Knots Landing is an American primetime television
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
that was screened from December 27 1979 to May 13 1993 on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a
cul-de-sacA cul-de-sac is a french word for dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
, Seaview Circle. Initially intended to be a "scenes from a marriage" type drama series, storylines also included rape, murder, kidnapping, assassinations, drug smuggling, corporate intrigue and criminal investigations. By the time of its conclusion,
Knots Landing had become one of the longest-running primetime dramas on U.S. television after
GunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, and tied second place with
BonanzaBonanza is an American television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons, it is among the longest running Western television series and continues to air in syndication....
(although
Bonanza had made far more episodes).
Knots Landing was created by
David JacobsDavid Jacobs is a writer for television, most memorable for being the creator of the two dramas Dallas and Knots Landing.-Positions held:*Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again *Four Corners...
(one-time writer of
FamilyFamily is a television drama series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1980. Creative control of the show was split between executive producers Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling and Mike Nichols...
and later producer of
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
) in conjunction with producer Michael Filerman (who also co-produced
Falcon CrestFalcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990...
), who were initially rebuffed by
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
in 1978, as the network instead accepted the more "saga-like"
DallasDallas is an American prime-time television soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991. It revolved around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries...
. After
Dallas became a hit, CBS asked Jacobs to adapt
Knots Landing as a spinoff of that show, hoping to extend its success. The series was loosely inspired by the 1973
Ingmar BergmanErnst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. His influential body of work often dealt with themes such as bleakness and despair, as well as comedy and hope, in his cinematic exploration of the human condition...
movie,
Scenes from a MarriageScenes from a Marriage is a 1973 Swedish film and mini-series written and directed by Ingmar Bergman...
, but with four marriages. Though not as popular as
Dallas,
Knots Landing eventually outlasted it and garnered much critical acclaim. The series peaked during the 1983-84 season with a 20.8 rating (finishing in 11th place) and a 20.0 rating for the 1984-85 season (when it finished 9th). This can be attributed, in part, to more dramatic storylines as the series became more soap-opera like, and the gradual inclusion of newer characters to interact with the original cast. By the 1988-89 season,
Knots Landing was ahead of
Dallas in the ratings, though audiences for both shows by this time were less than their earlier years.
In 1997, much of the cast reunited for a two-part television movie called
Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-SacKnots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac was a miniseries that served as a reunion show for the primetime soap opera Knots Landing. It aired in two two-hour parts on May 7 and May 9, 1997....
. In 2005, they reunited again for a non-fiction special called
Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.
Background
Gary Ewing was the middle son and the black sheep of the Ewing family from
Dallas. Gary was an alcoholic, whose father Jock and older brother
J.R.John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J.R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . The series was a cross between Romeo and Juliet and the western Bonanza...
had never treated as an equal. The insecure Gary met Valene when he was 17 years old and she was 15 years old. They were married briefly and Gary left Southfork Ranch (and later Valene). With Gary gone, J.R. had Valene followed and run out of town as he took her daughter (and manipulated Gary) away from her. Years later, Valene and daughter
LucyLucy Ewing Cooper was a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Charlene Tilton .Lucy was the saucy daughter of Gary Ewing and Valene Clements Ewing. Lucy was raised on the Southfork Ranch by her grandparents, Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing. In the start of the show, she...
reconnected and this caused Valene and Gary to reunite. They remarried and Gary's mother, Miss Ellie, bought the couple a house in California.
Season One (1979-1980)
13 Episodes (1-13)
Nielsen Ranking: #30,
Nielsen Rating: 20.0
Produced by: Joseph B. Wallenstein
Upon arriving in
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, Gary and Val (
Ted ShackelfordTed Shackelford is an American actor best known for his role as Gary Ewing on the CBS television series Knots Landing, in which he starred from 1979–93...
and
Joan Van ArkJoan Van Ark is an American actress, most notable for her role as Valene Ewing, which she originated on the CBS hit series Dallas and continued for thirteen seasons on its long-running spin-off, Knots Landing...
) met their neighbors: Sid and Karen Fairgate (played by
Don MurrayDonald Patrick "Don" Murray is an American actor.Murray was born in Hollywood, California. He attended East Rockaway High School in East Rockaway, New York where he played football and track, was a member of the student government and glee club and joined the Alpha Phi Chapter of the Omega Gamma...
and
Michele LeeMichele Lee Dusick , better known as Michele Lee, is an American singer, dancer, actress, producer, director and frequent game show panelist of the 1970s. She is best-known for her role as Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie on the 1980s prime-time soap opera, Knots Landing...
), the self-described “neighborhood Brady Bunch.” Together, they had three teenaged children, Eric (
Steve ShawSteve Shaw was an American actor best known for playing Eric Fairgate in the television drama Knots Landing. He appeared regularly in the series from 1979 to 1987, and thereafter made occasional return appearances before his death in a road accident on December 5, 1990, in Los Angeles....
), Diana (
Claudia LonowClaudia Lonow is an American actress, comedian and performer turned television writer and producer.-Early life:Claudia Lonow was born and raised in New York City, where she attended the High School of Music and Art, and began studying acting.She is the daughter of JoAnne Astrow and David Rapaport,...
) and Michael (
Patrick PetersenPatrick Petersen is an American actor best known for his role as Michael Fairgate in the television drama Knots Landing. His character was the son of "Karen Fairgate"...
). Sid's daughter Annie Fairgate (
Karen AllenKaren Jane Allen is an American actress, best known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark...
) would make her only appearance on the
pilot"Pilot" is the first episode in the first season of the television spin-off of Dallas, Knots Landing.-Plot:It is explained that with the help of Miss Ellie, Gary and Valene Ewing were reunited after seventeen years...
episode of the show, and Sid's ex-wife and Annie's mother, Susan Philby (Claudette Nevins) would make her only appearance later in first season episode "Civil Wives"; neither showed for Sid's funeral early during the third season. Likewise, Gary and Val's daughter Lucy (
Charlene TiltonCharlene L. Tilton is an American actress.Tilton was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of Katherine, a secretary. Notably, Tilton is 4'11" tall. Tilton has had a varied career in show business...
) made her only appearance during the first season but then remained on Dallas, even though Gary and Val's original plan was to bring Lucy to California. Also living in the cul-de-sac were corporate lawyer Richard Avery and his wife Laura (
John PleshetteJohn Pleshette is an American actor, perhaps best known for being an original cast member of the long-running primetime television drama Knots Landing playing Richard Avery. Pleshette bears a strong resemblance to Lee Harvey Oswald and played him in the 1977 television film The Trial of Lee Harvey...
and
Constance McCashinConstance McCashin is an American actress.McCashin was born in Chicago. She is best known for her role as Laura Avery Sumner on the prime time drama Knots Landing, which she played from the show's debut in 1979 until 1987 when the character died of a brain tumour and her funeral was the basis of...
), parents of a young son, Jason, and young newlyweds Kenny and Ginger Ward (James Houghton and
Kim LankfordKim Lankford is an American actress, businesswoman and horse wrangler.-Personal Life:She is an ex-girlfriend of Warren Zevon. Kim Lankford has never been married or had any children.-Acting career:...
).
In the show's first episode, which aired on December 27, 1979 on CBS, a giddy Valene ran on the beach, proclaiming to Annie Fairgate that she’d never seen the ocean. She would return to the ocean many times over the years, especially after her babies were kidnapped and declared dead during the sixth season.
Gary took a job at Knots Landing Motors, a Ford-Lincoln-Mercury (hence, the show's early sponsors) car dealership owned by Sid. He did such a good job that by the end of the first season he was promoted. Gary got drunk at his promotion party, causing a
bingeA binge is any behavior indulged to excess. It can refer to:*Binge drinking, drinking large amounts of alcohol over a short period of time*Drug binge, ingesting large amounts of drugs over a short period of time...
in the two-part season finale, “Bottom of the Bottle.” Ginger caught her record producer husband, Kenny, cheating on her with a singer, Sylvie (
Louise VallanceStevie Vallance , also known as Louise Vallance is a Canadian television actress, voice actress, Broadway stage performer, voice director and singer. Vallance was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Television:Vallance graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York...
), and broke up with him. When Richard wanted to borrow money from Laura's father, Laura allowed him on the condition that Richard let her go to work. Richard was forced to relent, and Laura saw that she did not have to live by her husband's rules all the time.
Season Two (1980-1981)
18 Episodes (14-31)
Nielsen Ranking: #28,
Nielsen Rating: 19.0
Produced by: Joseph B. Wallenstein
Knots Landing came back in season two with the introduction of Sid Fairgate’s sister Abby (
Donna MillsDonna Mills is an American actress. Among her many television appearances was a continuing role as Abby Cunningham on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing.-Early years:...
). Abby was 14 years his junior, and he’d always been oblivious of her scheming ways, but Karen was suspicious of almost everything Abby did. When Abby took a job at Knots Landing Motors, she helped Gary out of a bind with mobsters by going to his brother J.R. Ewing (
Larry HagmanLarry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director best known for playing J. R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony Nelson in the 1960s sitcom, I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
). Abby went out of her way to make sure Val found out Gary was cheating on her with Judy Trent (Jane Elliott), the attractive wife of a man he was sponsoring in
Alcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who share a desire to stop drinking alcohol, and subsequently maintain their sobriety...
, Earl Trent. Even though Abby set her sights on Gary, she settled for Richard, taking no great effort to conceal the affair from Laura, who took on a career in real estate and began a flirtation with her boss, Scooter Warren (
Allan MillerAllan Miller is an American actor.Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Anna and Benedict Miller....
). Abby dumped Richard when her ex-husband Jeff Cunningham (
Barry JennerBarry Francis Jenner is an American actor.He had early roles on two daytime programs, as Tony Cooper on Somerset and as Evan Webster on Another World , where he was involved with Olive Gordon in an infamous storyline plot to kill long-time character John Randolph.In 1981 he appeared in...
) threatened to take her children away. Viewers discovered exactly how manipulative Abby could be when the women of Knots Landing held a baby shower for Ginger and were interrupted by criminals who held them hostage; Abby seduced one of the thugs, helping to save them.
Sid and Abby's nephew Paul Fairgate (Kale Browne) made his only appearance on the show in the episode "Players". Ginger began dating the father of one of her students while separated from Kenny, but took Kenny back upon discovering that she was pregnant. When Sid discovered the car parts Gary and Abby had been buying were actually stolen, his brakes were disconnected in order to keep him from testifying to this in court. Season Two ended with Sid’s car going off a cliff, with Sid and his FBI agent bodyguard Salmaggio inside.
Season Three (1981–82)
22 Episodes (32–53)
Nielsen Ranking: 43,
Nielsen Rating: ?
