On May 17th, 1985: The Writers of 'Dallas' Made A Fatal Mistake

[Brian Damage]

May 17th, 1985 - Bobby Ewing died on the season finale of "Dallas" on CBS-TV. He returned the following season.

[old grouch]

It was all a dream...

[Reverend Jim]

[MickeyMac]

I dont know if I would label this as a mistake.

[Big3sCompanyFan]

I remember they had some pretty good storylines that dream season. They should've at least kept some like that whole Anjelica Nero saga.

Booby sure as hell couldn't get any good work outside of Dallas so he came running back!!

[Prince Michael]

Originally Posted by old grouch

It was all a dream...

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

I don't know if I would label this as a mistake

Claiming the entire season was only a dream so Bobby Ewing could return really stretched the show's credibility . When Bobby was pronounced dead, somebody should have noticed a tiny little spark of life, and they should have taken his body to a hospital in another county or another state . That way, he could have been out of the way and they would have had a better explanation for his return .

[whitelighter27]

Originally Posted by Prince Michael

When Bobby was pronounced dead, somebody should have noticed a tiny little spark of life, and they should have taken his body to a hospital in another county or another state .

Sorry, but I think that would've cost them even more credibility than the dream season did.

However, it's interesting to imagine how they should've handled season 9. Patrick Duffy was bent on leaving, and seeing how the series did without Bobby might not've been such a bad idea, though they should've written him off differently. The challenge would've been coming up with a reason why Bobby would've up and left both Pam & Christopher and Jenna & Charlie, when both Pam and Jenna wanted to marry him.

[TV Guy]

They should have had Bobby and Pam remarry prior to Patrick Duffy leaving the show. That would have left Pam in residence as Bobby's widow during the dream season, and would have been a great setup for Pam and JR to argue all day at work and bring it home with them.

Bobby and Pam could have been on their honeymoon in the season finale in 1985, on a boat somewhere. Boating accident: Bobby is presumed drowned, but without a body. A year later, he turns up.

[adamchandler]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

They should have had Bobby and Pam remarry prior to Patrick Duffy leaving the show. That would have left Pam in residence as Bobby's widow during the dream season, and would have been a great setup for Pam and JR to argue all day at work and bring it home with them.

Bobby and Pam could have been on their honeymoon in the season finale in 1985, on a boat somewhere. Boating accident: Bobby is presumed drowned, but without a body. A year later, he turns up.

It’s funny that you bring that up! That was original plan, bobby was supposed to die in the mini series. I actually think it would have been a great 6-7 year show.