Dynasty (1981 TV series, season 2)

The second season of Dynasty originally aired in the United States on ABC from November 11, 1981 through May 5, 1982. The series, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy family residing in Denver, Colorado.

Dynasty
Season 2
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseNovember 11, 1981 (1981-11-11) –
May 5, 1982 (1982-05-05)
Season chronology

Season two stars John Forsythe as millionaire oil magnate Blake Carrington; Linda Evans as his wife Krystle; Pamela Sue Martin as Blake and Alexis's headstrong daughter Fallon; Al Corley as Blake and Alexis's earnest son Steven; John James as Fallon's ex-husband Jeff Colby; Lloyd Bochner as Jeff's uncle, Cecil Colby; Pamela Bellwood as Claudia Blaisdel, the widow of Krystle's former lover; Heather Locklear as Krystle's troublemaking niece Sammy Jo; Lee Bergere as Carrington majordomo Joseph Anders; and James Farentino as psychologist Dr. Nicholas Toscanni. The season also introduced Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington, Blake's ex-wife and the mother of Fallon and Steven.

Development

In the first episode of the second season, titled "Enter Alexis", the mysterious witness from the season one finale removes her sunglasses to reveal British actress Joan Collins as a new arrival to the series.[1] Series creators Richard and Esther Shapiro conceived the character as Blake's ex-wife Madeline, who they intended to be played by Sophia Loren for four to six episodes.[2][3] Writers Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock, brought in for season two, renamed her Alexis, told Aaron Spelling that Loren was not right for the part, and warned him that "If you get rid of this character in four episodes, you are throwing away hundreds of millions of dollars."[2] Collins said in 2018 that in addition to Loren, producers pursued Elizabeth Taylor and Jessica Walter.[4] According to Collins, "They were waiting for Jessica until the very last minute, so they didn't cast me until two weeks before we started shooting."[4]

Collins's Alexis Carrington blazed a trail across the show and its story lines.[1] The additions of Collins and the Pollocks are generally credited with Dynasty's subsequent rise in the Nielsen ratings.[1] Esther Shapiro said the season one DVD commentary, "When Alexis came into it, it changed the tenor...And that's the way they are now on television: you have your traditional villain, and I think that plays to a different denominator."[5] The Pollocks "soft-pedaled the business angle" of the show and "bombarded viewers with every soap opera staple in the book, presented at such a fast clip that a new tragedy seemed to befall the Carrington family every five minutes."[1] The second season was ranked #19 in the United States.[6][7]

Corley left Dynasty at the end of the second season in 1982,[1][8] after complaining publicly in Interview that "Steven doesn't have any fun... He doesn't laugh; he has no humor".[9] Corley also lamented Steven's "ever-shifting sexual preferences",[10] and stated that he wanted "to do other things".[8]

