Dynasty (1981 TV series, season 3)

The third season of Dynasty originally aired in the United States on ABC from October 27, 1982 through April 20, 1983. The series, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy family residing in Denver, Colorado.

Dynasty
Season 3
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	24
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	October 27, 1982 – April 20, 1983
Season chronology

Season three stars John Forsythe as millionaire oil magnate Blake Carrington; Linda Evans as his wife Krystle; Pamela Sue Martin as Blake and Alexis's headstrong daughter Fallon; Jack Coleman as Blake and Alexis's earnest son Steven; Gordon Thomson as Blake and Alexis's eldest son Adam; John James as Fallon's ex-husband Jeff Colby; Lloyd Bochner as Jeff's uncle, Cecil Colby; Pamela Bellwood as Claudia Blaisdel, the widow of Krystle's former lover; Heather Locklear as Krystle's niece and Steven's ex-wife Sammy Jo; Geoffrey Scott as Krystle's ex-husband Mark Jennings; Lee Bergere as Carrington majordomo Joseph Anders; Kathleen Beller as Joseph's daughter Kirby; and Joan Collins as Alexis Colby, Blake's ex-wife and the mother of Adam, Fallon, and Steven.

Development

In season three, Dynasty introduced Gordon Thomson in the role of Adam Carrington, Blake and Alexis's eldest child, who had been kidnapped as an infant ever never found. According to Thomson, "They had planned on Adam being an impostor but they liked him so much they decided to keep him on. They tested me for 13 shows, then extended that to 24."[1] Steven Carrington was recast with Jack Coleman in 1983, the change in appearance attributed to plastic surgery after an oil rig explosion.[2][3]

Dynasty was ranked #5 in the United States for season three.[4][5] The April 1983 episode "The Threat", which features the first use of the word "bitch" in a prime time network series as well as a catfight between Krystle and Alexis in a lily pond, was ranked #67 on the 2009 TV Guide list of "Top 100 Episodes".[6]

Plot

In the third season, Alexis marries Cecil on his deathbed and acquires his company, ColbyCo. In the meantime, Adam, the long-lost son of Alexis and Blake who had been kidnapped in infancy, reappears in Denver and almost starts an affair with Fallon before they discover they are siblings. Also introduced are Krystle's ex-husband, tennis pro Mark Jennings, and Kirby Anders, the daughter of longtime Carrington majordomo Joseph. Kirby catches Adam's eye but weds Jeff after his divorce from Fallon. In the middle of the season, news that Steven has been killed in an accident in Indonesia comes to the Carringtons; he survives, but undergoes plastic surgery and returns to Denver. In the third-season cliffhanger, Alexis lures Krystle to Steven's cabin and the two are locked inside while the cabin is set ablaze by an unseen arsonist.

Cast

Main

• John Forsythe as Blake Carrington
• Linda Evans as Krystle Carrington
• Pamela Sue Martin as Fallon Carrington
• Pamela Bellwood as Claudia Blaisdel[lower-alpha 1]
• John James as Jeff Colby
• Lloyd Bochner as Cecil Colby[lower-alpha 2]
• Gordon Thomson as Adam Carrington
• Kathleen Beller as Kirby Anders
• Geoffrey Scott as Mark Jennings[lower-alpha 3]
• Heather Locklear as Sammy Jo Carrington[lower-alpha 4]
• Jack Coleman as Steven Carrington[lower-alpha 5]
• Lee Bergere as Joseph Anders
• Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington

Recurring

• Paul Burke as Neal McVane
• James Hong as Dr. Chen Ling

Guest

• Tim O'Connor as Crayford
• Christine Belford as Susan Farragut
• Joanne Linville as Claire Maynard
• Kabir Bedi as Farouk Ahmed
• Simon MacCorkindale as Billy Dawson
• Hank Brandt as Morgan Hess
• Peter Mark Richman as Andrew Laird
• David Hedison as Sam Dexter
• Grant Goodeve as Chris Deegan

Cast notes

1. Bellwood appears in "The Plea", "The Roof", "The Wedding", and "The Dinner", and is credited in the opening credits for those episodes.
2. Bochner appears and is credited in first three episodes.
3. Scott makes his first (uncredited) appearance in "The Siblings" before becoming a series regular in "Mark".
4. Locklear appears only in "Samantha", "Danny", and "Downstairs Bride", and is credited in the opening credits for those episodes.
5. Coleman makes his recurring arc beginning with "Acapulco" where he is uncredited and his face is unseen. He is promoted to series regular in "Fathers and Sons".

