Dynasty (TV series)

Dynasty was an American primetime television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 10, 1989. The series revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado.

Dynasty epitomized the era of the primetime soap, in which the characters either had money and power and wanted more, or didn't have either but wanted it badly.

Beginnings
The working title for Dynasty was Oil -- the starring role originally went to George Peppard. In early drafts of the pilot script the two main families featured in the series, the Carrington and Colby families, were written as Parkhurst and Corby respectively.

Peppard, who had difficulties dealing with the somewhat unsympathetic role of Blake, was replaced with John Forsythe. In the final production drafts the names Parkhurst and Corby were changed to Carrington and Colby, and their rivalry was written to emulate the Montagues and Capulets of Romeo & Juliet, that is, crossed in love and war.

The first season, which was taped in 1980, was delayed by animosity between the networks and the partnership of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which caused a strike. Many new shows were delayed for months, and Dynasty did not see the light of day on ABC until the first weeks of 1981.

As the series opened, tycoon Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) was about to marry Krystle Jennings (Linda Evans), a younger woman whom he met when she took a job as a secretary at his company, the monolithic Denver-Carrington.

Krystle was young, beautiful and vulnerable, described by the show's creator Esther Shapiro as "an American Aphrodite". She found a hostile reception in the Carrington household - the staff patronised her, Blake's daughter Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin) resented her, and her husband was too preoccupied with his work. Krystle's only ally in the Carrington house was her stepson, the sexually ambivalent Steven (Al Corley).

The first season heavily featured Matthew Blaisdel (Bo Hopkins), Krystle's first love, who worked for Blake Carrington as a geologist and was unhappily married to the emotionally fragile Claudia (Pamela Bellwood). While their daughter Lindsay (Katy Kurtzman) suffered from their marital strife, Claudia had a fling with Steven. Blake grew paranoid that Krystle was having an affair with Matthew, and raped her - a plot development ignored in later seasons. When Claudia testified at Blake's murder trial, she was forced to confess her affair with Steven. A hurt Matthew took Lindsay and left town in early season two. They were presumed dead in an accident, but the season premiere for the 1987/88 season featured an enraged Matthew's return from the dead. He held the Carrington family hostage and was killed by Steven.

At the conclusion of the show's first season, as Blake Carrington stood trial for the murder of his son's lover, Ted Dinard (Mark Withers), the script called for the return of Blake's former wife, the sultry, elegant Alexis Carrington. (In early drafts of the script the character was named Madelaine Carrington.) With the role uncast, a model was used in the season finale.



"Enter Alexis"
In the first episode of the second season, titled "Enter Alexis," the mysterious stranger removed her sunglasses to reveal English actress Joan Collins who chewed her way through the scripts, and confirmed Alexis Carrington, later Alexis Colby, as one of the greatest TV characters of all time.

Alexis blazed a trail across the show and its storylines and the program quickly shot up in the ratings. By the end of the 1981-1982 season Dynasty entered the Top 20 in the Nielsen ratings, and eventually hit #1 in the ratings in 1985. The show epitomized an era of glamour and decadence and was the talk of the nation. Even former President Gerald Ford guest-starred as himself on 21 December 1983.

With Alexis settled as Krystle's implacable nemesis, mother and stepdaughter Fallon settled their differences, forging a bond which riled the displaced and resentful Alexis even further.

Krystle and Alexis
In the seasons that followed, the rivalry between Blake Carrington's current and former wives became a driver for the melodrama. Alexis, in particular, resented Krystle's supplanting of her position as mistress of the Carrington household and, at every opportunity, tried to undermine her.

Alexis caused Krystle's miscarriage and tried repeatedly to ruin her marriage, most notably by finding Krystle's former husband (Samuel) Mark Jennings and proving that their divorce was never finalised (and that, consequently, Krystle's marriage to Blake was invalid).

