Vale: David Jacobs

US screenwriter David Jacobs, who created supersoaps Dallas and Knots Landing, has died, aged 86.

He died on August 20 in a Burbank hospital.

“He had Alzheimer’s for many years, and recently he had recurring infections that led to his death,” son Aaron Jacobs said.

Jacobs started out writing non-fiction books and magazine articles before pivoting to TV, penning episodes of series including Family, Chicago Story and The Blue Knight.

He went on to create Dallas which ran from 1978 – 1991 revolving around the wealthy Texan oil family, the Ewings of Southfork, constantly feuding with the Barnes clan.

Starring Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal, amongst others, it became a global phenomenon with cliffhanger scenes, including “Who shot J.R.?” becoming the highest-rated episode in US history at the time, scoring an astounding 76 share, estimated at between 83 million and 90 million viewers.

Spin-off Knots Landing arrived in late 1979 and moved the drama to Los Angeles. Starring Michele Lee, Ted Shackleford, Joan Van Ark, Donna Mills and others, it didn’t score the massive ratings of its predecessor but was a solid performer, running for 14 seasons.

Dallas was revived in 2012, with several actors including Hagman, Gray and Duffy reprising their roles more than a decade later.

Jacobs also went to to create, produce and write for Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Four Corners, Paradise, Lace, Bodies of Evidence and Homefront, nominated for the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1993 and Outstanding Made for TV Movie the year before.

Source: Deadline