So back in the 80s I would have never ever given Knots Landing a chance. But I started dating someone new who loved this show so I was stuck watching it. I actually gave in and looked forward to watching it. I was never one for soap opera type television. One of my favorite characters was Mack. I always enjoyed when Mack was an integral part of that particular episode, and he was always one the significant characters. Kevin Dobson didn't do a whole lot of acting after Knots went off the air, not sure why, everything Kevin has been in he has excelled and has greatly improved the series or has brought his characters to life. I am only writing this review because I had heard Kevin had passed away recently. Rest In Peace Kevin Dobson, one of the great ones in Hollywood.
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pcampionz13 December 2020
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That's what somebody said when they wanted to talk to God. Anyway, Knots Landing had a lot more than Dallas did in the way of great characters. The cast was first rate starring Michele Lee, Joan Van Arks, Donna Mills, Julie Harris, Constance McCashin, William Devane, Nicolette Sheridan, etc. Who could forget Nicolette Sheridan and William Devane's characters playing cricket? The female roles were equally strong as the male roles. I forget who played Michele Lee's husband. I loved Constance McCashin in her role. She was superb but her character died. The show was popular because it was character based and the writing was far better than the other sister soaps. The families on this show never appeared super-rich like their mother show, Dallas. Ted Shackelford plays a Ewing living in California. The fact that this show had a consistent following and guest stars including Alec Baldwin, Michelle Phillips, and many others proved that this show was a force to be reckon with.
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shelbythuylinh11 December 2021Dallas had JR, Falcon Crest had Angela, Dynasty Alexis, and last but not least this show had Abby the people you love to hate on it there.
That over in the turning on a lot of heat and tension. And had a great ensemble and in the led over by Joan Van Ark, Michelle Lee, the late Kevin Dobson, Donna Mills as that despicable but very popular however Abby.
Fourteen years as one of the four big prime time soaps. -
vs66196628 September 2004Knots Landing was an excellent drama. I watched all 14 seasons of this series. I especially liked the first few seasons when the show focused on the families in the cul-de-sac, but after the fifth season the show's story lines became similar to other prime time soap opera fare with more of a focus on greed and the desire for wealth and power. Although the show changed direction, the writing, directing and especially the acting remained top-notch and were always superior to the other shows.
Knots Landing premiered on CBS in December 1979. It followed the lives and relationships of Gary & Valene Ewing (Ted Shackelford & Joan Van Ark), recently remarried and new to town; Sid & Karen Fairgate (Don Murray & Michele Lee), the strong married couple with three children; Richard & Laura Avery (John Pleshette & Constance McCashin), the couple with marital problems; and Kenny & Ginger Ward (James Houghton & Kim Lankford), the young newlyweds.
Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills), Sid's younger divorced sister in the "bitch" role, came to town with her two children at the beginning of the second season; she was added to stir up the pot, so to speak, and began trying to seduce everyone's husband; she eventually set her sights on Gary and married him after ruining his marriage to Val. Donna Mills, who had for years played weak female and "victim" roles in various TV shows and movies, was thrilled to play a strong, powerful female lead. In fact, the show had many strong female characters.
In the beginning, these characters were a lot like people that lived down the street. They wore jeans and did the dishes... something you would never see on "Dynasty" or "Dallas"! Also, the early episodes (first 2 seasons) were self-contained and did not have the serialized format that was standard for most of the other nighttime soaps.
Early in the third season, Sid Fairgate died during emergency surgery after a car crash because Don Murray wanted to leave the show. By the end of the fourth season, original characters Richard Avery, Kenny Ward and Ginger Ward were all written off the show. The new characters of Mack MacKenzie and Gregory Sumner became more prominent.
The biggest mistake was when the powers that be fired actress Constance McCashin during the 1987-1988 season due to her real-life pregnancy. They had written her two previous pregnancies into the story, but they did not plan to do so this time. Granted, the storyline involving Laura's brain cancer and subsequent death was very well written and poignant, and superbly acted by Constance McCashin and William Devane as her husband Greg Sumner; however, they could have just had Laura leave town or written the character out of a few episodes to accommodate the actress' pregnancy since Laura was not very heavily involved in a big story at that time. Apparently, many other reviewers liked this character and felt that letting this actress go was a mistake.