They had many verbal confrontations. On one occasion Krystle overheard Alexis gossiping about her in an adjoining cubicle at the beauty parlour. Krystle appeared and announced that she too could "throw mud", and tossed a bowl of face mud over Alexis.

But their rivalry is best remembered in a handful of trademark catfights, beginning with one in the Carrington estate's art studio, another in the lily pond (this was spoofed in the Robert Townsend Partners in Crime comedy series on HBO), one in a mud pool in a park and a final spat (in Dynasty: The Reunion) in a fashion studio. This was also the first time the word "bitch" was used on television.

The fights were reportedly toned down after Joan Collins wrenched her back during one altercation.

Cliffhangers and the "Moldavian Massacre"
The most memorable aspects of the series, outside the high camp scripts from writer/creators Richard and Esther Shapiro and writers Robert Mason Pollock and Eileen Pollock, were a stream of infamous cliffhanger storylines.

The second season cliffhanger saw Blake left for dead on a mountain after a fight with Nick Toscanni, the third involved Alexis and Krystle being lured to Steven's cabin one night, and locked inside while the cabin was set ablaze, and the fourth saw the disappearance of Fallon just before her second wedding to Jeff (to accommodate the departure of Pamela Sue Martin from the series) and Alexis being accused of murder and imprisoned.

The most famous cliffhanger is the so-called "Moldavian massacre", when Blake's daughter Amanda Carrington (Catherine Oxenberg) married Prince Michael of Moldavia (Michael Praed) on the eve of a military revolution in his country. It is largely remembered for its disappointing resolution.

Nearly every character attended the "overseas" wedding. In the final scene of the episode, aired in May 1985, revolutionaries gunned down everyone in the palace chapel. The scene gave the impression that anyone and everyone could have died and in the summer that followed, many magazines published stories speculating about which characters would survive the massacre.

In the end, however, fans learned that fall that only two minor characters perished - unpopular guest character Lady Ashley Mitchell (Ali MacGraw) and Steven's gay lover Luke Fuller (Billy Campbell). The underwhelming resolution disenfranchised fans who felt the storyline had built to nothing.

Aside from the glamour and campy drama, the show's later years were remembered for the controversy surrounding a storyline involving former matinee idol Rock Hudson. Hudson's scenes required him to kiss Linda Evans and, as news that he had contracted AIDS broke, there was speculation Evans would be at risk.

The end of the Dynasty
The lackluster reaction to the Moldavian storyline, combined with a poorly received dual role for Evans (as Krystle and as Rita, an actress impersonating Krystle), the difficult recasting of key character Fallon, and excessive time spent introducing characters to be spun off onto The Colbys, caused a ratings slump.

Two other factors perhaps also account for the ratings decline: the revival of sitcoms, especially on NBC, whose Cosby Show took the number one position from Dynasty in the 1985-86 season, and Cheers (consistently in the top ten from 1985 until 1993), which aired opposite Dynasty in the 1988-89 season, and more realistic, low-key dramas such as thirtysomething which gained favor in the late eighties.

After the characters returned from Moldavia, Blake spurned Alexis and in retaliation she found his long-departed brother Ben (Christopher Cazenove) and they swindled Blake out of his fortune. An enraged Blake tried to strangle Alexis to death at the Carrington mansion (which now belonged to Alexis) as the season cliffhanger, just as the hotel La Mirage burned down, killing Claudia. In the next season, Blake recovered his money, but was rendered an amnesiac in an explosion. Alexis found him and convinced him they were still married, but felt guilty and told him the truth. Blake and Krystle also had to deal with their daughter Krystina being kidnapped. Other stories in that season featured Adam's romance with Dana Waring, Sammy Jo's doomed marriage to Clay Fallmont (Ted McGinley) and reconciliation with Steven (who had recently broken up with closeted politician Bart Fallmont (Kevin Conroy). The season ended with Matthew Blaisdel and a gang of gun-toting South American guerillas gatecrashing Adam and Dana's wedding reception and taking the family hostage.

