TNT renews Dallas for second season

US cable network TNT has renewed Dallas for a second season.

Production on the 15-episode second season has begun and it will launch on January 28 2013.

This comes as the first series of the Warner Horizon-produced drama averaged 5.3 million viewers in its first season. It was one of the most successful new cable dramas to launch last year along with Major Crimes and Perception.

Dallas has also been sold substantially across the world to broadcasters including Channel Five (UK), Nine Network (Australia), Kanal 4 (Denmark), Yes (Israel), TV3 (Ireland), Net 5 (Netherlands), Star TV (Turkey) and TV4 (Sweden).

The second season of the show will focus on Sue Ellen’s run for governor and how it is threatened by the secret that she bribed a medical examiner ti help get her son off the hook for murder.