Produced by: Joseph B. Wallenstein
After Sid's vehicle goes off the cliff, he's extricated from his vehicle after it's spotted by a group of teens who witnessed the accident. Salmaggio is pronounced dead at the scene. Sid tells paramedics he can't move, and they suspect he has a broken neck. Sid is then taken to Beachview Hospital's intensive care unit. Though initially feared to be paralyzed, Sid shows movement in his limbs, albeit somewhat weak. However, a blood clot renders him paralyzed from the neck down later in the day. Sid asks Karen to sign papers allowing him to undergo life-risking surgery in order to re-gain the use of his legs. After some argument, Karen very reluctantly agrees to sign. Sid dies in the early stages of the operation, leaving Karen a widow with three children. Karen's unwillingness to discuss her husband's death distances her from her children, especially from her elder son Eric (
Steve ShawSteve Shaw was an American actor best known for playing Eric Fairgate in the television drama Knots Landing. He appeared regularly in the series from 1979 to 1987, and thereafter made occasional return appearances before his death in a road accident on December 5, 1990, in Los Angeles....
), who is angry after she decides to sell Sid's classic hot rod shortly after his death.
She took over Knots Landing Motors, firing Abby, but not Gary. Karen would be forced to hire Abby back due to the fact that Abby’s style of bookkeeping could not be easily deciphered.
Ginger became annoyed as Kenny refused to take interest in her aspirations as a singer. However, both become closer as their first child, Erin Molly, is born, and Karen's dry-eyed composure surrounding Sid's death finally crumbles when Kenny and Ginger put the baby into her arms and ask her to be their new daughter's godmother.
Valene attempted to forge a bond with her mother Lilimae (
Julie HarrisJulie Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards and three Emmy Awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
), who moved in with her and Gary. Lilimae had all but abandoned her as a child in her hopes to be a country music singer. Karen's brother, Joe Cooper (
Stephen MachtStephen Macht is an American television and film actor.-Early life:Macht was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Macht was raised in Brooklyn Heights, NY, until his father's death. At age nine, he moved with his mother and older brother to live with his maternal grandfather, a haberdasher, in...
) took on a job as a bookkeeper at
USCThe University of Southern California is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA...
and briefly stayed with the Fairgate family. Laura began an affair with her boss Scooter after years of being unhappily married to Richard. She planned to leave Richard, but then discovered she was pregnant. She planned on aborting the pregnancy, but decided not to after Richard got violent. Richard was becoming the company
pimpA pimp, also called a fleshmonger or pander, finds and manages women who might be vulnerable and susceptible, for whatever reason, to extreme manipulation and engages them in prostitution in order to profit from their earnings...
after being asked to supply entertainment by his boss for some clients at his law firm, a pattern that kept repeating itself. This was eventually revealed on the news, and Richard's employer denied any cooperation with him. After losing his job, Richard became depressed and had a
nervous breakdownMental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. An incident erupted and Richard was sent to a mental institution.
After Karen passed up the opportunity to fund a
methanolMethanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with formula CH3OH . It is toxic: drinking 10 ml will cause blindness, and as little as 100 ml will cause death...
-powered vehicle project, Gary and Abby devoted hours to making it work without her help. Abby made repeated passes at Gary, and finally they slept together. Valene discovered this in the season finale, leaving the cul-de-sac in tears.
Season Four (1982–83)
22 Episodes (54–75)
Nielsen Ranking: #20,
Nielsen Rating: 18.6
Produced by: Peter Dunne
With the charges dropped against Sid Fairgate’s killers, an angry Karen marched into the office of federal
prosecutorThe prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
M. Patrick “Mack” McKenzie (played by
KojakKojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the eponymous, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973 to March 18, 1978 on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
alumnus
Kevin DobsonKevin Patrick Dobson is an American film and television actor of Irish descent, who is primarily known for his roles on television. His most prominent roles were as Det. Bobby Crocker on the popular 1970s TV crime drama Kojak, and as M...
). Mack was as upset as Karen, and they brought the men to justice. They fell in love, and married half-way through the season. Valene returned to Knots Landing and later became a best-selling author, though it was bittersweet without Gary, who had vacated the cul-de-sac along with his new girlfriend, Abby. Gary had inherited millions after his father, Jock Ewing, died, and decided to go into the record business. He teamed up with Kenny, producing the record of the beautiful Ciji Dunne (
Lisa HartmanLisa Hartman is an American actress and singer.After some minor television appearances, Lisa Hartman starred in the short-lived Bewitched spin-off, Tabitha during 1976 and 1977...
).
Upon finding a suicide note at the cul-de-sac house, a guilty Laura decided to reconcile with Richard. Richard then proceeded to open a restaurant, Daniel (so named after their newborn son). Abby financed the restaurant, and in a cross-promotion, proceeded to demand that Ciji sing there every night. Ginger resented Ciji, as Kenny spent a lot of time worrying about Ciji’s career and almost no time at all on Ginger’s. Laura and Ciji became best friends, which prompted the insecure Richard to fear the women were having a
lesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
relationship.
Valene’s publicist Chip Roberts (
Michael SabatinoMichael Sabatino is an American actor.-Private Life:Sabatino attended the University of California, Irvine, where he set a school record for the pole vault of 17 1/2 feet....
) convinced Lilimae to let him live with them. Chip dated Karen’s daughter Diana and Ciji at the same time, and panicked when he impregnated Ciji. He was upset with Ciji after she discovered his true identity, Tony Fenice. In season four, Knots Landing, which had been a top 30 show during its first two seasons and a top 45 after Sid's death, became a huge ratings success. The climax came when Ciji’s dead body washed up on the beach. Gary's life collapsed as he once again turned to the bottle to escape his problems. He woke up on the beach on which Ciji's body had been discovered, and his drinking caused him not to remember anything of the night before. He was arrested for her murder. Val tried to clear his name by confessing to the crime, but Gary remained the prime suspect and prepared to go to trial as the season wrapped up.
After Ciji’s death, Laura refused to forgive Richard for being mean to her best friend while she was alive. Believing Laura no longer loved him, Richard left Knots Landing. Laura thought Richard left town in this manner because he killed Ciji. He would return only for her funeral four years later. Kenny and Ginger also left Knots Landing, with Kenny being offered a job in
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
. (Ginger returned for the reunion movie after a 14-year absence.) In the season finale, the characters prepared for Gary’s trial, while Lilimae discovered Chip’s real identity. Diana and Chip had skipped town, leaving Karen shocked and in tears.
Season Five (1983–84)
25 Episodes (76–100)
Nielsen Ranking: #11,
Nielsen Rating: 20.8
Produced by: Peter Dunne
In the season premiere, Gary was acquitted of Ciji’s murder due to a lack of evidence. Chip (now revealed to be murder suspect Tony Finece) and Diana fled town as Chip became the primary suspect. Meanwhile, Valene began dating reporter Ben Gibson (
Douglas SheehanDouglas Sheehan is an American actor who played Ben Gibson throughout four seasons of the prime-time drama Knots Landing from 1983 to 1987...
). Diana married Chip while on the run with him. Even though Chip confessed to Diana that he’d killed Ciji, the state had no case without her testimony. When it looked as though Chip would get away with the murder, Lilimae took matters into her own hands by running him down with her car. However, Chip was merely bruised by the impact.
Meanwhile, Abby and Sid's uncle died, leaving Abby and Karen land inheritance at Lotus Point, California. Abby then formed Apolune Corp., a subsidiary of Gary’s company, forcing Laura to look the other way as she broke the rules. Abby convinced Gary to marry her in order to get half of his inheritance. Before marrying Abby, Gary slept with Valene. By the time Valene discovered she was pregnant, she was in love with Ben, but he couldn’t take the fact that she was pregnant with another man’s babies and they broke up.
Abby hired a Ciji look-alike, Cathy Geary, to keep Gary distracted so he wouldn’t learn about her crooked business practices. Gary hired Cathy to work at his ranch, but when Chip (who had been hiding out at the ranch with Diana) saw Cathy, he fell backward onto a pitchfork and killed himself. The ordeal with Diana caused Karen to become more depressed, and she was addicted to prescription pain killers.
State SenatorThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
Greg Sumner (
William DevaneWilliam Devane is an American film and television actor.-Life and career:He was born in Albany, New York, the son of Joseph Devane, who was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
), who was running for US Senator, received the endorsements of Mack and Karen, as well as Abby, who wanted to buy herself a senator. Greg hired Mack to lead his Senate Crime Commission investigating the crooked Wolfbridge Group, and when Abby convinced Greg to get her an illegal land
varianceA variance is a requested deviation from the set of rules a municipality applies to land use known as a zoning ordinance, building code or municipal code...
to build on Lotus Point, Greg pinned it on Mack, ending the friendship with Mack.
After Karen's recovery from drug addiction, she and Diana reconciled but Diana moved to New York to live near her uncle Joe Cooper and pursue a career. Wolfbridge forced Abby to let them become her partners in the development of Lotus Point. When Mack discovered that Apolune owned all the land in Lotus Point, except Karen and Abby’s inheritances, he thought Apolune was a division of Wolfbridge. Laura confessed that Apolune was Abby’s company and Gary decided to divorce Abby. When Mack faked Gary’s death to get Wolfbridge, Karen left him, believing his obsession with Wolfbridge had cost her everything. In the season finale, Mack tried to trick Mark St. Claire (
Joseph ChapmanJoseph Chapman is an American actor, noted for his appearances in various television series.-Selected credits:*Wonder Woman*Barnaby Jones*The Greatest American Hero*Hill Street Blues*Scarecrow and Mrs King*Airwolf...
), the head of the Wolfbridge Group, into shooting Gary, but St. Claire’s assassin hit Karen. Abby was kidnapped by the Wolfbridge Group when they realized they had failed.
Season Six (1984–85)
30 episodes (101–130)
Nielsen Ranking: #9,
Nielsen Rating: 20.0
Produced by: Peter Dunne/
Lawrence KashaLawrence Kasha was a Tony Award-winning American theatre producer and director, playwright, and stage manager....
Greg Sumner killed Mark St. Claire, who was holding Abby (whose hair miraculously lost six inches despite the fact that the season 6 premiere was set immediately after the season 5 finale) hostage on a boat. After being shot, Karen declined to be operated upon, and was given 6 months to live.Lilimae's sister June passed away(offscreen).Meanwhile Lilimae’s son Joshua (
Alec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in films such as Beetlejuice and The Hunt for Red October, in addition to the Martin Scorsese films The Aviator and The Departed.He was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild...
), whom she’d abandoned as a baby, came to live with her and Valene. He began dating Cathy, who’d moved in with Laura.
