Characters / Knots Landing

Character sheet for the TV series Knots Landing.

For an index of the actors and actresses who have their own page on this wiki, see here.

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16966 Seaview Circle: The Ewing / Clements / Gibson Household

Garrison Arthur "Gary" Ewing

Played by: Ted Shackelford

Lucy Ewing: Daddy, I was just telling momma that, since neither of you got married again, you both must still be carrying torches.

Gary Ewing: Oh, you see, if I carried a torch I'd have blown myself up a dozen times from all the alcohol on my breath.

Gary was the second son of oil baron Jock Ewing and his wife Miss Ellie Ewing. He was often considered the black sheep of the family, as he would become an alcoholic, and was never treated as an equal by his father and elder brother J.R. However, Gary was loved by his mother and younger brother Bobby. As Jock was not with Miss Ellie during her pregnancy with Gary, she tended to view him as more hers than Jock's and he became her favorite son, while the relationship between Jock and Gary was always distant. Gary was married (three times) to Valene Ewing, and the couple's on-off relationship led to much of his story arc throughout the series.

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• '70s Hair: In the first few seasons, he sports a shaggy 'lion-cut', before it's tidied up and becomes shorter as the 80s roll around.
• The Alcoholic: Gary is a chronic, relapsing alcoholic, and much of the drama surrounding his (and Val's) storylines involves his struggles to stay on the wagon. His addiction also causes many of his lapses in judgement — affairs included.
• Black Sheep: Compared to the thrusting, powerful (if corrupt) JR and heroic Nice Guy Bobby, Gary is the overlooked middle brother who has a good relationship with his mother Miss Ellie but a strained, distant relationship with his father Jock — which likely caused his alcohol dependence.
• The Bus Came Back: Returned to the Dallas/Knots universe in 2013 for JR's funeral.
• Chick Magnet: He's one of the hottest guys in the series, and is the subject of Abby's attention as soon as she moves onto the cul-de-sac. It's very rare to find Gary single — if he's not with Val or Abby (his two long-term partners throughout the series' run), he'll be hooked up with some other beautiful woman.
• Crossover: The character of Gary Ewing began life on Dallas, but was transplanted to Knots Landing as a familiar anchor for the audience when the series began. Crossovers were occasional, up until the "Bobby comes back in the shower" dream sequence on Dallas required a complete timeline/world split.
• Divorce Is Temporary: Eight years after their second divorce, Gary and Valene married for the third time in the 300th episode "The Last One Out".
• Estranged Soap Family: The Texas Ewings after Season Four. It ran both ways as Gary never turned up for major family events at Southfork after Bobby's death in the Dream Season — and seldom did beforehand. His absence from said events was never explained.
• High-School Sweethearts: He and Val have known each other since she was just 15 and, after countless dramas over the course of the series' run, they're still together by the finale.
• Jerkass: When drunk, he's violent, unfaithful, and exhibits a nasty, quick tongue.
• Middle Child Syndrome: He's sandwiched between his go-getting, powerful older brother, JR, and his heroic, beloved younger brother, Bobby, and struggles to make his mark and fit in with the Ewing family — hence the move to Knots Landing.
• Mr. Fanservice: If one of the men was going to show off his bod, it was usually Gary.
• Mr. Vice Guy: Alcohol is his main vice, and he's also led by his crotch, being easily manipulated into an affair by Abby.
• Really Gets Around: Gary slept with most of the main women in the cast — Karen is just about the only exception.
• Required Spinoff Crossover: He became far more famous for this series than Dallas.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With childhood sweetheart, and love of his life, Valene.
• Troubled, but Cute: Gary makes poor decisions, and is at-times woefully naive, but he's damn cute as well.
• Unexpected Inheritance: After his father (Jock Ewing) died, he inherited $10 million, and shacked up with Abby.
• The Unfavorite: Of his father, Jock, though he's actually Miss Ellie's favorite, which is why she removes him and Val from Dallas to set up a new life in California.
• Weak-Willed: Mostly due to his alcoholism, but Gary makes poor decisions even when he hasn't had a drink, and is very easily led by beautiful women — especially Abby.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Gary is a fundamentally good guy, but his drinking and womanizing ways will have you yelling at the screen.

Valene Ewing Gibson (née Clements)

Played: Joan Van Ark

All my life, I'd wanted to see the ocean. Even when I was little, I knew that the ocean would probably be the biggest and the most beautiful and most powerful thing I'd ever see. I thought just by being close to it, it would just make me better; make me think clearer and feel deeper and just know more.

Valene is a sweet, naive woman, originally from a poor Tennessee family. Her storyline in the first season of Dallas focuses on the rebuilding of her former marriage to estranged ex-husband Gary. When Valene arrives in Texas to find her daughter, Lucy Ewing, she is brought back into the drama of the Ewing family. Upon arrival, she is reunited with Gary with whom she slowly falls back in love. Once Dallas became a hit, series creator David Jacobs decided to transplant the couple to Knots Landing, which would feature Valene and Gary prominently.

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• '80s Hair: Her hair was usually quite feminine and pretty in the early seasons, but come the late eighties, she began sporting an astonishing fe-mullet.
• Alternate Identity Amnesia: In Season Six, Valene has a nervous breakdown because no one will believe her when she says that she heard her supposedly stillborn babies cry after they were born. She loses her memory and comes to believe that her name is Verna Ellers, taking a job as a waitress in Shula, Tennessee. Notably, Val's alternate identity contains traces of her real one as her initials are V.E., she is originally from Tennessee and she worked as a waitress before she moved to Knots Landing.
• American Accents: Dixie, which gradually became softer throughout her tenure on the show.
• Betty and Veronica: She's the Betty to Abby's Veronica in the battle for Gary.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Of the cul de sac's three original wives, Karen's the brunette, Val's the blonde, and Laura's the redhead.
• Break the Cutie: Poor Val — despite all that life throws at her, as Karen says, she's like "the little engine who could".
• The Bus Came Back: Returned to the Dallas/Knots universe in 2013, around the time of JR's funeral.
• Country Mouse: Valene grew up deep out in the Tennessee Pine Country and is poorly equipped to deal with her intimidatingly powerful in-laws, especially JR. It also takes her a while to settle into the more cosmopolitan setting of California versus her bucolic upbringing.
• Crossover: The character of Valene Ewing began life on Dallas, but was transplanted to Knots Landing as a familiar anchor for the audience when the series began. Crossovers were occasional, up until the "Bobby comes back in the shower" dream sequence on Dallas required a complete timeline/world split.

