David Jacobs, the creator of hit CBS shows like Knots Landing and Dallas, has died. Jacobs’ family confirmed he passed away Sunday after a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s, a story first reported by Variety. He was 84.
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The writer and producer was best known for the aforementioned primetime soap operas, which went on to air a combined 700 episodes between the shows. Dallas was the first of the two, first debuting in 1978. The Texas-based soap went on the run for a whopping 14 seasons before ending its run in 1991. At the height of its popularity, Dallas found itself atop the Nielsen ratings after its fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons.
“Dallas! Kennedy was killed in Dallas. I don’t know if I want to do this in Dallas,” Jacobs said in a 2008 interview. “First of all, Houston is the oil city. Dallas is the banking city. Michael said, ‘Who knows that? Who cares? You want to watch a show calledย Houston? Well, anyway, we’ll change it later.’”
“Like his ’70’s counterpart, Archie Bunker, who gave voice to prejudices and attitudes that were no longer socially acceptable but still widely felt, J.R. proved unexpectedly appealing,” Jacobs added of Larry Hagman’s JR Ewing in a 1990 piece forย The New York Times. “His unapologetic commitment to self-interest, his unabashed belief in the corruptibility of others linked him to a generation that would soon be told that greed was OK and read on bumper stickers that Jesus wanted people to get rich.”
Jacobs soon went on to develop Knots Landing, a spinoff of Dallas.
“Because its characters remained downscaled and multidimensional, viewers felt they were along for the ride,” he added in theย Timesย piece. “The pleasure of watchingย Dynastyย andย Dallasย andย Falcon Crestย was voyeuristic; the pleasure of watchingย Knots Landingย was vicarious.ย Dynastyย andย Dallasย andย Falcon Crestย were about Them.ย Knots Landingย is about Us.”
Jacobs is survived by his kids Aaron and Albyn, his second wife Diana, daughter Molly, and two grandchildren.
