Who Shot J.R.? Back in 1980, Dallas was one of the most popular television series on TV. J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was the man we all loved to hate. He was a scoundrel, thief, cheat, and always came out on top. 40 years ago last Saturday, J.R.’s ways caught up to him and he was shot.
Some of you are asking, how is this Geeky? The cult like following of this show and their fans were very fanatical in a very geeky way. People were often divided into camps for Dynasty or Dallas. Followers would tell others of the greatness of their show (sounds familiar).
Beyond that, this event with J.R. being shot captivated all of society in 1980. Even those that didn’t watch Dallas, heard about J.R. being shot. It spawned T-shirts (see a replica above) and tons of merchandise.
It truly was a geeky obsession during a time where if you missed an episode, it was almost impossible to watch it. The shooting aired March 21st, 1980. We didn’t find out the answer until November 21, 1980. It took seven months of fans obsessing, arguing over their theories, and keeping the cliffhanger in the front of our minds.
By the way, the answer is Kristin Shepard. She was J.R.’s wife’s sister and one of J.R.’s many mistresses.
Below is a clip from that famous episode.
Stay Geeky and don’t get shot like J.R.