• Damsel in Distress: Frequently in the earlier seasons, Val is subject to multiple dramatic scenarios and emotionally-destroying setbacks (Gary leaving her, her twins being abducted, etc) which resulted in her fan nickname of "Poor Val".

• Dark and Troubled Past: Valene was abandoned by her mother, became a child bride (quickly becoming pregnant), and was chased out of Dallas by her evil brother-in-law JR when he disapproved of her relationship with Gary (due to the class chasm between them) and her raising his niece Lucy.
• Deep South: In her capacity as a poor but beautiful teenage bride (and mother) hailing from deep out in the Tennessee Pine country. "Valene" (and her mother's name "Lilimae") are also archetypal Southern-sounding names — it's even lampshaded in-series by a diner owner who comments:
  Diner Owner:"Valene?" Don't go trying to tell me you ain't a Southern gal with a name like that!
• Despair Event Horizon / Not Herself: After the abduction of her twins sends her over the edge and into a schizophrenic state, she takes on the personality of one of her own literary creations, "Verna Ellers", a diner waitress back in Tennessee.
• Divorce Is Temporary: Eight years after their second divorce, Gary and Valene married for the third time in the 300th episode "The Last One Out".
• Fanservice with a Smile: Val was working as a waitress when Gary first met her back in Dallas.
• First Girl Wins: Despite all the shit that she and Gary go through over the 14 seasons, they still end up together by the finale.
• Fish out of Water: The upscale Ewings, especially J.R., dislike the idea of a "poor, trashy girl" from Tennessee like Val raising Lucy.
• Girl Next Door: Sweet, accessibly pretty, and the nicest character on the show.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: One of the sweetest characters in the series, if at times tragically naive, with a heart as golden as her hair.
• The Heart: With Karen as The Hero and Abby as The Antagonist.
• High-School Sweethearts: She and Gary have known each other since they were both around 15-16 years old and, despite the multiple dramas they face over the series' run, they're together in the finale.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: Val's eager to please and craves approval and love from both friends and partners.
• Living Emotional Crutch: For Gary, although he definitely takes her for granted.
• Love Hurts: Her relationship with Gary is generally this after he leaves her for Abby in Season 2. After that, she endures a "will they, won't they?" scenario for literally years before they get back together.
• Naïve Newcomer: The cosmopolitan, breezy Californian vibe of Knots Landing initially unsettles her, and immediately after they move in, she tells Gary "I don't think we should have moved here..."
• Nice Girl: Val's most overt trait is her sweetness and it takes a lot to get her to snap and defend herself.
• Parental Abandonment: When Valene was 5 years old, her mother Lilimae left to pursue her music career, leaving Valene to be looked after by her father.
• Parental Issues: Lilimae leaving her causes a tense atmosphere for many years, and it took a long time for Val to make peace with her mother.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With best friend, Karen.
• Rage Against the Reflection: Following the breakdown of her marriage to Gary, and the abduction of her twins, Val berates herself in an upsetting Mirror Monologue. Joan Van Ark lists it as her proudest, but most difficult scene:
  Val: How could anybody love you? How could anyone want you? Look at you. You look like a man, you're as flat as a board! No, you look like an old lady, your arms are so skinny and scrawny. That long, sad face and those eyes. You're always trying to be so sweet. Sweet Valene, sweetpea....you're always trying to make everybody love you.....well you got what you deserve! So stupid....stupid little...sweet Valene.
• Serial Spouse: She racked up 5 marriages in her tenure on the show, in the following order: Ewing, Ewing (remarriage), Gibson, Waleska, and finally, Ewing (for a 3rd time!).
• Someone to Remember Him By: She names one of her twins Bobby, in honor of her late brother-in-law.
• Show Within a Show: After taking a creative writing class at a local college, she becomes famous as a published author, using her own past experiences as inspiration.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With childhood sweetheart, and love of her life, Gary.
• Teen Pregnancy: She gave birth to Lucy Ewing when she was just 15.
• The Three Faces of Eve: The three main women fill these roles perfectly: Karen is The Wife, the wiser, calmer aspect — someone around whom one could build a home life. Abby is The Seductress — sexually experienced and independent. Val is The Child and is innocent, perhaps to the point of naïveté.
• Write Who You Know: In-universe example. Her debut work "Capricorn Crude" is a thinly-veiled reference to the Ewing family, her in-laws.

Lucy Ewing

Played by: Charlene Tilton

Look at me! I don't take up much room, but I seem to be getting in everybody's way.

Gary and Val's daughter, Lucy grew up hating JR after he separated her from her parents when she was a baby, driving them out of Texas and threatening to kill Valene if she ever returned for her child. She appeared as a guest star in season 1 and is then only infrequently mentioned after that.

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• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Turns up at Gary and Val's and immediately causes them grief by heading out to a wild party at Kenny and Ginger's.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Considering she is Gary and Val's daughter, following just one Crossover in Season 1, she's never seen again, and even mentioning her becomes non-existent due to Dallas' "Dream Season".
• Crossover: Just once in Season 1, where she pays a visit to Gary and Val's new place in Seaview Circle.
• Dumb Blonde: Exhibits a naive lack of foresight and, as can be seen from her image above, sports a veritable river of long, blonde hair.
• Parental Abandonment: For most of her childhood both her parents were out of her life.
• Raised by Grandparents: She never followed Gary and Val to California, and disappeared from the show altogether. After Dallas' "Dream Season" resulted in the two storylines splitting, she was never mentioned in Knots again.

Lilimae Clements

Played by: Julie Harris

[looking at a hair product] Contains no lye. Well, I should hope not. Ask me no question I'll tell you no lye!

