Richard Allen Shapiro (born June 27, 1934) and Esther June Shapiro (née Mayesh; born June 6, 1928) are an American married couple who work as television screenwriters and producers, through their Shapiro Film Corporation. They are best known as the creators of the long-running 1980s prime time

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

'', its

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

series ''

The Colbys ''The Colbys'' (originally titled ''Dynasty II: The Colbys'') is an American prime time soap opera that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from November 20, 1985, to March 26, 1987. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and E ...

'', and the 1991

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Dynasty: The Reunion''. In 1984, Doubleday/Dolphin published the companion book '' Dynasty: The Authorized Biography of the Carringtons'', which included an introduction by Esther Shapiro.

''Dynasty''

The Shapiros created and produced the prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'', which debuted in 1981. Written as the Shapiros' creative response to the

1979 oil crisis A drop in oil production in the wake of the Iranian revolution led to an energy crisis in 1979. Although the global oil supply only decreased by approximately four percent, the oil markets' reaction raised the price of crude oil drastically ...

, and intended by ABC to be a competitor for CBS's ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'', the series ranked #28 its first season. Ratings steadily grew, with ''Dynasty'' reaching #1 for the 1984–85 season. A spin-off, ''

'', debuted in 1985, but was cancelled after two seasons. ''Dynasty'' was cancelled in 1989, with the Shapiros writing and producing a reunion miniseries in 1991. During ''Dynasty'' run, the Shapiros also co-created the prime time soap opera '' Emerald Point N.A.S.'', which lasted for one season from 1983 to 1984, and the

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

'' HeartBeat'', which ran two seasons from 1988 to 1989. At the height of ''Dynasty'' popularity in 1985,

Joe Klein Joe Klein (born September 7, 1946) is an American political commentator and author. He is best known for his work as a columnist for ''Time'' magazine and his novel '' Primary Colors'', an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton ...

of ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' called Esther "the ABC network's most valuable asset ... and perhaps the most influential woman executive in television". ''Dynasty'' producer

Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the television series ''Family'' (1976–1980), ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977� ...

and others compared Esther to her creation,

Blake Carrington Blake Alexander Carrington is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. The role of Blake was originally portrayed by actor John Forsythe from 1981 to 1989. Forsythe returned for the ...

(

John Forsythe John Lincoln Forsythe ( Freund; January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several t ...

''Dynasty'' legacy

In January 2004, Esther Shapiro participated in a marathon of the show's episodes on

SOAPnet Soapnet was an American basic cable network owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network's programming was oriented towards the soap opera genre; on launch, Soapnet carried primetime encores of ABC' ...

, ''Serial Bowl: Alexis vs. Krystle'', giving behind-the-scenes tidbits and factoids. In 2005

Ritchie Singer Ritchie Singer is an Australian actor. Singer portrayed executive producer Richard Shapiro in the fictionalized 2005 American television movie/docudrama '' Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure'', based on the creation and behind the scenes ...

and Pamela Reed portrayed the Shapiros in '' Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure'', a fictionalized

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

based on the creation and

behind the scenes https://www Googlefinans.co= In filmmaking, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK ( ...

production of ''Dynasty''. The first season of ''Dynasty'' was released on Region 1

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

an April 19, 2005 by

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Home Entertainment (previously known as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC. and also known as 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment) was a home video distribution arm that distributes films produced by 20th Century Stud ...

. This edition includes audio commentary by Esther Shapiro. The Shapiros announced on January 12, 2011, that they had written a ''Dynasty'' prequel feature film script set in the 1960s, and were shopping it to studios for a possible film franchise. In a September 2011 interview, ''Dynasty'' actress

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

chatted about a ''Dynasty'' television revival: "I've been in constant contact with Esther Shapiro, who wrote it, and apparently they've written a script." In September 2016, it was announced that a ''Dynasty'' reboot was in development at

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

, with the Shapiros attached as producers. The project received a series order in May 2017, and premiered in the US on October 11, 2017. ''Dynasty'' ran for five seasons, ending in September 2022.

Personal life

The Shapiros are Jewish, with Esther's family being Sephardic Jews from Greece and Turkey.

Credits

References

External links

* *
"Lifestyles of the rich and the ruthless"
''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', April 17, 2005
"''Dynasty'' Heirs Remember the Beginning"
Scott Halloran, BoxOfficeMojo.com, April 22, 2005 * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Richard And Esther American male television writers American women television writers American television writers American television show creators American soap opera writers American television producers Married couples Screenwriting duos