The character Jenna Wade, who will be portrayed by series regular Priscilla Presley in later seasons, also returns for two episodes, now played by Francine Tacker.

George O. Petrie (Harv Smithfield), Stephanie Blackmore (Serena Wald), Tom Fuccello (Dave Culver), Jeff Cooper (Dr. Simon Ellby), Dennis Patrick (Vaughn Leland) and Barry Corbin (Sheriff Fenton Washburn) make their debuts.

Ironically, Elliot and Ferrer would play the first two husbands of Jane Wyman's character Angela Channing in the early seasons of one of Lorimar's other 80s hit soap dramas, Falcon Crest.

Characters Gary (now played by Ted Shackelford) and Valene Ewing (Joan Van Ark) appear for one and two episodes, respectively, promoting Dallas spinoff Knots Landing, premiering in December 1979.

Season three of Dallas was released by Warner Bros. Home Video, on a Region 1 DVD box set of five double-sided DVDs, on August 9, 2005.