patrick Duffy as Bobby Ewing and Eric Farlow as Christopher Ewing. This episode of Knots Landing was a direct sequel to the Dallas episode "Jock's Will", which aired on the same evening.

In addition to the above, Gary and Valene Ewing appeared in the following episodes of Dallas, as listed below.

 * Season 2 (1978–79 season)
 * Episode 1: "Reunion, Part I". Featuring David Ackroyd as Gary Ewing and Joan Van Ark as Valene Clements
 * Episode 2: "Reunion, Part II". Featuring David Ackroyd as Gary Ewing and Joan Van Ark as Valene Clements
 * Season 3 (1979–80 season)
 * Episode 4: "Secrets". Featuring Joan Van Ark as Valene Clements
 * Episode 14: "Return Engagements". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing and Joan Van Ark as Valene Ewing
 * Season 4 (1980–81 season)
 * Episode 1: "No More Mister Nice Guy, Part I". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing and Joan Van Ark as Valene Ewing
 * Episode 2: "No More Mister Nice Guy, Part II". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing
 * Episode 12: "End of the Road, Part II". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing and Joan Van Ark as Valene Ewing
 * Season 5 (1981–82 season)
 * Episode 8: "The Split". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing and Joan Van Ark as Valene Ewing
 * Episode 9: "Five Dollars a Barrel". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing
 * Season 6 (1982–83 season)
 * Episode 5: "Jock's Will". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing. This episode of Dallas was directly followed by an episode of Knots Landing on the same evening titled "New Beginnings"
 * Season 9 (1985–86 season)
 * Episode 1: "The Family Ewing". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing
 * Season 10 (1986–87 season)
 * Episode 11: "Proof Positive". No Knots Landing characters appear in this episode, but the set normally used as Karen MacKenzie's (Michele Lee) kitchen doubles as a set in a movie featuring Mandy Winger (Deborah Shelton)
 * Season 12 (1988–89 season)
 * Episode 14: "Comings and Goings". Featuring uncredited archive footage of Joan Van Ark as Valene Clements
 * Season 14 (1990–91 season)
 * Episode 22: "Conundrum". Featuring Ted Shackelford as Gary Ewing and Joan Van Ark as Valene Wallace

Films and reunions
A prequel story, Dallas: The Early Years, was a made-for-TV movie that first aired on March 23, 1986, on CBS during season 9 of the TV series. The movie starred David Grant as Digger Barnes, Dale Midkiff as Jock Ewing, Molly Hagan as Miss Ellie Southworth Ewing, David Wilson as Jason Ewing, and Hoyt Axton as Aaron Southworth, and was introduced by Larry Hagman in the role of J.R. Ewing. Detailing the origins of the Barnes-Ewing feud and the creation of Ewing Oil, and covering a timespan from 1933 to 1951, the movie was written by series creator David Jacobs.

There were also two made-for-TV reunion movies that aired on CBS several years after the series ended: Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996), which resolved the series finale cliffhanger; and the 20th anniversary movie Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998). Alongside returning series stars (Patrick Duffy, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, George Kennedy, Ken Kercheval and Steve Kanaly), and recurring cast (Omri Katz, Audrey Landers, Deborah Rennard and George O. Petrie), the two telefilms also introduced new characters – most notably up-and-coming lawyer Anita Smithfield, played by Tracy Scoggins. The younger characters Christopher Ewing, and Cliff and Afton's daughter Pamela Rebecca were recast with Chris Demetral and Deborah Kellner taking on the roles.

In November 2003, SOAPnet aired a Dallas reunion on Soap Talk to coincide with SOAPnet acquiring the rights to rerun Dallas episodes. Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Charlene Tilton all participated in the reunion, which included clips of past episodes. The SOAPnet Dallas reunion was included in the special features of Dallas Seasons 1 & 2 DVD set.

On November 7, 2004, CBS aired a primetime TV special titled Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork, in which the stars reminisced about their work on the series (by coincidence, actor Howard Keel, who played Clayton Farlow, had died earlier that same day).

On November 8, 2008, a Dallas 30th anniversary reunion was held at Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, with original cast members Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Ken Kercheval, Steve Kanaly and Charlene Tilton; other cast members in attendance were Susan Howard, Audrey Landers, Mary Crosby and Sheree J. Wilson. The front and back lawn of the fictional Ewing family home played host to a massive barbecue filled with people from the Dallas area, across the U.S. and around the world (who paid as much as $1,000) to reminisce and celebrate the series, as well as meeting with cast members. During the festivities, Kercheval said he was shocked to see the continued support for the show 17 years after it last aired: "I don't understand it. The staying power. Who knew?" Linda Gray also fondly remembered her time on the show: "I think it was a special time. It was a time when there weren't a hundred million channels and the Internet and all of the other things that came to existence."

