Dallas

The show was known for its wealth, sex, intrigue, and power struggles. When the series began, the founder of Ewing Oil and patriarch of the Ewing family was Jock an oil tycoon who had allegedly cheated his one-time partner, out of his share of the company as well as Digger's only love. The show's central character is John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr, a greedy, scheming oil baron played by Fort Worth native Larry Hagman. J.R. was only intended to be a supporting character when the show premiered, as the series was originally based around J.R.'s brother Bobby and his new bride, Pam. However, J.R.'s machinations became popular with viewers and he quickly became the focus of the series. Dallas was notable for its cliffhangers. Throughout the series' run, every season ended with some sort of cliffhanging ending designed to drive ratings up for the season premiere the following year. Some notable cliffhangers included the landmark "Who shot J.R.?" episode in 1980 which TV Guide ranked #69 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time". The show debuted in April 1978 as a five-part miniseries on the CBS network, and then was broadcast for thirteen seasons from 1978 through 1991.