Official Synopsis:
The second longest running drama in TV history and cultural phenomenon that defined nighttime drama is finally coming to DVD! Dubbed "The Original Desperate Housewives" (William Heck, USAToday), Knots Landing depicts the lives and loves of five suburban families, who live in this always interesting upper-middle class southern California cul-de-sac. "TV's original desperate housewives." (William Keck, USA Today)
Our Take:
Spin-offs are a tricky beast. When done right, one successful and popular show can spawn another. However, when done the wrong way, it’ll just spawn off another dreadful show destined for cancellation. For instance, take a wildly popular show like Cheers, which took a funny, well-liked character, Frasier Crane, and uprooted him from his Boston locale to make his home to Seattle, Washington. Frasier went on for a successful nine season run, just as long as Cheers ran. Then you have Joey, a spin-off of Friends, which barely lasted two seasons.
Knots Landing did not stray from the winning formula, although to the best of my knowledge, Ted Shackelford was barely seen on Dallas before Knots Landing premiered. Really, the only thing tying this show to Dallas is the fact that Patrick Duffy makes an appearance as Bobby Ewing in the beginning of the pilot episode; then a few episodes down the line, the conniving J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) makes an appearance. So, even though it's technically a spin-off, it was apparently created even before Dallas was, but the networks weren’t interested. Yet, something worked, as Knots went on for a record-setting fourteen year run, as well as spawning two TV movies and a reunion special.
Knots Lands on DVD with some pretty nice special features.
* Commentaries - Two key episodes feature commentary with actors Joan Van Ark and Ted Shackelford. Gary and Val Ewing are back together again! Ted and Joan are great together; having worked together for thirty years, they’re very open and conversational. It’s very interesting even as a non-fan to hear these two speak about the show and their memories, sharing little stories and commenting on how everyone looked back then.
* Gary and Val: Together Again - The Stars Reminisce (9 minutes) - Joan and Ted return to the cul-de-sac and talk about their time on Knots Landing. Seeing these two together again on screen is nice, and there's a very touching moment when Shackelford is moved to tears as they talk about their characters and the deep connection they have with them and each other. This appears to be culled from the 2005 reunion, but it’s still nice that they included this with the set. Of course, if they had included the whole special, it would have been nice, too (maybe in a later season collection?). Still, when other classic shows are being released bare bones, it makes you appreciate features like these much more.
Before housewives became desperate, some used to just watch their soaps to escape reality, and Knots Landing was one of the better ones. If you’re into blackmail, espionage, adultery, and murder, Knots Landing is a place you want to visit.
Overall Picture:
Show: B
DVD: B
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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