SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

AttyTude0 I know, I know. These days the 80s are reviled by lefties as the 'decade of greed,' and other self-righteous, 'sour grapes' nonsense. Let those people wallow in their bitterness. I was young in the 80s and I had a ball.Because of that, I love to watch the 80s soap operas: Dynasty, Falcon Crest, The Colbys, etc. Dallas I was never fond of because JR was just too revolting, even for a soap opera villain, and Sue Ellen was such a neurotic loser and a pain in the nether region.Yes, the 80s soaps were this, this and the other. But what fun! And how refreshing to see good-looking people, slim, fit, well- dressed and made-up. I am fairly sick to death of fat, ugly, people who look like the spent the night in the hamper. And don't give me the "real life" spiel. After a day of dealing with the 'realities' of life I want escapism. I want glamour, luxury, beauty. Life's grievances are so much more bearable in luxurious surroundings. I'm into Dynasty now (thank you, Amazon!). Next will be Falcon Crest.Forget the bitter, gloomy negativity of these days, folks. Put the Do Not Disturb sign up, kick off your shoes, pour yourself a glass of wine, and come to the cabaret of 80s soaps!

mark.waltz Both "Dallas" and "Dynasty" focused on wealthy Texans and Colorodians who ran oil companies, and with "Falcon Crest", the wine that the Ewings and Carringtons were drinking was being created through just as much mayhem and backstabbing that those two families were dealing with. J.R. and Alexis were joined in ruthlessness by an aging matriarch, played by Oscar Winning Jane Wyman, running her vineyards with an iron fist just as ex-husband Ronald Reagan's second wife Nancy was running the White House. For nearly a decade, nighttime serials were among the most popular forms of entertainment, even though by the end of the Reagan "me" era, they were quickly petering out.The story focused on Wyman's Angela Channing, a powerful matriarch who attempted to keep nephew Chase (Robert Foxworth) from getting his hands on his share of Falcon Crest, left to him by his recently deceased father. She was in cahoots with her sexy grandson Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas) who became instant rivals with his cousin Cole (William R. Moses). Angela's two troubled daughters Julia (Abby Dalton) and Emma (Margaret Ladd) rounded out her immediate family with Chase's beautiful wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) and their daughter Vicky (Jamie Ross) rounding out the other half of the family. Later on, Chase's half brother Richard (David Selby) was introduced as another troublemaker along with Melissa Agretti (the campy Ana Alicia), the vixen daughter of a rival vineyard owner murdered in the second season by none other than his own lover and Melissa's mother-in-law, the seemingly sweet Julia. Beautifully filmed on a country home that made South Fork look like something in the suburbs, "Falcon Crest" was also showy in the fact that it featured many well known veteran actors in guest roles or for one or two season stints that gave the show a ton of publicity. Lana Turner created a sensation as Chase's mother with her revitalized glamorous look, while later on Kim Novak got to shine in a one-season recurring role as a mystery woman posing as the stepdaughter of one of Angela's many husbands (Cesar Romero). Such well known veteran players brought on for guest stints included Anne Jeffreys, Sarah Douglas, Cliff Robertson, Gina Lollobrigida, Celeste Holm, Eddie Albert, Robert Stack, Eve Arden and Leslie Caron. Because it followed "Dallas" on the nighttime schedule on Friday nights, it was a ratings winner for years, even though it didn't receive the same amount of publicity as "Dallas" and the ABC rival soap "Dynasty". The only real remembered publicity is the accusation of several guest stars that Wyman had their parts cut short out of jealousy, but regular cast members have stated that Wyman didn't have the last word, although she perhaps did influence the exit of Lana Turner at the end of the second season. Whoever decided to make Turner's Jacqueline Gioberti a Nazi conspirator has not been revealed. "Falcon Crest" worked better when it focused on the family but such stories as those involving Nazi's and saboteurs took it into an almost "chapter play" serial type show. At times, the guest star parade seemed gimmicky and desperate, but that gave the show a camp following which it held for almost the entire 1980's. Wyman's absence through most of the final season seemed to be a metaphor for the show's death, but for at least the first five seasons, there was much to recommend and many incredible performances.

Jason Daniel Baker Initially dismissed as "Dallas with grapes" Falcon Crest was created by Earl Hamner Jr. who also created such TV series as The Waltons and Apple's Way. His more wholesome take on a night-time soap was similar to that which you might think - one that romanticizes family values (While providing an examination of complicated family interpersonal relations) and work ethic. The Northern Italian roots of his maternal grandfather was an influence upon his crafting of the backstory of Falcon Crest.But the main inspiration for Falcon Crest was Hamner's own experience owning an unsuccessful vineyard in the Napa Valley in California in the 1970s, an unprofitable investment which nevertheless inspired him via his experiences. His own time as a struggling writer is doubtless an inspiration for Maggie Gioberti - hapless freelancer.Beginning as a more family friendly night-time soap airing right after Dallas on CBS Angela Channing was set to be portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck reflecting her matriarchal role on The Big Valley TV series in the 1960s. Barbara Stanwyck passed on the role which was then taken on by Jane Wyman.The original unaired pilot for the series starred Clu Gulager as Chase and Samantha Eggar as Maggie. The roles were recast and Robert Foxworth who had been approached with playing the role of J.R. on Dallas was brought in to play Chase, a very different character on what would be a different kind of prime time serial.The series inevitably declined in its later years long after it had said what it had to say. Hastening the decline was the departure of series stars and recycling of plot-lines.

CopperTopX4 Beings that Im from the Napa Valley I followed this series from beginning to end. I loved it. I have made many trips up to the filming site and have toured the Estate on a number of occasions. It was a great place to take visiting friends and relatives. My favorite episodes were at the beginning years of the show when Abby Daulton was still in the show. But, they were all good. Angelia Channing was the female version of J.R. Ewing. The intro was always a thrill for me to see, the black Mercedes drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Napa Valley down highway 29 being able to see all the familiar sites as I knew growing up there. A great show and a great way to introduce people tho the world of wine making.