ON PREVIOUS DAYS:
- YESTERDAY:
The Return Of 'The Scream' - DAY BEFORE:
Duran Duran's James Bond Banger - DAY BEFORE THAT:
Jerry Lewis vs The Holocaust - DAY BEFORE BEFORE THAT:Mussolini's Last Day on Earth
ON THIS DAY
Dynasty's Flamboyant Finale
With big hair, big drama, and even bigger shoulder pads, Aaron Spelling’s primetime soap-opera ‘Dynasty’ defined the 1980s. But, by May 11th, 1989, the show’s popularity was waning – and, even though the showrunners didn’t know it, ABC broadcast what was to be its final episode.
The nine-season saga chronicled the jaw-dropping lives of the fabulously wealthy Carringtons. Known for its ludicrously dramatic storylines — from amnesia to surprise murders — the show wrapped up in spectacularly unresolved fashion, with gunshots, people falling off balconies, and characters locked in bank vaults.
Created as a glitzy response to Dallas, Dynasty began modestly, but all that changed with the arrival of Joan Collins as the delightfully vicious Alexis Carrington. Her catfights with her rival Krystle — often conducted in designer gowns and usually ending in ponds or fountains — became the stuff of television legend.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the show’s weekly wardrobe budget; revisit a shocking terrorist storyline; and reveal which famous executive was responsible for the series’ demise…
Further Reading:
• ‘End of the reign for ”Dynasty’’ (Entertainment Weekly, 1997): https://ew.com/article/1997/05/09/end-reign-dynasty/
• ‘Return to ‘Dynasty’ : Those Loose Ends? They’re Tying Them Up Now’ (Los Angeles Times, 1991): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-16-ca-2527-story.html
• ’Dynasty’ (ABC, 1989):
ON THIS DAY
Dynasty's Flamboyant Finale
With big hair, big drama, and even bigger shoulder pads, Aaron Spelling’s primetime soap-opera ‘Dynasty’ defined the 1980s. But, by May 11th, 1989, the show’s popularity was waning – and, even though the showrunners didn’t know it, ABC broadcast what was to be its final episode.
The nine-season saga chronicled the jaw-dropping lives of the fabulously wealthy Carringtons. Known for its ludicrously dramatic storylines — from amnesia to surprise murders — the show wrapped up in spectacularly unresolved fashion, with gunshots, people falling off balconies, and characters locked in bank vaults.
Created as a glitzy response to Dallas, Dynasty began modestly, but all that changed with the arrival of Joan Collins as the delightfully vicious Alexis Carrington. Her catfights with her rival Krystle — often conducted in designer gowns and usually ending in ponds or fountains — became the stuff of television legend.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the show’s weekly wardrobe budget; revisit a shocking terrorist storyline; and reveal which famous executive was responsible for the series’ demise…
Further Reading:
• ‘End of the reign for ”Dynasty’’ (Entertainment Weekly, 1997): https://ew.com/article/1997/05/09/end-reign-dynasty/
• ‘Return to ‘Dynasty’ : Those Loose Ends? They’re Tying Them Up Now’ (Los Angeles Times, 1991): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-16-ca-2527-story.html
• ’Dynasty’ (ABC, 1989):
ON PREVIOUS DAYS:
- YESTERDAY:
The Return Of 'The Scream' - DAY BEFORE:
Duran Duran's James Bond Banger - DAY BEFORE THAT:
Jerry Lewis vs The Holocaust - DAY BEFORE BEFORE THAT:Mussolini's Last Day on Earth
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OLLY MANN
Olly Mann made his name with another trivia-wielding podcast, Answer Me This! with Helen Zaltzman – and now presents The Modern Mann, The Week Unwrapped, and Four Thought for BBC Radio Four. He also has an A-Level in History, so Dan Snow beware.
REBECCA MESSINA
Rebecca got a passion for podcasting working at The Week magazine and a passion for trivia appearing on University Challenge in 2011, making The Retrospectors her natural home.
ARION MCNICOLL
Arion started out in satirical news in Australia, then moved to the UK to work for ostensibly serious publications including The Times, CNN, and The Week… before realising that since around 2016 the news has all been satire really.
Do you have a day of note that we should cover? Or would you or your business like to support the podcast? Get in touch!