When The Colbys was cancelled, Fallon and Jeff returned for the 1987-1988 season. Blake and Alexis each ran for governor of Colorado, Alexis married Sean Rowan (who planned to kill her due to her part in the death of his father, Joseph, the former Carrington butler), and Steven's marriage to Sammy Jo collapsed due to her affair with drug-addicted football player Josh Harris (Tom Schanley). In the 1988-1989 season, Stephanie Beacham was brought in to reprise her role as firecracker Sable Colby (Tracy Scoggins also recreated her role as Sable's daughter Monica). Beacham's bravura performance made many deem the final season as one of the best in some time, but ABC had had enough and pulled the plug in 1989. Fittingly, the show ended on a cliffhanger with both Blake and Alexis in mortal peril (Blake being shot in the chest and Alexis and her long-time love Dex Dexter (Michael Nader) falling off a staircase guardrail) and the rest of the cast in similar life-threatening situations.

Many believe that the show was a creation perfect for the Ronald Reagan era and could never have outlived his Presidency.

Dynasty commercial tie-ins


A perfume, Forever Krystle, was marketed in 1985.

In addition, the Crystal Light beverage had Linda Evans as a spokesperson, due to her character's name on Dynasty.

Two fictional novels, based on the scripts from early episodes, were published - "Dynasty", and "Alexis Returns" - written by Eileen Lottman.

Main Characters

 * Blake Carrington (John Forsythe)
 * The son of Tom and Fallon Carrington (in one episode later erroneously referred to as Ellen) who became the self-made CEO of Denver-Carrington. The husband of Alexis Morrell Carrington (with whom he fathered Adam, Fallon, Steven and Amanda), and Krystle Jennings Carrington (with whom he fathered Krystina). Forsythe and John James were the only actors to appear in both the first and last episodes.


 * Krystle Grant Jennings Carrington (Linda Evans)
 * The wife of Blake Carrington, former wife of tennis pro Samuel Mark Jennings (known as Mark) and the one-time lover of Matthew Blaisdel (Bo Hopkins), a married geologist who worked for Denver-Carrington. Krystle was the mother, with Blake, of Krystina (Jessica Player), and the aunt of Sammy Jo Dean (see below), the only child of her late sister Iris and her husband Frank. Evans left the show midway in the final season (in the story Krystle began to unravel mentally, had to have delicate surgery, and lapsed into a coma), but she returned for the reunion movie.


 * Alexis Morrell Carrington Colby (Joan Collins)
 * Former socialite turned businesswoman, married to - in order - Blake Carrington, Cecil Colby, Dex Dexter and Sean Rowan. She famously held a torch for Blake, though she later fell deeply in love with Dex Dexter. Her marriage to Colby was ordered on his deathbed, and intended to enable her to ruin Blake after Colby was gone, while her wedding to Rowan was on a whim. Mother, with Blake, to Adam, Fallon, Steven and Amanda Carrington. Alexis was romantically attached to a number of men, including Carrington architect and estate manager Roger Grimes, tennis pro Mark Jennings, oilman Rashid Ahmed (John Saxon), King Galen of Moldavia (Joel Fabiani), and shipping tycoon Zach Powers (Ricardo Montalban).




