My understanding is not that it relates to declining quality, it refers to an event or storyline that stretches credibility too far, is not convincing and seems to have been done in desperation... two recent examples are dead Kathy and Michelle Fowler's head transplant.

KL jusr quietly cut all ties to Dallas after the dream season with Gary never visiting or mentioning the family agaim although he was still mentioned in Dallas and indeed appeared, along with Val, in the final episode, albeit as part of JRs It's A Wonderful Life apparition.

So we effectively had this weird situation where Bobby was still dead in KL's universe although not mentioned.

I don't even want to think about hiw them appearing in the reboot works out. They screwed with most of the continuity on that anyway so....

Yes, that is my understanding of it too. It's the moment something happens that is so stupid or credibility streaching that it destroys the believability of the fictional universe.

Different viewers definitions of that would vary, some accepting recasts, some not for example. But bringing a cgaracter we actually saw die on screen back would be generally accepted as shark jumping I think.

I think the declining quality link comes from it often stemming from an act of desperation by the producers to reignite interest or/and increase ratings.

Just as happened in Dallas, ratings fell and they believed they needed Duffy back to get them back up by any means necessary.

And, re the OP, it really didn't work in Dallas.

Yes, they had renewed interest but it was short lived. The show limped on for another 5 years or so but it was pretty much a joke. The fact thst it is still referred to in derosion 30 years later k i nd of reinforces that. It is what most people remember about Dallas, that they did this stupod, unbelievavbke thing which is sad I thinkas it over shadows the quality of the show prior to that.

Didn't Crossroads also do this during it's revival?

But there was no uproar in America when Dallas did it

As they actually accepted that it was a dream

Which could happen

Dead Kathy being alive was plausible.... right up until she tried to explain it as some bizarre insurance scam.
Witness protection would have worked better.

No, let dead dogs lie, we need brand new characters. There's so much fresh talent about and I'm sick of seeing the same old faces.

They did a Witness Protection storyline in Home and Away when everyone thought Peter Baker was killed off. But he was only working undercover

Basically it was Knots Landings very own Sliding Doors moment.

Dallas actually did pull it off - in the context of its show formula. It was facing the axe if they didn't bring Bobby back. By bringing back Bobby they managed to make the show last another 5 years and then have at least 2 spin off movies over the years. Finally a continuation in 2012 (21 years after the original had gone off air) lasted 3 seasons - and only ultimately failed because Larry Hagman died.

However Dallas isn't EastEnders and EastEnders could not pull it off for the reasons given by the user I have quoted below.



Last edited by LaneKent : 03-01-2017 at 21:38

That's why I don't think it worked in the long term. Damaged the show.

I'd like to see Phil stumbling into the bathroom and dropping dead when Den leers through the shower curtain 'Ello Princess'.

Yes, I agree.

And that was after a relativy short period with fairly contained ots and a relatively small (about a dozen regulars) cast so easier to manage the 'reset'

As somebody else stated, in a continuing, year round drama with many more chatacters all with independent storylines, it would be virtually impossible to write.

Aside from the credibility side of it.

Yes, that's a very good analogy.

They did but it was the last scene of the series so not done to save the show and bring anybody back, but as a final twist.

St Elsewhere was also revealed to have been an imagined world of anautistic child in it's last episodebut again, that was just a final twist.

They were told the show would be axed within a year if they did not bring back Patrick Duffy AKA Bobby Ewing. Yes it lost viewers by bringing back Bobby as they felt cheated. However it lasted for 5 years, and kept getting continuation movies and eventually a television series that ran until 2014. It would probably be going on now if Larry Hagman hadn't died.

So it really did work for Dallas in the long-term as it would of ended around 1987. But it would not work for EE at all.

Personally I loved the Dream series and was glad that Bobby Ewing was gone and was gutted when he came back. I nearly stopped watching but I stuck it out to the bitter end of the original series somehow and liked the 2012 continuation series. The TV movies were dreadful though.

Let's agree to disagree.