The first season of ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

'', an American television series based on the 1980s prime time soap opera of the same name, originally aired in the United States on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

from October 11, 2017 through May 11, 2018. The season was produced by

CBS Television Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...

, with

Sallie Patrick Sallie Patrick is an American screenwriter and television producer. She was the co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner of ''Dynasty'', a 2017 reboot of the 1980s series of the same name. Early life Patrick grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. ...

as showrunner and executive producer alongside executive producers

Josh Schwartz Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Schwartz is best known for creating and executive producing the Fox teen drama series '' The O.C.'' which ran for 4 seasons. Schwartz is also known fo ...

and Stephanie Savage. The pilot, which was announced in September 2016, was ordered to series in May 2017. On November 8, 2017, The CW picked up ''Dynasty'' for a full season of 22 episodes. On April 2, 2018, The CW renewed the series for a second season. Season one stars

Elizabeth Gillies Elizabeth Egan Gillies (born July 26, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She gained prominence for her starring roles as Jade West in the Nickelodeon series ''Victorious'' (2010–2013), and as Fallon Carrington on The CW revival of ''Dy ...

as heiress

Fallon Carrington Fallon Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Dynasty'' and its spin-off ''The Colbys''. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro, the role of Fallon was originated by Pamela Sue Martin in the show's first episode in 1 ...

Grant Show Grant Alan Show (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor best known for his role on ''Melrose Place'' as Jake Hanson, which he played from 1992 to 1997. Since 2017, Show has portrayed tycoon Blake Carrington in the soap opera reboot ''Dyna ...

as her billionaire father

Blake Carrington Blake Alexander Carrington is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. The role of Blake was originally portrayed by actor John Forsythe from 1981 to 1989. Forsythe returned for the ...

Nathalie Kelley Nathalie Kelley is a Peruvian-born Australian actress, known for her role as Neela in the 2006 action film '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', and for her roles in various television series including ''Body of Proof'' (2011–2012), '' ...

as Blake's new wife Cristal, and James Mackay as his gay son

Steven Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

, with

Robert Christopher Riley Robert Christopher Riley (born October 11, 1980) is an American film, television, and stage actor of Trinidadian and Bajan descent. He is known for his role as Terrence Wall in the VH1 television drama series '' Hit The Floor'' from 2013 to 201 ...

as chauffeur

Michael Culhane Michael Culhane is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by Wayne Northrop, the character is introduced in the series' 1981 pilot episode as the chauffeur of oil tycoon ...

Sam Adegoke Samuel Oluwaseyi Adegoke is a Nigerian-American actor known for playing Jeff Colby in the ''Dynasty'' reboot series. Personal life Adegoke was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents we ...

as tech billionaire

Jeff Colby Jeffrey Broderick "Jeff" Colby is a fictional character on the ABC prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by John James, Jeff Colby was introduced in the show's first episode in 1981 and appeared as a ...

Rafael de la Fuente Rafael de la Fuente (born November 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan actor and singer. He is known for his roles in the fantasy television series ''Grachi'' (2011–2013) and the soap opera reboot ''Dynasty'' (2017–present) as Sam "Sammy Jo" Jones. Hi ...

as Sam Jones, Cristal's nephew and later Steven's fiancé, and Alan Dale as

Joseph Anders Joseph Anders is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by Lee Bergere, the character is introduced in the series' 1981 pilot episode as the majordomo of Denver oil tyc ...

, the Carrington majordomo. Notable recurring characters introduced in season one include

Alexis Carrington Alexis Carrington Colby (; formerly Dexter and Rowan) is a fictional character on the American TV series ''Dynasty''. She is the ex-wife of Blake Carrington ( John Forsythe) whose schemes cause one problem after another for him and their children ...

(

Nicollette Sheridan Nicollette Sheridan (born 21 November 1963) is an English-born American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived ABC primetime soap opera '' Paper Dolls'' in 1984, as well as starring in the rom ...

), Blake's ex-wife and the estranged mother of Steven and Fallon;

Claudia Blaisdel Claudia Blaisdel Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Originated by Pamela Bellwood in the series' 1981 pilot episode, "Oil", Claudia is initially the estranged ...

( Brianna Brown), the unstable wife of Cristal's former lover; Monica (Wakeema Hollis) and

Cesil Colby ''Dynasty'' is an American television series based on the 1980s prime time soap opera of the same name. In season one, heiress Fallon Carrington (Elizabeth Gillies) is unhappy to find her billionaire father Blake (Grant Show) engaged to Crista ...

(

Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem is an Arabic-language given name, a romanization variant of Hakim. It can also be used as a surname. Notablle people with the name include: Given name * Hakeem Abdul-Saboor *Hakeem Abdul-Shaheed *Hakeem Adeniji * Hakeem al-Araibi * Hakeem ...

