Wicked Wednesday

Seems Like Old Times



On May 13, 1993 Knots Landing aired the last original episode of its fourteen season run on CBS. One of the biggest hits of the prime time serial genre, Knots Landing began as a spinoff from Dallas, featuring Gary and Valene Ewing. That was in 1979. Oh how times changed as Knots Landing became the top rated of the nighttime soaps. By the time series came to an end it was an institution and a staple of the CBS line up.

Unlike the Dallas finale, everyone had a happy ending on Knots Landing when it faded into the sunset. Greg and Paige got it together. Anne and Nick flew off into the future with the money they swindled out of Sumner. Claudia did the same…almost. Kate left town to get over Gary. The bad guys who’d held Val hostage were either killed or caught. Karen and Mack were reunited and as solid as ever, and Gary and Valene were once again the centerpiece of the series. All seemed well, even when Abby drove up and announced that she was moving back to the cul-de-sac.

This final scene always gets me every time I see it. It perfectly captures the essence of Knots Landing and why it was so popular with viewers for all those years. Still a hit in syndication, the show also had a reunion in 1997, and the cast reunited for a retrospective in 2005. People just didn’t get tired of this show and this clip shows just exactly why in grand style.