‘Knots Landing’ Ended 30 Years Ago: What the Cast Did After Leaving the Cul-de-Sac
The Dallas spinoff Knots Landing landed on CBS in 1979 and aired 14 soapy seasons of hook-ups, break-ups, and shake-ups before signing off 30 years ago, on May 13, 1993.
Four years later, however, fans were tangled up in Knots Landing drama once more with 1997’s two-part miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac. (Then, of course, came the 2005 special, Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.)
And with the recent updates of Dallas and Dynasty (another ‘80s-era primetime soap), it’s only a matter of time before Knots Landing gets its own reboot with a new generation of Seaview Circle residents.
In the meantime, see what the 10-longest serving Knots Landing cast members got up to after the show’s 1993 finale.
Michele Lee (Karen MacKenzie)
Lee went on to headline two TV biopics, 1995’s Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story and 1998’s Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story. In 2001, she earned a Tony nomination for her performance in the play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, and in 2015, she started playing Madame Morrible in the Broadway musical Wicked.
Ted Shackelford (Gary Ewing)
After Knots Landing, Shackelford guest-starred on shows like Cybill, The Practice, and Spin City. And soap buffs likely remember he played twin brothers Jeffrey and William Bardwell on The Young and the Restless between 2016 and 2015.
Joan Van Ark (Valene Ewing)
Van Ark got into directing after her Knots exit, earning a Humanitas Prize nomination for a 1994 ABC after-school special and an Emmy nomination for a 1997 short documentary, according to her bio. Between 2004 and 2005, she played Gloria Simmons Abbott on The Young and the Restless. And between 2008 and 2010, she reunited with Knots costar Donna Mills in two episodes of Nip/Tuck.
Kevin Dobson (Mack MacKenzie)
Dobson, who died in 2020 at age 77, turned to daytime soaps after Knots, taking roles on One Life to Live, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Days of Our Lives. He also guest-starred on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Hawaii Five-0, and House of Lies. And on stage, he joined The Waltons alum Richard Thomas in a touring production of Twelve Angry Men.
William Devane (Gregory Sumner)
Devane followed his Knots run with starring roles in the short-lived TV shows Phenom, The Monroes, and Turks. He got steadier work in 2005, when he started playing Secretary of Defense James Heller on the Fox hit 24. Devane also played therapist Dr. Dix in seven of Tom Selleck’s nine Jesse Stone TV movies on CBS and Hallmark Channel. And last year, he played billionaire Whitney Vance in Freevee’s Bosch: Legacy.
Donna Mills (Abby Ewing)
Mills moved on with TV movies like The World’s Oldest Living Bridesmaid, False Arrest, and My Name Is Kate, as well as a recurring role in Melrose Place. More recently, she recurred as Madeline Reeves on General Hospital, appeared in last year’s sci-fi horror film Nope, and guest-starred on The Rookie: Fedsthis year. She also has a role in the upcoming Ava DuVernay film Caste.
Pat Petersen (Michael Fairgate)
After the show, Petersen retired from acting, went to USC for business, launched a nutritional supplement company, got married, and started a family, as he said in a 2004 interview.
Constance McCashin (Laura Avery)
McCashin made a few more screen appearances after her Knots departure, starring in the 1988 TV movie Nightmare at Bittercreek and the 1999 movie The Out-of-Towners, for example. Now she’s a licensed independent clinical social worker who works in cognitive behavioral therapy, according to her website.
Nicollette Sheridan (Paige Matheson)
Sheridan moved from Seaview Circle to Wisteria Lane, starring as Edie Britt on ABC’s Desperate Housewives in the late 2000s. More recently, she starred as Alexis Morell Carrington in The CW’s Dynasty reboot.
Julie Harris (Lilimae Clements)
Harris, who died in 2013 at age 87, returned to Broadway after Knots Landing, playing Amanda Wingfield in a 1994 production of The Glass Menagerie and earning a Tony nod for her performance in a 1997 production of The Gin Game.
Ted Shackelford
Joan Van Ark
Don Murray
Michele Lee
John Pleshette
Constance McCashin
James Houghton
Kim Lankford
Claudia Lonow
Donna Mills
Bobby Jacoby
Tonya Crowe
Julie Harris
Stephen Macht
Kevin Dobson
Harry Northup
Lisa Hartman
William Devane
Danielle Brisebois
Millie Perkins
Bruce Fairbairn
Alec Baldwin
Howard Duff
Ava Gardner
Teri Austin
Nicollette Sheridan
Michelle Phillips
Red Buttons
Lynne Moody
Larry Riley
Kent Masters King
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