Tonya Crowe, Nicolette Sheridan, William Devane, Teri Austin, Kevin Dobson, Michele Lee.
Popular 80’s drama series helped pave way for Desperate Housewives, This Is Us still standing after all these years
Padded shoulders. Outlandish hairstyles and knitted leg warmers. All undeniably associated with the beloved 80s genre. The decade was filled with fun and excitement without ever taking itself too seriously. The era overflowed with pure entertainment and lighthearted drama. Blended into the dramatization—primetime soap operas.
In the early-to-late 80s, TV shows like Dallas, Dynasty and The Colbys dominated the television screen and gave viewers an hour glimpse into the lives of the rich, famous and, sometimes dysfunctional family [think Real Housewives].
However, there was one among the herd that gave a completely different take on household drama, mostly targeting the middle-class suburbanites. That series was Knots Landing.
Knots Landing was the little brother (or sister) to the Southwest hit-series Dallas. The spin-off production, originally spawned from Ingmar Bergman’s film Scenes from a Marriage, would go on to win several Emmys and a host of Soap Opera Awards— yearly. Category nominations included Best Musical Score, Best Leading Actress or Actor in Primetime Role to Best Villainess. Added with healthy doses of suspense and irony, Knots Landing became a quintessential name in primetime television.
Another strong attribute of the show was its cast. Ted Shackelford, played Gary Ewing (the black sheep of the Ewing clan), along with Joan Van Ark (Valene Ewing) gave stellar performances as a homegrown Texas couple starting their lives over in Los Angeles. Additional cast members included William Devane, Michelle Lee, Donna Mills, Alec Baldwin, Lisa Hartman, the late Julie Harris and Kevin Dobson, who all each mastered their own iconic roles. Tragically, Dobson died from auto-immune deficiency earlier this month (RIP Dobson).
Set in a ‘some-what’ fictitious cul-de-sac located in California, Knots Landing’s story arc was anything but. The show’s creator, David Jacobs (also Dallas’ author) noted that the series [sic] was actually put on the back-burner long before it was re-introduced to the CBS network (eventually debuting in 1980). Largely because of the success and huge ratings from its predecessor, Jacobs later convinced the network to revisit the prospect of adding Knots Landing back into the fold; One major opposition—it would only center around middle-class families and deal with relatable storylines. The end result later proved to be a success keeping Knots in the primetime market for 14 years—a year longer than its precursor.
I was tired of playing goody-two-shoes and wanted to pursue a different kind of image. So this role was ideal for providing that.”
–Donna Mills
In an article from Watch Magazine, Jacobs discussed how he was reluctant to stay away from uncanny subplots involving cat fights (Dynasty) or the occasional UFO abduction (The Colbys). Instead, Jacobs chose to focus on issues that everyday people were experiencing like infidelity, domestic and alcohol abuse. Something no other show did until Knots took the wheel.
“Sure, we had our killings, beat-downs and crimes,” Jacobs recalls, “but we also dealt with problems people were experiencing that other shows wouldn’t deal with in that time. In that sense, I think the other child of Knots Landing is Big Little Lies.”
Another key point was Knots ability to embrace what was trending (at that time) to attract younger audiences. The nighttime show was also the first to feature original music scores in several of its episodes, particularly with B-singer/actress Lisa Hartman (who played Ciji/Cathy Geary). Even more surprising, Hartman soon after released a 10-track album, Letterrock, which lists songs from the series and a few cover tracks. But that’s a whole nother story in itself.
Knots can also take some credit for jumpstarting the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest actors. Among the list—Oscar winners Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton and Helen Hunt. In addition, the show was also fortunate enough to nap the late screen legend, Ava Gardner. Gardner’s character, Ruth Sumner, were written into several episodes playing the powerful and maleficent mother of Senator Greg Sumner (played by William Devane).
However, of all Knots brilliant characters, the one that stood out the most—Abby Fairgate-Cunningham-Ewing (whew!).
Longtime actress Donna Mills portrayal of the villainess Abby Ewing helped catapult the soap drama to great heights. Abby, the conniving neighborhood mistress was bought in the second season in order to add spice to the series [Someone equivalent to the devilish JR Ewing of Dallas fame]. In an online interview, Mills expressed gratitude for the role as Abby, although at first, she was completely oblivious to the character’s objective.
“I didn’t know about the show, but at that time in my career, I was tired of playing goody-two-shoes and wanted to pursue a different kind of image,” Mills said. “And this role was ideal for providing that for me.”
Mostly, what made Knots Landing adored by millions of fans was the writing. It never showcased ‘over the top’ scenarios other dramas of that period did. Also, in jest, the show pulled no punches with it’s content which ranged from long-lost children, murder-suicide, amnesia, date rape and it’s most successful season plot—(Valene’s) stolen babies. All necessary ingredients that kept viewers coming back each week for more.
In fact, those are some of the reasons why this show is still considered a ‘cult’ classic. Come to think of it, its the very reason why I am—to this day—still tied in knots!
Below is a quick and hilarious rundown of Knots Landing over the years (if you know nothing about the show) along with some crazy and never-seen-before bloopers.