Valene's mother. Though they'd been estranged for many years, after Lilimae virtually abandoned Valene as a teenager in her quest to become a country singer, Lilimae reappeared in Valene's life during Season 1. In Season 3, she moved in with Valene and Gary, remaining in Knots Landing until Season 7.

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• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: She's an eccentric old Southern woman and far more forceful and bossy than Val is. She also loves to whip out a slide guitar and have a sing-song.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: In her capacity as a fairly wacky, old Southern woman.
• Cool Old Lady: She becomes more appealing and fun as she and Val repair their relationship, and is not to be messed with in defence of her daughter.
• Country Music: She's a wannabe country singer, and she does play music and sing a couple of times on the show (Julie Harris is a Broadway actress, after all), but her career in-series never took off.
• Deep South: She and Val hail from deep out in the Tennessee Pine Country and flashbacks reveal that the family home was basically a two-room shack.
• Gossipy Hens: Once embedded within the Seaview Circle community, she makes everyone else's business her business.
• Mama Bear Once she and her daughter have made peace with their past, lord help anyone who messes with Val.
• Never Mess with Granny: She's fundamentally a good person, but she has quite the temper — as con man Tony Fenice finds out when she runs him over with her car.
• Parental Abandonment: Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Valene, Lilimae abandons both her and her husband Jeremiah to pursue a singing career.
• Self-Serving Memory: She seems convinced that she could've made it as a big country music star.
• Small Name, Big Ego: When it comes to her musical ability.

Joshua Rush

Played by: Alec Baldwin

Do you see any irony in a mother telling her son to go somewhere else....to go to someone else for help?

Lilimae's son whom she abandoned as a baby. He was raised by his preacher father and came to Knots Landing as a rather innocent young preacher. He later became a televangelist and married Cathy Geary, but became mentally ill and extremely violent. After he tried to kill Cathy, he accidentally fell off a roof and died.

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• Axe-Crazy: Eventually becomes a crazed, religious firebrand in love with his own ego, culminating in his attempting to murder Cathy.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Abandoned by his mother, and raised by a firebrand preacher.
• Deep South: Of the scary, religious zealot variety.
• Domestic Abuse:....and poor Cathy is on the receiving end.
• Drunk with Power: When he first arrives at Knots, he is sweet-natured and naive (much like his half-sister, Val). But as soon as his preaching spot on local cable sends his popularity sky-rocketing, he becomes controlling, aggressive, and eventually psychotic.
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: He's played by a young Alec Baldwin, so it's a given he's pretty. He also turns into a firebrand religious maniac before his death.
• Family Relationship Switcheroo: Joshua stepped into Val and Lilimae’s life as he tries to find out about his mother (Lilimae’s sister). What he didn’t realize was that LILIMAE was his real mother, who had abandoned him as a baby because she failed at being a good mother to him.
• The Fundamentalist: He starts off fairly mild in terms of his preaching, but becomes full on fire and brimstone when it starts to increase the ratings on his televangelist show.
• Green-Eyed Monster: He pressures Cathy to sing on his show, but when she starts becoming more popular than him, cracks in his sanity appear.
• Holier Than Thou: Following his Sanity Slippage, he uses the bible as a means of justifying his crazed behaviour.
• Killed Off for Real: He dies after slipping backward off a rooftop, following an astronomic "The Reason You Suck" Speech from Lilimae.
  Lilimae: “Don’t call me momma, I’m NOT your momma! You’re NOT my son! How could I have given birth to anyone as cold and cruel as you!!”
• Mommy Issues: Abandoned by Lilimae (who he was told was his aunt), which kicks off his mental illness.
• Parental Abandonment: Lilimae abandoned both he and Val to pursue her career and he arguably had it worse, as for years she denied he was her son, maintaining that she was his aunt.
• The Prima Donna: This aspect of his personality emerges once his televangelist slot becomes popular.
• Sanity Slippage: He arrives as a naive, earnest young man but when is televangelist TV slot becomes increasingly popular, a far darker, more controlling side of his emerges as he relishes the praise he receives, which turns into full on madness prior to his death.
• Taking You with Me: At the zenith of his madness, he decides that Cathy and he must die together as one, and so kidnaps her, taking her to an abandoned building downtown — with Lilimae in hot pursuit — and ultimately slips and falls to his death from the building's roof.

Ben Gibson

Played by: Douglas Sheehan

Ben entered the Knots Landing scene in the fall of 83. He was a reporter who wanted to get information on Valene Ewing, whose soon to be ex-husband Gary Ewing was to be convicted for the murder of the late singer Ciji Dunne. At first, he dated her for a story, but he soon found himself falling in love with the beautiful blonde. By the fall of 84, Ben was married to Val and working at the World Pacific Cable. He let everyone believe that he was the father of Val's twins, despite knowing that Gary was in fact the father.

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• Cloak and Dagger: Although, he was blackmailed into it by the evil Jean Hackney, who threatened to kill Ben and his family if he did not spy on (and murder) Greg Sumner.
• Dogged Nice Guy: In his pursuit of Val, whom he knows never truly got over Gary.
• Going for the Big Scoop: Turns up in Knots to investigate Gary's Frame-Up over Ciji's death.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Fundamentally he's a good guy, but Val's improving friendship with ex-husband Gary caused him to snap on occasion.
• Intrepid Reporter: In his capacity as a journalist for World Pacific Cable.
• Never Found the Body: When Ben decided to leave Knots Landing for good and disappeared in South America, no one really knows what happened to him...
• Nice Guy: He's completely opposite to Gary (solid, dependable, empathetic) — trouble is, Val finds him a little plain bagel compared to Gary.
• Parental Substitute: For Val's twins, who were in fact Gary's.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate is never revealed, following his departure from the show.

16972 Seaview Circle: The Fairgate / Mackenzie Household

Karen Fairgate Mackenzie (née Cooper)

Played by: Michele Lee

I don't want to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, I want the world to BE rose-colored! I want people to be nice. People should be nice. Nice should be the norm!