 * Fallon Carrington Colby (Pamela Sue Martin, 1981-1984; then Emma Samms, 1985, 1987-1989)
 * The daughter of Blake and Alexis, the wife of Jeff Colby and the mother, with Jeff, of Blake Carrington Colby (known as LB) and Lauren Constance Colby. As a young woman, she was famously indiscreet and enjoyed affairs with chauffer Michael Culhane, playboy Peter de Vilbis, tennis pro Mark Jennings, doctor Nick Toscanni, and Colby heir, Miles Colby, whom she married briefly. Martin stayed with the show from 1981 - 1985. When Martin left the series, the story had Fallon fleeing in her car on the eve of her remarriage to Jeff. Her wrecked car was later found by the road however there was no sign of Fallon. She was absent for much of the season that followed, a period during which Amanda Carrington surfaced. At the end of the season Fallon was reintroduced: she was suffering from amnesia and was now played by Emma Samms, with no on-air explanation given for Fallon's change of appearance. Soon afterwards she and Jeff left Denver and their characters were switched to the spin-off series The Colbys. That series was cancelled after two seasons, and Fallon and Jeff were returned to Dynasty in 1987. In the storyline, Jeff found Fallon unconscious in the desert (after being dropped off by a UFO), and they returned to Denver where Fallon fought with Sammy Jo over Jeff before dropping Jeff for good and becoming involved with a cop who helped her unlock her memories of Roger Grimes' murder. Samms was unpopular with many viewers, due in large part to the writing, which presented Fallon at this time as a teary-eyed, put-upon victim. In the show's final season, Fallon was written more like her old self, and Samms rose to the challenge.


 * Steven Carrington (Al Corley, 1981-1983, 1991; then Jack Coleman, 1984-1988)
 * The sexually confused son of Blake and Alexis who, despite his conviction that he was homosexual, married - at times, happily - Sammy Jo Dean and Claudia Blaisdel. With Sammy Jo, he fathered Steven Daniel Carrington (known as Danny). At different times, the lover of Ted Dinard, Luke Fuller and Bart Fallmont. He was accused of having an affair with his friend, lawyer Chris Deegan (Grant Goodeve), but their relationship was never clarified. (And Steven denied it.) The role was recast during the series run, and the change of appearance was explained by plastic surgery after an oil rig explosion. Eventually Steven ran most of Denver/Carrington, but after he had to kill his close friend Matthew Blaisdel (who had taken the Carrington family hostage) and Sammy Jo had an affair with football player Josh Harris, Steven had a breakdown. Steven was written out of the series at the start of the final season, with the explanation that he could no longer tolerate the pressures of his personal and professional life. At the conclusion of Dynasty: The Reunion Steven (reprised by Al Corley, with no scripted explanation for Steven's pre-surgery face returning) was living in DC and was in a relationship with Bart Fallmont.


 * Adam Carrington (Gordon Thomson, 1982-1989; later Robin Sachs, 1991 only)
 * Kidnapped at birth and raised as Michael Torrance, in Billings, Montana, Adam Carrington did not learn of his true identity until adulthood at which point he returned to the Carrington home. Married to Claudia Blaisdel and Dana Waring, he was a ruthless schemer - plotting to enhance his position in the dynasty. His only lasting relationship was with Kirby Anders (Kathleen Beller). The character of Adam was not seen nor mentioned in the first season of Dynasty, and was devised during the second season as a replacement son for Blake and Alexis to squabble over after the character of Steven was written out of the series. Steven was later returned to the storyline, though the character of Adam had proved to be a success and was retained in the series until its close. Adam was also featured in the 1991 Dynasty reunion movie however the role was recast as Thomson could not get out of his contract with Santa Barbara.


 * Amanda Carrington (Catherine Oxenberg, 1984-1986; then Karen Cellini, 1986-1987)
 * Amanda was not seen nor heard-of in the series until the fourth season; the character was devised as a replacement for the departing Fallon. Amanda was the second daughter of Blake and Alexis. She was raised in London as Amanda Bedford, by Alexis' cousin Rosalind Bedford (Juliet Mills), and hidden from her father Blake out of spite by Alexis who discovered she was pregnant after she separated from her husband. Married to Prince Michael of Moldavia, and onetime lover of Dex Dexter (on whom she had a crush), Clay Fallmont and chauffeur Michael Culhane. The role was re-cast after Oxenberg left the series when her demands for a payrise were not met, and no on air explanation was given for Amanda's change in appearance. The replacement actor Karen Cellini proved to be wildly unpopular and partway through Cellini's first season in the role the character was abruptly written out of the series, and Amanda was never heard from again.


