Dynasty (television)
television soap opera that aired on ABC from 1981 to 1989. The series revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado. Dynasty epitomized the decade's ideals of wealth and excess. The Colbys, an unsuccessful spin-off came in 1985; a miniseries, Dynasty: The Reunion, aired in 1991.
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).
At the conclusion of the show's first season, as Blake Carrington stood trial for the murder of his gay son's lover, Ted Dinard, the script called for the return of Blake's former wife, the sultry, elegant Alexis Carrington. With the role uncast, a model was used in the season finale.
In the first episode of the second season, titled Enter Alexis, the mysterious stranger removed her Dior 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.
With Alexis settled as Krystle's implacable nemesis, mother and stepdaughter Fallon settled their differences - a bond which riled the displaced and resentful Alexis even further.
In the seasons which followed, Alexis caused Krystle's miscarriage, tried to ruin her marriage 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) as well as provoking a handful of trademark catfights, beginning with one in the Carrington estate's art studio, another in the lily pond, a third in a mud pool in a park and a fourth (in Dynasty: The Reunion) in a fashion studio.
The most memorable aspects of the series, outside the high camp scripts from writer/creators Richard and Esther Shapiro and writers Robert and Eileen Mason Pollock, were a stream of infamous cliffhanger storylines including a fire in the hotel La Mirage, an Alexis/Krystle showdown which ended in an inferno in Steven's cabin, and the show's most famous - the so-called "wedding massacre" when Blake's daughter Amanda (Catherine Oxenberg) married Prince Michael of Moldavia (Michael Praed) on the eve of a military revolution in his country.
The major characters in the show included:
- 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).
- 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.
- Alexis Morrell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan (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, King Galen of Moldavia, and shipping tycoon Zach Powers.
- Fallon Carrington Colby (Pamela Sue Martin, then Emma Samms): The daughter of Blake and Alexis Carrington, 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. The role was recast during the series run, though no on-air explanation was given for Fallon's change of appearance. See also The Colbys.
- Steven Carrington (Al Corley, then Kathleen Beller.
- Amanda Carrington (Catherine Oxenberg, then briefly Pamela Bellwood): The emotionally fragile wife of Matthew Blaisdel, and a close friend of Krystle. After her affair with Steven Carrington was revealed during the Dinard murder trial, her husband Matthew took their daughter Lindsay and left Denver, pushing Claudia into a succession of breakdowns, interrupted only by marriages to Steven, and later Adam, Carrington. Died in a fire at La Mirage at the conclusion of season five.
- Sammy Jo Dean Carrington, aka Sammy Jo Reece (Heather Locklear): Greedy, trouble-making niece of Krystle Carrington, wife of Steven Carrington and Clay Fallmont, mother of Steven Daniel 'Danny' Carrington. Sometime lover of Josh Harris and Jeff Colby. The show's secondary villainess/troublemaker for much of the show's run. Locklear split her time between Dynasty and another Spelling-produced series, TJ Hooker.
- Dominique Deveraux (Diahann Carroll), aka Millie Cox: Successful and wealthy chanteuse, illegitimate daughter of Tom Carrington and Laura Matthews. Carroll joined the cast in season four as a foil for Joan Collins. When the character was originally written, the producers had not decided how to use her, so several introductory lines were filmed (to cirvument any chance the storyline would lead) including lines that revealed Dominique to be the mother of Kirby Anders, or the former wife of Cecil Colby.
- Farnsworth 'Dex' Dexter (Michael Nader): Alexis' younger third husband. Carried on a brief affair with her daughter Amanda. Following the inevitable 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.
- Clay Fallmont (Ted McGinley): The illegitimate son of Ben Carrington and Emily Fallmont, who engaged in affairs with Amanda Carrington, Sammy Jo and Leslie Carrington. The last relationship ended when it was confirmed Leslie might be his sister by blood.
- Leslie Saunders Carrington (Michael Praed): Heir to fictional kingdom of Moldavia, who was 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.
- Ben Carrington (Kate O'Mara): The manipulative sister of Alexis, rescued from a South Americam prison by Dex Dexter, and reunied with her sister Alexis. She wrote a memoir, Sister Dearest, about Alexis Colby, but Alexis discovered the plan, bought the publishing house and scuttled the project.
The series, regarded as one of the most successful in the world, and probably the second most famous soap opera in modern TV history behind Dallas, gave birth to The Colbys in 1985, but the spin-off only lasted two seasons.
Dynasty was followed in 1991 by Dynasty: The Reunion.