Plot

The surprise witness at Blake's murder trial is his ex-wife Alexis, Fallon and Steven's mother. Her testimony about his character is damaging, and while Fallon is icy to the mother she feels abandoned her, Steven is drawn to Alexis. The former Mrs. Carrington's testimony notwithstanding, Krystle is immediately put off by Alexis's condescending attitude and manipulations. Later, Krystle's discovery that Alexis had caused her miscarriage by intentionally startling her horse with a gunshot settles Alexis as Krystle's implacable nemesis. Other new characters of the season are the psychiatrist Nick Toscanni, who tries to seduce Krystle while bedding Fallon and plotting against Blake; and Krystle's greedy niece Sammy Jo Dean (Heather Locklear), who marries Steven for his money. The season finale sees Blake left for dead on a mountain after a fight with Nick.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
161"Enter Alexis"Gabrielle BeaumontStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		November 11, 1981 (1981-11-11)[11]S-014TBA
Dynasty moved from Monday nights to Wednesdays for season two. Dynasty was preempted by the two-hour series premiere of The Fall Guy on November 4, 1981.[12]
172"The Verdict"Gabrielle BeaumontStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		November 18, 1981 (1981-11-18)[13]S-01522.70
183"Alexis' Secret"Richard KinonStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		November 25, 1981 (1981-11-25)[14]S-016TBA
194"Fallon's Father"Bob SweeneyStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Mann Rubin		December 2, 1981 (1981-12-02)[15]S-01720.90
205"Reconciliation"Jerome CourtlandStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		December 9, 1981 (1981-12-09)[16]S-018TBA
216"Viva Las Vegas"Alf KjellinStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		December 16, 1981 (1981-12-16)[17]S-019TBA
227"The Miscarriage"Irving J. MooreStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		December 23, 1981 (1981-12-23)[18]S-020TBA
238"The Mid-East Meeting"Gabrielle BeaumontStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Elisabeth & Richard Wilson		January 6, 1982 (1982-01-06)[19]S-021TBA
Dynasty was preempted by the ABC Wednesday Night Movie Summer Solstice on December 30, 1981.[20]
249"The Psychiatrist"Irving J. MooreStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Shimon Wincelberg		January 13, 1982 (1982-01-13)[21]S-022TBA
2510"Sammy Jo and Steven Marry"Jerome CourtlandStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		January 20, 1982 (1982-01-20)[22]S-02319.40
2611"The Car Explosion"Irving J. MooreStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		January 27, 1982 (1982-01-27)[23]S-02420.30
2712"Blake's Blindness"Jeff BlecknerStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Lorraine Despres		February 3, 1982 (1982-02-03)[24]S-025TBA
2813"The Hearing"Bob SweeneyStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Shimon Wincelberg		February 10, 1982 (1982-02-10)[25]S-02620.90
2914"The Iago Syndrome"Jerome Courtland & Alf KjellinStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Shimon Wincelberg		February 17, 1982 (1982-02-17)[26]S-02721.70
3015"The Party"Gwen ArnerStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		February 24, 1982 (1982-02-24)[27]S-028TBA
3116"The Baby"Jerome CourtlandStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		March 3, 1982 (1982-03-03)[28]S-02921.80
3217"Mother and Son"Lawrence DobkinStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		March 17, 1982 (1982-03-17)[29]S-03023.00
Dynasty was preempted by a repeat of the two-hour series premiere of The Fall Guy on March 10, 1982.[30]
3318"The Gun"Philip LeacockStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		March 24, 1982 (1982-03-24)[31]S-03123.70[32]
3419"The Fragment"Irving J. Moore & Edward LeddingStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		April 7, 1982 (1982-04-07)[33]S-03221.00
Dynasty was preempted by a Cheryl Ladd special called Scenes from a Special on March 31, 1982.[34]
3520"The Shakedown"Philip LeacockStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Daniel King Benton		April 14, 1982 (1982-04-14)[35]S-033TBA
3621"The Two Princes"Irving J. MooreStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		April 28, 1982 (1982-04-28)[36]S-03421.40
Dynasty was preempted by an ABC News Special on Fortress Israel on April 21, 1982.[37] This episode features the final appearance of Al Corley as Steven in the regular series.
3722"The Cliff"Jerome CourtlandStory by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock
Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio		May 5, 1982 (1982-05-05)[38]S-03522.70

Reception

In season two, Dynasty was ranked #19 in the United States with a 20.2 Nielsen rating.[6][7]

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References
  1. Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. pp. 80–84. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
  2. Klein, Joe (September 2, 1985). "The Real Star of Dynasty". New York. pp. 32–39. Retrieved June 1, 2017 – via Google Books.
  3. Hack, Richard. "Portraying of Characters: Casting (Excerpt of Aaron Spelling/Douglas S. Cramer interview)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2009 – via UltimateDynasty.net.
  4. Bagley, Christopher (December 11, 2018). "Joan Collins Dishes on Dynasty, Her Diet, and the Monstrous Men in Her Past". W. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  5. Mar, Alex (May 25, 2011). "The Dynasty That Could Have Been". Slate. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  6. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (October 2007). "Top-Rated Programs by Season". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9th ed.). pp. 1689–1692. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  7. "TV Ratings: 1981–82". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  8. Miller, Samantha; Griffiths, John (June 22, 1998). "Rising Son". People. Vol. 49, No. 24. pp. 193–194. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  9. Lardine, Bob; Wallace, David; Mackay, Kathy (May 10, 1982). "Dynasty Cleans House". People. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  10. Gliatto, Tom; Sheff, Vicki (August 5, 1991). "Alexis Strikes Again!". People. 36 (4). pp. 66–68. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  11. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 11, 1981.
  12. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 4, 1981.
  13. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 18, 1981.
  14. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 25, 1981.
  15. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 2, 1981.
  16. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 9, 1981.
  17. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 16, 1981.
  18. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 23, 1981.
  19. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 6, 1982.
  20. "TV Listings". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. December 30, 1982.
  21. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 13, 1982.
  22. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 20, 1982.
  23. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 27, 1982.
  24. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. February 3, 1982.
  25. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. February 10, 1982.
  26. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. February 17, 1982.
  27. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. February 24, 1982.
  28. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 3, 1982.
  29. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 17, 1982.
  30. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 10, 1982.
  31. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 24, 1982.
  32. "Episode List: Dynasty (1981–1983)". TV Tango. p. 1. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  33. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. April 7, 1982.
  34. "TV Listings". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. March 31, 1982.
  35. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. April 14, 1982.
  36. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. April 28, 1982.
  37. "TV Listings". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. April 21, 1982.
  38. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. May 5, 1982.
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