 * Jeff Colby (John James, 1981-1985, 1987-1989; 1991)
 * The nephew and protege of Cecil Colby. Born (supposedly) to Philip and Francesca Colby, he was raised by Cecil on the Colby estate in Denver, Nine Oaks (which neighbored the Carrington estate) because his father died before coming into his inheritance. It was later revealed that Cecil had pressured the penniless Francesca to surrender Jeff for his own good. Married (and later re-married) to Fallon Carrington and briefly to Kirby Anders. The father of Blake Carrington Colby (known as LB) and Lauren Constance Colby. At different times, the lover of Nicole Simpson (Susan Scannell), Lady Ashley Mitchell and Sammy Jo Reece. See also The Colbys.


 * Claudia Blaisdel Carrington (Pamela Bellwood, 1981-1986)
 * The emotionally fragile wife of Matthew Blaisdel, and at one time a close friend of Krystle. After her affair with Steven Carrington was revealed during the Ted Dinard murder trial, her husband Matthew took their daughter Lindsay and left Denver, and were presumed dead in an accident (Matthew would return some years later). This pushed Claudia into a succession of breakdowns, interrupted only by marriages to Steven, and later Adam, Carrington. Claudia died in a fire at La Mirage (which she started accidentally) at the conclusion of the show's sixth season. Dynasty creator Esther Shapiro felt Blaisdel was the "everywoman" of the show.


 * Samantha Josephine "Sammy Jo" Dean Carrington Fallmont, (Heather Locklear)
 * Greedy, trouble-making niece of Krystle Carrington, wife of Steven Carrington and Clay Fallmont, and mother of Danny Carrington. Onetime lover of Josh Harris and Jeff Colby. The show's secondary villainess for much of the show's run, though she was an amateur compared to the far more polished Alexis. Locklear split her time between Dynasty and another Spelling-produced series, T.J. Hooker, and made many sporadic appearances between 1982 - 1989 and briefly in 1991.


 * Dominique Deveraux (Diahann Carroll, 1984-1987)
 * Successful and wealthy chanteuse (birth name Millie Cox), illegitimate daughter of Tom Carrington and Laura Matthews, making her a half-sister to Blake and Ben Carrington. Carroll joined the cast at the end of the fourth season as a foil for Joan Collins, though when the character was originally written, the producers had not decided how to use her. A number of scenes were filmed to introduce her (to circumvent any chance the storyline would leak to the press) including alternative lines that revealed Dominique to be the mother of Kirby Anders, and also the former wife of Cecil Colby. Dominique was initially conceived as a strong, tough schemer and fighter who loved going toe-to-toe with Alexis, but after reconciling with the Carrington family she mellowed considerably. Her daughter Jackie (Troy Beyer), came to town and learned her father, lawyer Garrett Boydston (Ken Howard), was white. Jackie ran away but soon made up with her parents. Dominique left town in 1987 and was never mentioned again.


 * Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter (Michael Nader, 1983-1989)
 * Alexis' third husband, and arguably the second great love of her life, beside Blake. Dex carried on a brief affair with her daughter Amanda. Following the dissolution of his marriage to Alexis, he was involved with Leslie Carrington and Sable Colby. At the conclusion of the original series, Sable Colby was pregnant with his child, and Dex and Alexis fell off a balcony while fighting. (The eventual fate of Dex, and his relationship with Sable, was not included in Dynasty: The Reunion; Alexis briefly mentioned that she had landed on him.)

