Community Chat

[shesallthat]

inquiring minds want to know!

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"Dallas." The drama. The mystery. The intrigue. Specifically, where is Victoria Principal? In the update to the primetime soap, the TV show returns with some of the original cast intact, like Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy. But Principal, who turned heads alongside Patrick Duffy in their roles as '80s super-couple Pamela and Bobby Ewing, is a no-show.

In the original drama, which ran from 1978 to 1991, Bobby and Pamela were married. In the update, Bobby has a third wife, Ann (played by Brenda Strong), who carries on the mantle of the family matriarch.

Fans are wondering whether Victoria Principal will reappear. In the original series, Pamela left Bobby -- and the show -- under mysterious circumstances and a terminal illness. But death -- or the suggestion of it -- didn't always stop a character from returning to the Texas-size drama. In fact, in a wild plot twist in the original, Bobby came back from the dead after an entire season was revealed to be a dream. Over the top? You bet. That's "Dallas," baby.

The absence of the star was noted by viewers who commented on a Yahoo! TV post about returning star Charlene Tilton to the show, asking, "Is Bobby's wife Ann? (I know she isn't Victoria Principal.)"

Another wondered, "Does he [Bobby] have a new wife on the show? Is Pamela's disappearance explained -- I dimly recall she might have died on the original show? Any back story on why Principal didn't join?" Points for paying attention!

Entertainment Weekly also called out the absence of the '80s star, writing "Victoria Principal was missed" while noting Strong's enjoyable performance.

Even the TNT website doesn't label Pamela Barnes Ewing as deceased on the family tree (as it does for Ellie Ewing, for example), but describes her as "twice married and twice divorced to Bobby Ewing, Pamela is the [adoptive] mother of Christopher."