There were many great actors on this show, but special mention must go to Julie Harris as Lilimae Clements, Valene's mother, and Michelle Phillips as Anne Matheson, Paige's shallow, self-absorbed mother and Mack's ex-girlfriend. They both brought lighter comedic moments to the show with their roles.
The fact that the show lasted 14 seasons demonstrates that it was far better than the other prime time soaps. The show managed to stay true to form for the most part throughout the entire series run by focusing on the characters and their motivations and not on overly outlandish plots. -
Sargebri14 October 2003When this show first premiered, many didn't give it a chance due to the fact that it was a spin off from the hugely popular Dallas. A lot of people didn't think that a show featuring the least known of the Ewing brothers, Gary, and his wife Val would last. However, it did last and boy did it ever. For fourteen years we saw the saga of the cul de sac and their various residents and the main reason that this show became great is the fact their was such great chemistry among the leads and that led to some great performances, especially from the woman who eventually became the lead, Michele Lee. Also, many of the stories, unlike most nighttime soaps, were based in reality. Subjects such as drug and alcohol addiction, colon cancer and rape were all covered in this show. But, perhaps the most dramatic change occurred several seasons after the show debuted when the Williamses, an African-American couple and their daughter, were introduced in 1987. This was at a time when many blacks were becoming upwardly mobile and this was just a reflection of that trend. This show definitely will always be fondly remembered by everyone.
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Tom Hall-218 February 1999The second-longest-running drama on network television, Knots Landing was often overshadowed by the flashier serials Dallas and Dynasty. However, according to a Wall Street Journal article, Knots Landing's audience actually grew when the heyday of the nighttime soaps had passed, and it outlived its competitors. Its remarkable 14-season run was consistent in its use of believable plotlines and characters the viewers could care about. Knots Landing never insulted the intelligence of its audience while developing intricately intertwined relationships among the characters.
The series changed over the years, beginning as a California "Scenes from a Marriage" with four couples living on a cul-de-sac: Dallas transplants Valene and Gary Ewing, who had reunited after 15 years apart; Karen and Sid Fairgate, a community activist and the owner of a car dealership; Laura and Richard Avery, a bored housewife and a lawyer whose marriage was in trouble; and Ginger and Kenny Ward, the newlyweds. (The producers had developed Knots Landing before Dallas but created the latter when CBS wanted something flashier.) Over the years, Sid died and Karen remarried crusading attorney Mack Mackenzie; Richard abandoned Laura, who married politician/industrialist Gregory Sumner and later died; the Wards had numerous spats before moving to Nashville to pursue music careers; and Val and Gary divorced and married a third time. Sid's sister, Abby Fairgate, was introduced as a conniving vixen in the second season; her actions indirectly caused the death of her brother and directly caused the breakup of the Ewings. Others living on Seaview Circle at one time or another included Val's mother Lilimae Clements, second husband Ben Gibson and brother Joshua Rush; Joshua's wife Cathy Geary; Mack's daughter Paige Matheson and her mother Anne; Greg's sister Claudia Whitaker and her daughter Kate; and Pat and Frank Williams, whose family was under the federal witness protection program. Much of the action eventually moved to the Lotus Point resort or the Sumner Group offices, where underhanded business dealings flourished. However, the series ended where it all started, with the surviving original characters returning to the cul-de-sac.
Knots Landing was imbued with a sense of fun that never became camp, despite mind-boggling developments like the "return" of dead singer Ciji Dunne in the form of identical Cathy Geary. At its best, Knots Landing could make you laugh one moment and cry the next, as it did during the two-parter dealing with Laura's funeral. By this time, the actors knew their characters so well that they were able to improvise their own lines, which were incorporated into the script. Fans and TV critics acknowledged Knots Landing as the best of its genre. Perhaps more significantly, the show survived in its Thursday time slot against tough competition including Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law. Even though Knots Landing left the air in 1993, its fans still miss the show--particularly the memorable characters who lived through births, deaths, marriages, divorces, murders and love affairs. Often overlooked but still imitated, Knots Landing is a place where many viewers would like to return. -
cooper-2922 December 1999I grew up with this show and watched it the entire run.So much better and alittle more down to earth then the other shows, Knots was a show with Great characters and characters you either loved or loved to hate. I wish they'd bring it back for more Movie specials.
