A lot of soap opera fans were wary of the new Dynasty reboot by Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, simply because the premise veered pretty far away from the original Aaron Spelling-produced soap that ran in the 1980s. And it turns out Gordon Thomson, who starred as Adam Carrington in the classic series, is vehemently opposed to the modern version set for an October 11 release on the CW.
"I have had a look at the new Dynasty and I am appalled," the actor, who recently came out as gay, opines in an interview with the Daily Beast. "[It's] total [crap], an abomination."
The new Dynasty follows two of America's wealthiest families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, as they feud for control over their fortune and their children. However, that's seemingly where the similarities end. The CW version is told primarily through the perspectives of two women at odds: Fallon Carrington, daughter of billionaire Blake Carrington, and her soon-to-be stepmother, Cristal, a Hispanic woman marrying into this WASP family and America's most powerful class. Dynasty fans know the original series focused on oil tycoon Blake Carrington (John Forsythe), whose daughter, Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin), couldn't stand the fact that her daddy was marrying his much-younger former secretary, Krystle (Linda Evans). The new version's Cristal is a fresh take on the Krystle character, intended to give the reboot a more diverse feel.
"It's not a continuation, as Dallas did," says Thomson, "but goes way back to the beginning. Blake [screws] Cristal across a desk. The catfights are kitty snits. The acting is dreadful, truly dreadful. The writing is appalling. I don't know what possessed the Shapiros [the soap's original producers] to bother."
He continues: "Why call it Dynasty? It's nothing to do with Dynasty at all. It's insulting. If the afterlife exists -- it doesn't, but if it did -- Aaron would be having major fits in his grave."
Needles to say, Thompson would not make an appearance on the series if called upon. "I don't think any of us would," he says, referring to his former castmates like John Forsythe, Linda Evans and Joan Collins.
For more from Thompson, including details on his journey of coming out as gay and memories from his Dynasty days, check out his full interview here.
What do you think about Thompson's opinion on the new Dynasty? How do you feel about the actor coming out as gay? What are your favorite memories from the original Dynasty? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
