Dallas remake axed in US after three series as ratings plummet

TNT decided not to renew the show but thanked its 'extraordinary' cast

Linda Gray, Mitch Pileggi, Brenda Strong, Patrick Duffy, Emma Bell, Josh Henderson, Julie Gonzalo, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster formed the cast of Dallas (Rex Features)

US network TNT has axed the remake of Eighties soap opera Dallas after three seasons, it has been confirmed.

The revived series, which followed the lives of Texan oil family the Ewings, also aired on Channel 5 in the UK.

TNT announce that it had taken the decision "not to renew Dallas" but thanked the show for defying expectations and "standing as a worthy continuation of the Ewing saga".

Tribute was paid to the "extraordinary cast and impeccable production team", as well as to Dallas residents for their "warm and generous hospitality".

The network did not explain the reasons behind its decision but US ratings had decreased dramatically in the US from 7 million to 1.7 million. Channel 5 has moved the show back from a 10pm slot to a post-midnight one.

The original Dallas began in 1978 and run until 1991, becoming one of the most popular TV shows worldwide.

The popular storyline centred on the fierce rivalry between brothers Bobby and JR Ewing, playing by Patrick Duffy and the late Larry Hagman respectively.

In the new version, 90210 star Josh Henderson played JR's song John Ross after appearing as a child in the original while Desperate Housewives' Jesse Metcalfe starred as Bobby's adoptive son Christopher.

Hagman, Duffy and Linda Gray returned as their characters in the remake, with the series rewrriten to incorporate Hagman's death into the storyline after he died in real life from cancer and cirrhosis of the liver in November 2012.