A native New Yorker, Karen got on with everybody in the neighbourhood, except for her sister-in-law, Abby. She always saw through her conniving, manipulating ways, even when Sid didn’t! However, it was Valene, her next-door neighbour, who was to be her closest and dearest friend. Karen was arguably the main character of the series.

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• '80s Hair: Less so than Abby, Val, and Cathy but she did sport some gravity-defying perms in her time, as well as the heavy-fringed bob in the image above.
• Audience Surrogate: She was arguably written so as to be the most relatable character in the series and the most "normal" of the cast.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Of the cul de sac's three original wives, Karen's the brunette, Val the blonde, and Laura the redhead.
• Drugs Are Bad: She got hooked on prescription pills when her daughter, Diana, ran off and married the devious Chip Roberts, AKA Tony Fenice.
• Good Is Not Soft: She's a decent, campaigning sort, but will absolutely not stand for any nonsense, and is very capable of sticking up for herself and dressing down those who cross her.
• Happily Married:
  • Her and Mack. Despite bumps on the way, they're one of the enduring couples in the series. In 1987, the writers wanted Mack to have an extramarital affair with Anne. Michele Lee protested this to David Jacobs, saying, "There has to be one stable couple on the show." The extramarital affair storyline was nixed.
  • Her first marriage to Sid, which ended with his death, was also a very happy one.
• The Hero: With Val as The Heart and Abby The Antagonist.
• Hot-Blooded: She can be quick to flare up, and has a loud, theatrically commanding voice.
• The Idealist: She holds strong liberal ideals, and many of her storylines involve her confronting the grubbier sides of both business and politics, and trying to better the situation.
• Large Ham: Early on in the series, Michele Lee's Broadway background is obvious, as she's at times theatrically over the top.
• Odd Friendship: With Richard Avery, whom she was immensely fond of, despite him standing for almost everything she doesn't like.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With best friend, Val — the pair form a strong bond as soon as Val moves onto the cul de sac, invoking Karen's protective instincts.
• The Pollyanna: Deconstructed:
  Karen:"I am not a Pollyanna. Not now. Not after what was done to me. And that's why I feel so angry. I want to be a Pollyanna. I don't want to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, I want the world to BE rose-colored! I want people to be nice. People should be nice. Nice should be the norm. I hate it that I can't trust anyone. I hate it that I can't put my daughter on the front lawn by herself. I hate it that I have to lock my car and that I have to worry about an alarm system in my house and that I can't send cash in the mail. That's NOT the way it's supposed to be, Gary. I liked being a Pollyanna. I WANT to be a Pollyanna."
• Soapbox Sadie: She presents a positive, likable example.
• Spirited Competitor: She will always rise to the challenge in support of issues she holds dear (female empowerment, environmentalism, conscientious town-planning, etc)
• Statuesque Stunner: Stands at 5'8" and is a razor-cheekboned, lithely built woman.
• Strawman Political: Of the liberal persuasion, especially early on in the series when the touchy-feeliness of the 70s was still in play, prior to the greed-is-good 80s, which even she wasn't immune to in terms of her aspirations for success in business.
• Team Mom: For the other women of the cul de sac (except Abby) she's an anchor and their de facto 'leader'.
• The Three Faces of Eve: The three main women fill these roles perfectly: Karen is The Wife, the wiser, calmer aspect — someone around whom one could build a home life. Abby is The Seductress — sexually experienced and independent. Val is The Child and is innocent, perhaps to the point of naïveté.

Sid Fairgate

Played by: Don Murray

Would you just do what you know and I know has to be done?

Karen's first husband, and the owner of Knots Landing Motors. Hard-working, fair, and at times stubborn, Sid was the emotional rock of the show during the first two seasons. Sid was killed when his car was sabotaged by shady mafioso thugs.

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• Anyone Can Die: Sid was one of the series' lead actors and husband to the lead female in the cast, and yet is killed by mafia thugs in Season 2.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Implied — it was always suggested Sid was something of a badass in his younger years and a prize-fighter.
• Big Brother Instinct: Throughout the second Season, the only one in which they were both regular characters, Sid's protectiveness towards Abby (who is fourteen years younger than him) often blinds him to her faults and/or leads him to make excuses for her behaviour.
• Killed Off for Real: He was killed after his car was sabotaged by the mafia after he refused to submit to their stolen parts racket.
• May–December Romance: Always looked far more mature than Karen. In "Players", Karen mentions that she is seven years younger than Sid. In real life, Don Murray was thirteen years older than Michele Lee.
• Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: His Femme Fatale ex-wife turns up in Season 1, determined to win him back — she fails.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: After mafia thugs blackmail his dealership into accepting stolen parts, he volunteers to work with the police (despite the obvious danger) in a stinger operation to bring them to justice.....which ultimately leads to his death, when a mafia plant at his dealership sabotages his brakes.

Diana Fairgate Fenice

Played by: Claudia Lonow

Chip is my husband and I love him and there's nothing you can do about it!

Diana was the eldest child of Sid and Karen Fairgate.

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• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Begins the series as a sweet goody-goody girl, but becomes a complete brat after her father's death, culminating in her hooking up with the psychotic Tony Fenice, running away from home, and refusing to let her parents help her.
• The Bus Came Back: Only returned to the series in 1997 years after her exit for the "Back to the cul de sac" special.
• Daddy's Girl: She was very close to Sid, but she and Karen have a strained relationship, which is hugely exacerbated after Sid's death.

• A Match Made in Stockholm: Diana met and fell in love with Chip Roberts, who moved in next door with Valene and Lilimae. At Chip's suggestion, she ran off with him when Ciji discovered that he was really Tony Fenice, a con-man wanted by the police, although Diana didn't know this at the time. On the road, Chip's behavior became increasingly possessive and Diana, frightened, tried to make contact with Karen. The police tracked them down when they discovered Diana had used her credit card to pay for fuel and Chip was arrested. However, by that time Diana had succumbed to Chip's charms and revealed (proudly) that she was now "Mrs. Tony Fenice".
• Parental Issues: After her father Sid's death in 1981, she got extremely upset when her mother didn't appear to show any sorrow, acting, she felt, as if nothing had happened. This put in motion what was to become a strained relationship for the remainder of her time on the series.
• The Runaway: Falls in love with conman Tony Felice and goes on the run with him.
• Relationship-Salvaging Disaster: When Karen ended up in the hospital due to a gunshot wound, Diana made up with her and Mack and left Knots Landing to become a fashion designer in New York.

