KNOTS LANDING was a favorite show of mine as a kid and still think of it as a top nighttime drama! A very dramatic show, amazingly, I never found it sappy or boring to watch. FOURTEEN solid years! KL was the DALLAS spin-off where Gary and Valene Ewing moved to the cul-de-sac of Knots Landing in 1979. KNOTS surpasses DALLAS as the best nighttime soap opera because in EVERY season, you can find something to enjoy while DALLAS teetered on boredom in its last couple of years.
The real greatness of KNOTS was in it's sense of community, family, friendship, and all these qualities were realistically and brilliantly translated to the viewer. Originally focusing on 4 couples Sid and Karen Fairgate (Don Murray and Michele Lee), the aforementioned Gary and Val (Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark), Richard and Laura Avery (John Pleshette and Constance McCashin), and Kenny and Ginger Ward(James Houghton and Kim Lankford) who resided in Knots Landing, each week we got to see these couples interact. Amazing how solitary everyday life could be so enjoyable to watch! Of course there was a fair share of 'issue' episodes: adultery, troubled children, alcoholism, teenage drug use, etc. The first 3 seasons were mostly self-contained eps focusing on all these issues, but the main thing is that we got to learn about all these great characters, their quirks, values, beliefs, what made them tick. The show always stayed true to the characters.
The main cast ended up being the originals Karen, Gary, Val, then Abby (Sid's younger sister and Karen's worst enemy!) came in Season 2, Mack in Season 4, and Greg Sumner in Season 5. These 6 characters pretty much carried the show until it's end in Season 14. Karen was the wise everywoman and everyone's friend and confidante. Gary was the weak-willed alcoholic with good intentions. Val was the sweet, innocent woman who trusted people too much. Abby was the bitchy, devious, ambitious vixen. Mack was the street-smart, everyday joe who believed in true justice. Sumner was the rich, corporate goliath who wanted to control the world.
Special mention should go to other long-running and short-running characters: Lilimae (Val's folksy mother played by the great Julie Harris), Anne (Mack's first love played wonderfully by Michelle Phillips), Joshua (Lilimae's troubled son played by the now famous Alec Baldwin).
There was an eclectic mix of other fine characters that came and went over the years: Chip, Ciji, Ben, Peter, Jill, Paige, Ben, Frank, Pat, Olivia, Danny,Claudia. And there were many others! What do you expect for a show that ran 14 years! A great show with something for everyone!
The real greatness of KNOTS was in it's sense of community, family, friendship, and all these qualities were realistically and brilliantly translated to the viewer. Originally focusing on 4 couples Sid and Karen Fairgate (Don Murray and Michele Lee), the aforementioned Gary and Val (Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark), Richard and Laura Avery (John Pleshette and Constance McCashin), and Kenny and Ginger Ward(James Houghton and Kim Lankford) who resided in Knots Landing, each week we got to see these couples interact. Amazing how solitary everyday life could be so enjoyable to watch! Of course there was a fair share of 'issue' episodes: adultery, troubled children, alcoholism, teenage drug use, etc. The first 3 seasons were mostly self-contained eps focusing on all these issues, but the main thing is that we got to learn about all these great characters, their quirks, values, beliefs, what made them tick. The show always stayed true to the characters.
The main cast ended up being the originals Karen, Gary, Val, then Abby (Sid's younger sister and Karen's worst enemy!) came in Season 2, Mack in Season 4, and Greg Sumner in Season 5. These 6 characters pretty much carried the show until it's end in Season 14. Karen was the wise everywoman and everyone's friend and confidante. Gary was the weak-willed alcoholic with good intentions. Val was the sweet, innocent woman who trusted people too much. Abby was the bitchy, devious, ambitious vixen. Mack was the street-smart, everyday joe who believed in true justice. Sumner was the rich, corporate goliath who wanted to control the world.
Special mention should go to other long-running and short-running characters: Lilimae (Val's folksy mother played by the great Julie Harris), Anne (Mack's first love played wonderfully by Michelle Phillips), Joshua (Lilimae's troubled son played by the now famous Alec Baldwin).
There was an eclectic mix of other fine characters that came and went over the years: Chip, Ciji, Ben, Peter, Jill, Paige, Ben, Frank, Pat, Olivia, Danny,Claudia. And there were many others! What do you expect for a show that ran 14 years! A great show with something for everyone!