J. R. Ewing subterfuges to plunder his foes' wealth. The original series concept was a blend of "Bonanza" with a rich, western patriarch and his three dissimilar sons, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with its rival brothers, and their scheming wives, and "Romeo and Juliet" with two star-crossed lovers whose families are sworn enemies. The focus of the series was initially the feuding families, with J.R. just a supporting character, but his popularity grew and the producers acknowledged he became the breakout character. Two highly rated 1980 episodes became part of a cultural phenomenon that year known as "Who shot J.R.?". In
What Were You Hoping For? like he's exploring the idea of a genre more than actually writing a song". He cited drummer Ruth Price as the record's "the secret weapon". Jon Caramanica of "The New York Times" called it "a messy album, sometimes thrillingly so, a mélange of psychedelic rock, punk energy and R&B desperation". Although "What You Were Hoping For?" was acclaimed by critics, it received some backlash from Hunt's fanbase and listeners, who were ambivalent about its stylistic departure from his previous work. He addressed the criticism in an interview for the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel": "Other recording artists will supply their fans with