Eric & Michael Fairgate

Played by: Steve Shaw & Patrick Petersen

Eric and Michael are the sons of Sid and Karen Fairgate. Eric is a sweet-natured, chilled-out guy, whereas Michael is a very active child, who suffers from disorders of hyperactivity.

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• Adorably Precocious Child: Michael in the early seasons, complete with obligatory "gee whizz, mister!" dialogue.
• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Michael in the early seasons, where he's diagnosed with what's known now as ADHD.
• Big Eater: Michael's seemingly limitless appetite is a Running Gag from Seasons Six to Eight. His cousin Brian inherited this characteristic in Season Eight and the gag continued until his departure in Season Ten.
• Dating What Mommy Hates: Eric meets Linda at college, whom he very quickly marries, much to the dismay of his mother.
• Flirty Stepsiblings: Michael with step-dad Mack's daughter, Paige.
• Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: Poor Michael didn't have much luck with women. There was Paige Matheson, Mack's daughter; Michael really liked her but she dumped him for Peter Hollister. Then, Michael met Jodi Campbell by saving her from drowning, but the relationship didn't work out. Then, his study partner, Ellen, preferred Johnny Rourke over him. Lastly, there was Linda Fairgate, his own brother Eric's wife.
• Nice Guy: Eric is a good kid, and apart from some dubious relationships, he never gives his parents any intentional grief.
• The Reliable One: Eric, of the three Fairgate kids.
• Sibling Triangle: Michael commits the ultimate betrayal in the later seasons, and begins an affair with Linda, Eric's wife.

Marion Patrick "Mack" Mackenzie

Played by: Kevin Dobson

I never give a gift unless I like it myself and I love hot dogs — especially when they're charcoal barbecued. I'll even put your names in them. You know, Karen, I love our house and listen...I love how quiet it is on our cul-de-sac.

Karen's second husband; an attorney who worked for the Governor's office before opening his own private practice. He first met Karen when he worked as the Federal Prosecutor, helping to catch the men responsible for Sid's death. He later worked for his old classmate, Senator Greg Sumner, at his crime commission though later quit because he could not tolerate Sumner's schemes which led to the pair of them becoming rivals.

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• Abusive Parents: He had a very tough childhood due to him and his sister Megan being constantly abused by their father, Pete Mackenzie.
• Brooklyn Rage: When pushed, his tough New Yorker background emerges.
• Embarrassing First Name: A tough, plain-speaking New Yorker.....named Marion?
• Gender-Blender Name: His first name is the traditionally feminine "Marion".
• For Great Justice: Seeks to stamp out corruption of any kind in his capacity as a prosecutor.
• Happily Married: He and Karen — despite bumps on the way, they're one of the enduring couples in the series.
• Hard Boiled Detective: Or rather, federal prosecutor.
• Hello, Attorney!: He's a charming, handsome, somewhat roguish federal prosecutor.
• Long-Lost Relative: In series 7, Paige Matheson arrives on his doorstep claiming to be his daughter.
• No Indoor Voice: Like his wife, Karen, he too speaks with a theatrically booming voice when his emotions run high.
• Second Love: For Karen, after the death of Sid.
• Slap-Slap-Kiss: As they worked on the case of Sid's death, Mack and Karen fell in love. Their relationship was volatile, punctuated by quarrels and reconciliations, but after they finally put the criminals behind bars, they decided to marry.

16969 Seaview Circle: The Cunningham Household

Abby Cunningham Ewing (née Fairgate)

Played by: Donna Mills

Well, I'm not saying we're having an affair and I'm not saying we're not. I am saying that I can have him any time I want him.

Sid's little sister, and the neighborhood troublemaker. After divorcing her first husband, Abby decided to move to Knots Landing where she began working as a bookkeeper at Knots Landing Motors. She engaged in affairs with Richard, and later Gary, destroying his marriage to Val. Abby then married Gary herself (mainly to get his inheritance) but they divorced a couple of years later. Although Abby adored her brother Sid, Abby and Karen rarely got along.

