I’ve got some concerns about the future of Dallas. And Dallas.

First, a warning: this blog contains spoilers.

Listen, I knew we were going to lose JR. That, at this point, probably wasn’t a spoiler. But the show seems to be getting sloppier.

I’ve let a lot of things slide. For instance, I’ve been willing to look the other way every time a Dallas police officer comes to the Ewings’ door even though Southfork Ranch is in Parker, which has its own police force.

“Well, they’re investigating crimes that occurred in Dallas,” I told myself, trying to stay connected to the story.

I’ve been willing to look the other way when the same Dallas police officer performs civil functions, like serving warrants or court documents, which would obviously fall under the jurisdiction of the Dallas County constables office, except Parker is in Collin County (how has no one been fired from the show over that oversight?!).

But it all came to a head a few weeks ago, the show when Patrick Duffy’s wife, whom I don’t care about (more on that later), was arrested for shooting that scoundrel, Harris Ryland.

“The DA’s indicting your wife,” Patrick Duffy’s lawyer said with a scowl.

Come on! Everybody knows the district attorney files charges. A grand jury indicts. What kind of two bit huckster are the Ewings wrapped up with?!

So then we cut to a scene of a very sharp, modern looking courthouse. This was most definitely not the Dallas County Courthouse.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the Crowley Courts Building, but “sharp” and “modern” are not likely to be adjectives you’d use to describe the decor. It’s dingy, one of the escalators is usually broken and in most areas there’s a mild but unpleasant odor.

The courthouse on TV looked like it smelled amazing!

At first, I thought it was the Collin County Courthouse, which is new and smells pretty good. Also, it would have made sense since Southfork, again, is in Collin County.

But then there was a wider establishing shot that made clear this case was being tried in the Rockwall County Courthouse for some reason. That courthouse is also new, but I’ve never been inside, so I can’t accurately describe the smell (feel free to shoot me an email if you have some insight on this).

This is an issue I put to Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (seriously). His response was that as long as they’re shooting in the Metroplex, the entire region benefits and he’s happy.

What he might be unhappy about is the future of the show. We no longer have a villain. We lost an icon. It’s hard enough to replace an icon under ideal conditions, but the stable on Dallas is empty.

JR’s son is too man-pretty to be an effective bad guy. Patrick Duffy is too nice to be interesting and I find his wife to be somewhat vapid. His son is conflicted, which is good, but he’s also too pretty and cries more frequently than I’d like to see.

The only villain who’s really knocking it out of the park is the mom from Who’s the Boss. I wouldn’t have expected it, but she’s so tremendously awful. Every time she comes on screen, you know something evil is about to happen.

And her hair looks ridiculous! It’s so over the top Dallas-y. It’s good to see her bringing the spectacle back to the show. It’s exactly what we’ll need in the post-JR world.

I’d like to see her get a piece of Ewing Energies and just show up in the background of a few scenes in each episode looking psychotic.

In the same interview, Rawlings talked about the economic impact of a major television show shooting in north Texas. From the hiring of local actors to the construction of sets down to the caterers, millions of dollars could disappear if Dallas goes off the air.

Only you, Judith Light, can save Dallas. Both the TV show and the city.

I always suspected she’d have a hand in it.