User reviews

Dynasty was in its heyday when I was in high school, so it was inevitable that we'd grow up together. Originally conceived to take on the CBS juggernaut Dallas, the show originally focused on the ultra-rich Carringtons, the middle-class Blaisdels, and the link between them, secretary-turned-socialite Krystle. After half a season, however (it was a mid-season replacement), the creative team decided to take the show in a different direction. They also brought in Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington. Originally intended only to appear in a few episodes, Alexis became such a hit with the viewers that the character quickly became central to the action.

The show, early in its run, was at its best when it nodded to classic Hollywood. The Steven-Claudia storyline, for example, was Dynasty's riff on the film Tea and Sympathy, and the sheer opulence of the show (and some of Claudia's crazier moments) were straight out of Sunset Boulevard. The writing was sharp, incisive, and not afraid to be funny. A brief implosion late in the second season got rid of half the cast, but one role (Steven) was recast, and another (Sammy Jo) would return sporadically for a couple of seasons before finally returning full-time. By the time the show had four seasons under its belt, it was a solid top ten hit that actually showed a lot of quality as the writers tackled then-borderline taboo topics such as abortion and homosexuality.

Then it started to go wrong.

The first blow was the departure of Pamela Sue Martin as Fallon, and the subsequent miscasting of Emma Samms in the role. Worse, the writing took a significant turn for the worse, and Samms had the double handicap of trying to compete against the memory of Martin and having distinctly inferior scripts to work with. Next, whereas previous cliffhangers had involved danger to one or two characters apiece, starting with the infamous fifth season cliffhanger, the producers decided that the majority of the cast had to be endangered in every cliffhanger - the Moldavian massacre, the fire at La Mirage, the siege of the Carrington mansion - which strained credulity to the breaking point. Once-promising characters, like Dominique and Leslie, were marginalized to the point of invisibility and eventually jettisoned with little fanfare.

Worst of all, the writers began to ape ratings bonanzas from previous seasons without seeming to understand why they worked in the first place. Krystle and Alexis' first catfight, for example, came at the end of slowly-increasing tension between the two over the course of the second season. Towards the end of Dynasty's run, the catfights had become almost ubiquitous, as if the writers felt that they weren't doing their job if they didn't include one every season, regardless of whether the scenes made sense from a storytelling standpoint.

The show enjoyed a brief renaissance in its final season, largely due to the addition of Stephanie Beacham to the cast, but with Linda Evans leaving the show in the middle of the season, it was more or less doomed at that point - the triumvirate of Blake-Krystle-Alexis, once broken, could not be repaired or replaced.

All in all, though, Dynasty was a pleasant way to spend an hour every Wednesday (later Thursday), and I'm glad I got to know the Carringtons.

"Dynasty" is a series which starts out fair, builds up to being over-the-top camp, then gets really ridiculous. The show starts out as a straightforward semi-clone of "Dallas" with some attractive people in conflict. In this first season, by far the most irritating character is Lindsey, the daughter of Claudia and Matthew Blaisdell. Her most memorable line comes after she finds out her parents had to get married and she asks her Father: "Am I a bastard?" She whines and grimaces her way through her part and we are relieved that she is not in any subsequent season. The second season is where the series really comes to life when Joan Collins joins the show as Alexis. Her "feud" with Krystle (Linda Evans) is where the show hits it's peak. The series continues to be interesting through seasons three and four, but starting in season five, when Amanda comes in is where the story lines get really ridiculous. After the infamous "wedding massacre" episode, things really go down hill. In my opinion, the early seasons were the best, and the later seasons were really pushing the envelope for credibility.

Dynasty was a huge favorite of myself and my friends, and I have many memories of discussing the show with them either over the phone as it was happening or the next day. The Carringtons were created to compete with the highly successful Dallas and Ewings of South Fork, but Dynasty was never a copycat show. While Dallas certainly focused on the soap opera elements common to all these programs, J.R.'s sliminess in business was a focal point. Dynasty was about obvious, over the top luxury and family with some camp elements included that made it special. What I loved about Dynasty was that, at least in the beginning, it was never camp for camp's sake - the camp was part of the show. For instance, when the casting of Fallon changed, the portrait of the old Fallon that hung over the fireplace was quietly replaced with a painting of the new one, Emma Samms, that looked like a paint by the numbers from Woolworth's. And of course, Joan Collins' Alexis had camp built right into the character. And there was Steven's plastic surgery...so many happy moments.

