Who Shot JR? Why You Should Watch Dallas on Amazon Prime Streaming

Ask a non-fan about daytime soap operas, and they’ll say one of two things: “Luke and Laura” or “Susan Lucci.” They might mumble a phrase like “As the World Turns” or “Like sands through the hourglass.” And that’s it. Ask a non-fan about primetime soap operas, and they’ll say only one thing: “Who shot JR?” And that’s it. This wasn’t a question that just swept the soap world or the English-speaking world. This was a phenomenon that swept the entire world. In the second half of 1980, that was all anyone wanted to know. This is an excellent reason to watch Dallas, which is newly streaming on Amazon. But it isn’t the only one.

Cast Aside

Victoria Principal (Pam) became a star thanks to Dallas. Larry Hagman (JR), already known for I Dream of Jeannie, became a household name. Patrick Duffy (Bobby) ensured that he wouldn’t only be recognized as The Man From Atlantis, and Linda Grey, after years as a spokesmodel who never spoke a word, finally got to talk (although, as she revealed in her autobiography, for the first season, she was doing an accent modeled on Dolly Parton. It was Dolly herself who told the actress, “You need to do Texas, I’m Tennessee!”).

READ THIS: These soap stars were on Dallas.

But the real star who flew under the radar was Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie). For folks only familiar with her work as the Southfork matriarch, it can come as a shock to see her not just in the Hitchcock classic Vertigo but on Broadway in nothing but her underwear as the original Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Whodunit?

Everybody recognized the question: Who shot JR? But how many people actually know the answer? Sure, you could just watch the episode that reveals it. But it won’t pack the same punch unless you first meet all the suspects… and learn why they had such a good reason to want the slimy snake dead. So what are you waiting for? Click here and get started!