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• '80s Hair: Holy shit yes. Abby sported the biggest hair in the series, ranging from vast angular perms to shorter vertiginous bouffants.
• Aesop Amnesia: She's occasionally regretful for her behaviors, but as the series's lead villainess, her contrition is always short-lived.
• Ambition Is Evil: Coming from a humble background, Abby claws herself ever upwards and personifies the "greed is good", having-it-all decadence of the 80s.
• The Antagonist: With Karen as The Hero and Val The Heart.
• Beauty Is Bad: As beautiful as she is devious.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Buries a body by herself in 6 feet of muddy soil, and there's not a speck of mud on her white skirt.
• Because I'm Good At It: Unashamedly uses sex as a weapon in the male-dominated business world she sets her sights on conquering.
• Betty and Veronica: She's the Veronica to Val's Betty in the battle for Gary.
• Big Brother Worship: Adored her old brother, Sid, one of the only men she had much respect for.
• Blonde Republican Sex Kitten: Dabbles in local politics, and while the series is (as is often the case) careful to not name her party of choice, it's pretty clear her policies and attitudes evoke the Grand Old Party.
• Cool Aunt: Eric and Diana (especially) see her as such.
• Crossover Couple: From their first meeting in "A Family Matter", there is an immediate attraction between J.R. and Abby. Each sees the other as a kindred spirit due to their shared love of money and power and their tendency to use blackmail and manipulation to achieve them. However, it is based more on lust than love. After the two of them have sex in "Designs", J.R. wishes that they could patent what they just invented.
• Distaff Counterpart: She was written as a "female JR" for the series.
• The '80s: Personified. The poster girl for the "greed is good", glamorous decade.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: There are many accusations that could be made about Abby, but she's undoubtedly a good mother, and her children mean everything to her.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Abby was never truly evil, "merely" extremely manipulative, ruthless and immoral in her personal and business dealings, but she does have occasional moments which illustrate this trope. The most notable occurs in Season Six in which she is guilt stricken over the fact that Valene's babies were kidnapped and secretly adopted as a result of an idle remark that she made to an unscrupulous lawyer about wishing that she could be rid of the babies. She later begins searching for them and tells Valene that they are still alive, though she doesn't reveal her admittedly indirect involvement. The original idea was that Abby would take the initiative in kidnapping the babies but Donna Mills objected on the grounds that the series' female viewers — who made up the bulk of its audience — would never forgive Abby and the storyline was changed as a result.
• Excessive Evil Eye Shadow: Lampshaded by her own daughter:
  Abby: Olivia, something terrible has happened.
  Olivia: What, did you run out of eye-makeup?
• The Fashionista: Her fashion is on-point glamorous 80s, and a riot of excess, including a Gem-Encrusted wardrobe of Pimped Out Dresses with Giant Poofy Sleeves, and always including something Pretty in Mink to top things off.
• Femme Fatale: She's exceptionally beguiling and beautiful and literally has both Richard and Gary in the palm of her hands and panting minutes after she arrives on the cul de sac.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Seriously — she literally has no female friends (understandably) amongst the cast, and Karen only really tolerates her occasionally because she is her children's aunt.
• I Have Boobs, You Must Obey!: She uses her beauty and feminine charms to get her way — which often works out for her, as many men underestimate the brain that's housed under her massively permed, glamour-girl hairdo.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Donna Mills's amazing blue eyes are perfect for flashing a wicked grin or dirty look — whichever is required.
• Manipulative Bitch: Her speciality, as seen from her very first scene where, having noticed Gary's boyish good looks, she pretends to drop a moving-in box so that he comes running to her aid.
• Ms. Fanservice: She's the most beautiful woman in the series, sports a variety of revealing outfits and is the most likely to stand around in a towel or her underwear. She also famously has an early jacuzzi scene with Richard which, as the water was ice-cold according to Mills, has her shuddering and gasping in such a way that it caused moral outrage post-viewing, as sensors thought she was reaching near orgasm with Richard's every touch.
• Really Gets Around: Started an affair with Richard Avery within hours of arriving on the cul de sac, broke up Gary and Val's marriage, slept with Greg Sumner (and eventually married him), and was never afraid to use her sex-appeal to get what she wanted.
• Rich Bitch: She becomes rich over the course of the series, but was always a bitch to begin with.
• Sexy Villains, Chaste Heroes: She is a beautiful bitch, and is the most beautiful woman in the series (see Ms. Fanservice above). She's also a manipulative Spoiled Brat. Downplayed in that Gary is also a Chick Magnet and Abby isn't truly evil.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: She can be nice, but only really to her kids (and Sid). Most of the time, she's on the make.
• The Three Faces of Eve: The three main women fill these roles perfectly: Karen is The Wife, the wiser, calmer aspect — someone around whom one could build a home life. Abby is The Seductress — sexually experienced and independent. Val is The Child and is innocent, perhaps to the point of naïveté.
• Villainesses Want Heroes: Set her sights on Gary from the moment she arrived in the cul de sac.

Olivia Cunningham

Played by: Tonya Crowe

Olivia: What are you gonna do? Lock me out?

Abby: No, I'm not gonna lock you out. I'm gonna lock you in with me!

Abby's rebellious daughter who became addicted to drugs. She later married mobster's nephew Harold Dyer against her mother's wishes, making Abby cut her off financially.

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• Bratty Teenage Daughter: She's an absolute brat in her later teenage years, becoming hooked on both pot and coke and even threatening Abby with physical violence when she won't let her leave the house.
• Calling the Old Man Out: A lot — mostly because of Abby breaking up with Gary, whom she viewed as a father.
• Disappeared Dad: Following a brief custody battle back and forth in Season 2, Olivia and Brian's father is never seen (or discussed) again in the series.
• Drugs Are Bad: Got hooked on pot and coke during her time on the show.
• Good Girl Gone Bad: Reacting to all the upheaval in her life, she began to smoke pot and later delved into drugs even more, using cocaine. She wiped out her and Brian's bank account, stole money from Abby's purse, and returned clothes for money.
• Moll: She met and fell in love with Harold Dyer, not knowing he was part of the mob.
• My God, What Have I Done?: When Brian was beaten up as a result of Olivia's drug usage, she finally agreed to get help, and stopped taking drugs.
• Short Teens, Tall Adults: Her mother, played by the very petite Donna Mills, is easily taller than her.

Brian Cunningham

Played by: Bobby Jacoby / Brian Austin Green

She's not the worst person in the world....even for a sister. I hate it when you guys fight.

Brian basically was the good, dutiful son. Abby kept a close rein on him, right down to monitoring what his activities were (ie. eating habits, watching television, hanging with friends). When Abby moved to Japan, he went to live with her.

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• Cute, but Cacophonic: When he first arrives on the cul de sac with his family, he only communicates by making shrieking blasts on a toy trumpet.
• The Dutiful Son: Compared to his rancorous sister.
• The Ghost: A rather odd example in his case. He was played by Bobby Jacoby in Seasons Two through Six. He was not seen at all in Season Seven in spite of numerous mentions and the fact that many scenes feature his home Westfork and his elder sister Olivia. Typically, when they were explained at all, his absences were explained by saying that he was staying at a friend's house or simply asleep. Brian returned to the series in Season Eight where he was played by Brian Austin Green, who continued in the role until Season Ten and later returned for the miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac. Before his return in Season Eight, Brian was in danger of following in the steps of his cousin Annie and becoming a victim of Chuck Cunningham Syndrome.
• Out of Focus: Was sent up to his room to play in 1985, and only came down a whole season later.....looking completely different.
• Unwitting Pawn: Olivia used Brian to transport drugs and money to and from her dealer, and when a deal went wrong, Brian was beaten and bruised.