Other Characters

 * Matthew Blaisdel (Bo Hopkins, 1981, 1987)
 * Geologist who worked for Denver Carrington and who was a former love of Krystle Carrington. Now married to the emotionally fragile Claudia with a teenaged daughter Lindsay, Matthew left Blake Carrington's employ and attempted to go it alone on an oil well with wildcatter Walter Lankershim (Dale Robertson). Although caring for Claudia, Matthew was unable to shake his feelings for Krystle and the two nearly embarked on an affair. When Claudia admitted her affair with Steven Carrington on the witness stand when Blake was on trial for the manslaughter of Ted Dinard, Matthew left Denver with Lindsay. Long presumed dead in the Peruvian jungle, he made a dramatic return for the 1986-1987 cliffhanger, taking the entire Carrington family hostage accompanied by a gang of armed guerillas. The first two episodes of the 1987-1988 season dealt with the subsequent siege situation, which ended with Matthew being killed by Steven.


 * Cecil Colby (Lloyd Bochner, 1981 - 1982)
 * Blake Carrington's sometimes friend and business rival who ran the oil company ColbyCo. Raised his nephew Jeff on his Denver estate and arranged a marriage between him and Fallon Carrington as part of a business deal where Cecil would help Blake out of financial difficulty if Fallon married Jeff. Cecil later became involved with the vengeful Alexis Carrington and the two plotted against Blake. After suffering a heart attack whilst having sex with Alexis, the two married on Cecil's deathbed, leaving Alexis in control of ColbyCo, which she used to continue her fight against Blake.


 * Michael Culhane (Wayne Northrop, 1981, 1986 - 1987)
 * Blake Carrington's shady chauffeur, secretly having an affair with his daughter Fallon. When Blake found out, he had Michael beaten up. Michael left Denver, but returned a few years later to have a relationship with Blake's other daughter Amanda after rescuing her from the La Mirage fire.


 * Joseph Anders (Lee Bergere, 1981-1983)
 * The Carrington's major-domo at the mansion who ran the household, staunchly loyal to his employer Blake Carrington. Joseph took an immediate dislike to Blake's new bride Krystle, feeling that she didn't belong in the mansion and later enjoyed a teasing, antagonistic relationship with Alexis, the former mistress of the house. His daughter Kirby returned to Denver having been educated in Europe at Blake's expense, and Joseph found himself blackmailed by Alexis, who threatened to reveal to Kirby that her mother had been sent to an insane asylum. In retaliation, Joseph set fire to Steven's cabin, endangering the lives of Alexis and Krystle in the cliffhanger to the 1982-1983 season. He subsequently committed suicide.


 * Walter Lankershim (Dale Robertson, 1981)
 * Veteran wildcatter in conflict with Blake Carrington during the first season. Later went into a business partnership with Matthew Blaisdel.


 * Lindsay Blaisdel (Katy Kurtzman, 1981)
 * The sensitive teenaged daughter of Matthew and Claudia.


 * Dr. Nick Toscanni (James Farentino, 1981 - 1982)
 * Psychiatrist and surgeon who is out for revenge against Blake Carrington and comes close to having an affair with Krystle in the process.


 * Kirby Anders Colby (Kathleen Beller, 1982 - 1984)
 * The daughter of Joseph Anders, the Carrington major-domo. She was schooled in Europe at Blake Carrington's expense, but returned to Denver in 1982, eventually securing work as LB's nanny. She became the second wife of Jeff Colby, and then began a relationship with Adam Carrington, after he raped her. The storyline, controversial at the time, echoed of a similar storyline from the daytime soap General Hospital in which Laura Webber fell in love with her rapist Luke Spencer. Kirby and Adam's relationship was re-kindled in Dynasty: The Reunion.


 * Mark Jennings (Geoffrey Scott, 1982 - 1984)
 * Handsome tennis pro and former husband of Krystle Carrington brought to Denver due to the machinations of Alexis, who wished to break up Blake and Krystle's marriage.


 * Tracy Kendall (Deborah Adair, 1983 - 1984)
 * Employee of Denver Carrington, who worked in public relations. Scheming and ambitious, Tracy sought to advance her career either by subterfuge or by sleeping her way to the top.