), Jeff's sister and father;

Liam Ridley Liam Ridley (real name Jack Liam Ridley Lowden) is a fictional character from The CW's 2017 series ''Dynasty'', a reboot of the 1980s prime time soap opera of the same name. Portrayed by Adam Huber, Liam is the first series regular role in the re ...

(

Adam Huber Adam Huber (born May 8, 1987) is an American actor and model. He is known for playing Liam Ridley in the CW series ''Dynasty(2018-2022)'' Early life Born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Huber graduated from Hollidaysburg Area High School in 20 ...

), a stranger Fallon marries to thwart Jeff's plot against her; Iris Machado (

Elena Tovar Linda Elena Tovar is a Mexican-American actress. After leaving Mexico, Tovar moved to New York City and began appearing in off-Broadway shows, before working in television. Career Tovar is known for her recurring role as Rosalie Martinez on the ...

) and Alejandro Raya (

Luis Fernández Luis Miguel Fernández Toledo (born 2 October 1959), known as Luis Fernandez, is a French football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. Fernandez spent most of his playing career for Paris Saint-Germain. He earned ...

), Sam's parents; Ted Dinard (Michael Patrick Lane), Steven's ex-boyfriend;

Melissa Daniels ''Dynasty'' is an American television series based on the 1980s prime time soap opera of the same name. In season one, heiress Fallon Carrington (Elizabeth Gillies) is unhappy to find her billionaire father Blake (Grant Show) engaged to Crist ...

(

Kelly Rutherford Kelly Rutherford (born November 6, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for her television roles as Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Generations'' (1989–1991), as Megan Lewis on the Fox primetime soap opera ''Mel ...

), Steven's former lover; and Hank Sullivan ( Brent Antonello), Alexis's lover who is posing as her and Blake's kidnapped firstborn, Adam.

Plot

''Dynasty'' begins with heiress Fallon Carrington unhappy to find her billionaire father Blake engaged to Cristal, a rival employee at the family company. When Fallon's machinations to separate the couple backfire and cost her a promotion, she allies with Blake's nemesis and former employee, Jeff Colby, and strikes out on her own. Meanwhile, the arrival of Cristal's opportunistic nephew Sam—who becomes romantically involved with Fallon's wayward brother Steven—threatens to expose her shady past. The Carringtons form a united front in the wake of the suspicious death of Cristal's former lover Matthew, but things at the mansion do not remain harmonious for long. Blake's manipulations put him at odds with Cristal and his children, while the rivalry between Fallon and Cristal cools. Tired of waiting around for Fallon to take him seriously, Michael begins to date someone else, which only intensifies Fallon's feelings for him but drives her into Jeff's arms. Matthew's pregnant widow Claudia convalesces at the mansion with a hidden agenda, and Cristal's past comes back to haunt her in the form of her sister Iris, and Sam's father, Alejandro. Steven and Sam's on-again, off-again relationship is complicated by Sam's criminal tendencies and Steven's unstable ex-boyfriend, Ted. Jeff's partnership with Fallon is revealed to be a means for him to destroy the Carringtons for what Blake did to Jeff's father, Cesil. Fallon enlists Michael and Cristal to help her turn the tables on the Colbys, and she manages to neutralize Jeff and secure a percentage of his company. Blake's ex-wife Alexis—Steven and Fallon's mother—returns, purportedly to reconnect with her children but in fact angling for a piece of the Carrington fortune. Alexis arranges for her lover to pose as her and Blake's kidnapped son Adam, and reveals to Jeff and Monica that their mother is Blake's half-sister. Fallon ousts Blake as CEO of Carrington Atlantic just as the Colbys force a sale of the company. At Steven and Sam's wedding, an unhinged Claudia appears and shoots Cristal. Blake, Fallon, and Sam escape a fire in the stable house, but Steven, Michael, Alexis, and Cristal remain trapped inside. The reboot updates several elements from the 1980s original, including moving the setting from Denver, Colorado to Atlanta, Georgia; making Steven's homosexuality a nonissue to Blake; and changing gold digger Sammy Jo from a woman to a gay man. Additionally, in the new series, both Blake's new wife and her nephew are Hispanic, and both chauffeur Michael Culhane and the Colby family are African-American.

