History Series / KnotsLanding

** Nichollette Sheridan (Paige) in Season Ten, having been with the series since the end of Season Seven.

* {{Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome}}: The show generally avoided this as Claudia Lonow (Diana), Steve Shaw (Eric), Pat Petersen (Michael) and Tonya Crowe (Olivia) all remained with the series for years, eleven in Shaw's case (until his death) and twelve in Petersen's case, so their characters aged in real time. The only children on the series who were played by multiple actors were Meg MacKenzie and Jason Avery. Except for the pilot (in which he was played by Justin Dana), Jason was played by Danny Gellis until 1982 when he was replaced by Danny Ponce, who played the character until 1986. Even this is not an example of SORAS since Ponce was actually a year and a half younger than Gellis.

** [[spoiler: Laura died of a brain tumor in season 10.]]

* {{Eighties Hair}} Karen Fairgate, Abby Fairgate, Cathy Geary and Valene Ewing are some of the more prominent examples. Joan Van Ark refers to Val's "fe-mullet" 'do on the 2005 re-union show.
* {{Cain and Abel}} JR Ewing and Gary.

* {{Playing Against Type}}: Considering that Donna Mills had become known for playing victims for much of the 1970s, her being cast as the manipulative Abby certainly qualifies.

* {{Retroactive Recognition}}:
** Alec Baldwin starred as Joshua Rush in Seasons Six and Seven.
** Halle Berry played the recurring character Debbie Porter in Season Thirteen.
** Gary Sinise played the one scene role of Lee Maddox in the Season One episode "Small Surprises".

* {{Keep Circulating the Tapes}}: Only the first two seasons - amounting to a mere 31 of the series' 344 episodes - are available on DVD but every episode of Seasons Three to Fourteen is available online through different sources if you look very, very hard.

** Prior to Bobby's death and resurrection, the most extreme example of this lack of Continuity Overlap is the fact that Lucy only appears in one episode of ''Knots Landing'' in spite of the fact that she is Gary and Valene's daughter. The original plan, as discussed in early episodes of ''Knots Landing'' and contemporaneous episodes of ''Dallas'', was for Lucy to move out to California to live with her parents but this idea was abandoned. Speaking of Gary and Valene's children, the ''Dallas'' Dream Season revelation meant that their twins Bobby (named after his "late" uncle) and Betsy are never mentioned in ''Dallas''. Miss Ellie seemingly never found out that she had two other grandchildren while Lucy seemingly never found out that she had two younger siblings. Less extreme examples include the lack of any reference to Gary's apparent murder in ''Knots Landing'' Season 5 in the contemporaneous ''Dallas'' Season 7, Miss Ellie never visiting her supposed favourite son in Knots Landing once in fourteen years, none of the Texas Ewings bar J.R. ever meeting Gary's second wife Abby and Gary's unexplained absence from various family events in Dallas. In the ''Dallas'' / ''Knots Landing'' universe, Texas and California might as well be at opposite ends of the galaxy.

On the ''Dallas'' second-season episode "Return Engagements" (December 21, 1979), Gary (Ted Shackleford) remarried ex-wife Valene Clements Ewing (Joan Van Ark), and Gary's mother bought them a house in California to get away from the other turmoil in the Ewing family. Their daughter Lucy, already almost an adult herself, did not resettle with them, and only appeared on this show as a guest in the first season. The house was one of several his brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) was flipping to take advantage of California's housing boom at the time.

** Prior to Bobby's death and resurrection, the most extreme example of this lack of Continuity Overlap is the fact that Lucy only appears in one episode of ''Knots Landing'' in spite of the fact that she is Gary and Valene's daughter. The original plan, as discussed in early episodes of ''Knots Landing'' and contemporaneous episodes of ''Dallas'', was for Lucy to move out to California to live with her parents but this idea was abandoned. Speaking of Gary and Valene's children, the ''Dallas'' Dream Season revelation meant that their twins Bobby (named after his "late" uncle) and Betsy are never mentioned in ''Dallas''. Miss Ellie seemingly never found out that she had two other grandchildren while Lucy seemingly never found that she had two younger siblings. Less extreme examples include the lack of any reference to Gary's apparent murder in ''Knots Landing'' Season 5 in the contemporaneous ''Dallas'' Season 7, Miss Ellie never visiting her supposed favourite son in Knots Landing once in fourteen years, none of the Texas Ewings bar J.R. ever meeting Gary's second wife Abby and Gary's unexplained absence from various family events in Dallas. In the ''Dallas'' / ''Knots Landing'' universe, Texas and California might as well be at opposite ends of the galaxy.