When Gary purchased Ben’s television station, Abby began running it. She was shocked to learn that Gary was the father of Valene’s babies. Abby told Scott Easton (
Jack BannonJohn James "Jack" Bannon is an American television actor. He is most famous for his role as Assistant City Editor Art Donovan on Lou Grant, a role he played for the duration of the series, from 1977 until 1982....
), a man working for Lotus Point, about her issue, and he had Valene’s babies kidnapped after their birth. Donna Mills did not like that Abby had anything to do with the twins kidnapping. She felt that Abby was truly evil at times but would never steal another woman's children, especially since Brian and Olivia were kidnapped by their natural father during season 2. Abby is responsible for Valene's reunion with the twins. Valene was told that the babies were stillborn, and when she insisted that she’d heard them crying, nobody believed her. Valene, heartbroken over the loss, left Knots Landing for Tennessee, where she developed psychosomatic
amnesiaAmnesia is a memory condition in which memory is disturbed. In simple terms it is the loss of memory. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such...
, calling herself Verna Ellers (a character from one of her novels) and becoming a waitress. Meanwhile, Gary and Abby reconciled and the couple, along with Karen, agreed to become partners in Lotus Point.
Karen took Mack back on Gary’s insistence after she confided to him that she was dying. Mack convinced Karen to have the surgery correcting her back problem. Paul Galveston befriended Gary, and offered him a chance to develop Empire Valley, a large piece of real estate. Gary began construction. Galveston died, leaving his company to Greg Sumner, Galveston’s son. Assuming he would inherit Empire Valley, Greg resigned from the Senate, but Galveston left it to Gary. Greg’s mother Ruth Galveston paid him an extended visit. She took a liking to Abby and paid Abby to pretend to have slept with Greg in order to break Greg and Laura up.
Cathy and Joshua married, though on their wedding day she had second thoughts, due to the fact that fame on Abby’s television network had warped the initially innocent Joshua. Valene (still believing herself to be “Verna”) became engaged in Tennessee, but Gary finally found her and brought her back to Knots Landing where she re-united with Ben but still refused to believe that her babies were dead. Karen and Ben discovered that Valene’s doctor had paid off a nurse to collude with the deceit. Abby tracked down Valene’s babies. In the season finale, Abby and Val, Mack and Ben, and Gary and Karen arrive at the Fisher house, where Sheila Fisher opens the door and is holding one of Valene's twins in her arms. As Valene gets out of Abby's car and approaches the house, Harry Fisher passes in front of the house in his car which is carrying Valene's other twin baby. His wife shouts to him and warns him "They want to take the babies..." and Harry drives off with one of Valene's babies before anyone can stop him.
This season finale, entitled "The Long and Winding Road" (after a Beatles song), ranked as the #1 program for the week in the Nielsen Ratings.
Season Seven (1985–86)
30 episodes (131–160)
Nielsen Ranking: #17,
Nielsen Rating: 19.5
Supervising Producer: David Paulsen
Produced by: Lawrence Kasha
In the season premiere, Valene waited outside the house of the couple who had her babies. The babies were returned to her in episode 2. Valene and Ben agreed to raise the babies together, and they married. Also married this year were Laura and Greg, whose estrangement ended when he convinced her that his mother was out of their lives for good. Abby received a phone call about Bobby's death, and Gary headed back to Dallas for the funeral. Empire Valley went awry when Gary discovered that Galveston Industries and its partners were secretly building an underground
espionageEspionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, as the legitimate holder of the information may change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
operation there. Gary blew up Empire Valley to stop this. Gary blamed Abby, who had helped Greg and gone behind his back. Gary informed Abby at the end of the season that he would divorce her.
Gary bequeathed part of Empire Valley to Val's kids Bobby and Betsy, who were being raised as Ben's children. Peter Hollister (
Hunt BlockHunt Block is an American actor. He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.His first big break was selling Buick Centuries at the Chicago Auto show...
) became Greg’s new secretary, and Jill Bennett (
Teri AustinTeresa "Teri" Austin is a Canadian-born film and television actress, with an extensive career in the United States.She is probably best-known for her performance as Jill Bennett on Knots Landing ....
) became Mack’s new colleague. These two characters had nothing to do with one another but they were siblings of a family that had been swindled by Paul Galveston and wanted revenge. Jill abandoned her side of the plan when she fell in love with the now-single Gary, while Peter, in going through Greg’s files, discovered a woman named Sylvia Lean (
Ruth RomanRuth Roman was an American actress.-Career:She was born Norma Roman in the Boston suburb of Lynn, Massachusetts. As a young girl, she pursued her desire to become an actress by enrolling in the prestigious Bishop Lee Dramatic School in Boston...
) who’d been receiving monthly payments from Galveston Industries for over 20 years. She had given birth to Galveston’s now-deceased son, whom Peter pretended to be, demanding compensation from Greg. Abby discovered the truth and demanded 51% of Peter’s compensation in return for keeping it secret, but when Peter discovered that Abby had known that Valene’s babies had been kidnapped from the start, he used this against her.
Joshua became abusive toward Cathy, who left him. Not wanting to lose her, he decided that they should die together. He tried to throw Cathy off of a tall building, but Lilimae arrived in time to stop him. She disowned Joshua. He fell from the roof and a sad Lilimae spent the rest of the season mourning him, while Cathy moved on to Ben, whose marriage to Valene was failing due to the continued threat of Gary, who by then knew that he was the father of her twins. Ben cheated with Cathy and in the season finale, prepared to leave Valene and go on a singing tour with her as her manager. Abby's daughter, Olivia (
Tonya CroweTonya Crowe is an American actress, best known for playing Olivia Cunningham in Knots Landing from 1980 to 1990. Her character was the daughter of "Abby Cunningham" . In 1997, Crowe re-created the role in the mini-series, Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac....
) had a drug problem. A girl, Paige Matheson, (Nicolette Sheridan) arrived at Mack’s door claiming to be his daughter. His wife, Karen, disappeared.
Season Eight (1986–87)
30 episodes (161–190)
Nielsen Ranking: #26,
Nielsen Rating: 16.8
Produced by: Lawrence Kasha
Karen's kidnapper turned out to be Phil Harbert (
Louis GiambalvoLouis Giambalvo , is an American actor, frequently seen on television in guest roles.His television credits include: Barney Miller, Hart to Hart, St...
), an old friend of Greg's and Mack's who was bitter toward Mack, whom he blamed for having caused the death of his wife. Mack suspected Greg for the kidnapping, but believed that Greg had nothing to do with it. Ben returned to Valene and promised to make their marriage work, however this promise was compromised when he was contacted by Jean Hackney (
Wendy FultonWendy Fulton is a former American television actress.-Career:Fulton's television credits include guest appearances on Knight Rider, Jake and the Fatman, Diff'rent Strokes,The A-Team, V and Matlock. She was one of stars of North and South, Book 1 miniseries...
), who had tricked Ben into doing a mission for an underground organization to kill Greg Sumner, and when Ben and Valene’s children were threatened, he finally agreed to do this. Luckily, he didn’t succeed, although Jean Hackney’s insistence on following him meant that he had to flee the country and leave Valene at the end of the season. Laura refused to forgive Valene for Ben's plan to kill Greg and ended their friendship.
Laura announced to Greg that she was pregnant. Mack had a difficult time handling Paige, who moved in with the Mackenzies and seduced Karen’s son Michael. When Karen discovered Paige Matheson was dead, Paige told the Mackenzies she’d faked her own death in order to escape her grandparents. Paige’s mother (and Mack’s first love) Anne (
Michelle PhillipsMichelle Phillips is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame as a member of the 1960s group The Mamas & the Papas, and is the last surviving original member of the group.-Early life:...
) arrived in Knots Landing to be with her daughter, whom she’d believed dead. Anne moved in to Laura’s house on the cul-de-sac. Anne attempted to seduce Mack, but failed. She left Knots Landing.
Abby’s daughter Olivia turned to drugs. When her drug dealer beat up her younger brother Brian, she gave all her drugs to Abby, who encouraged her daughter’s friendship with Peter Hollister. Olivia’s friendship turned to crush. Peter was only interested in Paige. At the end of the season, Abby found Olivia standing over Peter’s body. They both assumed the other had killed him. She hid Peter’s corpse under the soil where cement was to be poured the next day. In the final scene of the season, Karen informed Abby that there was a crack in the cement, and it would have to be re-poured.
Season Nine (1987–88)
29 episodes (191–219)
Nielsen Ranking: #31,
Nielsen Rating: (less than 16.0)
Produced by: Lawrence Kasha/Mary-Catherine Harold
A melancholy Laura extended the
olive branchThe olive branch is a branch of an olive tree. In Western culture, derived from the customs of Ancient Greece, it symbolizes peace or goodwill. The original link between olive branches and peace is unknown. Some explanations center on that olive trees take a very long time to bear fruit. Thus the...
to Valene at Karen's insistence. Paige had caused Peter's death. No charges were brought against her, but Abby swore that she would make Paige pay for framing Olivia for the crime. Laura told Greg that she was dying of cancer. Greg refused to accept it, and Laura left him to go to a clinic, where she died. Laura’s funeral brought the return of Richard, who moved his and Laura’s sons back to the east coast with him and his new wife. Greg was left to raise Meg, his daughter with Laura. Feeling unable to raise the child by himself, Greg offered to allow Karen and Mack to adopt her. Meanwhile, Abby rekindled an old romance with wealthy business executive Charles Scott (
Michael YorkMichael York may refer to:* Michael York * Michael York * Mike York, ice hockey player* Mike York , former MLB pitcher* Mickey York, American sports reporter...
) and the two married briefly. But Abby ended the relationship after discovering his ulterior motives about plans for the Lotus Point Marina.
After Laura’s death, Frank and Pat Williams (
Larry RileyLarry Riley was a American actor, best known to screen viewers for his role as C.J. Memphis in the film A Soldier's Story , as Joe Louis Brown in the HBO movie Long Gone, and as Frank Williams in the prime-time TV soap opera Knots Landing.On the Broadway stage in 1985, he played Jim in Big River,...
and
Lynne MoodyLynne Moody is an American actress who has made many appearances in television.Her most prominent roles include Tracy Curtis Taylor in That's My Mama from 1974-1975 and was replaced by Joan Pringle in the second season, also played Irene Harvey in Roots, Polly Dawson in Soap, Nurse Julie Williams...
) and their daughter Julie (Kent Masters-King) moved onto the cul-de-sac. Mack and Karen were suspicious of them at first, but became their friends upon discovering they were in the Witness Protection Program. Business at Lotus Point began to slow down, and Karen, Gary, and Abby agreed to expand the marina to accommodate the business of Manny Vasquez (
John ApreaJohn Aprea is an American actor, known for his role as "Young Sal Tessio" in The Godfather: Part II and on television as "Lucas Castigliano" on the soap opera Another World, from 1989 to 1992. As of 2006, he is currently filming a new soap opera in Southern California called, "The Heiress", which...
