‘Dallas’ on Social Media

J.R. Ewing tweets and posts to Facebook
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Mitt Romney might be taking the oath of office—if he’d heeded a certain Twitter-addicted, bushy-browed business titan. No, the other one—Texas oilman J.R. Ewing, who during the presidential race advised Romney via tweet: “You’re a rich guy, how ’bout you buy a brand-new car for each person who votes for you? Good for you, good for the oil industry.”

When Dallas was reincarnated on Atlanta-based TNT last year, the network created Twitter profiles for J.R. and the rest of the Ewing clan. With the January 28 start of season two, fans can expect more family feuding via 140-character quips supplied by the show’s writers. “It’s a way for us to bring the Ewings to life, to embrace that mythology,” says TNT senior vice president of marketing Tricia Melton.

The Dallas Facebook page has 1 million fans and a timeline running from the show’s 1978 debut to its 2012 rebirth, all told through J.R.’s perspective. “We’re careful never to break that fourth wall,” says Melton. TNT made an exception following actor Larry Hagman’s death in November, posting: “All of us at TNT are deeply saddened at the news of Larry Hagman’s passing. We will be forever thankful that a whole new generation of people got to know and appreciate Larry through his performance as J.R. Ewing.”

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