Today in Soap Opera History (October 8)

"The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1968: On The Doctors, Congressman Jason Randall (M. Emmet Walsh) arrived at Hope Memorial for a hospital tour with a posse of reporters, flustering Nurse Simpson (Carolee Campbell).

1969: On Dark Shadows, Count Andreas Petofi (David Selby), in Quentin's body, informed Angelique she had to follow his orders in the future. Julia (Grayson Hall) realized that Petofi (Thayer David) was really Quentin but then disappeared back to 1969.

'Dallas' and 'DeVanity' Star Charlene Tilton Featured on Tonight's 'Oprah: Where Are They Now?'

Dallas star Charlene Tilton won an Indie Series Award in 2014 for her work on DeVanity.

In the next all-new episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now?, Oprah sits down with David Kaczynski who, following a series of bombings that killed three Americans and injured 24 others, contacted the FBI and told them that he believed his brother Ted might be the notorious “Unabomber.” Celebrity updates include Leah Remini, Darryl Strawberry and Dallas actress Charlene Tilton, airing Saturday, May 16 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

Watch a sneak peek of the episode below:

Linda Gray Joins Cast of Hallmark Channel Movie 'A Perfect Wedding'

Linda Gray has joined the cast of Hallmark Channel movie A Perfect Wedding. Photo Credit: Sven Doornkaat Photography

Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress Linda Gray (Dallas) has been cast in A Perfect Wedding, a Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere June 2015, part of the network’s June Wedding Month.

Gray will star alongside Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) and Paul Greene (“Bitten”) in this heartwarming romantic comedy where she portrays the mother of a groom who fears her son’s wedding could be a recipe for disaster when the couple have dueling opinions on their big day. Two wedding planners, played by McKellar and Greene, are brought on board to make sure both sides of the family get the wedding of their dreams.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Dallas' Season 3 Deleted Scene from Upcoming DVD Release

Patrick Duffy stars as Bobby Ewing on Dallas.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group is releasing "Dallas: The Complete Third and Final Season" on DVD January 13, bringing Dallas back for more backstabbing, feuding and passion - and at the end of the season, a Ewing will die! This three-disc DVD collector's set features all 15 episodes from the third season, including deleted scenes.

Serial Scoop has an exclusive sneak peek from the release that you can watch here first. In the deleted scene below, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) tells Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) and Ann (Brenda Strong) about the plans John Ross is making to remodel Southfork.

'Dallas' Will Not Continue, Warner Horizon Unable To Find Beloved Series a New Home

An effort by fans and producers of the television show Dallas to save the canceled series have come to an end. The executive producers of the iconic series announced Wednesday they are halting efforts to find a new home for the show.

Hi Friends,

Well, we have come to the end. After a 6-week attempt to try and land our beloved “Dallas” at another network, we have to inform you that we have not succeeded. Warner Horizon has attempted, in a Herculean way, to try and find us a new home, but at the end of the day it did not work out.

We so appreciate the outpouring of support by all of you, and the #SaveDallas campaign was a truly remarkable undertaking. We cannot fully express how much we loved making this show for you and with you. We had 3 wonderful years together, and we had the times of our lives bringing this iconic show back to television. Thank you for your support; thank you for your loyalty to our wonderful characters; and thank you for watching our show.

We wish you all our very best, and thank you again for loving “Dallas.”

With great admiration and appreciation,
Cynthia Cidre and Michael Robin

FIRST LOOK: Juan Pablo di Pace as Jesus in NBC's 'A.D.'

Juan Pablo di Pace as Jesus

NBC has released the first look at the highly anticipated miniseries A.D., which premieres Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015.

A.D. is the sequel to the History Channel's top-rated The Bible. Juan Pablo di Pace will star as Jesus.

The 35-year-old Argentina native's credits include the NBC series Camp and TNT's reboot of Dallas.

Di Pace was among those to announce the news Wednesday, when he expressed his excitement to his 4,000 Instagram followers and 16,600 Twitter disciples.

Executive-produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the 12-episode A.D. is slated to coincide with the Easter season. That's appropriate timing, as the Bible series ended with the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.

According to People magazine, the sequel "will focus on the fallout and the impact the crucifixion had on Jesus’ mother, Mary, his disciples and key political and religious leaders."

Check out one more sneak peek photo below:

'Dallas' Showrunner: "There's CMT, There's Reelz, There's WGN, There are A Lot of Possibilities"

Dallas showrunner Cynthia Cidre revealed some interesting information in a new Yahoo TV interview regarding the potential future of the beloved series, recently canceled by TNT after three seasons. Netflix or other streaming services were thought by some to be the perfect place for Dallas to continue but foreign deals in place for the show take them out of the equation.

"A streaming service is not compatible with our foreign deals, unfortunately, because those deals are all very profitable, and the rest of the world loves Dallas," Cidre explained. "So I think we're looking at cable. There's CMT, there's Reelz, there's WGN, there are a lot of possibilities."