). Meanwhile, Paige, Michael, and Paige’s boyfriend Johnny Rourke (
Peter ReckellPeter Paul Reckell is an American actor.Reckell has played Bo Brady on the American soap opera Days of our Lives from 1983 to 1987, 1990 to 1992, and from 1995 to the present...
) went on an archaeological dig in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. When it became apparent that Manny Vasquez (
John ApreaJohn Aprea is an American actor, known for his role as "Young Sal Tessio" in The Godfather: Part II and on television as "Lucas Castigliano" on the soap opera Another World, from 1989 to 1992. As of 2006, he is currently filming a new soap opera in Southern California called, "The Heiress", which...
) was selling drugs through Lotus Point, its owners tried to stop him. He told them that Paige and Michael would not re-enter the United States until he was allowed to conduct business at Lotus Point.
Paige began to work for Greg, and found herself attracted to him. Lilimae left Knots Landing with a new man in her life. Gary took an increased interest in Valene's twins, initially at Valene’s resistance. His attention to Val and the children was an annoyance to Jill, who was now living with Gary and became jealous. Jill made an elaborate plan where she edited
audioSound is a travelling wave which is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.- Perception of sound...
recordings of Ben’s voice to make Valene think Ben was trying to contact her, and forged letters from him. Jill then stole the tapes of Ben’s messages and the letters, leaving Valene with no proof when she tried telling people. In the season finale, Jill broke into Valene's house at night and forced Valene at gunpoint to take a whole bottle of sleeping pills in order to make it look like Valene had killed herself. The following morning, Valene was seen laying motionless on the floor.
Season Ten (1988–89)
28 episodes (220–247)
Nielsen Ranking: #27,
Nielsen Rating: 16.1
Co-Executive Producer: Lawrence Kasha
Produced by: Mary-Catherine Harold/Lynn Marie Latham/Bernard Lechowick
Frank found Valene unconscious and phoned for an ambulance. Valene survived and said that Jill had tried to kill her, but Jill had provided herself with an alibi; she slipped drugs into a man’s drink and brought him to her hotel room in San Francisco. He passed out, but as she was there when he awoke in the morning, he assumed she'd been there all night. When the man got an
STDSTD may refer to:* Sexually transmitted disease* Doctor of Sacred Theology * São Tomé and Príncipe dobra, the ISO 4217 code for the currency of São Tomé and Príncipe* Standardization, a common abbreviation for "standard"...
and Jill and Gary’s tests turned up negative, Gary investigated and found that the man remembered nothing of the night he had supposedly slept with Jill. With doubt on her innocence, Jill was left friendless and she tied herself up and put herself in Gary’s trunk so he’d be framed for trying to kill her. However, Jill actually died and Gary was suspected of killing her. Mack was able to get the charges dropped (as he had done with Paige a season earlier) when a hidden fingerprint proved Jill closed the trunk of Gary's car herself and the whole thing was exposed as a plot by Jill to frame Gary.Valene's Aunt Virgina "Ginny" Bullock(Lilimae's sister) came to Visit Knots Landing and ended up moving in with Valene on Sea-view Circle.
A con artist tried to extort money from Frank and Pat by threatening to reveal their location to the men who had threatened Pat's life when she testified against them. Mack halted the con artist, and used dental records from a deceased family to make the men believe that the Sollars family (the original identity of the Williamses) were dead. The young crowd was able to get out of Mexico, and Manny Vasquez’s nephew Harold Dyer (
Paul CarafotesPaul Carafotes is an American actor, possibly best known for playing Harold Dyer in the television drama Knots Landing from 1988 to 1990....
) (who was also dating Abby’s daughter Olivia) killed his uncle when Manny tried to kill Mack. Paige seduced Greg and the two began dating. Unfortunately, Greg wanted to become mayor of
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and he realized the much-younger Paige would not make a good political wife. He asked Abby to marry him instead, and Abby got her revenge against the broken-hearted Paige, who still kept her job at Greg’s company nonetheless.
Mack had another mid-life crisis and quit his job, opening a private practice. Following a health and safety report, the Lotus Point resort has to be sold. However, Abby had discovered that there was oil underneath Lotus Point, and created a company to conceal who was buying the resort from her partners. Paige discovered that the whole thing was a scam initiated by Abby and her cohort Ted Melcher which infuriated Karen who was now intent on sending Abby to jail for fraud. Abby narrowly avoided the fraud charges and agreed to donate Lotus Point a public park. She then leaves Greg (and Knots Landing) for a Trade Envoy job in Japan (a job Greg himself had planned to get after his failed attempt to become mayor of Los Angeles).
Season Eleven (1989–90)
29 episodes (248–276)
Nielsen Ranking: #33,
Nielsen Rating: 14.3
Co-Executive Producer: Lawrence Kasha Produced by: Mary-Catherine Harold/Lynn Marie Latham/Bernard Lechowick
Valene and Gary become separately involved with another divorced couple, Danny and Amanda Waleska. Danny (
Sam BehrensSam Behrens is an actor most notably recognized from his role as Gregory Richards in Aaron Spelling's Sunset Beach. He has been married to Shari Belafonte since December 31, 1989.-Filmography:...
) had beaten and raped Amanda (
Penny PeyserPenny Peyser is an actress. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1973.-Career:Peyser is best known for her role as Cindy in the 1980s series Crazy Like a Fox...
). Valene proclaimed that she loved Danny more than she’d ever loved Gary or Ben. As Danny became more and more abusive and distant, Valene realized the truth, and kicked him out of her house. Paige fell in love with Tom Ryan (
Joseph GianJoseph Gian is an American actor and singer, probably best known for his role as Detective Tom Ryan in the television series Knots Landing. He appeared on the program from 1989 to 1991 and again in 1993...
), a dirty cop. The two planned on getting married, but on the day of their wedding, Tom ran away after Greg blackmailed him. Gary proposed to Valene, who accepted. Karen started a
talk showA talk show or chat show is a television or radio program where one person or group of people come together to discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host...
, but was stalked by one of her producers, who had been put up to it by another producer Dianne Kirkwood (
Robin StrasserRobin Strasser is an American actress. Her middle name comes from V-E Day, which was proclaimed the day she was born.Strasser is best known for her Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Dr. Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Strasser stepped into the role in 1979 and...
) who couldn’t stand Karen.
Olivia married Harold, but they had monetary woes due to Abby's decision to cut Olivia off financially. They left the show mid-season, before Olivia had a chance to scheme for money as her mother had. Karen’s son Eric left his wife Linda at the Mackenzie household. Linda had an affair with Eric’s brother Michael, then divorced Eric. Paige’s mother Anne returned to Knots Landing penniless, and took up with Greg. Greg’s daughter Mary Frances (
Stacy GalinaStacy Galina is an American actress, best known for her role in the television drama Knots Landing. She first appeared in the series in a guest role, playing Mary Frances Sumner in 1990, before joining the regular cast as Kate Whittaker for the last three seasons of the show...
) visited him after a 6-year estrangement.
Season Twelve (1990–91)
27 episodes (277–303)
Nielsen Ranking: 32,
Nielsen Rating: ?
Co-Executive Producer: Lawrence Kasha
Produced by: Mary-Catherine Harold/Lynn Marie Latham/Bernard Lechowick
Frank had Pat’s life support disconnected. Greg’s sister Claudia (
Kathleen NooneKathleen Noone is an American soap opera/television actress.Noone was born in Hillsdale, New Jersey to a professional baseball player father. She may be best-known for her role as Ellen Shepherd Dalton on All My Children, a role she played from 1977 to 1989...
) and his niece Kate (also played by Stacy Galina) moved to Knots Landing. Kate met Steve Brewer (
Lance GuestLance R. Guest is an American actor. He developed a serious interest in acting in the 9th grade, and he majored in theater while attending UCLA. He has starred in many theatrical films including his role as Jimmy alongside actress Jamie Lee Curtis in the film Halloween II and also starred in I...
), a man claiming to be her brother, at school. Steve, who had been put up for adoption by Claudia, was the product of a tryst between Claudia and Paul Galveston. Claudia planted a gun on former felon Steve and he fled from the police. Mack took a liking to a high schooler named Jason Lochner (
Thomas Wilson BrownThomas Wilson Brown is an American actor, best known for his role as Jason Lochner in the television drama Knots Landing, and also for his portrayal of Little Russ Thompson in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. He also appeared on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1993 as Joe. As of 2006 he is still acting in movies...
), who was being beaten by his father. Mack, in yet another mid-life crisis, regained the memories of his own physical abuse at the hands of his now late father, and took Jason into the Mackenzie household.Valene's Aunt Ginny Bullock left Knots Landing for Europe.
Valene and Gary got together and after Danny’s murder (by Julie, as revenge for her mother’s death), but a fall off a horse led to a lighthearted and humorous storyline where Valene went insane. After a season of irrational behavior, Valene was cured, and she married Gary. Anne met Italian Nick Schillace (
Lorenzo CaccialanzaLorenzo Caccialanza is an Italian-born American actor, best known for his work on the CBS prime time soap opera Knots Landing as "Nick Schillace," the gigolo boyfriend of "Anne Matheson" ....
), with whom she both fell in love and spent the season scheming. Their plans all backfired, and in the season finale, Anne was left homeless. Paige and Linda competed at the Sumner Group (the re-named Galveston Industries).
Season Thirteen (1991–92)
22 episodes (304–325)
Nielsen Ranking: 37,
Nielsen Rating:?
Co-Executive Producer: John Romano (ep. 304–318)
Supervising Producer: Joseph Hardy
Senior Producer: Ann Marcus (ep. 319–325)
Produced by: Mary-Catherine Harold
Kate blamed Claudia for Steve's death and cut her mother out of her life, but they reconciled after Claudia took an overdose of pills. After Nick left her, Anne was left homeless and bankrupt. She started an advice show on night-time radio which became a smash hit. Linda was murdered by the crazy Brian Johnston, who held the Mackenzies hostage for an entire episode. Jason left the Mackenzie household for
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
while Julie left Knots Landing. Frank dated Debbie Porter (played by the then-unknown
Halle BerryHalle Berry is an American actress, former fashion model, and beauty queen. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was also nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in...
).
Gary invested in a project that turned
tidal waveThe term tidal wave may refer to:*A tidal bore is a large movement of water formed by the funneling of the incoming tide into a river or narrow bay*A tidal surge can cause waves that breach flood defences and may be referred to as tidal waves....
s into usable electric energy. The man behind it, Joseph Barringer (
Mark SoperMark Soper is an American actor, best known for his role as Joseph Barringer in the television series Knots Landing and his role in The World According to Garp.Soper is originally from Boyertown, PA....
