Dynasty (1981 TV series, season 4)
The fourth season of "Dynasty" originally aired in the United States on ABC from September 28, 1983 through May 9, 1984. The series, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy family residing in Denver, Colorado. Season four stars John Forsythe as millionaire oil magnate Blake Carrington; Linda Evans as his wife Krystle; Pamela Sue Martin as Blake and Alexis's headstrong daughter Fallon; Jack Coleman as Blake and Alexis's earnest son Steven; Gordon Thomson as Blake and Alexis's eldest son Adam; John  James as Fallon's ex-husband Jeff Colby; Pamela Bellwood as Steven's new wife, Claudia; Heather Locklear as Krystle's niece and Steven's ex-wife Sammy Jo; Geoffrey Scott as Krystle's ex-husband Mark Jennings; Lee Bergere as Carrington majordomo Joseph Anders; Kathleen Beller as Joseph's daughter Kirby; Deborah Adair as public relations assistant Tracy Kendall; Michael Nader as businessman Dex Dexter; Helmut Berger as playboy Peter de Vilbis; Diahann Carroll as Blake's half-sister Dominique Deveraux; and Joan Collins as Alexis Colby, Blake's ex-wife and the mother of Adam, Fallon, and Steven . Development. With the show's popularity soaring in the fourth season (now the third most watched program of 1983–1984), former President Gerald Ford, former First Lady Betty Ford, and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger guest-starred as themselves in 1983. Michael Nader was introduced as Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter, a friend to Blake and a love interest for Alexis. Though Dex was conceived as a supporting, short-term character, Nader's performance made the character "unexpectedly popular". One of the five actors under final consideration for the role, Nader credited his chemistry with Collins with getting him the part. Collins  said of Nader, "He's a very romantic leading man and he has a certain sinister edge." Diahann Carroll was also introduced as wealthy singer and businesswoman Dominique Deveraux, from the beginning intended as a foil for Alexis Colby, the villainess played by Joan Collins. Dominique was revealed to be Blake's half-sister in season five. Noting that the increasingly popular prime time soap operas had yet to tackle racial integration, and wanting to be "the first black bitch on television", Carroll had her manager reach out to "Dynasty" producer Aaron Spelling, but there had been no response before  she and Spelling ran into each other soon after. Spelling said, "When Diahann came in, Esther Shapiro and I looked at her, looked at each other and said, 'My God, she is "Dynasty".'" Carroll told Shapiro that night, "If it's not me let it be someone, because it's time." Spelling said, "We virtually closed the deal that night while having a drink at the bar." Joining "Dynasty" made Carroll the only black actress with a continuing role on a nighttime serial at that time, and Dominique the first prominently-featured African-American character on a prime time soap  opera. She appeared in the final two episodes of the fourth season, and was contracted for at least 17 of season five's 29 shows. Willis Edwards, president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood chapter of the NAACP, said of Carroll's casting, "This is a major thing as far as we're concerned. We've been fighting for something like this for years." Linda Evans, who played Krystle Carrington, said at the time, "I don't think the impact of her coming on the show will affect only blacks. I think it will be great for all the people who  see her." Martin left the series at the end of the fourth season in May 1984. At the time, "New York" quoted Martin as calling television "limiting". "USA Today" reported in 2006 that Martin "left "Dynasty" and acting when she felt her 'glib' character ... had been reduced to 'a victim'." In 2011, she said "I became extremely famous during that time, and it was a little discomforting". Spelling wrote in his 1996 autobiography, "After three seasons, Pamela Sue Martin wanted to leave "Dynasty" to get married and we didn't stand in her way." Plot. Steven and Blake battle for  custody over Steven and Sammy Jo's son Danny, and a false accusation of illegal weapons dealings orchestrated by Alexis threatens to ruin Blake's financial empire. In the season finale, Fallon disappears just before her second wedding to Jeff, while Alexis is arrested for the murder of Mark Jennings. Episodes. <onlyinclude> </onlyinclude> Reception. In season four, "Dynasty" was ranked #3 in the United States with a 22.4 Nielsen rating.