More than any other television series, "Dynasty" epitomized the opulent '80s.
It's no coincidence that the saga of the Carringtons debuted just eight days before Ronald Reagan was inaugurated president of the United States - nor is it coincidence that the final episode aired just four months after Reagan left office.Like the Reagan White House, "Dynasty" emphasized glitz and glamour, big bucks and black ties, designer dresses and the triumph of the avaricious businessman.
Reagan and the '80s are gone, but "Dynasty" is making a comeback. A two-part, four-hour miniseries, titled "Dynasty: The Reunion," airs Sunday and Tuesday, Oct. 20 and 22, at 8 p.m. on ABC (Ch. 4 locally).
But things have changed. These are the '90s, and the new "Dynasty" reflects that. It's still the story of wealth and power, but perhaps less ostentatious wealth and more sensitive power.
And, above all else, it's a chance to wrap up all the cliffhangers that have remained dangling since the show was canceled in 1989.
"(Creator/producer) Esther's (Shapiro) and my dream . . . was not to end the show the way it ended and leave the whole audience up in the air," said executive producer Aaron Spelling. "We asked for a two-hour closing our last year. We didn't get it."
But 1989 was a long time ago, and chances are that even most die-hard fans would have a difficult time recalling just what was going on.
"We wanted to satisfy the fans and let them know what happened, but we felt it was so long ago and what was happening was kind of vague," Shapiro said.
(If you've forgotten, when last we saw the Carringtons and Colbys, Blake had just shot an apparently crooked police officer in self-defense and been shot himself, Alexis and Dex had fallen over a balcony and Fallon and Krystina weretrapped in a mine with a killer.)
"We wanted to do it lighthearted. But there's also some melodrama. There's a real story," Shapiro said. "But we also kind of wanted to reflect the changes that went on between the '80s and the '90s. And one of the things that the country is looking at is the buying up of America, which really affects an entrepreneurial family like this."
So the miniseries will not pick up where the series left off. Viewers will discover how all those dangling plot lines were resolved, but only in the process of carrying on all-new action.
As "The Reunion" opens, Blake (John Forsythe) has just been released from prison. His family is shattered, and his company has been gobbled up by foreign interests. His son, Adam (newcomer Robin Sachs), turns out to have been in league with the raiders.
Alexis (Joan Collins) is still riding high in her own business empire, and she has a new love - a mysterious European businessman (Jeroen Krabbe). Blake turns to gay son Steven (Al Corley) for help.
Sammy Jo (Heather Locklear) has returned to her trampy ways. Miles (Maxwell Caulfield) has returned to re-create the lovers' triangle with Fallon (Emma Samms) and Jeff (John James).
And Krystal (Linda Evans) has recovered from the coma that sent her off to Switzerland midway through the '88-'89 season.
"Let's just say that my recovery is a miracle," Evans said with a laugh. "And it was wonderful that I had lines and I could wear the clothes, because I would hate to have done the whole show just in a bed, with everyone talking about me."
Most of the original cast members are back. (Please see accompanying story.) And for the actors, it was sort of like old home week.
"It was kind of like a school reunion," said Forsythe. "And you always wonder if everybody's going to be exactly the way they were - were they going to be much fun. And indeed they were. . . . I was the only one that had changed. I was a little snowier on top."
Corley, who played Stephen Carrington the first season of "Dynasty" before being replaced by Jack Coleman, saw the reunion a bit differently. It was "like a flashback from an acid trip, maybe."
Well, that's one way to describe the show.
At its best, "Dynasty" took itself less than seriously. It was campy and fun and played shamelessly on the audience's emotions.
And the producers have promised the humor will be there in the miniseries. The entire four hours weren't released for preview, but among the clips screened for critics was a wonderfully funny cat fight between Krystal and Alexis in a dress shop. (Fans will remember that the first and second Mrs. Carringtons have previously brawled in fish ponds and beauty shops.)
"What would a miniseries about `Dynasty' be like without our annual fight?" Evans said. "They made it quite playful. . . . We had an awfully good time destroying the place."
The more cost-conscious '90s are reflected in the production of the miniseries. There wasn't the money in the budget to re-create the opulent sets from the original series, so "The Reunion" was filmed at various locations.
And the actors made less in the way of salary than they might have elsewhere.
"They cut their prices to do this, and that just does not happen," Spelling said. "And these are not actors looking for a gig."
But, never fear. The Carringtons and the Colbys won't be slumming it.
"Between Linda and Joan they have 42 changes," said returning costume designer Nolan Miller. "Except that we tried to hold it down a little more realistic this time, and very much in the '90s. But we still spent a lot of money."
And, should the investment in a "Dynasty" miniseries return big ratings, chances are we'll be seeing more of Blake, Krystal, Alexis and company.
"We think it would be fun to bring `Dynasty' back for a two-hour movie a year, or another miniseries every two years," Spelling said. "But I think that depends on whether the audience accepts this one.
"We have not given up hope that `Dynasty' will never die. It may continue forever."
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(Additional information)
The `Reunion' cast
Cast members returning to "Dynasty: The Reunion" include John Forsythe as Blake Carrington, Linda Evans as Krystle Carrington, John James as Jeff Colby, Heather Locklear as Sammy Jo Carrington, Emma Samms as Fallon Carrington Colby, Kathleen Beller as Kirby Anders, Maxwell Caulfield as Miles Colby and Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington Colby.
Al Corley resumes the role of Stephen Carrington, which he originated. (Jack Coleman, who played Stephen from 1982-89, was busy with other projects.)
Robin Sachs assumes the role of Adam Carrington. (The original Adam, Gordon Thomson, had a scheduling conflict with the show he currently stars in, "Santa Barbara.")
And Jeroen Krabbe, who is perhaps best known as the villain in the James Bond film "The Living Daylights," joins the cast as mysterious - and menacing - European businessman Jeremy Van Dorn.