A Dallas Retrospective: J.R. Ewing Bourbon Presents Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy one-night only event was held on March 23, 2017, at the AT&T Performing Arts Center's Winspear Opera House in Dallas, during which both Duffy and Gray reminisced about their careers and their time on Dallas. It was sponsored by the nationally distributed J.R. Ewing Bourbon and moderated by The Dallas Morning News columnist Robert Wilonsky.

On March 30–31, 2018, a 40th anniversary reunion was held at Southfork Ranch in Parker and the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, with cast members Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Charlene Tilton and Steve Kanaly attending the festivities. The celebrations included Southfork tours, a meet-and-greet with the cast, an array of Dallas memorabilia at the "Dallas Legends" exhibit and closing out with a party at the historic Longhorn Ballroom.

In honor of the show's 45th anniversary, another reunion was held on June 13, 2023 at Oscar's in Palm Springs, California which was attended by Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Steve Kanaly, Charlene Tilton, Audrey Landers and Joan Van Ark. The cast talked about the Dallas years as well as their personal lives and careers since with CBS moderator Sandie Newton.

Revival series
In 2010, cable network TNT announced they had ordered a pilot for the continuation of the Dallas series. After viewing the completed pilot episode, TNT proceeded to order a full season of 10 episodes.

The new series, which premiered on June 13, 2012, focused primarily on John Ross and Christopher Ewing, the now-grown sons of J.R. and Bobby. Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray returned in full-time capacity, reprising their original roles. The series was produced by Warner Horizon Television, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., which holds the rights to the Dallas franchise through its acquisition of Lorimar Television and is a sister company to TNT, both under the ownership of Time Warner.

The new series is a continuation of the old series, with the story continuing after a 20-year break. It does not take the events of the 1990s TV movies Dallas: J.R. Returns or Dallas: War of the Ewings as canon. Instead we find the characters 20 years after the events of the Season 14 cliffhanger. In an interview with UltimateDallas.com, writer/producer Cynthia Cidre was asked to describe the new Dallas. She responded, "I tried to be really, really respectful of the original Dallas because it was really clear to me that the people who love Dallas are [like] Trekkies, really committed to that show and I really did not understand that before, so I never wanted to violate anything that had happened in the past. On the other hand that was the past, twenty years had gone by, so at the same time I think we're properly balanced between the characters of Bobby Ewing, J.R. and Sue Ellen. I also have the new cast and it's John Ross and Christopher, the children of Bobby and J.R., and their love interests. Total respect and a balance of old and new."

In the show's second season, J.R. Ewing was killed off (following the death of actor Larry Hagman in November 2012), sparking another "who-done-it" storyline throughout the remainder of the season. Various cast members from the original series attended his onscreen funeral.

Despite initially strong numbers, ratings for the new Dallas declined over the three seasons that the show ran before TNT cancelled it in 2014.

Books and other media
During the series' heyday, several magazines, books and merchandise were produced:

 * In 1980, a novel titled Dallas based on the original five-episode miniseries written by Lee Raintree was published by Dell Publishing.
 * In 1980–81, another three novels adapting the subsequent seasons – The Ewings of Dallas, The Men of Dallas and The Women of Dallas – were all written by Burt Hirschfeld and published by Bantam Books.
 * In 1980, The Dallas Family Album written by Robert Massello was published by Bantam Books.
 * In 1980, The Southworth Connection was an unofficial magazine story by Phoenix Publications detailing Brannigan Southworth's attempt to shoot J.R. Ewing.
 * In 1980, Dallas: The Television Role-Playing Game was released by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI).
 * In 1981–84, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate produced a Dallas comic strip for newspapers, written by Jim Lawrence and illustrated by Ron Harris, Thomas Warkentin, Padraic Shigetani, Deryl Skelton, and others.
 * In 1984, Datasoft released the video game The Dallas Quest for the Tandy Color Computer and Commodore 64.
 * In 1985, Who Killed Jock Ewing? by Robert Tine was published by Arrow as part of a major whodunnit competition that saw J.R., Bobby and Ray investigating their father's death.
 * In 1985, Dallas: The Complete Ewing Family Saga by Laura Van Wormer was published by Doubleday.
 * In 1986, The Complete Book of Dallas: Behind the Scenes at the World's Favorite Television Show by Suzy Kalter was published by Harry N. Abrams.
 * In 1986–87, further Dallas novels were published by Pioneer Communications Network. There were 14 titles in the Soaps & Serials series: Love Conquers Fear, Ardent Memories, Love's Challenge, The Power of Passion, Dangerous Desire, Double Dealing, Hostage Heart, This Cherished Land, Power Play, Winner Take All, Reality Strikes, Shattered Dreams, A Cry in the Night and Family Secrets.
 * In 2004, 25 Years of Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-Time Soap written by Barbara A. Curran was published by Cumberland House Publishing. It contains synopses for each season, extensive research into production and interviews with most of original cast, along with a foreword by Victoria Principal and an introduction by David Jacobs.