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Rabical-9128 February 2020Along with 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty', 'Knots Landing' is a spectacularly bad American soap opera which has all the entertainment value of being trapped in a lift. It was a spin-off from 'Dallas' which chartered the exploits of Gary Ewing ( Ted Shackleford ) and his wife Val ( Joan Van Ark, a woman whose plastic surgeon looked like the same one who serviced the late Michael Jackson ) who move from Dallas to the fictional California district known as Knots Landing. It trod the same banal line as the earlier shows - alcholism, extra marital affairs, murder, rape and about every other soap cliche going.
Throughout the '90's, repeats of 'Knots Landing' stunk up UK Gold like a heap of mildewing nappies in a rubbish tip. I am deeply ashamed to admit that I was subjected to this torture as my mother was a huge fan of the show and would watch it relentlessly.
About the only positive thing that can be said about the show is the catchy saxaphone theme ( provided by Jerrold Immel ) which was later used for the long running ITV sitcom 'The Upper Hand'.
It all thankfully came to an end in 1993 though it was a mystery that it ran as long as it did. Should it be remade, it will be as welcome an event as Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister Of Great Britain. -
mtanyasmail16 April 2015For several years now I have been watching and waiting ... Waiting for someone from Warner Brothers to grow a brain and release the remaining 12 seasons on DVD. It seems as though every other show ever created,no matter how short-lived, stupid, good, bad, loved, or hated are all released on DVD. But not Knots Landing. Why? I once read some seriously lame excuse that the sales from the release of the first 2 seasons weren't high enough. That can't be right. There are some of the most idiotic shows out there on DVD that I KNOW couldn't have sold much. But there they are. Knots Landing CLEARLY had fans in order to run for so many seasons. They can't even rerun it anymore? It makes NO sense to me. I am very positive that along with myself many many other die hard fans of this show--which IMO was the BEST prime time soap in history still to date--would purchase the rest of the seasons on DVD. Come on people, contact WB and help me let them know that we are entitled to have access to our beloved show just as well as Dallas fans are!!
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mush-213 June 1999Knots Landing,the TV stalwart through the 80's and some of the 90's was one of TV's best dramas. The characters were so real,they became as well known as family members. The series excelled in complex characters. From the strong women like Karen, Laura,Paige and Abby to the utterly fascinating flawed men like Greg Sumner and Gary Ewing.The show was not without its mistakes- not all the serpentine,complicated plots worked, and the reliance of the plots in later episodes on insane stalkers, was predictable. Nevertheless, when Knots stories jelled,the effects were often breathtaking. Who can forget the great moments like Sid's death and Karen's coping, Abby's marrying Greg in the middle of his romance with Paige, Laura's funeral,the return of Val's twins, the body under the cement, Olivia's drug addiction and Abby's intervention, Jill's shocking villainy revealed to Val...the list of great Knots moments goes on.There hasn't been a show like it on TV since. It is sorely missed.
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All u have to do is vote 7 or above.. 6,000 votes is needed before before I can request this show to be available to watch free and it barely has 2,316 votes
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gregoryshnly20 December 2006Knots Landing started off as a spin off to Dallas,dealing with Lucy's Mum and Dad,Gary and Valene remarrying and moving to a Southern California Cul De Sac after Miss Ellie buys them a house,to make up for all the ill treatment they both suffered from the Ewings. Joan Van Ark and Ted Shackleford were both excellent throughout the entire run as was the wonderful Michele Lee who through the seasons lost her beloved husband Sid(Don Murray)got his murderers convicted and married the fiery Mack(Kevin Dobson) Karen was the only character to appear in all the Knots episodes and she was the voice of the people,in one episode when she spoke of wanting to be able to trust people,send cash in the mail etc. After a fairly quiet first season,the Cul De Sac was rocked by the arrival of Sid's sister Abby(Donna Mills)who stole Gary from Val and really brought sex and scandal to Knots Landing. Donna Mills played the part with great gusto and humour,when she left around season 10,she was sorely missed. When popular character Ciji Dunn(Lisa Hartman) was killed off,the was an outcry from fans,so the writers,created a new character lookalike Cathy Greary(Lisa Hartman again)with the plot being Abby hiring a lookalike to send Gary off the rails while she spend his inheritance! When Joan Van Ark left in the last season,Val appeared to die in a car crash but returned in the two episode finale,she'd been kidnapped for a year,a happy ending for the show!. The show didn't shrink from the reality of death though,with Sid's death and later popular character Laura(Constance McCashin)dying from brain cancer. A great show with a great cast,special mention also to William Devane for a great performance as Greg Sumner. It deserved its very long run!
