Dallas (1978 TV series) ended in May 1991, J.R. was the only character to have appeared in every episode. The show was famous for its cliffhangers, including the "Who shot J.R.?" mystery. The 1980 episode "Who Done It" remains the second highest rated prime-time telecast ever. The show also featured a "Dream Season,” in which the entirety of season 9 was revealed to have been a dream of Pam Ewing. After 14 seasons, the series finale "Conundrum" aired in 1991. The show is mostly an ensemble cast, with Larry Hagman as greedy, scheming oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, stage/screen actress Barbara Bel Geddes as family
A House Divided (Dallas) was so strong that actor Larry Hagman had a 10-day holdout in which he demanded $100,000 (equivalent to $ in ) per episode, while Lorimar Productions offered $55,000 (equivalent to $ in ). After 10 days, Hagman agreed to work filming the subsequent season for $75,000 (equivalent to $ in ) per episode. Hagman had been working for $25,000 (equivalent to $ in ) per episode. The episode earned Fred W. Berger an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award for Best Edited Episode from a Television Series and earned Irving J. Moore a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing