A House Divided (Dallas) A House Divided (Dallas) "A House Divided" is the 25th and final episode of the third season (1979–80 season) and 54th overall of the American television series "Dallas". It is the episode known for spawning the eight-month "Who shot J.R.?" hysteria. The episode ended with the mysterious shooting of J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) in his office by an assailant that would not be revealed until the following season. The episode served as both an introduction to the now common practice of season-ending cliffhangers and the beginning of an eight-month international media frenzy. The mystery was resolved in the fourth episode
Larry Hagman his return in the fourth season. Holding out for a higher salary, Hagman did not appear in the first episode of the show until the final few minutes. Producers were faced with a dilemma whether to pay the greatly increased salary or to write J.R. out of the program. Lorimar Productions, the makers of the series, began shooting different scenes of "Dallas" which did not include Hagman. In the midst of negotiations, Hagman took his family to London for their July vacation. He continued to fight for his demands and network executives conceded that they wanted J.R. to remain on