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hnt_dnl8 March 2008KNOTS LANDING was a favorite show of mine as a kid and still think of it as a top nighttime drama! A very dramatic show, amazingly, I never found it sappy or boring to watch. FOURTEEN solid years! KL was the DALLAS spin-off where Gary and Valene Ewing moved to the cul-de-sac of Knots Landing in 1979. KNOTS surpasses DALLAS as the best nighttime soap opera because in EVERY season, you can find something to enjoy while DALLAS teetered on boredom in its last couple of years.
The real greatness of KNOTS was in it's sense of community, family, friendship, and all these qualities were realistically and brilliantly translated to the viewer. Originally focusing on 4 couples Sid and Karen Fairgate (Don Murray and Michele Lee), the aforementioned Gary and Val (Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark), Richard and Laura Avery (John Pleshette and Constance McCashin), and Kenny and Ginger Ward(James Houghton and Kim Lankford) who resided in Knots Landing, each week we got to see these couples interact. Amazing how solitary everyday life could be so enjoyable to watch! Of course there was a fair share of 'issue' episodes: adultery, troubled children, alcoholism, teenage drug use, etc. The first 3 seasons were mostly self-contained eps focusing on all these issues, but the main thing is that we got to learn about all these great characters, their quirks, values, beliefs, what made them tick. The show always stayed true to the characters.
The main cast ended up being the originals Karen, Gary, Val, then Abby (Sid's younger sister and Karen's worst enemy!) came in Season 2, Mack in Season 4, and Greg Sumner in Season 5. These 6 characters pretty much carried the show until it's end in Season 14. Karen was the wise everywoman and everyone's friend and confidante. Gary was the weak-willed alcoholic with good intentions. Val was the sweet, innocent woman who trusted people too much. Abby was the bitchy, devious, ambitious vixen. Mack was the street-smart, everyday joe who believed in true justice. Sumner was the rich, corporate goliath who wanted to control the world.
Special mention should go to other long-running and short-running characters: Lilimae (Val's folksy mother played by the great Julie Harris), Anne (Mack's first love played wonderfully by Michelle Phillips), Joshua (Lilimae's troubled son played by the now famous Alec Baldwin).
There was an eclectic mix of other fine characters that came and went over the years: Chip, Ciji, Ben, Peter, Jill, Paige, Ben, Frank, Pat, Olivia, Danny,Claudia. And there were many others! What do you expect for a show that ran 14 years! A great show with something for everyone! -
ellisel25 July 2006I enjoyed seeing "Knots Landing" at every available opportunity. The program was a spin-off from "Dallas" in the 1979-1980 Television Season. Entertainers Michelle Lee, Kevin Dobson, Ted Shackelford, William Devane, Joan Van Ark, and Julie Harris were the key cogs in the program's 14-year-run on CBS Television. The program did not air just to deal with the normal lives in everyday America. The program dealt with critical issues like greed, rape, prostitution, wife beatings, kidnapping, alcoholism, and cancer. I highly recommend this program for those that like to see reruns of the show. The show itself maintained high levels of documentation and suspense in describing the scene in the particular act of a particular episode. Even Entertainer Stacy Galina did a brilliant job in playing her role of Kate Whitaker in the show's final three years of its run. Way To Go!!
