4. Who Shot J.R.? - Dallas
The inclusion of this storyline might be a head scratcher for some younger readers, and others won't respect the soap opera genre at all, but the simple fact that this plot held viewers all over the world captive for 5 months is enough for me to include it on the list. In 1980, Dallas was a huge commercial success, thanks in large part to the show's main antagonist, J.R. Ewing. He was a rich, morally-devoid womanizer and was almost universally hated. Brash and arrogant, J.R. was big oil personified. But he kept getting away with all his dastardly deeds. Until he was shot twice by an unseen, off-screen assailant. For almost 15 weeks, viewers were glued to their televisions for any clues as to who the shooter might be. Millions were made on merchandise alone. "Who Shot J.R.?" and "I Shot J.R." t-shirts and buttons were all the rage. In addition to that, restaurants, bars, and offices held "Who Shot J.R?" betting pools. The world was in a relative frenzy. The reveal that the shooter was in fact his sister-in-law and mistress Kristin Shephard was truly an episode for the ages. The episode, entitled "Who Done It?", was watched by 83 million American viewers (more than the total number of people who voted in that year's presidential election) and was a success with both critics and fans alike. The "Who Shot J.R.?" storyline also gave us the now almost standard practice of ending a season on a cliffhanger. For many viewers, it was great to see J.R. finally get what he deserved.