And no other show could boast the wardrobe of Dynasty, or the beauty of Linda Evans. I can still see her, bedecked in diamonds, walking toward Blake in a blue gown slit all the way up her thigh.

For me, once they had Alexis disguised as a nun and the whole Moldavian thing started, the show became self-conscious camp, as these shows often do, and I lost interest. But certainly Dynasty was a bright spot in the '80s and for a time, you couldn't beat it.

It was fun revisiting this TV series from the 1980's to relive my addiction to the show. Hard to believe that I would bother with such a shallow program based on ruthless business, the lust for money, adulterous relationships and family treason; not to mention acting and script writing that was so appalling.

Now, many years later after watching many fine TV shows on Masterpiece Theatre, the films of Alfred Hitchcock, and great movies on TCM, Dynasty seems like cheap fodder for viewers who never experienced great cinema; only a weekly fix of escapist entertainment.

I think that assessment is too easy a way to judge shows like Dynasty and that other1980's soap opera, Dallas.

We can become much too pretentious about our viewing pleasures and overlook what was happening in our culture in the 1980's. Baby boomers were raising families and abandoning their idealism in the race to get ahead, bring up gifted children and make money. Thus the attraction of those who embrace money and reject family loyalty as the boomers were finding life more at odds with their lost idealism. Add to that the desire for a dose of the reality they were encountering in their own lives.

All this tells us that television mirrors what is going on in our own world and what we make of it. The Carrington-Colby rivalry with the two protagonists personified by Blake Carrington and Alexis Colby was the new normal in a world that had gone from the early idealism of the boomers to to their bumping into the reality of life in a flawed world.

There were some decent plot twists and intrigue on this show.

But it was sabatoged by most of the acting:

Pamela Sue Martin was very hard to take in her spoiled brat routine, Kathleen Beller and Heather Locklear were just plain awful (as always) and Linda Evans and John James were Mannequins.

John Forsythe, Joan Collins, and Lee Bergere offered the only decent acting and characters.

All the episodes were over explained and too much filler. There was only about 30-35 minutes of real plot crammed into an hour.

Unfortunately, it ripped off Dallas too much: using oil business as a backdrop and starting the whole show with a marriage that no one likes to set the family disputes in motion and having Joan Collins as the J. R. Ewing character.

I was given theD entire box set of the original Dynasty for Christmas and what a load of drivel it was.Everyone was wooden, John Forsythe especially, Joan Collins screeched her way through it like a demented banshee and the wigs were dreadful, a tsunami would not have made the casts hair move. Will not be watching again I found it strenuous to watch once!

The television series "Dynasty" originally premiered as a mid-season replacement for ABC's Monday Night Football as the "three hour special event" that aired on prime-time on January 12,1981. "Dynasty" was the brainchild of creators Richard Alan Shapiro and Esther Shapiro and was under the production of Douglas S. Cramer and powerhouse television producer Aaron Spelling(who also served as executive producer)became one of the biggest prime time hits of the 1980's that ran for nine impressive seasons producing 220 episodes in color running from January 12, 1981 until the final episode on May 11,1989. The series actually premiered on the Monday night prime time slot as the seasonal replacement for ABC's Monday Night Football for all of Season 1 producing 15 episodes airing between January 12,1981 until April 20,1981. In the series' second season the show moved from Monday nights to Wednesday nights in prime time for Seasons 2 thru 8 running from November 4,1981 until March 30,1988. Then for it's ninth and final season, "Dynasty" moved from Wednesday nights to Thursday nights in prime-time from November 3,1988 until the final episode of May 11,1989.

"Dynasty" was a colossal prime time hit that was nominated for an impressive 24 Prime-Time Emmys winning the Prime-Time Emmy in 1984. It was nominated for 5 Golden Globes every year from 1981 to 1986 winning three Golden Globes respectfully in 1982,1983 and 1984. By the show's second season saw the ratings enter the top 20 of the Nielsens which by the fall of 1982 was one of the top-ten highest rated shows on television,and by the Spring of 1985,"Dynasty" was the Number One Show on television with it's competition "Dallas" becoming Number Two. Interesting to note that actor John Forsythe(of "Bachelor Father", "From Rome With Love",and "The World of Survival")was the only cast member to appear in all 220 episodes throughout it's entire nine season run. Actress Linda Evans(of "The Big Valley" fame)appeared in 206 out of the 220 episodes leaving the series after appearing in only six episodes of the ninth and final season. Actress Joan Collins appeared in 197 episodes of the series in Seasons 2 thru 9. Joan Collins made her debut as Alexis Carrington in the Season 2 opener "Enter Alexis" airing on November 4,1981. The phenomenal success of "Dynasty" spun the spin-off series "The Colbys" that ran for two seasons and 49 color episodes airing from November 11,1985 until March 26,1987. Actors Charlton Heston,Barbara Stanwyck,Katherine Ross,Stephanie Beacham,and Ricardo Montalban were regular cast members of "The Colbys" but also made guest star appearances in various episodes of "Dynasty".