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honey7465812 September 2003Knots Landing has got to be one of the best shows ever to grace our TV sets. The show that started out as a spin off of another good show Dallas turned into a guaranteed hour of enjoyable tv. Yes the show had its good and bad episodes but you always knew you could look foward to seeing your favorite neighbors on the Cul-Da-Sac Seaview Circle. By far the greatest female character on the show was Karen Fairgate Mackenzie(Michele Lee), she was married to the 2 greatest men ever Sid Fairgate(Don Murray) the owner of Knots Landing Motors and after his death she met and married Mack Mackenzie(Kevin Dobson)a lawyer. I enjoyed these two together most, they had such great chemistry together on screen they actually were believable as a married couple. When Abby(Donna Mills) arrived the show became even better, her character was always after someones husband and usually ended up with him. Sumner(Bill Devane) was another great addition to the show, his character brought a comic humor with the words he chose to use in tense drama situations. Then you had the Val(Joan Van Ark) and Gary(Ted Shackelford) the two childhood lovers who you just knew would always be together even if a few marriages got in between them. The show also had some other great characters like Laura(Constance McCashin), Richard (John Pleashette), Paige(Nicolette Sheridan), Lilimae(Julie Harris), Claudia(Kathleen Noone), Anne(Michelle Phillips), Frank(Lary Riely), Olivia(Tonya Crowe). Knots also had a ton of guest stars like Ava Gardner, Alec Baldwin, Lisa Hartman Black, Red Buttons,and Pam Grier just to name a few. Overall this show still holds up to todays standards and hopefully it will be put on DVD soon so everyone can enjoy it.
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Unlike other nighttime soaps of the 80's and 90's, "Knots Landing" never really ran out of steam. With a strong cast headed by Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, Michelle Lee, Donna Mills, William Devane, and Broadway legend Julie Harris. the show was filled with all the soap opera trappings but mixed with a bit of realism. Though the show deviated somewhat from its middle class beginnings in season one, the opulence that some of the characters had never seemed out of reach or over the top as in "Dallas" or "Dynasty". Even when "black sheep" Ewing brother Gary (Shackelford) fell into his own financially, the character never stretched into unbelievability.
Many of the story lines reflected the day-to-day trials of normal life: wayward children, drugs, spousal abuse, child abuse, alcoholism, strained marriages, divorce, and death. The latter was no better handled when cast member Constance McCashin's character "Laura" died of cancer and left her grieving husband Greg (Devane) a previously recorded videotape. This 200th-show episode was one of the highlights in the series's long run.
Even the real death of cast member Larry Riley was worked into the story lines, as characters had to deal with a "death in the family." Also, the show had its share of big names joining the cast for pivotal episodes; both movie legends Ava Gardner and Howard Duff appeared as the separated parents of Greg Sumner.
The show was also a "stepping stone" for up-and-comers like Alec Baldwin ("Joshua Rush"), Halle Berry, and character actor Bruce Greenwood.
With over three hundred installments, "Knots Landing" remains one of the best dramas in television history. -
mamaw74692 September 2021I loved the show when it was first on. I missed a few of them and would love to go back and bing watch it.
Does anyone know if it will be on streaming? -
helenadair3218 February 2019I really loved Knots Landing, because of Gary Ewing, character and Donna Mills, it was a awesome show and I would love to see it all over again, another one of my favorite night time soaps, I was addicted to this show. I had to learn to love Vals character no reason why just had too, lol.
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joycemargaret25 August 2008Knots was THE best show ever. I watched every episode...I loved each and every character....they were amazing actors. I want to buy all of the episodes and re-live it again!!!! My favorite characters were Val, Abby, and Gary. They made the best triangle ever written. I hated Abby but I loved to watch her in action. I thought her best job was when Olivia was on drugs and she was desperately trying to help her. And I loved to she what she was wearing. I loved Valene. Her character kept growing and growing. Karen was a hoot. I didn't like Paige at first, and then grew to love her! I wish it would air on TV again- is that possible???
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sabby13 February 1999"Knots Landing", for 14 years, was the greatest television experience ever. From December 27, 1979, until May 13, 1993, we followed the sudsy lives of our favorite characters. From Val and Gary's initial movie into the neighborhood, to Abby's arrival and her nonstop manipulations, to Laura's terminal brain cancer and the impact it had on everyone's lives, to the ultimate psycho Jill, it was all terrific entertainment. Not overly-glossy and implausible like other night-time soaps, "Knots" had a realism all it's own. It will be missed and remembered fondly.
