Moms & Dallas

Wednesday night I spent the better part of two hours with my favorite Texas oil tycoon, J.R. Ewing. Throw in a honorable brother Bobby, a ruthless rebel John Ross (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree), a charming cousin Christopher and you have the drama known as "Dallas." Finally, TNT has revived and released one of the most-watched prime-time soap operas in television history.

I remember watching the original series (which aired from 1978 to 1991) with my mom like it was yesterday. And surprisingly, my Twitter feed revealed that I wasn't the only 30-something who had memories of watching "Dallas" with her mom. There were others like me who (as a young girl) had enjoyed the scandalous scenarios between a vicious villain (J.R.) and a gorgeous good guy (Bobby).

My mom and I would make a batch of microwavable popcorn (a treat in those days) and sink into the family room sofa every Friday night for a dose of J.R., Sue Ellen, Bobby, Pam and the rest of Southfork Ranch. Remember Priscilla Presley as Bobby's first true love, Jenna Wade? She wasn't one of my favorite characters, but I remember my mom telling me stories about her early days with Elvis.

I spent many cold nights and stormy weekends last year addicted to reliving all 14 original seasons in anticipation of last night's premiere. And boy was it worth it. I was afraid the remake was going to be too "young Hollywood" with stars such as Jesse Metcalfe (Christopher) and Josh Henderson (John Ross). But with the return of Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray, much of the bewilderment and betrayal from the 1980s was brought back to life.

Did you watch the new series premiere of "Dallas" or have you watched the original series? Share your story.