The notable cast members and special guest stars that made "Dynasty" the top-rated series(prime-time soap opera for ABC)were some of Hollywood legends like Rock Hudson, Lloyd Bochner, and others like Pamela Sue Martin, Heather Locklear, Ted McGinley, Michael Nader, Paul Burke, Emma Samms, Billy Dee Williams, Diahann Carroll, Al Corley, John James, Gordon Thompson, Dale Robertson, Bo Hopkins, James Farentino, Kathleen Beller, Pamela Bellwood, Ali MacGraw, George Hamilton, John Saxon, Richard Anderson, Ken Howard, Brian Dennehy, David Hedison, Bradford Dillman, Troy Beyer, Richard Lawson, Anthony Zerbe, Hari Rhodes,and many more. Even former President of the United States Gerald Ford,and the former first lady Betty Ford appeared in one episode,as well as the former National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger portraying themselves in a special episode titled "Carousel"(Season 4,Episode 11)that aired in prime time on December 21,1983.

When the show moved from Wednesday nights to Thursday nights in the fall of 1988 the ratings for the show were dropping. In the last ditch effect to save the show the final episode of the series which aired on May 11,1989 ended with the credits reading as "To Be Continued...." left audiences in a cliffhanger that was never solved. The series that eventually replaced "Dynasty" after nine seasons and 220 episodes was the ABC News magazine series "Prime Time Live!" that premiered a summer replacement on August 3,1989 with Diane Sawyer and Ted Koppel(of "Nightline"). ABC aired a four hour miniseries titled "Dynasty:The Reunion" that aired in two hour slots in prime time with Part One airing October 20,1991,and Part Two airing October 22,1991 that picks up where the series ending cliffhanger left off featuring the original cast. "Dynasty" as a series during the 1980's spawned a fashion trend of luxury products not to mention a look at the "gay" lifestyle that was not even mentioned and was daring for 1980's Prime Time TV with it's groundbreaking story lines and memorable catfight scenes that will go down in television history. "Dynasty" actually paved the way for future prime time soap operas to follow. Happy 35th Anniversary!!!

I loved this show and I think I will love it forever. It was beauty and luxury at its best. People may criticise it on the grounds that the situations were unbelievable and acting was stiff, I think that was the only way the show could work and become what it undeniably became: unique. Dynasty was a shrine to the excesses of the 80's. Probably nobody was too natural back then, so the cast should be given credit for adopting a pace that suited the show and that was key to its success. Ratings might have sunk, but that is always bound to happen. However, almost 20 years later and the show always gives plenty to talk about, is synonym of luxury (even for people who did not follow the show or weren't even born then). That must be worth something. I am sure anyone you ask is likely to know who Alexis Carrington is. I truly wish these days there would be shows were you could see beautiful women (of all ages - even if they had tons of make-up ans stuff) an immaculate scenery and splendid props. Dynasty - in ts kind - was perfection and the best A Spelling has produced in my opinion. Pamela Sue Martin, Pamela Bellwood and Katherine leaving the cast was a big blow I think, but - personally - did not stop remaining hooked. Only no no was the UFO (let's ignore that).

