In 2008, the 'Today' program hosted the series, 'Together Again: TV's Greatest Casts Reunited.' Of 'Knots Landing', Kevin Dobson remarked, "It was like going back to Shakespearean days. It was a troupe of actors that came together and alchemy took place." Joan Van Ark noted, "It was a chemistry between the lines, so that no matter what scene or whatever acting partner you had, we had a history with each other."
Speaking to 'United Press International' in 1985, Donna Mills observed, "People don't tune in 'Knots Landing' to see our gowns and jewelry. We're not as spectacular as the others. By and large our acting is overlooked because of the machinations of the plot."
Michele Lee insisted, "It was the show of a certain time. It was not political, but it said so much in so many ways. We had an African-American family living next door. It was never mentioned, it was just done. We did things like that on 'Knots Landing'. We did unexpected things. We were about where America was supposed to go or where we wanted it to go."
Kevin Dobson concurred, "It was a nice neighborhood show. You knew the people next door. You could relate to them."
David Jacobs, Michele Lee believed, "He found our voices in very special ways. As America was kind of changing, he wrote a speech about how she wanted to be a Pollyanna. She said, 'I hate it that I can't put my child on the front porch. I hate it that I have to have an alarm put on the house and I have to lock my car and I can’t send my money through the mail. I don't want to see the world through rose-colored glasses; I want the world to be rose-colored.'"
The 300th episode of 'Knots Landing' went on air in April 1991. Michele Lee told 'Entertainment Weekly', "Karen has gone through so much that it's hard to get her a (new) storyline. Although she may be the only character who doesn't need a storyline. She's a rock. She helps solve the problems." Speaking to the 'Los Angeles Times' in 1993, Kathleen Noone made the observation, "Mack and Karen were everyone's next door neighbor. Everybody could relate to them, they worked, they argued, they made up - they dealt with real issues."
Michele Lee made known, "My favorite and least favorite storyline was Karen's drug dependence a few years back (in 1982). The beginning was difficult in that because of the addiction, she would just sit in a corner very withdrawn. On the other hand, it was also my favorite because as an actress, I really had something to sink my teeth into. And in addition to that, I thought the story was incredibly well researched and well presented and had an enormously positive impact."
As mentioned, 'Knots Landing' was peopled by ordinary folk in a Southern California cul-de-sac coping with inflation and the blahs. In the 1982-83 season (its 4th season on air), David Jacobs told 'United Press International', "We're changing a lot of things on 'Knots Landing' this season but we're keeping the unique essence of the show. There will be more melodrama and serialization, although not as extensive as in the up-scale shows.
"We're keeping our people middle class, which makes them more accessible than the millionaires of 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty.' We can add spice and we will … We're trying for more flamboyant stories with a harder edge and, of course, sex will be a by-product of these changes. You can catch viewer interest with sex but you can't hold them. Sex helps when you don't have power and wealth going for you. But the basis for any succesful show is good story telling.
"It's much easier to come up with stories for 'Dallas' than 'Knots Landing.' There is a high level of outrageousness in 'Dallas.' In 'Knots' we can't run the risk of offending the viewers or challenging their suspension of disbelief. In 'Dallas' the characters involved are 'them.' In 'Knots' the characters are 'us.' That's a disadvantage for the writers. 'They,' meaning the big rich, can get away with things 'we,' the less affluent, can't.
"Some things can't be done on 'Knots.' None of our characters are able to get a $10 million loan to buy an oil field. There's more freedom on up-scale shows which make them more fun to watch. We paint on a relatively small canvas compared to 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty.' We are more fragile. We can't upset the balance of believability. But we do cut closer to the bone. Last year (in the 1981-82 season) we had to deal with the death of one of the principal characters, played by Don Murray. We handled it more realistically than the other shows might have. This year (the 1982-83 season) we hope to see our ratings go up a point or two."
'Sioux City Journal' reported in 2005, "Unlike 'Desperate Housewives', the exteriors of 'Knots Landings' weren't shot on a studio lot. An actual cul-de-sac in Granada Hills, California, was used." Donna Mills recalled the real residents were "happy as clams. They got paid a lot of money." Michael Filerman remembered, "One guy quit his job and went to law school. So they did very well during those 14 years. It got to a point where they were charging us so much money we backed shows up. We would do the last day of one episode and the first day of other episodes because they wanted more and more." Michael Levitt added, "It was in the flight path of the Van Nuys airport. Every 10 minutes we would have to stop for a private plane."
