Once again, the world is wondering “Who shot J.R.?” Once again, the writers for “Dallas” have had J.R. Ewing shot. This second shooting occurred during the last episode of “Dallas,” which aired March 4.
It was almost 23 years to the day when “Dallas” fans became part of the biggest and, possibly, the best cliffhanger ever when J.R. Ewing was shot for the first time. That shooting happened on March 21, 1980. That shooting happened in hopes of boosting ratings of CBS's hit drama, “Dallas.” Unfortunately, the second shooting was under a much sadder circumstance.
Larry Hagman, who portrayed J.R. Ewing in both the original “Dallas” series on CBS and the second series of “Dallas” on TNT, passed away Nov. 23, 2012. The actor had battled cancer for over a decade. Larry Hagman was such a wonderful actor that created an iconic character, it would have been almost impossible to recast the role.
As fans mourn the loss of both the actor and the character, they will be wondering who shot J.R. - who is responsible for bringing down one of the most ruthless and evil villains on television. This very well could cause a huge spike in the ratings for “Dallas” on TNT.
“I wasn't interested in watching the new 'Dallas,” Gina Martin, a fan of the original “Dallas” from Oklahoma City, said. “Then Larry Hagman died. I watch it every week. I want to see how they handle the death of J.R.”
It remains to be seen how TNT will handle the death of J.R. Ewing. J.R. Ewing's funeral will take place on March 11, but, beyond that, little is known as to what will happen next.
“I hope they don't exploit the death of Larry Hagman,” Martin continued. “He was a wonderful actor. Losing J.R. Will be like losing a member of the family. I grew up with him in my living room every Friday night. I understand the need to boost ratings. I just hope it is handle with respect for the actor and the character.”
It is unknown of this round of “Who shot J.R.?” will be as iconic as the first time. It is possible that TNT will not even turn this into a ratings-grabbing storyline. Either ways, fans of both Larry Hagman and J.R. Ewing will tune in to see how this delicate situation is handled.
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