I watched Dynasty from episode one and very rarely ever missed the Wednesday night saga of the Carringtons. Having recently purchased the DVD set of the first season, I've been giving the show a lot of thought... Like many other TV shows both past and present, Dynasty started without a clear focus and eventually matured into something unique and far removed from what the producers originally intended. The show had two distinct eras: pre-Alexis and post-Alexis. No, Joan Collins didn't make or break Dynasty, but she gave it a heck of a fun "flavor." At its inception, Dynasty was a serious, almost somber account of the lives of the super rich Carringtons of Denver, CO. There was patriarch Blake, confused son Steven, spoiled brat Fallon, and Blake's new and very overwhelmed wife, Krystle. Having now watched a little of that first season, I find myself eagerly waiting for Alexis to turn the family on its collective ear! Dynasty's ultimate strength, and also its downfall, was in its becoming campy and larger than life. While some of us may expect the super-wealthy to act crazy, Dynasty added plot lines and characters that were the traditional soap-opera themes magnified with a huge budget, and beautiful people... illicit affairs, long-lost children, traumatic pregnancies, murders, trials, etc... There were frequent mis-steps (the Moldavian Prince, Michael, comes to mind as well as the entire 'The Colbys' series) and there were truly fun characters like Alexis and son Adam whom we loved to hate. But to me, the bottom line will always be that Dynasty was campy and much larger-than-life. It was a lot of fun those eight years, always wondering what would happen next...

I love this show and all the other shows like the Colby knot's landing falcon crest Dallas Flamingo road all the night time drama Shows and some of old soap opera that I used to watch growing up and has an adult even .

I loved Dynasty. I watched the show as a kid. Looking back on it, Dynasty was a great reflection on the Reagan/Thatcher years. In that era poverty had become almost taboo, so TV shows that focused on working class people or rural people disappeared in favor of shows about fabulously wealthy people. Dynasty was a part of that trend. Joan Collins was outrageously fantastic as Alexis. She made the show, and she gave life to Crystal's character as Crystal seemed like a quiet, low self esteem woman who couldn't stand up to Blake's daughter and SERVANTS of all people, until her fights with Alexis helped make her more outspoken.

Dynasty concerned the goings-on of a wealthy Denver, Colorado family, the Carringtons. While it was surreal, campy, and wayyyy out to the left of reality, it was still FUN. It still caught and kept your attention and left you wanting much more. John Forsythe's Blake Carrington was the family's patriarch, always seeming a little bit confused about what was going on. His lovely young wife, Linda Evan's Crystal, was always getting stuck in some kind of trouble. Joan Collins as Alexis was sheer delight! A campy witch who was always causing trouble. The cast was large and the stories grand and fun. I never missed an episode of Dynasty during it's original run. Not until I went to college during the 1987-88 season... What I wouldn't give to see it all again!

A few thoughts to add on this classic series: I was hooked from the very first episode, when Blake was driving his limo across the estate and Fallon raced him on her horse and got thrown. She got dirty and wet, so she put on Blake's sport coat when he stopped to help her. Then she got back on the horse and rode it to the stable, presumably WEARING NOTHING BUT THE COAT!!! Daddy's girl indeed, clearly this was like nothing that had ever aired before! The elaborate, preposterous plot twists, like Adam's using poison paint on Jeff's wall, were all part of the fun. The Moldavian massacre was brilliant -- practically Shakesperean as the camera pulled back to show a heap of bodies, worthy of Hamlet or MacBeth. There were however some major miscalculations, such as Emma Samms' replacing the brilliantly snippy Pamela Sue Martin. The less said about her the better. Than there was the plot twist (Steven's disappearance) that had Fallon become buddies with Krystal. "OH Krystal!" she wailed as they embraced. This was a really, really bad turn. The tension between those two had been one of the few things that made Krystal even moderately interesting. And it made Fallon seem dull once she teamed up with Krystal. Yecchh. Then there was Blake's evolution from a heavy into a wooden, semi-decent dullard. This, as I understand, was at John Forsythe's behest, as he didn't want to play such a heavy. MISTAKE! Bringing in new characters wasn't always so awful, I don't think. Adam became one of the show's most fun, interesting villains. Often, the show's silliest bits were its best: Paul Burke, as Cong. McVane, dressed in full drag (with wig and gown) so that he'd be mistaken for Alexis if anyone spied him tossing tennis pro Mark off the balcony -- how can you not love that? And perhaps my favorite all time moment, which I still show at parties: Claudia (poor dear..) cornered on the roof with Fallon's baby (or so we thought). When she lurches away, the baby , in a long shot, flies out of the bunting , through the air, and the camera changes angle to just below the edge of the roof, looking UP, and you see the 'baby' , in SLO MO, yet, sailing through the air, down towards the camera! WOW!!!! (No dead baby jokes here, it turned out to be a doll. Claudia really was whacked at the time...) Sigh. I miss it all , even with the tapes. The latter years weren't worth much, but those first five seasons or so were unmatched. I disagree wholeheartedly that it was only good for a year or 2 before going down the tubes.