) became Kate’s boyfriend. Paige joined Gary, along with her new boyfriend Pierce. A former flame of Pierce's, Victoria Broyelard (
Marcia CrossMarcia Anne Cross is an American actress, known for her portrayals of Bree Hodge on the TV show Desperate Housewives and Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place.-Career:...
), revealed that Pierce had killed his previous girlfriend. Paige didn’t believe it. Paige was shot by Pierce (aiming for Greg, whom he hated) and temporarily paralyzed, giving a delusional Pierce (who thought she was the previous, pregnant girlfriend he’d already killed) a chance to kidnap her. Mack and Greg rescued Paige and Pierce was arrested. Alex Barth (
Boyd KestnerBoyd Kestner is an American actor, who starred in The Outsiders television series and later came to prominence in his role as Alex Barth in the television drama Knots Landing....
), the nephew of the Galvestons' housekeeper, blackmailed Claudia for refusing to help her ailing mother with her medication and thus allowed her to die. Claudia said that she wanted to end their mother's pain. Claudia disliked Joseph and asked Greg to get him a job away from Kate. Gary, who had tied up all his money in Tidal Energy, was left bankrupt. Valene attempted to console him, and the two of them spent the rest of the season enjoying a happy marriage. Valene was to write a biography on Greg Sumner. Mary Robeson (
Maree CheathamMaree Cheatham is an American actress, best known for her television appearances. She was credited for much of her career as Marie Cheatham....
) told Valene that she was Meg’s grandmother, as she was Laura’s biological mother. Valene refused to believe it, and when she investigated Mary Robeson further, she was kidnapped in
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
.
Season Fourteen (1992–93)
19 episodes (326–344)
Nielsen Ranking: 32,
Nielsen Rating: ?
Co-Executive Producer:
Barbara CordayBarbara Corday is a top American television executive, writer and producer mainly known for co-creating the television series Cagney & Lacey.-Work:...
Supervising Producer: Ann Marcus
Produced by: Mary-Catherine Harold
Gary believed Valene dead when he saw a car with her in it blow up. Greg attempted to retire from the Sumner Group, leaving one-third to Claudia, one-third to Paige, and one-third to Mack and Karen (in a trust for Meg). Anne’s pregnancy prompted him to return to Knots Landing to marry her. Anne discovered she had suffered from hysterical pregnancy. Anne longed for Nick, who had returned to Knots Landing. When Mack sought $1,000,000 to bribe Mary Robeson to stop seeking custody of Meg, Claudia gave him $500,000 and gave the rest to Nick to start a restaurant. Paige demanded an audit, and Claudia had to ask Nick for the $500,000 back. Nick had already spent it and got the money elsewhere. It turned out a man named Nigel Treadwell (
Daniel GerrollDaniel Gerroll is a British theatre, television, and film actor.Born in London, Gerroll has appeared on television in both Great Britain and the United States, although his greater contribution has been to the stage in both countries...
) and his mysterious partner had been trying to take over the Sumner Group with this $500,000. Karen didn’t believe Mack would do something like that and left him, staying with Diana in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
In the two-hour series finale on May 13 1993, Karen returned to Mack, and Nick’s accomplice Vanessa Hunt (
Felicity WatermanFelicity Waterman is a English actress best known for her role as Vanessa Hunt during the final two seasons of the television drama series Knots Landing and as a regular cast member of the series Pensacola: Wings of Gold 1999-2000 in the role of Lt...
) killed Treadwell, paving the way for Valene to return to Gary. Treadwell’s partner was revealed to be Abby, who, returning for the first time in four years, told Greg that she would be taking over the Sumner Group. However Greg thwarted her scheme by threatening to reveal her dirty dealings in Japan with some well documented evidence that he had just acquired. Anne offered Greg a divorce and he was free to get back together with Paige. Claudia decided to move to Monaco, and on the way to the airplane met up with Anne and Nick. Back at Seaview Circle, Gary, Val, Mack and Karen were preparing to have a barbecue as a new couple were moving into Frank’s old house on the cul-de-sac. At that moment, another car pulls up and Abby emerges. She informes everyone that she has bought Claudia’s house (which had originally been hers when she lived on the cul-de-sac). Valene smiles and welcomes Abby back to the cul-de-sac before rushing Gary away. Abby is left with Karen, to whom she proclaimed "Just like old times, isn’t it?"
Credited cast
Ted ShackelfordTed Shackelford is an American actor best known for his role as Gary Ewing on the CBS television series Knots Landing, in which he starred from 1979–93...
(Original cast) as
Garrison Arthur "Gary" EwingGary Ewing was a character in the CBS television series Knots Landing and Dallas. The character of Gary Ewing was played most notably by Ted Shackelford and briefly played by David Ackroyd .-Dallas:...
.
- The son of Jock and Ellie Ewing, first introduced in the TV series Dallas. Gary, the middle Ewing son between J.R.
John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J.R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . The series was a cross between Romeo and Juliet and the western Bonanza...
and BobbyRobert James Ewing, commonly called Bobby Ewing, is a fictional character central to the long running TV soap opera Dallas. The youngest son of Jock and Ellie Ewing, he was portrayed by actor Patrick Duffy between 1978 and 1991, although both the actor and the character left the show briefly during...
, was the family blacksheep and a recovering alcoholic. The true love of Valene's life and father of their daughter LucyLucy Ewing Cooper was a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Charlene Tilton .Lucy was the saucy daughter of Gary Ewing and Valene Clements Ewing. Lucy was raised on the Southfork Ranch by her grandparents, Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing. In the start of the show, she...
(from Dallas) and twins Bobby & Betsy Ewing. After his second marriage to Valene failed, he married Abby, though later remarried Val.
Joan Van ArkJoan Van Ark is an American actress, most notable for her role as Valene Ewing, which she originated on the CBS hit series Dallas and continued for thirteen seasons on its long-running spin-off, Knots Landing...
(Original cast) as
Valene "Val" Clements Ewing Ewing Gibson Waleska EwingValene "Val" Ewing is a fictional character in the American television series Dallas and, more prominently, its spin-off series Knots Landing. She was played by Joan Van Ark....
(1979-1992, 1993).
- The true love of Gary's life, and the mother of his three children, including Dallas Lucy Ewing (Charlene Tilton
Charlene L. Tilton is an American actress.Tilton was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of Katherine, a secretary. Notably, Tilton is 4'11" tall. Tilton has had a varied career in show business...
) and twins Bobby & Betsy Ewing. Valene originally came from TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
, and married Gary whilst they were still in their teens, but she was outcast from the Ewing family by J.R.John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J.R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . The series was a cross between Romeo and Juliet and the western Bonanza...
. After she and Gary remarried, they moved to Knots Landing where she became Karen's neighbor and best friend. She later married journalist Ben Gibson, and then psychotic Danny Waleska, before finally marrying Gary for the third time.
Michele LeeMichele Lee Dusick , better known as Michele Lee, is an American singer, dancer, actress, producer, director and frequent game show panelist of the 1970s. She is best-known for her role as Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie on the 1980s prime-time soap opera, Knots Landing...
(Original cast) as Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie
- First married to Sid Fairgate, and later to Mack McKenzie. The mother of Diana, Eric and Michael Fairgate. She and Mack later adopted "Meg", (Laura's daughter with Greg Sumner). Karen worked as a community activist and eventually at Knots Landing Motors and Lotus Point. (Michele Lee would also become the only cast member to appear in all 344 episodes which was a record for most appearances of a female character on American primetime television. The record was recently surpassed by S. Epatha Merkerson's character on NBC's Law & Order.)
Don MurrayDonald Patrick "Don" Murray is an American actor.Murray was born in Hollywood, California. He attended East Rockaway High School in East Rockaway, New York where he played football and track, was a member of the student government and glee club and joined the Alpha Phi Chapter of the Omega Gamma...
(Original cast)
as William Sidney Fairgate (1979-1981).
- Karen's first husband, and the owner of Knots Landing Motors. Sid was killed when his car was sabotaged.
John PleshetteJohn Pleshette is an American actor, perhaps best known for being an original cast member of the long-running primetime television drama Knots Landing playing Richard Avery. Pleshette bears a strong resemblance to Lee Harvey Oswald and played him in the 1977 television film The Trial of Lee Harvey...
(Original cast) as Richard Avery (1979-1983, 1987).
- A lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
, and later a restaurant owner. Unhappily married to Laura, he struggled to assert himself after she launched a successful career in real-estate. In 1982, he suffered a nervous breakdown (where he held Laura hostage at gunpoint) and left town in 1983 without his family, as he and Laura divorced. This was the result of Laura suspecting Richard of murdering her friend Ciji, since he had a hostility toward their friendship, including him grabbing Ciji by the hair and throwing her out of the house in one episode.
Constance McCashinConstance McCashin is an American actress.McCashin was born in Chicago. She is best known for her role as Laura Avery Sumner on the prime time drama Knots Landing, which she played from the show's debut in 1979 until 1987 when the character died of a brain tumour and her funeral was the basis of...
(Original cast)
as Laura Avery Sumner (1979-1987).
- The wife of Richard Avery, and later, Greg Sumner. Initially a housewife, she later became a successful real estate agent. Laura died in 1987 of a brain tumour.
James Houghton (Original cast)
as Kenny Ward (1979-1983).
- A record producer who at first cheated on his wife Ginger, but reformed upon the birth of their daughter Erin Molly.
Kim LankfordKim Lankford is an American actress, businesswoman and horse wrangler.-Personal Life:She is an ex-girlfriend of Warren Zevon. Kim Lankford has never been married or had any children.-Acting career:...
(Original cast)
as Ginger Ward (1979-1983).
- A kindergarten teacher who wanted to be a singer, she was jealous of her husband's involvement in Ciji Dunne's career.
Claudia LonowClaudia Lonow is an American actress, comedian and performer turned television writer and producer.-Early life:Claudia Lonow was born and raised in New York City, where she attended the High School of Music and Art, and began studying acting.She is the daughter of JoAnne Astrow and David Rapaport,...
(Original cast)
as Diana Fairgate (1979-1984, 1993).
- Karen's daughter who fell in love with the evil Chip Roberts (Michael Sabatino
Michael Sabatino is an American actor.-Private Life:Sabatino attended the University of California, Irvine, where he set a school record for the pole vault of 17 1/2 feet....
). She eventually left Knots Landing to study in New York City.
Steve ShawSteve Shaw was an American actor best known for playing Eric Fairgate in the television drama Knots Landing. He appeared regularly in the series from 1979 to 1987, and thereafter made occasional return appearances before his death in a road accident on December 5, 1990, in Los Angeles....
(Original cast)
as Eric Fairgate (1979-1990)
- Sid and Karen's eldest son. His wife Linda would go onto have an affair with his brother, Michael.