Cast and characters

Nathalie Kelley on Life, Love, and Pop-Culture

Nicollette Sheridan at the Beowulf premiere

Main

, an Atlanta energy executive and heiress who is the daughter of billionaire Blake Carrington and his first wife, Alexis ** Skylar Morgan Jones and Marisa Hampton portray younger versions of Fallon *

as Cristal Flores Carrington ( Celia Machado), Fallon's new stepmother, a woman with a shady past * James Mackay as Steven Carrington, Fallon's gay environmentalist brother, who is the older and more levelheaded of the two ** Paul Luke Bonenfant and Nicholas Cordts portray younger versions of Steven *

, the Carrington chauffeur and Fallon's former lover *

, a young business rival to Blake *

as Samuel Josiah "Sammy Jo" Jones, Cristal's wayward nephew and Steven's fiancé * Alan Dale as

, the Carrington majordomo *

, billionaire CEO of Carrington Atlantic, married to Cristal, and the father of Steven and Fallon by his first wife

Recurring

* Brianna Brown as

, Matthew's wife, a former engineer * Wakeema Hollis as

Monica Colby Monica Scott Colby is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Dynasty'' and its spin-off ''The Colbys'', both created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by Tracy Scoggins, the character was introduced on ''Dynasty'' in the ...

, Jeff's sister *

as Iris Machado, Cristal's sister and Sam's mother *

as Alejandro Raya, Sam's father who is operating under the alias of Diego Calastana * Michael Patrick Lane as Ted Dinard, Steven's ex-boyfriend *

, Jeff and Monica's father *

, a writer who marries Fallon and whose real name is Jack Lowden *

, Blake's ex-wife, and the estranged mother of Steven and Fallon *

Nick Wechsler Nick Wechsler may also refer to: * Nick Wechsler (actor) (born 1978), American actor * Nick Wechsler (film producer) (born 1949), American film producer {{Hndis, Wechsler, Nick ...

as Matthew Blaisdel, Cristal's former lover, a field engineer who dies in a suspicious explosion

Guests

* Dave Maldonado as Willy Santiago, Matthew's friend and coworker at Carrington Atlantic *

Michael Beach Michael Anthony Beach (born October 30, 1963) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''One False Move'' (1992), ''Short Cuts'' (1993), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''A Family Thing'' (1996), ''Soul Food'' (1997), ...

as Police Chief Aaron Stansfield, a longtime friend of Blake's * KJ Smith as Kori Rucks, Michael's ex-girlfriend * Mustafa Elzein as Ramy Crockett, Sam's friend who burglarizes the Manor at his request *

Nana Visitor Nana Tucker ( ; born July 26, 1957), known professionally as Nana Visitor, is an American actress, best known for playing Kira Nerys in the television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and Jean Ritter in the television series ''Wildfire''. ...

as Diana Davis, editor-in-chief of ''Atlanta Digest'' *

Arnetia Walker Arnetia Walker is an American actress and singer, active since 1971. She played Nurse Annie Roland in the NBC sitcom ''Nurses'' from 1991 to 1994. Life and career Walker was born in Columbus, Georgia, Walker was very young when her mother died, ...

as Louella Culhane, Michael's mother * Darryl Booker as James Culhane, Michael's father *

Hines Ward Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...

and

Jamal Anderson Jamal Sharif Anderson (born September 30, 1972) is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played high school football at El ...

as themselves * Andi Matheny and later Natalie Karp as Mrs. Gunnerson, the Carrington cook *

Bill Smitrovich William Stanley Zmitrowicz Jr. (born May 16, 1947), known professionally as Bill Smitrovich ( ), is an American actor. Personal life Smitrovich was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Anna ( née Wojna) and Stanley William Zmitrowicz, a ...

as Thomas Carrington, Blake's father * Kearran Giovanni as Police Chief Bobbi Johnson *

, wife of Senator Paul Daniels, and Steven's former lover * J. R. Cacia as Rick Morales, a journalist and old friend of Cristal's *

Rick Hearst Rick Hearst (born January 4, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for roles in American soap operas. Early life Hearst was born Richard Charles Herbst on January 4, 1965, in Howard Beach, New York and raised in Dallas, Texas. Personal life ...

as Senator Paul Daniels, a longtime contact of Blake's * Steven Culp as Tim Meyers, a business associate of Jeff and Fallon * Stephan Jones as Gerard Dinard, Ted's father * Elizabeth Youman as Evie Culhane, Michael's sister * Brent Antonello as Hank Sullivan, Alexis's lover who is posing as her and Blake's kidnapped firstborn, Adam * L. Scott Caldwell as Lo Cox, Jeff and Monica's maternal grandmother, who conceived their mother Millie with Thomas Carrington while she was his secretary

Episodes

Production

Development

In September 2016, it was announced that a reboot of the 1980s prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'' was in development at

, co-written by

, Stephanie Savage, and

. The show received a 13-episode a first season order on May 10, 2017. A preview trailer was released on May 18, 2017. On November 8, 2017, the series received a back nine order for a full season of 22 episodes.

