Another staple of the 1980s, Aaron Spelling's "Dynasty" is the primetime soap to end all primetime soaps. Its nine seasons are chock full of evil twins, actors replaced via facial reconstructive surgery, weddings taken hostage by terrorists, and, of course, women in big shoulder pads. It wasn't always like that, however; the first season, featuring the exploits of Colorado oil magnate Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) and his family, was a relatively straightforward drama, one that even featured an LGBTQ-focused storyline involving Blake's son Steven (Al Corley), a rarity for 1981.
But, like Heather Locklear on "Melrose Place" or Danny DeVito on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," the show did not become the best version of itself until the addition of Joan Collins as Blake's vengeful ex-wife Alexis in Season 2. From there, the series shot into the stratosphere, both in terms of popularity and implausibility. The Carringtons and their rival family the Colbys (who had their own short-lived spinoff starring Charlton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck) faced every calamity known to man — and looked fabulous doing it. A reboot series created by Josh Schwartz ("The O.C.") aired on The CW from 2017 to 2021, but unlike the latter day "Dallas," this version was a straight remake, with no "Dynasty" actors reprising their roles.
