?Dallas? TV Show 2012: Will The Soap Opera Reboot Find A Fresh Audience?

Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray will reprise their roles as J.R. Ewing, Bobby Ewing and Sue Ellen Ewing, respectively. Dallas newcomers Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe will play the sons of the perpetually feuding Ewing brothers.

The show is getting good reviews so far, but whether it will live up to the popularity -- or longevity -- of the original series remains to be seen. The original show ran from 1978 to 1991 and scored many nominations and awards, including four Emmys, a Golden Globe and enough Soap Opera Digest Awards to make the neighbors of Southfork Ranch pea green with envy.

Cast members and creators promise that while viewers will get a taste of the old drama, new and evolved characters will help keep the story fresh. Such will be the case, for example, with the character of Sue Ellen Ewing.

The Sue Ellen of 20 years ago doesn't exist anymore, Gray told USA Today. She's her own woman, and I feel that she's where a lot of women of her age are in 2012 -- been there, done that. We use stepping stones in our lives to jump into the next thing.

Dallas is not the first television show to attempt to reclaim old glory. Here are other television shows that continued the original stories to varying degrees of success. Will Dallas be among the fallen, or is everything still bigger in Texas?

Dallas

Cast additions to the Dallas revival include Jordana Brewster (Fast and the Furious), Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives) and Julie Gonzalo (A Cinderella Story). 

90210

The CW's reboot of the iconic show Beverly Hills, 90210 hasn't lived up to the hype of the original series, but it has struck a chord with a sought-after young adult demographic. In addition to juicy and far-fetched drama, the show has given viewers many new beautiful faces to admire, including AnnaLynne McCord and Jessica Stroup. Cast members from the original series, such as Jennie Garth, have made cameos and reprised old roles for various lengths of time. The show was renewed for a fifth season in May.

Melrose Place

Melrose Place was originally a spinoff of Beverly Hills, 90210. The new incarnation, which premiered in September 2009, was a noble effort, to be sure, but neither cameos from the original cast or hot newcomers such as Colin Egglesfield were able to save this watered-down story. Producer Darren Swimmer hinted the following April on Twitter that the show might not get renewed. It was officially canceled in May, after just one season. 

Saved by the Bell: The College Years

This show saw some of the original cast members of the Saved by the Bell series (which originally started as a series titled Good Morning, Miss Bliss starring Hayley Mills) go to college. It also saw a new time slot, switching from Saturday morning to primetime, which was probably the deciding factor in its doom. This story only lasted one season (although we're hoping the cast actually finished college). At least we got to see Zack and Kelly tie the knot in a special made-for-TV movie!

Saved by the Bell: The New Class

The new class lasted seven seasons, but the show didn't measure up to the original. Production brought back Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding) and Dustin Diamond (Samuel Screech Powers), and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris) and Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater) did make cameos, but the reboot still didn't hold a candle to the real thing.

The Carrie Diaries

Okay, okay, this is technically a prequel to the Sex and the City franchise, but AnnaSophia Robb is going to play a younger version of Carrie Bradshaw. The 18-year-old actress deserves some props for taking on such an iconic, well-established character. Can anyone but SJP pull it off? We will find out when the show premieres on the CW in January 2013.