Inspiration
The 1956 film Giant is considered to be the inspiration for Dallas. Both productions focus on the struggle between wealthy oilmen and cattlemen in Texas, in the mid to late 20th century. In addition, both productions have a lead character prominently referred to as "J.R."

Dallas and the Cold War
Dallas is alleged to have helped partially hasten the downfall of the Eastern Bloc country of Romania during the final years of the Cold War. Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu allowed airings of Dallas, one of the few Western shows allowed to be aired in the Communist state during the 1980s. The belief that the show would be seen as anti-capitalistic backfired on the regime as Romanian citizens desired and sought the luxurious lifestyle of the American elite seen in the show, compared to the despotic situation in Romania at the time. Shortly after the execution of Ceaușescu and his wife on Christmas Day 1989, the pilot episode of Dallas, which had been edited for a sex scene, was one of the first Western Shows aired on the newly liberated Romanian TV. The popularity of Dallas in Romania is the subject of the 2016 experimental documentary Hotel Dallas, directed by artist duo Ungur & Huang and starring Patrick Duffy, who plays a surreal double of the Bobby Ewing character.

Also in northern parts of Soviet-occupied Estonia, Dallas became popular when shown on Finnish television, being watched illegally on modified Soviet television sets. In the communist Soviet Union thousands of people drove regularly to the northern tip of Estonia to pick up the series on Finnish TV. This was described in the 2009 documentary Disco and Atomic War.

Other
In 2007, British comedian Justin Lee Collins went searching for all the stars of Dallas to bring them together for a special reunion party. The show was broadcast at 9p.m. Sunday, May 27, 2007, on UK television network Channel 4 as part of the Bring Back... series. After hunting down most of the main cast by any means necessary (e.g., climbing over security fences and ambushing hotels), Collins interviewed them and gained more knowledge about some of the decisions made throughout the show's seasons. Amongst the cast, the participants were Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Ken Kercheval, Charlene Tilton, Susan Howard and Mary Crosby. Justin Lee Collins held his own 'Oil Baron's Ball', where none of the main cast turned up! However, the actor who played baby Christopher (Eric Farlow) did attend. In an interview in 2011 Charlene Tilton said that show was one of her and the cast's worst experiences ever.

In March 2011, the Texas Theatre in Dallas began showing two episodes of Dallas on the big screen every Sunday; over 100 patrons, some in costume of their favorite characters, appeared at the free screenings every week. However, the screenings came to an abrupt end in May 2011 after Warner Bros. issued a cease-and-desist against the Texas Theatre for unauthorized showings, citing the fact that those that were involved in the show's production were not getting paid or benefiting from these screenings.

J.R. Ewing's hat, a foremost symbol of the show's inherent "Americanness" that contributed to its hold over audiences on a global scale, is currently held in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's collections.

In a popular Forbidden Broadway parody, an actress playing Mary Martin sings the song "Never Never Panned" to the tune of "Never Never Land" from the musical Peter Pan. One of the lines sung is "you too can be a star, like my son who plays J.R. on Dallas! We're never never panned!"

The series is mentioned in the lyrics of Swedish pop band ABBA's 1982 single "The Day Before You Came": "There's not, I think, a single episode of Dallas that I didn't see."

Country singer Hank Williams Jr. had a hit with a song called "This Ain't Dallas" comparing his and his wife's life together with that of J.R. and Sue Ellen.

The show's "Who shot J.R.?" storyline has been used to great effect in other drama series, most notably the BBC's EastEnders with the "Who Shot Phil?" Mitchell storyline, and more recently with the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" storyline. In 1995, the animated series The Simpsons also had a "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" storyline.

In 2013, TV Guide ranked Dallas at No. 47 on its list of the 60 Best Series of all time.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Dallas (1978 TV series)