Dynasty

The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.

Dynasty (1981-1989) is a American prime time soap opera created by Esther Shapiro and Richard Alan Shapiro for ABC. Blake Carrington (John Forsythe), the patriarch of a wealthy Denver oil family, is pulled into a bitter rivalry with his ex-wife Alexis Carrington Colby (Joan Collins), who runs the rival corporation ColbyCo. Blake's new wife Krystle (Linda Evans), once his secretary, finds herself caught between the two houses while his children, including the pampered Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin) and the openly gay Steven (Al Corley), navigate their own romances and loyalties. The engine of the series is a constant churn of boardroom maneuvering, secret parentage, kidnapping history, and romantic betrayal, with each episode built around a new scheme, seduction, or scandal. Spanning nine seasons and 220 episodes, it is a serialized soap whose 46-minute episodes deliver cliffhangers that carry from one week to the next. The tone is campy, glossy, and melodramatic, with lavish sets and costumes, fans of Dallas, Falcon Crest and Succession will find resonance in its appetite for family warfare and power.

Audiences rate the series mixed, with its campy melodrama and glamorous excess praised by fans while uneven stretches and a dip in the middle seasons draw complaints.

• Dallas (1978)shared soap opera melodrama, wealthy family power struggles, glamorous excess
• Falcon Crestshared prime time soap, business rivalry between families, campy glamour
• Successionshared serialized family saga, wealth and betrayal among elites

Created by

Esther Shapiro, Richard Alan Shapiro

Release Date

1981-01-12

Episode runtime

46 min

Rating

6.3 / 10 (136)

What is Dynasty about?

A wealthy Denver oil family is torn apart by a rivalry between ex-spouses, hidden children, and corporate warfare.

What is Dynasty like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dynasty as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Dynasty violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Dynasty as mild.

What did critics think of Dynasty?

Audiences rate the series mixed, with its campy melodrama and glamorous excess praised by fans while uneven stretches and a dip in the middle seasons draw complaints.

Which shows are like Dynasty?

Shows with a similar feel include Dallas (1978), Falcon Crest, and Succession.

How long is Dynasty?

Dynasty: 9 seasons, 220 episodes.

Is Dynasty still running?

No, Dynasty has ended.

Where can I watch Dynasty?

In United States, Dynasty streams on Pure Flix.