Patrick PetersenPatrick Petersen is an American actor best known for his role as Michael Fairgate in the television drama Knots Landing. His character was the son of "Karen Fairgate"...
(Original cast) as Michael Fairgate (1979-1991).
- Sid and Karen's younger son who would later have an affair with his brother Eric's wife, Linda.
Donna MillsDonna Mills is an American actress. Among her many television appearances was a continuing role as Abby Cunningham on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing.-Early years:...
as Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner (1980-1989, 1993).
- Sid's sister, and the neighborhood troublemaker. She destroyed Gary and Val's marriage, and later married (and divorced) Gary herself. Abby also worked with her sister-in-law, Karen, at Lotus Point. She later married Greg Sumner (for political reasons) but the marriage lasted only a few months before Abby moved to Japan. Although Abby adored her brother Sid, Abby and Karen rarely got along.
Tonya CroweTonya Crowe is an American actress, best known for playing Olivia Cunningham in Knots Landing from 1980 to 1990. Her character was the daughter of "Abby Cunningham" . In 1997, Crowe re-created the role in the mini-series, Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac....
as Olivia Cunningham Dyer (1980-1990).
- Abby's rebellious daughter who became addicted to cocaine.
Julie HarrisJulie Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards and three Emmy Awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
as Lilimae Clements (1980, 1981-1987).
- Valene's mother who moved in with Valene and proceeded thereafter to interfere in her daughter's life.
Kevin DobsonKevin Patrick Dobson is an American film and television actor of Irish descent, who is primarily known for his roles on television. His most prominent roles were as Det. Bobby Crocker on the popular 1970s TV crime drama Kojak, and as M...
as Marion Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie (1982-1993).
- Karen's second husband; an attorney who worked for the Governor's office before opening his own private practice. He talks tough with a heavy East Coast accent, but has a heart of gold. He first met Karen when he worked as the Federal Prosecutor, helping to catch the men responsible for Sid's death. After getting married, Mack was as determined as he would be to get to believe Karen in almost everything she knew he did, whether if was being honest or not.
Lisa HartmanLisa Hartman is an American actress and singer.After some minor television appearances, Lisa Hartman starred in the short-lived Bewitched spin-off, Tabitha during 1976 and 1977...
as Ciji Dunne (1982-1983)/Cathy Geary Rush (1983-1986).
- Ciji and Cathy were both singers. Ciji was murdered, leaving almost everyone in Knots Landing as a suspect. Some months later, Ciji's doppelgänger
A doppelgänger is the ghostly double of a living person, a sinister form of bilocation.In the vernacular, the word "doppelgänger" has come to refer to any double or look-alike of a person. The word is also used to describe the sensation of having glimpsed oneself in peripheral vision, in a...
Cathy Geary showed up after being released from prison.
Douglas SheehanDouglas Sheehan is an American actor who played Ben Gibson throughout four seasons of the prime-time drama Knots Landing from 1983 to 1987...
as Ben Gibson (1983-1987).
- Valene's second husband. He was a journalist, who later worked at Abby's television station but disappeared in South America.
William DevaneWilliam Devane is an American film and television actor.-Life and career:He was born in Albany, New York, the son of Joseph Devane, who was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
as Greg Sumner (1983-1993).
- Mack's ex-best friend and classmate who attended law school with him and even offered him a job working for the crime commission. Initially a politician, Greg became a businessman after inheriting father's corporation. He often plotted with Abby, whom he later married.
Alec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in films such as Beetlejuice and The Hunt for Red October, in addition to the Martin Scorsese films The Aviator and The Departed.He was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild...
as Joshua Rush (1984-1985).
- Lilimae's son who was abandoned by her as a baby. He came to Knots Landing as a rather innocent young preacher. He later became a televangelist and married Cathy Geary, but later became mentally ill and extremely violent. After he tried to kill Cathy, he accidentally fell off a roof and died.
Teri AustinTeresa "Teri" Austin is a Canadian-born film and television actress, with an extensive career in the United States.She is probably best-known for her performance as Jill Bennett on Knots Landing ....
as Jill Bennett (1985-1989).
- An ex-colleague of Mack's and later Gary's mistress who later tried to murder Valene. She accidentally killed herself after locking herself in the trunk of Gary's car so it would seem like he'd kidnapped her.
Nicollette SheridanNicollette Sheridan is a British born American actress. She has appeared in movies and television, and is perhaps best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing....
as Paige Matheson. (1986-1993).
- Mack's daughter with Anne Matheson. She became involved with greg Sumner (whom she also worked for), police detective Tom Ryan, and also Pierce Lawton who tried to kill her.
Michelle PhillipsMichelle Phillips is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame as a member of the 1960s group The Mamas & the Papas, and is the last surviving original member of the group.-Early life:...
as Anne Winston Matheson Sumner (1987, 1989, 1990-1993).
- Paige's mother and Mack's first love. She initially tried to split up Mack and Karen, but after failing she turned her attentions to Greg and also attempted to cheat Paige out of her inheritance from her grandfather.
Larry RileyLarry Riley was a American actor, best known to screen viewers for his role as C.J. Memphis in the film A Soldier's Story , as Joe Louis Brown in the HBO movie Long Gone, and as Frank Williams in the prime-time TV soap opera Knots Landing.On the Broadway stage in 1985, he played Jim in Big River,...
as Frank Williams (1988-1992)
- Frank moved to Knots Landing with his wife Pat and daughter Julie as part of the witness protection program. He eventually took a job in Mack's law firm.
Kathleen NooneKathleen Noone is an American soap opera/television actress.Noone was born in Hillsdale, New Jersey to a professional baseball player father. She may be best-known for her role as Ellen Shepherd Dalton on All My Children, a role she played from 1977 to 1989...
as Claudia Sumner Whittaker (1990-1993)
- Greg Sumner's sister, who moved to town under the guise of accompanying her daughter for college; in reality, she wanted to meddle in Greg's affairs.
Stacy GalinaStacy Galina is an American actress, best known for her role in the television drama Knots Landing. She first appeared in the series in a guest role, playing Mary Frances Sumner in 1990, before joining the regular cast as Kate Whittaker for the last three seasons of the show...
as Kate Whittaker (1990-1993)
- Claudia's daughter who resembled Greg's late daughter Mary Frances. She was a semi-professional tennis player, but broke her arm which ended her budding career. She later became romantically involved with Gary Ewing.
Other recurring characters
Bobby JacobyRobert Jayne sometimes credited as Bobby Jacoby, is an American actor. He lives in Burbank, California with his wife Jennifer and their daughter Ella Charlotte Jayne who was born on 16 December 2004...
as Brian Cunningham #1 (1980-1985)
Stephen MachtStephen Macht is an American television and film actor.-Early life:Macht was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Macht was raised in Brooklyn Heights, NY, until his father's death. At age nine, he moved with his mother and older brother to live with his maternal grandfather, a haberdasher, in...
as Joe Cooper (Karen's brother) (1981-1982)
Michael SabatinoMichael Sabatino is an American actor.-Private Life:Sabatino attended the University of California, Irvine, where he set a school record for the pole vault of 17 1/2 feet....
as Chip Roberts (aka Tony Fenice) (1982-1983)
Joanna Pettet__forcetoc__Joanna Pettet is a British actress.-Biography:Her father, Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, was a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in World War II...
as Detective Janet Baines (1983)
Danielle BriseboisDanielle Anne Brisebois is an American actress, producer, songwriter and singer. In the 1990s she recorded two solo albums, Arrive All Over You and Portable Life, and was a member of the New Radicals...
as Mary-Frances Sumner #1 (1983-1984)
Laurence Haddon-Television Appearances:* Designing Women * Columbo * Murder, She Wrote * Knots Landing * Hill Street Blues * Dallas...
as Dr. Mitch Ackerman (1984 - 1985)
Hunt BlockHunt Block is an American actor. He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.His first big break was selling Buick Centuries at the Chicago Auto show...
as (Senator)Peter Hollister (1985-1987)
Brian Austin GreenBrian Austin Green is an American actor best known for his role as David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a character he portrayed from 1990 to 2000, and his role as Derek Reese in the U.S...
as Brian Cunningham #2 (1986-1989)
Wendy Fulton as Jean Hackney (1986-1987)
Joshua DevaneJoshua Devane is an American actor and the son of actor William Devane.He is perhaps best known for his appearances in the television series Knots Landing, in which he played the young Greg Sumner in various flashback sequences—the character played by his father in the series....
as Young Greg Sumner (1986-1987; 1990)
Lar Park LincolnLar Park Lincoln is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the 1987 film House II: The Second Story as Kate, and in the 1988 horror film Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood as Tina Shepard.-Biography:...
as Linda Fairgate (1987, 1989-1991)
Peter ReckellPeter Paul Reckell is an American actor.Reckell has played Bo Brady on the American soap opera Days of our Lives from 1983 to 1987, 1990 to 1992, and from 1995 to the present...
as Johnny Rourke (1988-1989)
Lynne MoodyLynne Moody is an American actress who has made many appearances in television.Her most prominent roles include Tracy Curtis Taylor in That's My Mama from 1974-1975 and was replaced by Joan Pringle in the second season, also played Irene Harvey in Roots, Polly Dawson in Soap, Nurse Julie Williams...
as Pat Williams (1988-1990)
Kent Masters-King as Julie Williams (1988-1991)
Paul CarafotesPaul Carafotes is an American actor, possibly best known for playing Harold Dyer in the television drama Knots Landing from 1988 to 1990....
as Harold Dyer (1988-1990)
Melinda CuleaMelinda Culea is an American film and television actress.-The A-Team:Culea is best known for her first big role playing Amy Amanda Allen in the 1980s hit TV series The A-Team...
as Paula Vertosick (1988-1990)
Robert DesiderioRobert Desiderio is an American actor best known for his television roles.Desiderio was born in New York City, New York, the son of Mary and Anthony J. Desiderio. He first came to prominence in soap opera, with parts in daytime dramas such as Search for Tomorrow, Ryan's Hope and One Life to Live...
as Ted Melcher (1988-1989)
Sam BehrensSam Behrens is an actor most notably recognized from his role as Gregory Richards in Aaron Spelling's Sunset Beach. He has been married to Shari Belafonte since December 31, 1989.-Filmography:...
as Danny Waleska (1989-1990)
Joseph GianJoseph Gian is an American actor and singer, probably best known for his role as Detective Tom Ryan in the television series Knots Landing. He appeared on the program from 1989 to 1991 and again in 1993...
as Det. Tom Ryan (1989-1991, 1993)
Lorenzo CaccialanzaLorenzo Caccialanza is an Italian-born American actor, best known for his work on the CBS prime time soap opera Knots Landing as "Nick Schillace," the gigolo boyfriend of "Anne Matheson" ....
as Nick Schillace/Dimitri Pappas (1990-1991, 1992-1993)
Bruce GreenwoodBruce Greenwood is a Canadian actor. He is generally known for his roles as the President of the United States in National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Thirteen Days and for his role as Captain Christopher Pike in the 2009 Star Trek film.-Personal life:Greenwood was born Stuart Bruce Greenwood...
as Pierce Lawton (1991-1992)
Guest stars
Karen AllenKaren Jane Allen is an American actress, best known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark...