16975 Seaview Circle: The Avery Household

Laura Avery Sumner

Played by: Constance McCashin

Richard, I am so tired of your blaming me and using me! I'm so tired of taking it and taking it — I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!

The wife of Jerkass Richard Avery, and later, Greg Sumner. Initially an oppressed housewife, she later became a successful real estate agent. Laura died in 1987 of a brain tumor.

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• '80s Hair: Sported the feathered look initially, then a very bouffant perm in the early-mid eighties.
• Awful Wedded Life: To Richard, Laura was just another housewife. He occasionally cheated on her and as time went by their relationship got worse and worse, becoming The Masochism Tango before he lapsed into full on Domestic Abuse.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Of the cul de sac's three original wives, Karen's the brunette, Val's the blonde, and Laura's the redhead.
• Deadpan Snarker: She's easily the driest of the cul de sac's wives and is something of a proto-Miranda Hobbes in terms of her witty, deapan character.
• Desperately Craves Affection: The lack of attention she was receiving from Richard caused Laura to go out and meet other guys which later caused her to be raped.
• Epiphany Therapy: Her friends eventually convince her to empower herself and become independent from Richard, so she finds herself a job, carving out a career as a realtor.
• Extreme Doormat: In her first few seasons especially, she's a pitiable, put-upon woman.
• Fiery Redhead: In the mid to later seasons, following her divorce from Richard, she becomes a far more confident, no-nonsense businesswoman.
• Glamorous Single Mother: Following her divorce from Richard.
• Home Maker: When first introduced, she doesn't work, as Richard won't allow it — something which drives her nuts, as she's a smart woman.
• Hostage Situation: Richard goes completely mental when she says she's divorcing him and holds her and son Jason hostage at the Avery house.
• Killed Off for Real: She was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor, and in the fall of 1987 Laura passed away. After her death, she left a videotape farewell message for her friends.
• Lesbian Subtext: Between her and Ciji — it's never really made clear if it's all in Richard's head or a genuine dalliance.
• Parenting the Husband: During Richard's depressive phases.
• The Social Darwinist: After the divorce from Richard, she became much more ruthless in her ambitions.

Richard Avery

Played by: John Pleshette

Laura, you hung my jacket up with the wrong trousers. Look at this. I mean there's no point in spending a lot of money on clothes if you're going to treat 'em like rags.

A lawyer, and later a restaurant owner. Unhappily married to Laura, he struggled to assert himself after she launched a successful career in real estate. In 1982, he suffered a nervous breakdown (where he held Laura hostage at gunpoint) and left town in 1983 without his family, as he and Laura divorced.

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• Amoral Attorney: He's the classic weasely little legal-eagle.
• The Bus Came Back: He reappears briefly in 1987 when Laura (who was dying) leaves their sons in his care.
• Casanova Wannabe: For some unfathomable reason, given his Jerkass character, small stature, and average looks, Richard seems to think he can have any woman he wants, and treat his actual wife, Laura, like shit.
• Domestic Abuse: To poor Laura. He occasionally cheated on her, and as time went by their relationship got worse and worse, becoming The Masochism Tango before he lapsed into full on Domestic Abuse.
• Freak Out: In 1983, he loses his job and Laura walks out. Out of work and wholly depressed, he took son Jason and Laura as a hostage in their own home. After turning himself in, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
• French Cuisine Is Haughty: When recovered from his psychotic episode, he begins a radical career shift and opens a French restaurant, named Daniel after his second son.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: His anger was born out of frustration — he felt he wasn't getting the respect he deserved both at home and at work, and took it out on Laura, especially when her own career began to take off.
• Irrational Hatred: He's very easily triggered by individuals and situations that make him feel impotent, and acts irrationally — even violently.
• Jerkass: An unpleasant, short-tempered, abusive man.
• Napoleon Complex: His short stature likely explains his puffed-up, firebrand nature.
• Odd Friendship: With Karen, who couldn't be more different to him ideologically.
• Sanity Slippage: He was always on the cusp of a breakdown, but when he loses his job and Laura leaves him, he turns full on psychotic, holding the cul de sac's women, and his own son, hostage.
• Sneaky Departure: Following the closure of his restaurant, and the mystery surrounding Ciji's death, he simply disappears one night with no explanation to anyone...

Jason Avery

Played by: Justin Dana / Danny Gellis / Danny Ponce / Michael Newmark

The eldest son of Richard and Laura, Jason seems to have adjusted well when his parents were going through some drama in their marriage. He became a big brother when Daniel was born in 1982.

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• Hostage Situation: Taken hostage, along with this mother, by his own father Richard, who was having a nervous breakdown.
• Out of Focus: Often sent upstairs to his room to play, only to return the following season.

Ciji Dunne & Cathy Geary

Played by: Lisa Hartman (both parts)

I'm not Ciji!

Ciji and Cathy were both singers. Ciji, who was something of a fantasy woman for Gary, was murdered, leaving almost everyone in Knots Landing as a suspect. Some months later, Ciji's Doppelgänger Cathy Geary showed up after being released from prison. Gary was interested in helping Cathy get a fresh start on life, even falling into a brief affair with her, but it was revealed she was hired by Abby to distract him. Despite this, they remained friends.

