112: Who Shot JR; Or, The Shot Watched 'Round the World

Feb 6 2024 • 51 mins

Post-credits scenes are so common nowadays, it’s almost a surprise when there isn’t a clip teasing a sequel, or an extended universe, or the next Super Mario Bros. Movie. But cliffhangers are something special. They can entice an audience to feel the irresistable urge to watch a movie or tune into an episode just to see that lingering question answered. And nobody did it better than one TV show back in 1980, when a last-minute plot twist not only changed the trajectory of that show, but led to a cultural phenomenon that persists to this day.

Rob teaches Ray and Daniel about the iconic end to “Dallas”’s third season, when J.R. Ewing took a bullet from an unknown enemy; why audiences had to wait eight months to find out the identity of the mysterious culprit; how the sensation propelled Larry Hagman to international celebrity; Daniel’s and Ray’s personal favorite cliffhangers; the lengths to which the networks went to safeguard the premiere of the fourth season; and modern examples of great (and not so great…) cliffhangers.

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