Dallas rides again, with TNT announcing a Season 3 for Larry Hagman-less Ewings
04/30/13 04:21 PM
By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom
Larry Hagman’s death and a big ratings dip in Season 2 haven’t deterred TNT from ordering a 15-episode Season 3 of Dallas.
The network made it official Tuesday afternoon, with TNT programming head Michael Wright saying in a statement, “Dallas has built a passionately loyal following with its expertly woven story lines, clever twists and turns, and numerous outstanding performances by a cast that spans generations. Although we said goodbye to Larry Hagman and his iconic character J.R. Ewing this year, Dallas has many more stories left to tell, and the Ewing clan will continue to honor J.R.’s memory by keeping its audience surprised and delighted.
Season 3 will launch early next year, TNT says. In its second season, Dallas averaged 3.8 million in the Live +7 Nielsen ratings, which account for delayed viewing over a week’s time. Season 1 averaged 6.4 million viewers in this measurement.
In same night viewing, Dallas fell from an average of 4.5 million to 2.6 million viewers. Co-produced by Cynthia Cidre, Michael M. Robin and Robert Rovner, the second coming of Dallas has been filmed entirely in the North Texas area.
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While on the subject of renewals, let’s catch up on a few other recent network announcements.
NBC has given 22-episode renewals for next season to Parenthood, Revolution, Grimm, Chicago Fire and Law & Order: SVU.
CBS will bring back Two and a Half Men for an 11th season, with Jon Cryer and Ashton Kutcher both inked to one-year deals while Angus T. Jones at best will be a recurring presence after denouncing the series as “filth” late last year.
The No. 1-rated network is pretty much re-upping everything for Fall 2013, with only CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, Vegas, Golden Boy and Rules of Engagement still “on the bubble” among series currently airing. Criminal Minds is expected to return, however, after contractual details are worked out.
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