The series revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Dallas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. It focuses mainly on Christopher Ewing (Jesse Metcalfe), the son of Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and Pamela Barnes Ewing[13] (Victoria Principal), and John Ross Ewing III (Josh Henderson), the son of J.R. (Larry Hagman) and Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray). Both John Ross and Christopher were born during the original series' run and were featured in it as children (although played by different actors). Now grown up, John Ross has become almost a carbon copy of his father, bent on oil, money, and power. Christopher, meanwhile, has become a lot like Bobby, in that he is more interested in the upkeep of Southfork Ranch. As an additional point of contention, Christopher is also becoming a player in alternative energy (methane clathrate recovery), thereby eschewing the oil business. However, John Ross is determined to resurrect the Ewings' former position in the oil industry. John Ross states in season one that he is JR's eldest child, which contradicts the storyline in the original series where JR's illegitimate older son James Beaumont appeared in seasons 12â13.
Alongside John Ross and Christopher, original series characters Bobby, JR, and Sue Ellen return as full cast members for the new series. Additional familiar characters, including JR's and Bobby's niece Lucy Ewing Cooper (Charlene Tilton), their half brother Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), and Ewing family rival Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) appear occasionally as guest stars.[14][15] Various other actors/characters from the original series also make appearances, including Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper), Cathy Podewell (Cally Harper Ewing) and Deborah Shelton (Mandy Winger). Ted Shackleford and Joan Van Ark, who first appeared on Dallas in the late 1970s before joining the spin-off series Knots Landing, also returns as Gary and Valene Ewing.
New main characters that made their appearances in the first season included Bobby's third wife, Ann (Brenda Strong); Christopher's new wife, originally introduced as 'Rebecca Sutter' but later revealed to be Pamela Rebecca Barnes Ewing (Julie Gonzalo), the daughter of Cliff Barnes and Afton Cooper; and Elena Ramos (Jordana Brewster), the daughter of Ewing family cook Carmen Ramos (Marlene Forte), who is caught in a love triangle with Christopher and John Ross. Harris Ryland (Mitch Pileggi) plays Ann's villainous ex-husband. New main characters that made their appearances in the second season included Ann and Harris's daughter, Emma Ryland (Emma Bell), and Elena Ramos's brother Drew Ramos (Kuno Becker). In the second season, Judith Brown Ryland (Judith Light) joined the cast as Harris Ryland's controlling mother, while in season three Nicolas TreviÃ±o (Juan Pablo Di Pace) joined as a childhood friend of Elena and Drew's who returns to help Cliff Barnes take over the Ewing oil company.
Where are the ewings from?
Dallas