'Dallas' viewing ratings got a boost last night as viewers tuned in to see the Ewings say goodbye to JR, but it might not be enough to save the show.
The funeral scenes of one of TV's great villains drew an audience of 448,000, a share of just over 5%, which is an increase on figures for previous weeks, but a massive drop on their initial audience of approximately three million, when the series reboot was first aired last year.
Real tears were shed during JR's funeral scene as Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Co said goodbye to a loved one
Channel 5 said today that no decision had been made on the future of the show in the UK, because its US producers, TNT, hadn't yet confirmed whether or not a third series will be made.
However, the Mirror this week quoted a Channel 5 source, saying: "The remake hasn't really worked and it is expensive to buy in for the number of viewers it's attracting.
"It looks as though viewers have quickly got bored. The audience was dropping like a stone. It might just be that Dallas was a product of its time. It's unlikely that a third season will be shown."
This poor showing is a sad contrast to the fortunes of the show at the height of its powers. A worldwide audience of approximately 83 million tuned in in 1980 to find out 'Who Shot JR?'
Larry Hagman died late last year, just after filming had begun on this second series. Producers have promised that JR's assassin will be revealed in the final episode of the current run.