 * Peter De Vilbis (Helmut Berger, 1983 - 1984)
 * Devilish playboy who seduces Fallon while trying to exploit the Carringtons for his own financial advantage.


 * Brady Lloyd (Billy Dee Williams, 1984 - 1985)
 * Former husband of Dominique Devereux, who follows her to Denver.


 * Daniel Reece (Rock Hudson, 1984 - 1985)
 * Wealthy businessman and the real father of Sammy Jo, Daniel falls in love with Krystle and nearly succeeds in taking her away from Blake.


 * Lady Ashley Mitchell (Ali McGraw, 1984 - 1985)
 * American-born widow of a British diplomat and renowned photographer who has romantic feelings for Blake Carrington and assists him in battling Alexis for the control of valuable South China oil leases. She later becomes involved with Jeff Colby, only to be killed during the infamous Moldavian massacre.


 * Prince Michael of Moldavia (Michael Praed, 1985 - February, 1986)
 * The heir to the (fictional) European kingdom of Moldavia, and widely regarded as a playboy prince. Prior to his engagement to Amanda Carrington, he was linked to Elena, the Duchess of Brana (Kerry Armstrong). His wedding to Amanda Carrington, at the conclusion of the show's fourth season, was interrupted by machine-gun-wielding rebels in what was widely regarded as the series most ostentatious cliffhanger. It is also the point at which TV critics consider the series jumped the shark.


 * Joel Abrigore (George Hamilton, January, 1985 - February, 1986)
 * Film director who plots with Sammy Jo to arrange the kidnapping of Krystle and her substitution in the Carrington household with a doppelganger Rita Leslie (also played by Linda Evans).


 * Ben Carrington (Christopher Cazenove, 1986 - 1987)
 * The vengeful brother of Blake, who was cut off by Blake after the death of their mother because Ben was supposed to be caring for her at the time of her death (he was in fact, having an affair with Emily Fallmont (Pat Crowley). Blake blamed Ben for her death. Ben returned to Denver to destroy Blake, with Alexis' help, but eventually reconciled with his brother and left Denver.


 * Cassandra "Caress" Morrell (Kate O'Mara, 1986)
 * The manipulative sister of Alexis, rescued from a South American prison by Dex Dexter, and reunited with her sister Alexis. She wrote a memoir, Sister Dearest, about Alexis, but Alexis discovered the plan, bought the publishing house and scuttled the project. Caress left town and was never mentioned again. Preferring to be called "Caress", when Alexis wanted to rile her she called her "Cassie", her birth name. Caress was only on the show for a limited number of episodes in the 1985-1986 and 1986-1987 seasons, but O'Mara's exotic beauty and theatrical performances made a lasting impression.


 * Clay Fallmont (Ted McGinley, 1986 - 1987)
 * The illegitimate son of Ben Carrington and Emily Fallmont, who engaged in affairs with Amanda Carrington, Sammy Jo Reece and Leslie Carrington. The last relationship ended, and he left Denver, when it was confirmed that Leslie may have been his sister by blood. (Although it was never clarified, Ben Carrington may have been his biological father.) Clay was on the show from 1986-1987.


 * Dana Waring Carrington (Leann Hunley 1986 - 1988)
 * Beautiful young woman from Billings, Montana who had had a one-night stand with Adam Carrington when he lived as Michael Torrance. Dana follows Adam to Denver, where she gains employment as a secretary at Denver Carrington. Dana and Adam fall in love and marry, but Dana's inability to conceive a child places a strain on their marriage.


 * Leslie Carrington (Terri Garber, 1987 - 1988)
 * Daughter of Ben Carrington and Melissa Saunders. At one time the lover of Clay Fallmont, Michael Culhane, Dex Dexter and Sean Rowan. Leslie was introduced with some fanfare in 1987 but was quietly written out after little more than a year.


