<P> "Who shot J.R.?" is an advertising catchphrase that American network CBS created in 1980 to promote the television series Dallas . It referred to the mystery surrounding a murder attempt against the character J.R. Ewing in "A House Divided", the show's third - season finale . The mystery was not resolved until the fourth episode of the fourth season, "Who Done It", which aired eight months later . </P> <P> In the final scene of the 1979--80 season, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) hears a noise outside his office, walks out to the corridor to look, and is shot twice by an unseen assailant . The episode, titled "A House Divided", was broadcast on March 21, 1980, and was written by Rena Down and directed by Leonard Katzman . Viewers had to wait all summer to learn whether J.R. would survive, and which of his many enemies was responsible . </P> <P> Ultimately, the person who pulled the trigger was revealed to be Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby) in the "Who Done It?" episode which aired on November 21, 1980 . Kristin was J.R.'s scheming sister - in - law and mistress, who shot him in a fit of anger . J.R. did not press charges, as Kristin claimed she was pregnant with his child as a result of their affair . </P> <P> Production for the 1980--81 season began in June 1980, but Hagman--who had begun the show in a secondary role but now was the star--refused to film the show without a raise . He returned to work ten days later with a new contract that paid him $100,000 per episode and royalties from J.R. Ewing merchandise . Viewers had to wait an additional two months to find out the answer to the famous question, however, as a strike by the Writers Guild of America began in July that delayed the production of most new network shows by eight weeks . During the delay, CBS showed reruns of early Dallas episodes featuring J.R. Ewing, helping the show's many new fans better understand his character . </P>

Who shot jr on the tv show dallas