'Dallas' Season 3 Finale: Which Ewing Will Die?

A Ewing will die on the Season 3 finale of TNT's Dallas on Monday, September 22.

Dallas wraps up its third season on TNT with back-to-back episodes on Monday, September 22, starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT. A promo for the season finale reveals "one Ewing will die!" Before we get into who may be leaving the series, here are the official synopses for the episodes:

"Endgame" – 9 p.m. ET/PT
While Christopher races to find Elena, Bobby is double-crossed by the cartel. No longer able to sit by, John Ross puts his own life on the line to attempt a rescue. Meanwhile, Nicolas tries to prove himself to Elena by making a deal with the authorities that puts him on a collision course with John Ross' plan and places both their lives in jeopardy.

"Brave New World" – 10 p.m. ET/PT
In the electrifying third season finale, the Ewings and the Rylands finally force the cartel to pay the piper as some lives are saved and others are lost. Bobby and Sue Ellen form a new alliance to protect the family, which pits them against John Ross, who is still trying to regain control of Ewing Global and fix his marriage to Pamela. And Elena is pushed to the brink when she finds out the real depths of Nicolas' betrayal. As the season comes to an end, enemies are unmasked, new alliances are formed, and John Ross learns a shocking secret about J.R. that sends him halfway around the globe in search of a surprising new cohort. Melinda Clarke guest stars as Tracey McKay.

Watch the season finale promo below and read our thoughts on which Ewing may meet their maker on Monday night.



We've seen misleading promos for television shows before so is there a chance no actual Ewing family members will die? Not according to executive producer Cynthia Cidre. While she didn't reveal any specifics, she confirmed to Dallas Decoder that the character that dies is named Ewing. "It's a Ewing we know well," she said. She wouldn't say if the character is played by one of the main cast members on TNT's Dallas, or if the show would kill someone from the original series.

Dallas producers decided to kill off the character for storyline purposes, not because the actor or actress wanted to leave, Cidre said.

"It's really what serves the story. We knew we wanted to hit something big at the end of the season. This is our first year without Larry [Hagman], and we wanted to make our own name in the Dallas universe. It’s a pretty amazing scene," she said.

So which Ewing will die? Below are the potential options broken down by the how likely they are to happen.

LIKELY/VERY POSSIBLE
* Ann Ewing (Brenda Strong): Bobby went to Mexico to rescue the kidnapped Ann and Emma but is double-crossed by the cartel. Will Ann be caught in the crossfire?  And if her death can be blamed, even partially, on Harris or Judith, it could make the bitter Ewing-Ryland relationship even more sour. Tracey McKay could fill the romantic void in Bobby's life next season.

* Christopher Ewing (Jesse Metcalfe): Christopher, whose rivalry with John Ross was central to the show during its first two seasons, has taken a backseat this year as the battle for power between John Ross and Bobby escalated. But would Dallas actually kill off Bobby's son and a star that receives top billing in every other episode?

DOUBTFUL BUT MAYBE
* Pamela Barnes Ewing (Julie Gonzalo): Pamela's death could trigger new storylines for Season 4 (Cliff's bitter return, John Ross looking for avenge her death) but it would be sad to see Cliff's daughter killed off, especially with Cliff currently rotting away in prison.

NOT VERY LIKELY
* Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy): Anything is possible but this seems unlikely with his role as the Ewing family patriarch so important to the show.

* Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray): A Sue Ellen death might cause more outrage than for any other character. As the mother of John Ross and a key ally of Bobby, losing Sue Ellen would leave a huge hole in the show that could not be replaced.

* John Ross Ewing III (Josh Henderson): While John Ross and Christopher have shared the spotlight since Dallas returned on TNT, John Ross has been the breakout character and one the show would not give up. Plus, Elena is likely to be dealing with a "Who's the Daddy?" storyline next season, and what fun is that if one of the possible fathers is dead?

UNLIKELY - BLAST FROM THE PAST
Since the death is storyline-driven, there are some potential characters from the original Dallas that could be killed off to propel story in Season 4.

* Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford): Gary's death could leave Bobby and John Ross battling for his Southfork mineral rights. It doesn't seem to fit in with the finale story about the cartel, though, unless Gary is killed as retribution to the Ewing family.

* Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly): Ray doesn't use the last name Ewing but the character has made appearances on TNT's Dallas. During that time, Bobby's son with Jenna Wade, Lucas Krebbs, who was raised by Ray, was not mentioned. Ray's death could bring Lucas to Dallas.

* Lucy Ewing (Charlene Tilton) or James Beaumont (Sasha Mitchell): Either could be killed by the cartel for some reason but it's hard to imagine a scenario where this happens. J.R.'s son, James, hasn't even been acknowledged in the series.

TNT has not yet renewed Dallas for a fourth season but Cidre has delivered a 60-page bible outlining the new storylines to TNT and Warner Bros., and the first few scripts have been written. Cidre said the network would probably announce the renewal in October, and cameras would start rolling about six weeks later.

To find out which Ewing dies, watch Dallas on Monday from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT on TNT.

RELATED:
* 'Dallas' Season 3 Finale Cliffhanger: A Ewing Died and a Big J.R. Secret Revealed