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• '80s Hair: Knots' definitive example. As Ciji, she rocked a Billy Ray Cyrus fe-mullet, then as Cathy, an unbelievable hair-metal bouffant.
• Becoming the Mask: Cathy soon develops feelings for Gary, and admits the ploy to him.
• Breakout Character: Ciji's popularity amongst viewers was so great that the writers contrived a mad, Identical Stranger plot to get her back on the show after she was initially killed off.
• The Cast Show Off: Lisa Hartman has a great voice, which features regularly in-series, as her character is a singer.
• Contrived Coincidence: The fact that a woman identical to Ciji just happens to be cleaning Gary's hotel room is pure soap hell.
• Criminal Doppelgänger: Cathy was hired by Abby to distract Gary from her machinations surrounding the Lotus Point project, as she knew Gary would be memorized by her resemblance to Ciji.
• Dark and Troubled Past: At a very young age Cathy married the unstable Ray Geary and ended up going to jail for a crime he committed.
• Doppelgänger: When the Ciji character was murdered, reaction from fans prompted the producers to create a new "look-alike" character for Hartman — Cathy Geary..
• Everyone Is a Suspect: Ciji's growing popularity among the close-knit neighbors and friends prompted many bouts of jealousy. Richard blamed his marital problems and financial distresses on Ciji, even insisting that Ciji and Laura were having an affair. Chip didn't want anyone to know about their affair as he was having another affair with young Diana Fairgate. He led people to believe that Ciji and Gary were having an affair thus prompting even more animosity, this time from Gary's lover and business partner Abby Cunningham and Gary's ex-wife Valene; who thought Ciji led to Gary's new bouts with alcohol. Kenny's wife Ginger became increasingly jealous as Kenny spent so much time with Ciji while ignoring her own dreams of singing success; Ginger had her final straw when Kenny gave Ciji a song to sing that Ginger had written. Kenny began resenting his protégé as well when Gary and Abby signed on famous producer Jeff Munson to take over her album. Turns out, it was Chip AKA Tony Fenice.
• Fake Band: Ciji/Cathy frequently perform in-series, and Lisa Hartman launched a music career during her tenure on the show. Entire segments are given over to her performing a musical interlude.
• Identical Stranger: One of the most famous (or indeed infamous) examples on TV, as Lisa Hartman plays both characters, with absolutely no effort to alter her appearance.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: She's a true-hearted character in both aliases and sports huge aqua-coloured eyes.
• Killed Off for Real: Poor Ciji, who's killed at the hands of Tony Fenice — a mystery solved only after half the cast are suspected.
• Lesbian Subtext: Between Ciji and Laura Avery — something which drives Richard insane, though it's never made clear if it's all in his head.
• Lust Object: Ciji (and Cathy) for Gary — he finds himself completely enraptured by both women.
• Power Ballad / Hair Metal: With the emphasis on the hair. Ciji's band is pure early-mid 80s soft rock and she sports an astonishing hair-metal fe-mullet.

16961 Seaview Circle: The Ward Household

Kenny Ward

Played by: James Houghton

Ah c'mon Ginger, don't be so square!

One half of the cul de sac's hot younger couple, as the show began, Kenny was just an immature young male sleeping around with all kinds of women, from his neighbour's daughter to his co-worker; Kenny was a male-slut. However, he matured when he became a father and realized that happiness meant family.

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• '70s Hair: In the first season especially, he sports a very shaggy 'lion-cut' hairdo.
• The Hedonist: He's immature and loves to party, which strangely (given he's meant to be part of the young, hip couple) starts to date him, as his free-love, partying 70s attitude begins to contrast with the Reagan-era conservatism creeping in around him.
• Handsome Lech: Kenny is hot and he knows it, and has no trouble beguiling a variety of women into bed behind Ginger's back
• Hero's Muse: Kenny knew that with Ciji on board, his career would not only get a boost, but Ciji would become a superstar. Kenny saw an opportunity to climb the ladder of success. Ultimately, it's his wife Ginger who becomes his main muse, and the couple move to Nashville to grow her singing career.
• Mr. Fanservice: Undoubtedly one of the series's hottest guys — loved showing off his great ass in disco gear.
• Multiple Demographic Appeal: Amongst a cast of mid-thirties to mid-forties characters, he and Ginger were undoubtedly scripted to bait a younger, teen to twenty-something audience.
• Pretty Boy: A very hot, muscular guy with beautiful facial features.
• Really Gets Around: He'll sleep with anyone, from his neighbour's daughter to his co-workers.
• Record Producer: Ostensibly, his job. And considering he's in his twenties, he's doing well to be living in the rad pad he and Ginger own on the upscale Seaview Circle. Kenny's Fake Bands include Cosmic Steeple, populated by Fake Brits, and Kiwi Surprise, who are from New Zealand, as their name suggests.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Gary, when he buys out Kenny's studio.
• Totally Radical: As the series began in '79, some of his dialogue is painfully dated — calling Ginger "square" for a start.

Ginger Ward (née Kilman)

Played by: Kim Lankford

Kenny, we're not having a party! We're going to get a pizza and go down to the beach, just the two of us, like we used to.

Ginger was a good neighbor; she would always turn to Karen for advice, ask Valene for extra help at the school, and she was also very close to Laura. As a new bride, Ginger tried to make her marriage strong from the beginning, but Kenny's cheating ways always got in the way.

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• '70s Hair: In the 1st and 2nd seasons, Gingers sports softly waved, centrally parted hair.
• Babies Make Everything Better: When she and Kenny have their first baby, it nullifies his propensity to cheat on her.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: She eventually realized her dream of becoming a singer when she and Kenny move to Nashville to further her career.
• Extreme Doormat: Initially, she was always blindsided by Kenny's charm.
• Hot Teacher: Teaches at the local high school, and given she's played by Kim Lankford, this is a given.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: Aided by Kim Lankford's huge aqua-colored eyes.
• Multiple Demographic Appeal: Amongst a cast of mid-thirties to mid-forties characters, she and Kenny were undoubtedly scripted to bait a younger, teen to twenty-something audience.
• Naïve Everygirl: It's (hopefully) safe to say that not many young women forty odd years later would put up with Kenny's adulterous crap.

The Wider Knots Landing Community

Greg Sumner

Played by: William Devane

Paige Matheson: Well, why don't you join me?

Greg: No, I never swim in shark-infested waters.

Mack's ex-best friend and classmate who attended law school with him and even offered him a job working for the crime commission. Initially a politician, Greg became a businessman after inheriting his father's corporation. He often plotted with Abby, whom he later married.

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• Grey-and-Gray Morality: With his beaming smile and charm it was never really totally clear that Sumner was up to no good.
• Improv: Devane re-wrote most of his character's dialogue, to the point where, in co-star Michele Lee's words, "most people (on set) were (probably) frightened of him."
• May–December Romance: With Paige, who is easily young enough to be his daughter (and at one stage, claimed she was!).
• Really Gets Around: Rivals even Gary for the number of the cast he bedded — including Abby, Laura, and Paige.