Who shot J.R.?

"Who shot J.R.?" display at the Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, including the prop gun used in filming

"Who shot J.R.?" is an advertising catchphrase created in 1980 by American network CBS to promote the television soap opera Dallas.[1] It referred to the fictional mystery surrounding a murder attempt against arch-villain J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) in the show's third-season finale "A House Divided". The mystery and its catchphrase became an American phenomenon, with American, Canadian and Western European odds-makers setting odds for the culprit. The mystery was not resolved until the fourth episode of the fourth season titled "Who Done It" which aired eight months later, with an estimated 83 million American viewers tuning in, one of the most watched television broadcasts in history. The catchphrase has a strong legacy in pop culture and the format helped popularize the cliffhanger ending for television series.[2]

  1. ^ Corliss, Richard (November 23, 1990). "The 'Dallas' Shot That Was Heard Round the World". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  2. ^ "Who Shot J.R.?: 30 Years Later". CBS News. November 19, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.