Dallas: J.R. Returns Dallas: J.R. Returns Dallas: J.R. Returns is a 1996 American made-for-television drama film and is the first of two "Dallas" reunion films, produced after the series went off the air in 1991. It originally aired on CBS on November 15, 1996, and was rerun as part of TV Land's salute to 50 years of Warner Bros. Television. The cliffhanger ending of the 1991 "Dallas" series finale is resolved. The gunshot J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) fired was at the mirror, not himself (despite there being no sound of shattered glass when he pulled the trigger). Several years later, J.R. is in
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