10 things nobody wants to admit about Dynasty

4. An Ariana Grande cameo was a missed opportunity

RIGHT?! Like… You see the vision! Obviously, Liz Gillies and Ariana Grande go way back, from their days in the Broadway musical 13 to the beloved Nickelodeon series Victorious. To this day, the pair remain close friends, going viral every Halloween with their deliciously campy joint costumes, complete with reenactment videos. (The latest was an homage to Showgirls.)

The years that the show was on the air, from 2017 to 2022, were probably the most demanding yet of Grande’s career. She released three albums, went on two tours, won a Grammy, launched her beauty brand, landed her role in the Wicked movies… But there’s still part of me that wishes the powers that be could have found a week for Ariana and Liz to play together in Atlanta. Just imagine the sparring these two could have done in an episode of Dynasty…

3. Blake should have gone to jail in the end

We were never supposed to like Blake, but that damn likable Grant Show made it difficult not to. I don’t think anyone was rooting for Blake to get away with murder during his trial (I know I wasn’t), but he ultimately did. By the end of the series, he hasn’t really answered for any of the various crimes he committed throughout the series, which I guess is pretty solid commentary on wealth, privilege, and power.

Still, I can’t help but think we were robbed by not seeing Blake finally get what was coming to him. Surely, he can’t run from the law forever, and I imagine that after the show’s bittersweet happy ending, he’d find himself wearing an orange jumpsuit again.

2. It’s the best version of a television reboot

If there’s a right way to reboot a show, Dynasty found the secret recipe, if you will. Now, the show wasn’t always what it was from the beginning. In the first season, the show played a little closer to the primetime soap genre, though there were constantly lighter flourishes of natural comedy in the dialogue and performances.

But the show would then discover its own language that allowed it to sprinkle in element of slapstick and sitcom tonalities along with the high-camp and melodrama. I don’t believe the original series ever employed a melting pot of flavors so ambitious.

Beyond a shapeshifting genre, the show also never felt beholden to jump through hoops to be exactly like the show it was rebooting. While the reboot used the same names and a lot of the same storylines, this wasn’t a direct remake with fan service. The odes to the OG were subtle and nuanced, often honoring the iconic fashion of Alexis (see above photo). Future reboots, take notes!