* {{Keep Circulating the Tapes}}: Only the first two seasons - amounting to a mere 31 of the series' 344 episodes - are available on DVD but every episode of Seasons Three to Fourteen are available online through different sources if you look very, very hard.

''Knots Landing'' ran from December 27, 1979 (literally the tail end of the decade) until 1993. It's fondly remembered by its fans, but wasn't nearly as popular as ''Dallas'', though both were equal LongRunners (both went 14 seasons). Like Gary, it became something of a black sheep. It's only seen its first two seasons released on DVD, and isn't available online yet.

** Prior to Bobby's death and resurrection, the most extreme example of this lack of Continuity Overlap is the fact that Lucy only appears in one episode of ''Knots Landing'' in spite of the fact that she is Gary and Valene's daughter. The original plan, as discussed in early episodes of ''Knots Landing'' and contemporaneous episodes of ''Dallas'', was for Lucy to move out to California to live with her parents but this idea was abandoned. Speaking of Gary and Valene's children, the ''Dallas'' Dream Season revelation meant that their twins Bobby (named after his "late" uncle) and Betsy are never mentioned in ''Dallas''. Miss Ellie seemingly never found out that she had two other grandchildren while Lucy seemingly never found that she had two younger siblings. Less extreme examples include the lack of any reference to Gary's apparent murder in ''Knots Landing'' Season 5 in the contemporaneous ''Dallas'' Season 7, Miss Ellie never visiting her supposed favourite son in Knots Landing once in fourteen years and Gary's unexplained absence from various family events in Dallas. In the ''Dallas'' / ''Knots Landing'' universe, Texas and California might as well be at opposite ends of the galaxy.

** Kenny slightly has his moments as well.

** Prior to Bobby's death and resurrection, the most extreme example of this lack of Continuity Overlap is the fact that Lucy only appears in one episode of ''Knots Landing'' in spite of the fact that she is Gary and Valene's daughter. The original plan, as discussed in early episodes of ''Knots Landing'' and contemporaneous episodes of ''Dallas'', was for Lucy to move out to California to live with her parents but this idea was abandoned. Speaking of Gary and Valene's children, the ''Dallas'' Dream Season revelation meant that their twins Bobby (named after his "late" uncle) and Betsy are never mentioned in ''Dallas''. Miss Ellie seemingly never found out that she had two other grandchildren while Lucy seemingly never found that she had two younger siblings. Less extreme examples include the lack of any reference to Gary's apparent murder in ''Knots Landing'' Season 5 in the contemporaneous ''Dallas'' Season 7, Miss Ellie never visiting her supposed favourite son in Knots Landing once in fourteen years and Gary's unexplained absence from various family events in Dallas. In the ''Dallas'' / ''Knots Landing'' universe, Texas and California might as well be on opposite ends of the galaxy.

On the ''Dallas'' second-season episode "Return Engagements" (December 20, 1979), Gary (Ted Shackleford) remarried ex-wife Valene Clements Ewing (Joan Van Ark), and Gary's mother bought them a house in California to get away from the other turmoil in the Ewing family. Their daughter Lucy, already almost an adult herself, did not resettle with them, and only appeared on this show as a guest in the first season. The house was one of several his brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) was flipping to take advantage of California's housing boom at the time.

* {{Large Ham}} Karen Fairgate on a few occasions, most notably in the pilot episode where she confronts Sid's {{Bratty Teenage Daughter}} who was staying with them for a week.

* {{Really Gets Around}} Kenny Ward; who has been having extra-marital relations behind Ginger's back since the first season. Could also extend to Gary Ewing.

* {{The Alcoholic}} Gary Ewing.

In the mid-1970s, David Jacobs (''[[LiveActionTV.{{Family}} Family]]'', later ''Series/LoisAndClark'') and Michael Filerman (later ''Falcon Crest'') created ''Knots Landing'', a concept for a PrimeTimeSoap inspired by Creator/IngmarBergman's 1973 film, ''Scenes From a Marriage''. It would center around four families in suburban California. Initially rejected in 1977, Jacobs went on to create ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', which proved wildly popular. Jacobs then re-visited ''Knots Landing'', turning it into a SpinOff by inserting one of the Ewing brothers, BlackSheep middle brother Gary.

