Dynasty (1981 TV series)

Dynasty
Genre	Soap opera
Created by	Richard and Esther Shapiro
Directed by	Irving J. Moore
Starring	John Forsythe Linda Evans Joan Collins Pamela Sue Martin John James Emma Samms Jack Coleman Al Corley Pamela Bellwood Bo Hopkins Lloyd Bochner Gordon Thomson Heather Locklear Lee Bergere Kathleen Beller Michael Nader Diahann Carroll Catherine Oxenberg Michael Praed Kate O'Mara Stephanie Beacham Christopher Cazenove Geoffrey Scott Ted McGinley Leann Hunley Terri Garber Tracy Scoggins Katy Kurtzman Dale Robertson Wayne Northrop James Farentino Karen Cellini Deborah Adair Helmut Berger Billy Dee Williams George Hamilton James Healey
Theme music composer	Bill Conti
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	9 + two-part reunion
No. of episodes	222[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Aaron Spelling Douglas S. Cramer Richard and Esther Shapiro
Producers	E. Duke Vincent Eileen & Robert Mason Pollock (s. 2–4) Camille Marchetta (s. 5) Diana Gould (s. 6) Laurence Heath (s. 7) James Harmon Brown & Barbara Esensten (s. 8) David Paulsen (s. 9)
Running time	48–50 minutes
Production companies	Aaron Spelling Productions 20th Century Fox Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	January 12, 1981 (1981-01-12) – May 11, 1989 (1989-05-11)
Related
Dynasty II: The Colbys (1985–1987) Dynasty: The Reunion (1991) Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure (2005) Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar (2006) Dynasty (2017–2022)
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Dynasty is an American prime time soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981, to May 11, 1989. The series, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy family residing in Denver. Dynasty stars John Forsythe as oil magnate Blake Carrington, Linda Evans as his new wife Krystle, and later Joan Collins as his former wife Alexis.

Dynasty was conceived by ABC to compete with CBS's prime time series Dallas. Ratings for the show's first season were unimpressive, but a revamp for the second season that included the arrival of Collins as scheming Alexis saw ratings enter the top 20. By the fall of 1982, it was a top 10 show, and by the spring of 1985, it was the #1 show in the United States. The series declined considerably in popularity during its final three seasons, and it was ultimately cancelled in the spring of 1989 after nine seasons and 220 episodes. A two-part miniseries, Dynasty: The Reunion, aired in October 1991. A reboot series with a new cast premiered on The CW in October 2017.

Dynasty was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama every year from 1981 to 1986, winning in 1984. The series spawned a successful line of fashion and luxury products, and also a spin-off series called The Colbys. Other notable cast members included Pamela Sue Martin, Lloyd Bochner, Heather Locklear, Catherine Oxenberg, Michael Nader, Diahann Carroll, Emma Samms, Rock Hudson, Kate O'Mara, and Stephanie Beacham.