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calrich17 December 2016Excellent acting and some of the best writing on a night time soap. I loved how the writers never went for a predictable conclusion to a story. Just when I thought I knew how a story line would resolve itself, the writers would put in a surprise or a twist that I never saw coming. I loved Dallas and the rest, but while their stories entertained me they rarely surprised me. A side note to Brandon: Knots Landing did have a couple of casting changes. Joan Van Ark went to bed with David Ackroyd and woke up with Ted Shackelford on Dallas. On William Devane's "daughter lived as Danielle Brisebois and died as Stacy Galina.
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wallindolores-7024213 June 2021Knots landing had the best acting and writing of any nighttime soap opera.
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ssbounyavong1 April 2023I grew up watching this show with my parents and I wish I could start from season 1 and watch it through season 14. There was a lot of great intrigue and drama I just couldn't wait each week to watch it. I wish they would bring it back on a streaming service that can be purchased. I found the only place with it is Xfinity internet from Comcast which is strange since Comcast is owned by NBCUniversal and Knots was a CBS show. Also why can't it be on a streaming app like Paramount+. Additionally DVD's were only produced for Seasons 1 & 2.
For those that have watched Dallas and enjoyed that its a great carry over from that show. I. -
cassaron11 December 2004I think people exaggerate what "Knots Landing" was a little. It was an amazing show, and an incredibly addictive one at that, but it wasn't this deep, realistic show that people say it was. Even in the early years, there were episodes that never could have happened in real life. Knots Landing was as much of a soap opera as "Dynasty," "Dallas," or "Falcon Crest." The special thing about Knots is that the story lines were very intelligent and well-thought out (and I think people confuse "intelligent" with "realistic" because while they probably COULD have happened, it was a 1 in a billion chance.) The Knots writers were able to keep things consistent for the most part, come up with storyline based on the characters, and have multiple story lines going at once. The show was fantastic because the storyline was so engrossing.
Then in season 8, Knots Landing started getting self-conscious. THIS is when the show started trying to be "realistic" and a "social commentary." IMO, once they started taking themselves too seriously, the show lost its brilliance. I couldn't have cared less about the season 12 child abuse. In seasons 1-7, Knots Landing was so good because it was so FUN. In seasons 8-14, it became increasingly less fun to watch (and also, the show in seasons 9-10 lost actresses Constance McCashin, Donna Mills, and Julie Harris who'd been there since seasons 1, 2, and 3 respectively.) So when I say Knots Landing is engrossing drama that everyone needs to see, I'm really only talking about the first seven seasons . -
k_dizzle_scarface_nizzle17 November 2004This spin off of CBS' DALLAS premiered midway through the 1979-80 season. KNOTS follows the lives of five families residing on an oceanside cul-de-sac in the town of Knots Landing, California. They are: Gary (Ted Shackelford) and Valene Ewing (Joan Van Ark), a young remarried couple who move to the cul-de-sac to escape the pressures of living in Dallas (namely JR and the Ewing family), Sid (Don Murray) and Karen Fairgate (Michele Lee), the friendly neighbors whose marriage is on solid ground, Richard (John Pleshette) and Laura Avery (Constance McCashin), whose marriage is in dire straits even with a young son, and Kenny (James Houghton) and Ginger Ward (Kim Lankford), the newlyweds who have bought their first home in the cul-de-sac. The show crossed over with DALLAS in its' early years when JR and Bobby made occasional visits. Things were spiced up when Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills), Sid's younger sister moved in and managed to break up Gary and Val. Other characters included the smarmy politician-turned-businessman Greg Sumner (William Devane), who tangled with Abby and married Laura when Richard took off after being accused of murder. There was also Mack Mackenzie (Kevin Dobson), who would marry Karen when Sid was killed in an auto accident. Paige Matheson (Nicollette Sheridan), Mack's daughter, who tangled with Sumner, was a major character. One of the show's story lines included the birth of Gary and Val's twins that were stolen from her at birth. When Bobby Ewing died on DALLAS and Pam Ewing dreamt the whole season, KNOTS suspended its' crossover plots with the parent series, for fear that KNOTS viewers would think that the present season was all a dream as well. So while Bobby was alive on DALLAS, he remained dead on KNOTS.