TNT Renews 'Dallas' for Second Season

Zade Rosenthal/TNT

"Dallas"

TNT is going back to Dallas.

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Moments after giving the green light to a fourth season of Rizzoli & Isles on Friday, the network announced a renewal of Dallas for a second season.

The reboot is averaging 6.9 million viewers to date, with the Turner-owned cable network ordering 15 episodes of the drama to air next year.

"Dallas has been a success for us on every level: pitch-perfect writing, smart directing and buzz-worthy performances by a new generation of stars and their iconic counterparts," said Michael Wright, president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "With Dallas' top-flight ratings, robust growth through time-shifted viewing and the extensive online buzz, it's clear the Ewings of Southfork have once again captured the imagination of viewers.”

So far this season, Dallas -- starring Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong and featuring the return of original castmembers Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman -- ranks as basic cable's No. 1 new series. The June 13 premiere of the Warner Horizon Television drama opened to 7.8 million viewers when factoring in Live+3 data.

The series gives TNT the No. 1 new show on basic cable for the third year in a row, behind Rizzoli & Isles (2010) and Falling Skies (2011). Dallas was considered a big bet for TNT and came with an established audience with fans of the original 1978-91 primetime soap tuning in to revisit characters including Hagman's J.R. Ewing.