Congratulations to the other New Dynasty. But this will forever be the World Famous DYNASTY!!!! In my Dame Joan Collins Voice (Darlin)💋

Where else can you find the bitchiest 50 year old, dressed in the most extravagant gowns of all time? Sounds like the perfect show to me! Yes, Dynasty was without a doubt that one show that basically encouraged fans to sit back, put up their feet and watch how these "rich bastards" are living! No other show, not even the ultra popular Dallas, could take fantasy to that level. The show made you feel as though you too could be a Carrington living in a mansion and drinking champange. The "storylines" or perhaps lack of, left plenty of room to emphasize what audiences really wanted to see: sex, power, vanity and the most expensive jewels in all the world! This is Dynasty and the 80s at its very best!

For the first time since its original run, I recently found myself giving the 80's "Dynasty" a watch for old time's sake, not expecting to get hooked. Well, it happened. Go figure. I'm just starting on season 4 in spite of the series' moments of overkill, cliched melodrama and dialogue. (Try and count the number of times the phrase "my son!" is spit out. We get it. He's your son.) Some scenarios are not far removed from ridiculous, and for such supposedly intelligent characters, the scripts have them do some pretty stupid things----but let's be honest: the sumptuous settings and a deliciously attractive cast help us to buy all this corn, and we eat it up. As others have noted, the comparitively tame first season, with its emphasis on the Blaisdel family's ties with the Carringtons, has a very different feel from the other eight. It's quite good, but it's unlikely that iut would have sustained audience interest for too long----nothing works like excess, and after the action shifted to the various Krystle/Alexis/Blake scenarios and multiple new characters, excess was the norm. They're in new, lavish wardrobes for every scene and rarely stray far from the brandy snifter.This Eighties version is like bingeing on a big box of chocolates---you know it isn't going to improve you, but it sure pleases the senses. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find out which villain set one of those amazingly unrealistic "movie fires" that burn ferociously with apparently no smoke or heat....(characters in this show are barely rumpled when they go through fire, flood, car accident or plane crash.) UPDATE: Finished the last season. As lush and lavish as the series is, everything past season 5 is pretty much for die-hard fans.....it has some good things, and some ridiculous ones. As in most soaps, characters increasingly appear and disappear without warning, or are jarringly replaced by different actors--the most lamentable example being the disappearance of Pamela Sue Martin--very believable as the spoiled Fallon--who suddenly morphs into pretty but miscast Emma Samms with her often-unsuccessfully-hidden British accent. (She tries, but doesn't fully capture Fallon's moodiness and casual Western style.) As the seasons went on, 'Dynasty's writers apparently had a contest going to see who could come up with the most outlandish plots---and be warned that the series, like many others, ended up not being renewed by the network and ends on a major cliffhanger. (A tv-movie, kinda-sorta tying up some loose ends, was made a couple of years later but is hard to find.) But again, it's video candy. You've gotta love Hollywood.

I loved Dynasty. It was and still is my all time favorite show. Given that it aired once a week for an hour, I found this show both entertaining and informative, the story lines may have seemed far fetched but, only due to the time given to tell them. For the time the show aired people found it unbelieveable, but if Dynasty aired today I am sure it would not seem as far fetched. If these same producers came out with another show I am sure it would be just as ground breaking in its story lines as Dynasty was. This show brought out a whole new fashion trend, a more acceptable view of the gay life style a look in to the future of corporate take overs, the awareness of casual relationships, the increasing lack of committment and faithful in marriages, the total disregard of others rights to own businesses due to greed and the need to have more. Dynasty gave more than just campy soap it also told of what to expect in the future as a result of current actions. Great work Mr. Spelling, any time one gives a view of future events he will be condemed. And since Dynasty addressed so many tabu issues the powers that be were afraid to allow it to continue. Hopefully Mr Spelling or some other producer will be bold enough to give the public a view of the future through entertaining drama. BRAVO

So as a little kid, I've managed to watch bits and pieces of this show. Though I didn't understand the story-line completely, it was fairly entertaining for me seeing all the drama, disputes and characters as the show centers on the trials and tribulations of the two feuding families of the Carringtons and the Colbys.

It was interesting seeing the wealth and fortune of the families, and I've especially remembered the character of the spellbinding, vain, trouble-making, villainous Alexis Carrington Colby, played by Joan Collins. Not a bad show, overall.

Grade B