(1979) (as Annie Fairgate)
Helen HuntHelen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good As It Gets, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress...
(1980) (as Betsy)
Gary SiniseGary Alan Sinise is an American actor and film director. During his career, Sinise has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for Palme d'Or and an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed the film and played the role of George Milton in the movie adaption of Of Mice and Men...
(1980) (as Lee Maddox)
Mary CrosbyMary Frances Crosby is an American actress. She is most often credited as simply Mary Crosby for her performances.-Early life:...
(1980) (as Kristin Shepard)
Ava GardnerAva Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared in supporting roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, admired for her beauty, and highly regarded for her...
(1985) (as Ruth Galveston)
Dick SargentDick Sargent was an American actor, best known for his portrayal of "the second Darrin Stephens" on the television series Bewitched...
(1985) (as Himself)
Ruth RomanRuth Roman was an American actress.-Career:She was born Norma Roman in the Boston suburb of Lynn, Massachusetts. As a young girl, she pursued her desire to become an actress by enrolling in the prestigious Bishop Lee Dramatic School in Boston...
(1986) (as Sylvia Lean)
Doug SavantDouglas Peter Savant is an American actor. He is probably best known for his roles as Matt Fielding on Melrose Place and Tom Scavo on the ABC dramedy series Desperate Housewives.-Career:...
(1986-87) (as Young Mack MacKenzie)
Michael YorkMichael York, OBE is an English actor. He is more recently known among mainstream audiences for his role as Basil Exposition in the Austin Powers series of comedy films.-Early life:...
(1987-88) (as Charles Scott)
Red ButtonsRed Buttons was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 in New York City to Jewish immigrants. At sixteen years old, Buttons got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, Bronx...
(1987) (as Al Baker)
Stuart WhitmanStuart Maxwell Whitman is an American actor.Stuart Whitman is arguably best-known for playing Marshal Jim Crown in the western television series Cimarron Strip in 1967...
(1990) (as Willis #2)
Halle BerryHalle Berry is an American actress, former fashion model, and beauty queen. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was also nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in...
(1991) (as Debbie Porter)
Marcia CrossMarcia Anne Cross is an American actress, known for her portrayals of Bree Hodge on the TV show Desperate Housewives and Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place.-Career:...
(1991-92) (as Victoria Broyard)
Mary Lou RettonMary Lou Retton is an American gymnast. She was the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title.-Personal life:...
(1992) (as Herself)
Billy Bob ThorntonBilly Bob Thornton is an American actor, director, musician, playwright and screenwriter. His rise to fame began in the mid-1990s, after writing, directing, and starring in the film Sling Blade, for which he won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.-Early life:Thornton was born in Hot Springs,...
(1992) (as a Logger)
David James ElliottDavid James Elliott is a Canadian-born actor who was the star of the series JAG from 1995 to 2005, playing lead character Harmon Rabb Jr..-Bio:...
(1991-92) (as Bill Nolan)
Howard DuffHoward Green Duff was an American actor of film, television, stage, and radio.Duff was born in Charleston, Washington, now a part of Bremerton. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle in 1932 where he began acting in school plays only after he was cut from the basketball team. His...
(1984-85, 1990) (as Paul Galveston)
Lance GuestLance R. Guest is an American actor. He developed a serious interest in acting in the 9th grade, and he majored in theater while attending UCLA. He has starred in many theatrical films including his role as Jimmy alongside actress Jamie Lee Curtis in the film Halloween II and also starred in I...
(1991) (as Steve Brewer)
Darby HintonDarby Hinton is an American actor and film maker initially cast in commercials when he was only six months old. He is best known for his portrayal from 1964-1970 of Israel Boone, a son of American pioneer Daniel Boone, on the NBC western adventure series Daniel Boone, with Fess Parker in the title...
(1991) (as police officer)
See also:
List of Knots Landing cast members
Crew
The actors had more input than actors on other 1980s primetime soaps. In 1987, the writers wanted Mack (Kevin Dobson) to have an extramarital affair with Anne (Michelle Phillips). Michele Lee, who played Mack's wife Karen, protested this to David Jacobs, saying, "There has to be one stable couple on the show."
http://www.knotslandingonline.com/joan_van_ark_interview.html The extramarital affair storyline was nixed, and Michelle Phillips, who had been signed to a contract, was written out for a few seasons before returning in 1990. When she did return, Anne did not pursue Mack. William Devane, who played Greg Sumner, re-wrote most of his character's dialogue, to the point where, in co-star Michele Lee's words, "most people (on set) were (probably) frightened of him."
http://www.knotslandingonline.com/michele_lee_interview.html The Gary/Val/Abby triangle that provided story throughout the mid-1980s was suggested by Ted Shackelford and Joan van Ark in 1980, and the producers hesitated for a year and a half before going through with it in 1982.
http://www.knotslandingonline.com/joan_van_ark_interview.html The famous 1984 storyline where Valene's babies got kidnapped was originally envisioned as one of scheming Abby's plots. Donna Mills, who played Abby, acknowledged that her character was evil but didn't think she was that evil. Fearing the audience would never forgive her character for kidnapping another woman's babies, she asked the writers to make Abby cause the kidnappings by accident, and the writers complied.
The writing team of
Bernard LechowickBernard Lechowick is an American television writer and producer. He grew up in Mentor, Ohio and is a father of two sons, Richard Latham Lechowick and Vincent Latham Lechowick. Lechowick graduated from the University of Notre Dame...
and
Lynn Marie LathamLynn Marie Latham is American television writer and producer. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the short-lived series Berrenger's in 1985. That same year, Latham became a writer for the nighttime serial Knots Landing.In 1991, she and husband Bernard Lechowick...
(the
Head WriterA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an executive producer.-Overview:...
s from 1986 to 1991) was controversial among both fans and actors. Their humor-imbued style of writing made them the favorites of Michele Lee, while John Pleshette felt they were "awful people." Pleshette, however, was not a cast member during their tenure and harbored resentment because the writing team, who had been represented by his wife, moved to a different agency.
http://www.knotslandingonline.com/john_pleshette_interview.html Joan van Ark, whose character was struck by a brain illness in season 12 and proceeded to thereafter go crazy, felt that Latham and Lechowick had turned her character into the "village idiot." Joan van Ark and Donna Mills' favorite Knots Landing
writer was Peter DunnePeter Dunne , a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament, leads the United Future political party. He has served as a Cabinet minister in governments dominated by the centre-left Labour Party as well as by the centre-right National Party...
, http://www.knotslandingonline.com/joan_van_ark_interview.html who was responsible for making Knots Landing a top ten show in 1984.
In 1987, CBS demanded that production costs be cut. This meant the firing of two regulars, Constance McCashin and Julie Harris. Season 13 saw a large ratings drop for the show after creator David Jacobs had a health crisis and pulled back his involvement in production. Jacobs has publicly stated that the way he knew the show was in trouble was when waitresses at his favorite diner, whom he had heard gossiping about Knots Landing every Friday during past seasons, suddenly stopped discussing the show in late 1991. He attempted to save face by shutting down production on November 20, 1991
http://www.knotslandingonline.com/ted_shackelford_interview.html, firing head writer John Romano, and replacing him with
Ann MarcusAnn Marcus ia an American television writer, producer and playwright. She graduated from Western College, worked for the New York Daily News and Life Magazine where she worked with famed photographers such as Alfred Eisenstadt....
. Cost cutting again plagued the series in its final season, when only 19 episodes were produced, and regular characters did not appear in each episode. In one episode in the final season ("My Kingdom for a Horse"), only 3 of the 8 season 14 regulars appeared (Devane, Phillips, and Lee.) Not wanting to compromise what he felt had been a good run, series creator David Jacobs described its end as a "mutual decision" between Knots Landings producers and the CBS Network, saying, "We don't know if they would have picked us up anyway...but even if they had, we would have had to pare away more to survive."
Music
Knots Landings background music was always a very important part of the show. The theme song, which lasted all 14 seasons (being updated each season to stay with the times), was composed by
Jerrold ImmelJerrold Immel is a United States television composer, whose most famous works are the theme tune to the soap opera Dallas and to a lesser extent, Voyagers!....
. Immel, along with
Craig HuxleyCraig Huxley is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning musician and producer who has been involved in a wide variety of entertainment-related projects since childhood. He began his career as a child actor, starring in hundreds of TV shows; perhaps his most notable role was that of Captain James T...
composed the background music for the
pilot"Pilot" is the first episode in the first season of the television spin-off of Dallas, Knots Landing.-Plot:It is explained that with the help of Miss Ellie, Gary and Valene Ewing were reunited after seventeen years...
. The original background music cues by Immel and Huxley were never fully abandoned by the show, and were heard as late as the final season. The early Knots Landing background music cues heavily emphasized the
brassBrass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin. Despite this distinction, some types of brasses are called bronzes. Brass is a...
section, and were often played with a very sparse bass line accompaniment. It was, in fact, the only aspect of the series ever to win an Emmy award, for the music orchestration during its 1979-80 season.
By season 4 of Knots Landing, the lushness of the 1980s was in full swing and Knots Landing's background cues reflected that style. The new dramatic cues emphasized full orchestral arrangements as formerly middle class Knots Landing became upwardly mobile. The background music of seasons 4–7 was frequently composed by either Lance Rubin or
Ron GrantRon Grant may refer to:*Ronald Grant, President & Chief Operating Officer of AOL LLC*Ron Grant , former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and tuner...
.
Season 8 introduced a completely new score for Knots Landing. By 1986
New WaveNew Wave is a genre of rock and pop music that emerged in in the middle to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, and...
artists and bands had taken
AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by storm and the new style of music cues made good use of the
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument that is capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequencies...
instead of a full orchestra.
Bruce MillerBruce Miller may refer to:*Bruce Miller *Bruce Miller *Bruce Miller *Bruce Miller , born 1947, an infielder for the San Francisco Giants baseball team...
was one of the main composers during this era. Updated orchestrations of the by-then-familiar Lance Rubin cues were also re-arranged to be played by the synthesizer, and the Immel/Huxley cues were similarly utilized, albeit less commonly.
