When Larry Hagman died on Nov. 23 of last year, it was inevitable that the reboot of "Dallas" would have to deal with the loss of one of the show's mainstays, the iconic J.R. Ewing. And now that season two is about to kick off, that time has come for the cast and characters to confront that.
"(M)y best friend is Larry Hagman ... so I am completely satiated with Hagman," said co-star Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), who joined fellow cast member Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing) on TODAY Monday. "So it's not hard for me, because there's no empty spot in my life where it comes to him. But I miss the day-to day."
"I expect him to walk through the door," added Gray. "And I expect to see in the script -- where's the J.R./Sue Ellen scene that I miss so much?"
Duffy noted that the actor's dressing room is still on set, and he's still No. 1 on the call sheet every day, so the series continues to honor the actor and his character. But later this season, J.R. will die, as a funeral has already been announced.
But just how will he die? Duffy went straight for dark humor: "We put him in a blender ... it's puree J.R.," then wondered "What? Too soon?"
The truth is, it's almost like he never left the set, said Duffy, more seriously. "We talk about the character of J.R. non-stop on the show, and we will throughout the season."
The new season of "Dallas" returns with a two-hour season premiere Monday at 9 p.m. on TNT.
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