While the viewership numbers for Dallas decreased for TNT over three seasons, the audience that still watches is very loyal, and that makes a difference.

"We may only get 3.3 million [viewers] or something, but those are people you can count on and who will find it if it moves to a different network," said Cidre. "You don't even have to do this massive advertising. It's not like a casual fan who drops in and enjoys the show for three weeks and then decides they're going to go watch something else."

A "Save Dallas" petition created by fans currently has over 76,000 signatures. Sign it here.

RELATED:
* Save 'Dallas'! Can the Beloved TV Series Find a New Home?
* 'Dallas' Season 3 Finale Cliffhanger: A Ewing Died and a Big J.R. Secret Revealed
* Jesse Metcalfe to Guest Star on '2 Broke Girls' November 3

Jesse Metcalfe to Guest Star on '2 Broke Girls' November 3

Dallas' Jesse Metcalfe will guest star on the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls next month.

In the episode, titled "And The DJ Face," Max (Kat Dennings) is embarrassed when she discovers her Tuesday night boyfriend is a DJ at a grocery chain. Metcalfe plays the DJ.

Natalie Dreyfuss (The Originals) also appears as Hilary.

The episode is scheduled to air on Monday, November 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Save 'Dallas'! Can the Beloved TV Series Find a New Home?

On Friday, TNT announced it was canceling Dallas after three seasons on the network. The return of the legendary show, from Warner Bros. Television, premiered to strong ratings in June 2012, and averaged 4.5 million viewers that year as a summer series. The network debuted the second season in January 2013, and the viewership totals dropped in part due to increased competition, the move to a new night (from Wednesday to Monday), and no real lead-in to support the show. Season 3 in 2014 was split into halves, with 8 episodes airing in the winter, then 7 more in late summer. Despite averaging under 2 million viewers, Dallas had solid DVR increases, and a very strong social media presence.

After taking a moment to mourn the beloved series, fans quickly realized this wasn't necessarily the end, and began organizing a "Save Dallas" (#SaveDallas) campaign. TNT may have decided not to continue airing the show but another TV network could still pick it up. Or perhaps Dallas could air online via Amazon, Yahoo or Hulu? What about Netflix? There are so many options!

Dallas stars Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray have not given up on the show finding a new home, based on these tweets from Saturday:

'Dallas' Canceled by TNT After Three Seasons

A week after the shocking third season finale of Dallas in which Christopher Ewing (Jesse Matcalfe) died in a car explosion, TNT has canceled the series.

"We are extremely proud of the series, which defied expectations by standing as a worthy continuation of the Ewing saga," a TNT spokesperson said. "We want to thank everyone involved with the show, from the extraordinary cast to the impeccable production team, led by the show's creative forces, Cynthia Cidre and Mike Robin. We especially want to thank the people of Dallas for their warm and generous hospitality during the production of the series."

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

If you haven't watched tonight's episode of TNT's Dallas yet, there are major spoilers below. A Ewing was murdered and a huge secret from J.R.'s past was revealed.

'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.

'Dallas' Preview: The Worst of Enemies Make the Strangest of Allies

Judith Ryland (Judith Light). Photo Credit: Skip Bolen

Don't miss tonight's new episode ("Boxed In") of Dallas at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TNT. This is the last Season 3 episode before next week's two-hour finale.

In the wake of the kidnapping, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) puts everything on the line to save the lives of Ann (Brenda Strong) and Emma (Emma). John Ross (Josh Henderson) and Pamela (Julie Gonzalo) form a truce of sorts. Elena (Jordana Brewster), who's been in hiding with Nicolas (Juan Pablo Di Pace), finally learns the truth about his connections to the cartel, which sends her spiraling. Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) desperately searches for Elena, fearing for her safety. And Bobby is forced to make a choice he never anticipated.

Check out a sneak peek video below:

Denny Miller Dead at 80

Actor Denny Miller, whose diverse film and television roles ranged from the first blond Tarzan on the big screen to scout Duke Shannon in the classic TV Western Wagon Train, has died. He was 80.

Miller, who wore a yellow rain slicker as the Gorton’s Fisherman in TV commercials for the seafood company for more than a decade, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) in January and died Tuesday in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-4 Miller, who played basketball at UCLA for legendary coach John Wooden in the 1950s, also is known for his role as Western movie actor "Wyoming" Bill Kelso in the 1968 Peter Sellers comedy The Party.