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
38	1	"The Plea"	Irving J. Moore	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	October 27, 1982[7]	DY-036	TBA
39	2	"The Roof"	Gwen Arner	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	November 3, 1982[8]	DY-037	TBA
40	3	"The Wedding"	Irving J. Moore	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Jeffery Lane	November 10, 1982[9]	DY-038	25.80
41	4	"The Will"	Gwen Arner	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Katherine Coker	November 17, 1982[10]	DY-039	19.60
42	5	"The Siblings"	Irving J. Moore	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Daniel King Benton	November 24, 1982[11]	DY-040	TBA
43	6	"Mark"	Philip Leacock	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	December 1, 1982[12]	DY-041	TBA
44	7	"Kirby"	Irving J. Moore	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	December 8, 1982[13]	DY-042	TBA
45	8	"La Mirage"	Irving J. Moore	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Stephen Black & Henry Stern	December 15, 1982[14]	DY-043	21.30
46	9	"Acapulco"	Philip Leacock	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Leah Markus	December 22, 1982[15]	DY-044	TBA
47	10	"The Locket"	Jerome Courtland	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Dick Nelson	December 29, 1982[16]	DY-045	21.20[17]
48	11	"The Search"	Alf Kjellin	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	January 5, 1983[18]	DY-046	TBA
49	12	"Samantha"	Bob Sweeney	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	January 12, 1983[19]	DY-047	22.90
50	13	"Danny"	Alf Kjellin	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Dick Nelson	January 19, 1983[20]	TBA	21.80
51	14	"Madness"	Irving J. Moore	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Stephen Kandel	January 26, 1983[21]	DY-049	22.90[17]
52	15	"Two Flights to Haiti"	Jerome Courtland	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	February 2, 1983[22]	TBA	26.30[23]
53	16	"The Mirror"	Philip Leacock	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	February 16, 1983[24]	DY-051	TBA
Dynasty was preempted by part 4 of The Winds of War on February 9, 1983.[25]
54	17	"Battle Lines"	Jerome Courtland	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Dick Nelson	February 23, 1983[26]	DY-052	20.90[23]
55	18	"Reunion in Singapore"	Gwen Arner	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	March 2, 1983[27]	DY-053	TBA
56	19	"Fathers and Sons"	Jerome Courtland	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	March 9, 1983[28]	DY-054	22.50[23]
57	20	"The Downstairs Bride"	Philip Leacock	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Dick Nelson	March 16, 1983[29]	DY-055	25.20[23]
58	21	"The Vote"	Glynn R. Turman	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	March 23, 1983[30]	DY-056	22.00[23]
59	22	"The Dinner"	Philip Leacock	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	April 6, 1983[31]	DY-057	22.50[23]
Dynasty was preempted by part 4 of The Thorn Birds on March 30, 1983.[32]
60	23	"The Threat"	Bob Sweeney	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	April 13, 1983[33]	DY-058	23.20[23]
This episode features the first use of the word "bitch" in a prime time network series. Note: In 1996, the episode was ranked #84 on TV Guide's list of "The 100 Most Memorable Moments in TV History", and was ranked #67 on the 2009 TV Guide list of "Top 100 Episodes".[6]
61	24	"The Cabin"	Irving J. Moore	Story by : Eileen Mason and Robert Pollock Teleplay by : Edward De Blasio	April 20, 1983[34]	DY-059	27.30[23]

Reception

In season three, Dynasty was ranked #5 in the United States with a 22.4 Nielsen rating.[4][5]

References

1. "From Despair to Success". New Sunday Times. June 15, 1986. p. 6. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
2. Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. pp. 80–84. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
3. Miller, Samantha; Griffiths, John (June 22, 1998). "Rising Son". People. Vol. 49, No. 24. pp. 193–194. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
4. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (October 2007). "Top-Rated Programs by Season". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9th ed.). pp. 1689–1692. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
5. "TV Ratings: 1982–83". ClassicTVHits.com. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
6. "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
7. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. October 27, 1982.
8. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 3, 1982.
9. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 10, 1982.
10. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 17, 1982.
11. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. November 24, 1982.
12. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 1, 1982.
13. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 8, 1982.
14. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 15, 1982.
15. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 22, 1982.
16. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. December 29, 1982.
17. "Episode List: Dynasty (1981–1983)". TV Tango. p. 1. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
18. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 5, 1983.
19. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 12, 1983.
20. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 19, 1983.
21. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. January 26, 1983.
22. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. February 2, 1983.
23. "Episode List: Dynasty (1983–1985)". TV Tango. p. 2. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
24. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. February 16, 1983.
25. "TV Listings". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. February 9, 1983.
26. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. February 23, 1983.
27. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 2, 1983.
28. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 9, 1983.
29. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 16, 1983.
30. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. March 23, 1983.
31. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. April 6, 1983.
32. "TV Listings". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. March 30, 1983. p. 82.
33. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. April 13, 1983.
34. "Wednesday TV". NY Daily News. New York City, New York. April 20, 1983.

External links

• Dynasty – list of episodes at IMDb