Ladies & Gentlemen, your 2012 Dallas team

Famed nighttime soap opera, Dallas, which originally ran from 1978 to 1991, returned to TV last night. The new Dallas premiered on TNT with a two-hour episode and first reviews are generally favorable.

70s cast members; Larry Hagman (J.R.), Patrick Duffy (Bobby) and Linda Gray (Sue Ellen) return in their old roles and are joined by a raft of new actors as sons and love interests. Here’s a review snippet from Entertainment Weekly‘s Ken Tucker:

“So far, Henderson displays the best chemistry with Hagman – as son and father, they seem to enjoy scamming others (and, soon enough, each other). And overall, Dallas is a solidly constructed soap opera, with strong wooden dialogue and oily plot twists.”

Here’s a bit from Rolling Stone:

“Television has gotten much more sophisticated since the Dallas days, so it may seem heretical, contrarian, or just plain insane to hail it as the most innovative and influential show of modern times. But if we’re living in a golden age of TV, it’s the Ewings’ fault, because they invented the game everyone plays now. They proved you could stretch out the story week to week, throwing in preposterous cliffhangers and plot twists and power struggles. And they proved you could sum up the country’s sickest dreams and flaws all in one expensively f-d-up family.”

Read more: Dallas review at Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone.

Official Dallas TNT site

*Update: Cinema Blend is reporting that Dallas brought in “Solid Ratings”.

Cinema Blend Quote:

“The numbers are in and it looks like TNT has cause to celebrate, as the drama garnered some impressive ratings for its debut.

6,863,00 million viewers tuned in to watch Dallas’ grand return to television. As TNT points out, this is three years in a row that the cable channel has done well with a series launch.”