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Dallas<\/em> premiered on April 2, 1978, and the groundbreaking nighttime drama was destined to change the face of television.<\/p>\n Dallas<\/em> was initially a five-part miniseries on CBS.<\/p>\n Based loosely on Romeo and Juliet<\/em>, the first episode begins with Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) and Pamela Barnes (Victoria Principal) eloping without telling either one of their families.<\/p>\n The Ewing and Barnes families have been feuding bitterly over a massive fortune in oil for more than a generation, and the couple’s star-crossed romance\u00a0\u2014 along with their families’ reactions to it\u00a0\u2014 provided much of the initial dramatic tension for the show.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/em> Dallas<\/em> Star Finds Love Again With Happy Days<\/em> Star After Wife’s Tragic Death<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n They faced resistance and outright hostility from Pam’s brother, Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval); Bobby’s brother, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman); J.R.’s alcoholic, unfaithful wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray); Pam’s former flame, Ray (Steve Kanaly) and more.<\/p>\n Dallas became a cultural juggernaut, running for 14 seasons until it wrapped up in 1991.<\/p>\n As time went on, the\u00a0fiendishly amoral J.R. Ewing\u00a0became the breakout character on the show, fueled by former I Dream of Jeannie<\/em>\u00a0Hagman’s deliciously over-the-top performance.<\/p>\n In 1980, the show made television history with a season-ending cliffhanger that showed an unknown assailant shooting J.R.<\/p>\n “Who Shot J.R.?” became a cultural catchphrase, and the episode that revealed the shooter remains the second-highest-rated episode of television in U.S. history.<\/p>\n Dallas<\/em> came to a close on\u00a0May 3, 1991, with an episode titled\u00a0Conundrum.<\/em><\/p>\n The show’s finale<\/a> aired in two parts, and it featured J.R. getting his comeuppance after 14 seasons of his villainous ways finally come back to him.<\/p>\n Hagman, Duffy, Gray and more reprised their most famous roles several times, including a 2012 reboot of\u00a0Dallas<\/em>\u00a0for TNT.<\/p>\n Hagman died on Nov. 23, 2012, at the age of 81 after battling throat cancer. He was still playing J.R. Ewing at the time of his death.<\/p>\n Dallas<\/em> was more than just a television show; it was a cultural phenomenon. Scroll through the pictures below to see what the stars of Dallas<\/em> look like today. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Is Dallas<\/em>?<\/h3>\n
When Did Dallas<\/em> End?<\/h3>\n
Have There Been Any Dallas<\/em> Reunions?<\/h3>\n
PICTURES: See the Stars of ‘Dallas’ Then + Now<\/h2>\n