It’s safe to say that by the time the writers of Dallas started work on season 11, they were probably all high. Now, whether they were high on whatever the “in” drug was at the time or just high on the strange exciting scent of dollars they had made on the last ten seasons is debatable. But nevertheless, high they were — and season 11 is proof.
Hell, they were already high when they made season 9 (that infamous moment in television history wherein the writers successfully backed themselves into a corner so tight that they had to pass the whole season off as a dream). With season 10, they started coming back down to earth, and a lot of good storylines came out of it.
And then came season 11.
Okay, so this season starts out with our ol’ buddy J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) — the 
most cunning and ruthless man in the world — down and out (although only slightly — he‘s still super-rich) after the fall of Ewing Oil in the finale of season 10. Naturally, a guy like J.R. will soon rise back to the top, determined to squash everyone who put him down along the way. Meanwhile, poor Bobby Ewing (TV’s Patrick Duffy) is feeling a bit down, too: his beloved wife Pam crashed headfirst into a tanker truck at the end of the last season and now she’s a mummified heap of burnt flesh in the ICU ward (actress Victoria Principal wanted out of the show, so this is how they did it).
Bobby’s bad relationship is only the beginning, though. And things are about to either heat up, burn up, or burn out with Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) and Clayton (Howard Keel); J.R. and Sue Ellen (Linda Gray); Cliff (Ken Kercheval) and a homeless guy (er, don’t ask) named Dandy (Bert Remsen); and, best of all, the relationship between Ray (Steve Kanaly) and Jenna (Priscilla Presley).
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