In the early 1990s, soft contemporary
acoustic musicAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
became popular and Knots Landing
began incorporating this into its background music during season 12. Lance Rubin's music cues were completely phased out at this point. Patrick GleesonPatrick Gleeson is a musician, synthesizer pioneer, composer and producer, from California, USA.In 1968, Gleeson bought a Moog synthesizer and opened recording studio Different Fur....
and Kennard Ramsey composed during this period.
Opening Credits
Knots Landing
ran five completely different styles of opening credits over its 14 years, in contrast to DynastyDynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, which stuck to the same style, and DallasDallas is an American prime-time television soap opera that originally ran from 1978 to 1991. It revolved around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries...
, which changed in its final seasons to a variation on its original style.
The original opening credits of Knots Landing were used only in seasons 1 and 2. These credits were designed by
Wayne FitzgeraldWayne Fitzgerald, born in Los Angeles on 19 March 1930, is renowned as a prolific main title designer for 451 motion picture and television sequences.-Film title work:Fitzgerald's first title design was the 1956 film Glory...
. In an overhead view of the cul-de-sac, the camera zooms into the houses which are shown with their occupants. Then clips of the cast members play inside of the paved section of the cul-de-sac as they are credited.
In season 3, the opening credits were changed. In what is probably the best-remembered introduction to the show, Gene Kraft's "scrolling credits" incorporated various clips of the show. Against a black background, scenes of each regular character scrolled from right to left across the screen. Each character received one big box that showed that character in a scene alone, accompanied by 3 or 4 smaller boxes showing that character with other characters.
The opening credits for seasons 9 and 10 featured the camera panning slowly over a painting done by
Sandy DvoreSandy Dvore is an American artist and graphic designer.Dvore first became well-known for designing the cover art for Buffalo Springfield's eponymous album...
. The painting showcased splattered blotches of paint, and was similar to the style of
Jackson PollockPaul Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality and struggled with alcoholism all of...
. As the camera moved over the painting, the actors posed inside of small ovular boxes. In Season 10 they were dropped in favor of color close-ups taken from the show. Complementing these new opening credits was a more demure, sophisticated sounding theme song.
In season 11, the show broke with tradition in its new credits designed by Castle/Bryant/Johnsen. Season 11's opening credits featured no clips of the actor's faces. This sequence shows a beach on which there are sandcastles that resemble the houses of the cul-de-sac, as well as some skyscrapers representing Los Angeles. The camera twists through this sandcastle community as the actors' names come on screen with no accompanying headshots.
The final opening credits, used during seasons 12, 13, and 14, were a return to tradition. Also designed by Castle/Bryant/Johnsen, these credits paid homage to the famous scrolling credits by Gene Kraft. The two were very similar, since both featured clips of the actors moving from right to left across the screen. However, this version was designed to be "safe" for the 1990s. The boxes featuring the clips had colored "frames" around them, and the boxes were all different shaped rectangles. In addition, the "clip boxes" in this version all move at different speeds, while the Kraft opening credits had them all moving at the same speed.
DVD releases
The first season of Knots Landing was released on
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
on March 28, 2006. Fans of the series lobbied
Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . It was re-named Warner Home Video in 1980...
via an online petition at www.knotslanding.net for further releases, and Warner Home Video released Season Two on April 14, 2009. Warner Brothers announced agian that there are no new Knots Landing DVD releases planned
|
DVD Season |
Ep # |
Region 1 |
Region 2 |
Comments |
|
Season 1 |
13 |
March 28, 2006 |
February 19, 2007 |
The first-seasons DVD box set has five single-sided DVDs, which contain the 13 episodes from the first season. The Region 1 and 2 releases include commentaries by actors Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark. The set also includes a featurette/clip from the 2005 Together Again reunion show in which stars Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark reminisce about the series. |
|
Season 2 |
18 |
April 14, 2009 |
TBA |
The second-season DVD box set contains all 18 episodes from that season introducing Donna MillsDonna Mills is an American actress. Among her many television appearances was a continuing role as Abby Cunningham on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing.-Early years:...
as Abby Cunningham. Larry HagmanLarry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director best known for playing J. R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony Nelson in the 1960s sitcom, I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
returns to guest star as J.R. Ewing during this season. There is no bonus material. |
Who lived where
The series' signature cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle, was actually Crystalaire Place in Granada Hills,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, a suburban street in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
'
San Fernando ValleyThe San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in Southern California, United States. More than half of the city of Los Angeles' land area lies within the San Fernando Valley...
about 20 miles north of the Pacific Ocean. The opening credits during the first two seasons were edited in such a way to make it appear that the cul-de-sac was closer to the beach.
16961 Seaview Circle
- Kenny Ward (Seasons 1–4)
- Ginger Ward (Seasons 1–4)
- Erin Molly Ward (Seasons 3–4)
16969 Seaview Circle
- Abby Cunningham (Seasons 2–4, 14–reunion)
- Brian Cunningham (Seasons 2–4)
- Olivia Cunningham (Seasons 2–4)
- Gary Ewing (Season 4)
- Claudia Whittaker (Seasons 12–14)
- Kate Whittaker (Season 12)
- Alex Barth (Season 13)
16975 Seaview Circle
- Richard Avery (Seasons 1–4)
- Laura Avery (Seasons 1–8)
- Jason Avery (Seasons 1–8)
- Daniel Avery (Seasons 4–8)
- Cathy Geary (Seasons 6, 7)
- Anne Matheson (Season 8)
- Patricia Williams (Seasons 9–11)
- Frank Williams (Seasons 9-13)
- Julie Williams (Seasons 9-13)
16972 Seaview Circle
- Karen Cooper Fairgate Mackenzie (Seasons 1-14, reunion)
- Sid Fairgate (Seasons 1-3)
- Diana Fairgate (Seasons 1-4)
- Eric Fairgate (Seasons 1-9)
- Michael Fairgate (Seasons 1-12)
- Joe Cooper (Season 3)
- Mack Mackenzie (Seasons 4-14, reunion)
- Mary Frances Sumner (Season 5)
- Paige Matheson (Seasons 8-10, 13)
- Linda Fairgate (Season 11)
- Meg Mackenzie (Seasons 9-14, reunion)
- Jason Lochner (Seasons 12-13)
- Abby Cunningham (reunion)
16966 Seaview Circle
- Gary Ewing (Seasons 1-3, 13-14, reunion)
- Valene Ewing (Seasons 1-13, 14–reunion)
- Lilimae Clements (Seasons 3-9)
- Chip Roberts (Season 4)
- Joshua Rush (Seasons 6-7)
- Cathy Geary (Seasons 6-7)
- Bobby Ewing (Seasons 7-14, reunion)
- Betsy Ewing (Seasons 7-14, reunion)
- Ben Gibson (Seasons 7-8)
- Aunt Ginny (Seasons 10-12)
- Danny Waleska (Seasons 11-12)
Sources
Roush, Matt. "Series to End After 14 Years". USA Today
. January 11, 1993.
- Nielsen Rating Information from the following source:
Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present: Eighth Edition. 2003. Random House.
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
http://www.knotslandingonline.com/. Interviews ©Arthur Swift.
International
- In the UK, the series premiered on BBC1 in April 1980, in a primetime Saturday night slot. Season 2 began a year later (mid 1981), now in a Friday night slot. Season 3 was not shown until late 1983, and then only half of it was shown, at which point the BBC pulled the series from its Friday night slot with no immediate plans of showing any more episodes. The BBC then brought the series back in late 1986, picking up from the middle of season 3 where they last left off, but now it was screened in the afternoon as part of their new daytime line-up. They continued to screen the series until the end, though UK audiences tended to be some 3 – 4 years behind the US.
- In France
France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, the show was known as "Côte Ouest" (translated as "West Coast") and was firstly shown on TF1TF1 is a private French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 25-35% makes it the most popular domestic network.TF1 is the largest European television channel by its audience...
in 1988 with a new lyrical theme song (in French). The show is rerun from the beginning on FoxLife, a satellite channel broadcasting on CanalSat provider.
- In Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, the show was known as "Unter der Sonne Kaliforniens" The premium digital channel Passion currently airs reruns of all episodes.
- In the Philippines
The Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, it was formerly aired on GMA 7.
- In Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
the show was called "JRs bror - Gary Ewing" (JR's brother - Gary Ewing). The series premiered in 1988 on TV3TV3 is a television channel targeted at a Swedish language audience owned by Modern Times Group . It was founded on December 31, 1987 by entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck as joint Scandinavian channel, but Denmark and Norway soon got their own versions of TV3...
.
- In Ireland
Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, the show wasn't broadcast on terrestrial TV until 1989 (although viewers with access to BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
were able to watch earlier transmissions). RTE-Organisations:* Raidió Teilifís Éireann , the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland* Réseau de transport d'électricité, the French Transmission System Operator -Computing:* Real Time Enterprise...
first broadcast it in late 1989 as part of its early afternoon schedule beginning with the pilot and first season and was shown daily. It proved to be hugely popular and became the most watched show on daytime television and was eventually given an early evening timeslot. In February 1991 (having shown the final episode of Season 9), RTE-Organisations:* Raidió Teilifís Éireann , the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland* Réseau de transport d'électricité, the French Transmission System Operator -Computing:* Real Time Enterprise...
moved the show from a daily afternoon timeslot, to a weekly primetime Thursday night slot on its sister channel Network Two (now RTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is Ireland's second-oldest television channel, operated by Irish state broadcaster RTÉ. RTÉ Two is universally available throughout the island of Ireland on the VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of Sky Digital.-History:There had been much debate...
. All remaining episodes were shown without break (the end of each season was followed by the first episode of the next season the following week) until Christmas 1993 when the final episode was broadcast followed by the retrospective 'Knots Landing Block Party'. Although pitted against RTÉ OneRTÉ One is Ireland's oldest and most popular television channel, operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
's 9pm news, it still achieved high ratings each week .
- In Israel
Israel officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
, the show aired on The Family Channel (later on renamed as Channel 3) on Cable TV on Fridays evening, 19:00 from 1990 for the entire first four seasons. Later on, it aired Sundays 21:45 for the season & a half that followed, from February 1992. That a prestigious time slot, since mega-popular Dallas & Dynasty aired that time in the one-channeled era of 80' Israeli TV. on 15/11/1992 the show begaun its entire run all over again from the beginning, every night weekdays at 20:45, right after the evening news, which bolsterd its audience. All 14 seasons aired by April 1994. The show had another similar entire run shortwhile afterwards in the afternoons (15:50) & the last five seasons at nights (01:30) from the end of 1995. Back To The Cul-De-Sac aired as a holiday special at autumn 1997, & the Together Again special never aired. The show is remembered as one of the most popular series in the beginning of cable TV in Israel, which enjoyed vast & fast growth in the country.
External links