Following the death of Larry Hagman in November from cancer, the writers of TNT's "Dallas" were faced with a bit of a dilemma. They were forced to rewrite the second half of the season surrounding J.R. Ewing's death and the product is phenomenal according to series costars Jesse Metcalfe and Jordana Brewster. Metcalfe and Brewster spoke exclusively to "Entertainment Weekly" at a SAG awards party about the impact Hagman's death has on the show.
Brewster said "I think the writers came up with a brilliant way to cope with the loss. It could have ruined the show and derailed everyone but instead they made the best of it and actually came up with some great stuff. It sets a lot of things in motion. The last two scripts we have done since we came back have been phenomenal."
Metcalfe added to her comments and said "The writers had to basically....rewrite the second half of the season. The writers took a s**tty situation and made the best of it and the show doesn't suffer any more than was unavoidable. It did not derail us. Original fans of the show are going to be very pleased and surprised."
Josh Henderson, who plays Hagman's son John Ross on the series, was interviewed on the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show yesterday and also discussed the rewrite of the second half of the season but wouldn't divulge any details of the funeral or the role it plays in the series. Henderson did say that the cast was shocked at the news of Hagman's passing because he worked on the series diligently while ill and never complained.
Last night's premiere opened with the entire cast of "Dallas" led by Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy paying homage to Hagman.
The funeral episode of Hagman's character will air in early March on TNT, Cox Cable channel 28.
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