'Dallas' Off To Strong Premiere In U.K., Series' Mitch Pileggi Upped To Regular

The original 1980s Dallas was a big hit overseas. So it is no surprise that the revival also has done well in its premiere. The debut of the Warner Horizon-produced series, which airs on TNT in the U.S., drew 2.934 million viewers on U.K’s Channel 5 last night (5.1 rating/13 share at 9 PM). It ranked as Channel 5’s number one show for the night and as the most watched UK debut of a US series during the 2011/12 season, surpassing previous leader, Channel 4’s Homeland premiere, by 746,000 total viewers.

In other Dallas news, Mitch Pileggi (Sons Of Anarchy), who did an arc on the show’s first season, is being promoted to regular. He plays Brenda Strong’s ex-husband, Harris Ryland, who controls influence over the entire Ewing family. Pileggi is with Pakula/King & Assoc.