* PutOnABus: Numerous examples of characters ultimately leaving Knots Landing for various reasons, including Kenny, Ginger, Richard, Diana, Michael, Olivia, Cathy, Ben ([[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome who actually disappeared]]), and Frank.

* PutOnABus:
**

** [[spoiler: Sid Fairgate in surgery after a car crash, at the start of season 3. His actor, Don Murray, was credited as a regular for the first episode of the season, so viewers would be surprised by his death.]]
** [[spoiler: Laura Avery Sumner died of a brain tumor in season 10.]]
** [[spoiler: Joshua Rush fell off a roof and died from his injuries, in season 7.]]
** [[spoiler: Ciji Dunne was murdered in season 5, prompting a murder mystery.]]

* {{Killed Off for Real}} [[spoiler: Sid Fairgate at the end of Season 2]].

* ThePollyanna: Poor, poor Val -- despite all that life throws at her, as Karen says, she's like "the little engine who ''could''".

* {{Only In It For The Money}}: Abby's main reason for marrying Gary Ewing.
* {{Jerk With a Heart of Gold}}: Gregory Sumner.
* {{Dying Alone}}: Laura Avery Sumner when she goes off to a clinic to die of a Brain Tumor.
* {{George Jetson Job Security}}: Paige Matheson, numerous times at the Sumner Group.
* {{Shut Up Kiss}}: Cathy Geary does this to Gary when he yells at her for trying to be look-alike Ciji Dunne.
* {{Witness Protection}}: The Williams family (Frank, Patricia and Julie) who moved next door to Karen and Mack Mackenzie. Their real names are Jerry and Samantha Sollars. Samantha testified against some mobsters who are after them so the whole family assumed new identities and moved to Knots Landing to be safe.

* {{Title Sequence}} For the first season, an opening montage featuring overhead frame of the cul de sac and the cast members in alphabetical order. Also accompanied by a catchy jazz tune composed by Jerrold Immel. This was replaced in Season 3 by the most well-known version, a montage of clips of the show playing in small boxes going by from right to left. Replaced again in Season 9 by a slow panning shot over a painting similar to the splattered style of Jackson Pollock. That was soon replaced in Season 11 by sandcastle structures of the cul-de-sac houses as well as some skyscrapers representing Los Angeles on a beautiful beach, which was replaced in Season 12 by..... the return of the across-the-screen style of scrolling clips. Although this time, it had faster moving, color-framed boxes.

* CaliforniaDoubling: {{Averted}}, since it's set in California. However, Seaview Circle is based on Crystalaire Place, a real cul-de-sac in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles. Knots Landing is depicted as being near a beach. Granada Hills is actually on the north side of the San Fernando Valley, 25 road miles from the nearest beach.
** If you look for Crystalaire Place in a map program, you'll see almost the exact same houses there, just like if you look for Southfork in Dallas.

* {{You Look Familiar}}: Lisa Hartman played a singer named Ciji Dunne who gets killed but the actress came back the next year as Cathy Geary.

* {{Blondes are Evil}} Abby.

In the mid-1970s, David Jacobs (''[[LiveActionTV.{{Family}} Family]]'', later ''Series/LoisAndClark'') and Michael Filerman (later ''Falcon Crest'') created ''Knots Landing'', a concept for a PrimeTimeSoap inspired by Creator/IngmarBergman's 1973 film, ''Scenes From a Marriage''. It would center around four families in suburban California. Initially rejected in 1977, Jacobs went on to create ''{{Dallas}}'', which proved wildly popular. Jacobs then re-visited ''Knots Landing'', turning it into a SpinOff by inserting one of the Ewing brothers, BlackSheep middle brother Gary.

* {{Cross Over}} with {{Dallas}} (at least until Season 4, completely cut off by Dallas' "Dream Season")

In the mid-1970s, David Jacobs (''[[LiveActionTV.{{Family}} Family]]'', later ''LoisAndClark'') and Michael Filerman (later ''Falcon Crest'') created ''Knots Landing'', a concept for a PrimeTimeSoap inspired by Creator/IngmarBergman's 1973 film, ''Scenes From a Marriage''. It would center around four families in suburban California. Initially rejected in 1977, Jacobs went on to create ''{{Dallas}}'', which proved wildly popular. Jacobs then re-visited ''Knots Landing'', turning it into a SpinOff by inserting one of the Ewing brothers, BlackSheep middle brother Gary.

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