Casting

was cast as Cristal in January 2017, followed by

as Fallon,

as playboy

, and

as Blake's chauffeur

in February. Next cast were

as Fallon's father

, and

as Sam Jones, a gay male version of the original series'

Sammy Jo Carrington Sammy Jo Carrington (born Samantha Josephine Dean; formerly Fallmont) is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. The niece of central protagonist Krystle Carrington (Linda Evans), Samm ...

, in March. The remaining main cast members are James Mackay as Fallon's gay brother

, and Alan Dale as Carrington majordomo

Anders Anders is a male name in Scandinavian languages and Fering North Frisian, an equivalent of the Greek Andreas ("manly") and the English Andrew. It originated from Andres via metathesis. In Sweden, Anders has been one of the most common names fo ...

, Additional recurring performers include

Nick Wechsler Nick Wechsler may also refer to: * Nick Wechsler (actor) (born 1978), American actor * Nick Wechsler (film producer) (born 1949), American film producer {{Hndis, Wechsler, Nick ...

as Cristal's ex-lover Matthew Blaisdel, Brianna Brown as Matthew's wife Claudia, and Wakeema Hollis as Jeff's sister

. In November 2017,

was cast in the role of Blake's ex-wife

. Other guest stars include

as Iris Machado, Cristal's sister and Sam's mother,

as Thomas Carrington, Blake's estranged father, and

, Jeff and Monica's father. In June 2018, Kelley told ''

E! News ''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the infotainment, entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and prima ...

'' that she would not be returning for season two. She said in 2020 that she had been surprised to get the call that she would not be returning to the series, and explained: The CW announced in August 2018 that Ana Brenda Contreras had been cast as "the real Cristal Flores" for the second season.

Filming

Filming for the season commenced on July 19, 2017, in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, and wrapped up during the first quarter of 2018.

Music

Paul Leonard-Morgan Paul Leonard-Morgan (born 1974) is a Scottish composer particularly known for his work in scoring for television and film. He won a Scottish BAFTA for the film ''Reflections upon the Origin of the Pineapple'' (2000), which was his first film sco ...

composed the music for the first season, with him,

Bill Conti William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor, best known for his film scores, including ''Rocky'' (and four of its sequels), ''The Karate Kid'' (and all of its sequels), '' For Your Eyes Only'', ''Dynasty'' (and its ...

and Troy Nõka composing the music for the theme song, which debuted in the third episode, " Guilt is for Insecure People", but is only used in some episodes. Composer

worked with Troy Nõka to get "an '80s-rock vibe" for the song, to match Leonard-Morgan's soundtrack for the series. The new theme was recorded with an orchestra at Capitol Records in Hollywood, featuring Los Angeles Philharmonic lead trumpet player Tom Hooten.

Broadcast

Season one of ''Dynasty'' premiered on The CW in the United States on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, with the season two premiere of '' Riverdale'' as its lead-in.

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

acquired the exclusive international broadcast rights to ''Dynasty'', making it available as a

Netflix original series Netflix is an American global Internet streaming-on-demand media provider that has distributed a number of original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, and documentaries and films. Netflix's original pro ...

on the platform less than a day after their original U.S. broadcast. The series moved to Fridays starting with the fourteenth episode, and the season finale aired on May 11, 2018. Season one of ''Dynasty'' is available worldwide on Netflix.

Leslie Moonves Leslie Roy Moonves (; born October 6, 1949) is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and ...

, the then-head of

CBS Corporation The second incarnation of CBS Corporation (the first being a short-lived rename of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation) was an American multinational media conglomerate with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and ...

, said in 2017, "We own 100 percent of 'Dynasty'' and we've already licensed it to Netflix in 188 countries ... So this means ''Dynasty'' is profitable before it even hits the air."

Reception

Ratings

Critical response

The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported a 49% approval rating with an average rating of 6.54/10 based on 47 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "''Dynasty'' revival retains enough of its predecessor's over-the-top allure to offer a glamorous guilty pleasure in its first season, even if it never quite recaptures the magic of the original."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a weighted average, gave the season a score of 52, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Reviewing the first episode of the season, Danette Chavez writing for ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' felt that despite the premiere "cresting waves of '80s nostalgia and reboots, the CW's reimagined ''Dynasty'' feels like it's coming at a bit of an inopportune time".

Accolades

In 2018, the series was nominated by the

Dorian Awards The Dorian Awards are film and television accolades given by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, founded in 2009 as the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. GALECA is an association of professional journalists and ...

as Campy TV Show of the Year.

References

External links

* * {{Dynasty 2017 American television seasons 2018 American television seasons Dynasty (2017 TV series) seasons