 * Sarah Curtis (Cassie Yates, 1987)
 * Friend of Dex Dexter, whose husband and daughter die in a car crash. Sarah is persuaded to allow her daughter's heart to be transplanted into Blake and Krystle's critically ill young daughter Krystina. After the operation, Blake and Krystle invite Sarah to stay at the mansion and she shows increasing signs of an unhealthy obsession with Krystina after the loss of her own daughter.


 * Sean Rowan (James Healey, 1987 - 1988)
 * Handsome stranger who saves Alexis from drowning after a car accident, whom Alexis falls for and marries. It turns out that Sean is the long-lost son of the Carringtons' major-domo, Joseph Anders, and is out for revenge for Alexis' treatment of both his father and his sister Kirby, eventually attempting to kill her.


 * Sable Colby (Stephanie Beacham, 1988 - 1989)
 * The ex-wife of Colby Enterprises magnate Jason Colby and the cousin of Alexis. Sable leaves Los Angeles and comes to Denver where she supports Blake after Krystle's departure to a Swiss clinic and becomes a formidable opponent of Alexis, getting her hands on the Carlton hotel, Alexis' oil tankers and her former husband Dex, becoming pregnant with his child. Former top bitch of Dynasty spin-off, The Colbys, Sable was written into the final season of the series due to the great popularity of the character.


 * Monica Colby (Tracy Scoggins, 1988 - 1989)
 * The half-sister of Jeff Colby and the daughter of Sable Colby, Monica follows her mother to Denver, helping her in her efforts to fight Alexis. Monica had previously been a popular character in spin-off The Colbys.

Dynasty spin-offs and television events
The Colbys, an unsuccessful spin-off debuted in 1985.

A miniseries, Dynasty: The Reunion, aired in 1991.

On January 2, 2005, ABC aired a TV-movie, Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure, purporting to tell of the creation and backstage details of Dynasty. The movie received mixed reviews both for content and for historical accuracy, and was criticized by all three of Dynasty's leads, John Forsythe, Linda Evans, and Joan Collins, in different press releases. The movie was filmed in Australia (rather than Los Angeles) and a good majority of the cast members were non-Americans. Much dramatic licence was taken with the script of Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure, so the show is not an accurate guide to either behind-the-scenes nor the on-screen storylines of Dynasty. Misleading events include Al Corley being written out in the oil-rig explosion (Corley had already long left the show when the explosion was devised as a way to reintroduce the character of Steven and to explain his change in appearance), Sammy Jo at the Moldavian wedding massacre (her character was actually in New York, involved in a separate storyline) and Amanda killed-off in a car accident when her portayer asked for a raise (she was not; Catherine Oxenberg left the show and the role was recast with Karen Cellini). Furthermore, the TV movie made no reference at all to long-running characters Fallon Carrington, Adam Carrington, Jeff Colby, and Claudia Blaisdel.

The cable channel SOAPnet currently airs repeats of all nine seasons. In January, 2004, Esther Shapiro participated in a marathon of the show's episodes, giving behind-the-scenes tidbits and factoids.

Place in popular culture
Dynasty has inspired a rash of parodies and imitations. A much-discussed MAD Magazine parody, "Die-Nasty", ran in the mid-'80s. In the mid-1990s the sitcom The Nanny featured Fran (Fran Drescher) and her rival CC (Lauren Lane) as Alexis and Krystle with Maxwell Sheffield as Blake. This scene quickly degenerated into a catfight between the two women. Collins herself appeared in another episode as Maxwell's stepmother, a maid who had married her boss with hints she may have been somewhat a gold-digger. The sitcom Roseanne featured a storyline about a prince from Maldavia (played by Jim Varney) who dates Jackie for a while.

DVD Release


The first season of Dynasty was released on Region 1 DVD in April 2005 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. There are no current plans by Fox to release further seasons of the show, however the rights revert to Paramount in November 2006.