'Dallas' Preview: Ewing Global Goes Public, Bobby Seeks Help From Tracey McKay

Judith Ryland (Judith Light). Photo Credit: Skip Bolen

As Ewing Global goes public, twists and turns abound while everyone scrambles to claim ownership as the third season TNT's Dallas continues on Monday, September 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

In the episode, titled "Victims of Love," Pamela (Julie Gonzalo)struggles with what to do now that she knows Cliff (Ken Kercheval) didn't really kill J.R., and Bobby (Patrick Duffy) seeks the aide of an old flame Tracey McKay (guest star Melinda Clarke) to help get back control of the company. Meanwhile, Judith (Judith Light) and Harris (Mitch Pileggi) work to fix their own problems with the cartel, which ends up putting lives in the balance and aligning the Rylands and Ewings in a way no one ever expected.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

'Dallas' Ratings: 1.931 Million Viewers on Labor Day

Elena (Jordana Brewster) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy). Photo Credit: Skip Bolen

The ratings for TNT's Dallas are in for September 1, 2014 (Labor Day):

Adults 18-49 Rating: 0.4
Adults 18-34 Rating: 0.18
Adults 25-54 Rating: 0.6
Females 12-34 Rating: 0.23
Men 50+ Rating: 0.93
Total Viewers: 1.931 million

Expect all those numbers to rise once the DVR+3 and DVR+7 data is factored in.

'Dallas' Gets Intense: 6 Favorite Moments From This Week's Episode

Elena (Jordana Brewster) demanded Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and the Ewings make things right on this
week's episode of Dallas.

On Monday night's episode of TNT's Dallas, Elena was on fire and hellbent on getting restitution for the wrongs of the past (and present). Below are our 5 Favorite Moments from "Hurt":

1. The hour kicked off with Drew Ramos' funeral but quickly turned into an Elena offensive at Southfork. After the opening theme there was a long scene, featuring eight actors, in which Elena confronted Bobby and the Ewings with the fact that she knew they set Cliff up to take the fall for J.R.'s murder, and revealed her motive for helping him.  Elena was furious that J.R. swindled her father out of his land and left him drilling a "rock" until he died. It ultimately led to Drew's death as well.  Jordana Brewster gave a fantastic performance as Elena finally spilled her guts and laid out her demands for the Ewings. Patrick Duffy's excellent direction helped make the 10 minutes leading up to the first commercial so intense viewers needed the break in order to take a deep breath.

2. When Sue Ellen (the Emmy worthy Linda Gray) confronted Bobby about his lies and J.R.'s letter, she angrily said the one thing that would hurt him the most: "Miss Ellen would be ashamed of you."

'Dallas' Preview: Elena Confronts The Ewings

Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy).
Photo Credit: Skip Bolen

In a thrilling showdown, Elena (Jordana Brewster) finally confronts the Ewings for what J.R. did to her father and for framing Cliff Barnes (guest star Ken Kercheval) as the third season TNT's Dallas continues on Monday, September 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Also in the episode, "Hurt," Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), Pamela (Julie Gonzalo) and Ann (Brenda Strong) are shocked over the truths Elena exposes, realigning relationships and forcing Bobby (Patrick Duffy) to re-examine the steps he took to implement J.R.'s master plan. Meanwhile, Nicolas' (Juan Pablo Di Pace) plan to steal Ewing Global for the Cartel moves forward, setting the stage for a new battle.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

New Episode of 'Dallas' Tonight: Dark Cloud Over Southfork

Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster.
Photo Credit: Skip Bolen

The dark cloud over Southfork continues to grow with the news of Drew Ramos' death as the third season TNT's Dallas continues on Monday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

In this week's episode, "Dead Reckoning," Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) and Heather's (AnnaLynne McCord) relationship is put to the test as John Ross (Josh Henderson) tries to redeem himself with Pamela (Julie Gonzalo), who begins to face the real reasons behind her overdose. Elsewhere, Elena (Jordana Brewster) makes a drastic move to get justice for her family, putting John Ross directly in her crosshairs.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

Lew Brown Dead at 89

Lew Brown

Lew Brown, who portrayed Shawn Brady on Days of our Lives from 1984 to 1985, died at the VA Hospital in La Jolla, California, on July 27, 2014. The actor was 89.

Born in Goltry, Oklahoma, in 1925, Brown was a noted character actor. He appeared on stage, radio, TV and in film. His memorable credits include Twilight Zone, The F.B.I., The Waltons, Dallas, Knots Landing, Flamingo Road, Dragnet, Gunsmoke and Apple's Way. His last professional credit was as a warden on the TV series Raven in 1992.

Brown appeared on Days of our Lives for a year, when Frank Parker, who originated the role of Shawn, briefly left the soap. His stint on the show included playing the father of the groom when Bo married Hope in England.

He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Deanna, 8 children, 12 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, 2 brothers, 1 sister-in-law, 3 nieces, 2 nephews and their respective spouses.

Brown, who served his country as a Marine Corporal in WWII, was a purple heart recipient.

A military funeral was held for the actor at Fort Rosecrans, 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, San Diego, California, on Friday, August 15. In lieu of flowers, the family requested that mourners make a donation to the Scottish Rite Language Center.