1985–86 United States network television schedule
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The 1985–86 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial
primetime hours from September 1985 through August 1986. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1984–85 season
.
PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary.
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times are
Hawaii-Aleutian
times.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]
This was also the first television season wherein the
1950-1951 television season.[2]
Most of the ratings come from AmericanRadioHistory.com's PDF archive.[3]
Legend
- Gray indicates encore programming.
- Dark blue indicates news programming.
- Light green indicates sporting events.
- Light purple indicates movies.
- Red indicates series being burned off and other regularly scheduled programs, including specials.
- Yellow indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
- Cyan indicates the top-20 most watched programs of the season.
- Magenta indicates the top-30 most watched programs of the season.
Sunday
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Ripley's Believe It or Not!
|
MacGyver | The ABC Sunday Night Movie | |||||
| Winter | The Disney Sunday Movie
| ||||||||
| CBS | Fall | 60 Minutes (4/23.9) | Murder, She Wrote (3/25.3) | Crazy Like a Fox | Trapper John, M.D. | ||||
| Winter | CBS Sunday Movie (12/20.5) | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Punky Brewster | Silver Spoons | Amazing Stories | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | NBC Sunday Night at the Movies (21/18.5) | |||
| Spring | Silver Spoons | Fathers and Sons | |||||||
| Late spring | Punky Brewster | ||||||||
Monday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Hardcastle and McCormick | Monday Night Football (15/19.8) | ||||
| Winter | ABC Monday Night Movie | ||||||
| Spring | Monday Night Baseball | ||||||
| CBS | Scarecrow and Mrs. King (28/17.4) | Kate & Allie (14/20.0) | Newhart (16/19.6) | Cagney & Lacey | |||
| NBC | Fall | TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes | Hotel )
| ||||
| Winter | You Again? (19/19.2) | Valerie (24/18.1) (Tied with Moonlighting and Falcon Crest) | |||||
Tuesday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Who's the Boss? (10/21.1) | Growing Pains (17/19.5) (Tied with Knots Landing) |
Moonlighting (24/18.1) (Tied with Falcon Crest and Valerie) |
Our Family Honor | ||
| Mid-fall | Spenser: For Hire | ||||||
| Spring | Perfect Strangers | ||||||
| Late spring | Growing Pains (17/19.5) (Tied with Knots Landing) | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Hometown | CBS Tuesday Night Movie | ||||
| Mid-fall | Various programming | ||||||
| Late fall | Stir Crazy | ||||||
| Winter | Melba | Charlie & Co. | Trapper John, M.D. | Various programming | |||
| Mid-winter | Trapper John, M.D. | CBS Tuesday Night Movie | |||||
| Spring | Morningstar/Eveningstar | Mary | Foley Square | The Equalizer | |||
| Mid-spring | Various programming | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The A-Team (30/16.9) | Riptide | Remington Steele | |||
| Spring | Hunter[4] | Stingray | |||||
| Summer | 1986 | ||||||
Wednesday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | The Insiders | Dynasty (7/21.8) (Tied with The Golden Girls) |
Hotel (22/18.3) (Tied with The NBC Monday Movie) | |||
| Winter | MacGyver | ||||||
| Summer | Hardcastle and McCormick | ||||||
| Mid-summer | Perfect Strangers | Mr. Sunshine | MacGyver | ||||
| CBS | Fall | Stir Crazy | Charlie & Co. | George Burns Comedy Week | The Equalizer | ||
| Mid-fall | Airwolf | ||||||
| Late fall | Mary | Foley Square | |||||
| Winter | Crazy Like a Fox | ||||||
| Mid-winter | Fast Times | Tough Cookies | |||||
| Spring | West 57th | CBS Wednesday Night Movie | |||||
| Summer | Foley Square | Newhart | Airwolf | West 57th | |||
| NBC | Fall | Highway to Heaven (13/20.1) | Hell Town | St. Elsewhere | |||
| Winter | Blacke's Magic | ||||||
| Summer | Gimme a Break! | You Again? (19/19.2) | |||||
Thursday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | The Fall Guy | Lady Blue | 20/20 | |||
| Mid-fall | ABC Thursday Night Movie | ||||||
| Late fall | Shadow Chasers | Dynasty II: The Colbys | |||||
| Winter | Ripley's Believe It or Not!
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The Colbys | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Magnum, P.I. | Simon & Simon (29/17.2) | Knots Landing (17/19.5) (Tied with Growing Pains) | |||
| Spring | Simon & Simon (29/17.2) | Bridges to Cross | |||||
| Summer | Price is Right Special
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Crazy Like a Fox | Trapper John, M.D. | ||||
| NBC | Fall | The Cosby Show (1/33.7) | Family Ties (2/30.0) | Cheers (5/23.7) | Night Court (11/20.9) | Hill Street Blues | |
| Winter | |||||||
| Spring | All Is Forgiven | ||||||
| Summer | Family Ties (2/30.0) | ||||||
Friday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Webster | Mr. Belvedere | Diff'rent Strokes | Benson | Spenser: For Hire | |
| Mid-fall | Our Family Honor | ||||||
| Winter | He's the Mayor | The Fall Guy | |||||
| Spring | Mr. Sunshine | Joe Bash | |||||
| Mid-spring | The ABC Friday Night Movie | ||||||
| Summer | Growing Pains (R) | Mr. Sunshine | The Love Boat | ||||
| Mid-summer | The Fall Guy | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | The Twilight Zone | Dallas (6/21.9) | Falcon Crest (24/18.1) (Tied with Moonlighting and Valerie) | |||
| Spring | Charlie & Co. | Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills | |||||
| Summer | The Twilight Zone | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | Knight Rider | Misfits of Science | Miami Vice (9/21.3) | |||
| Winter | Misfits of Science | Knight Rider | |||||
| Late winter | Riptide | ||||||
| Spring | The Last Precinct | ||||||
Note: Diff'rent Strokes 1-hour Season 8 Premiered on September 27 at 9:00pm
Saturday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Hollywood Beat | Lime Street | The Love Boat | |||
| Mid-fall | The Fall Guy | Lady Blue | |||||
| Winter | The Redd Foxx Show | Benson | Fortune Dane | ||||
| Spring | The Love Boat | ||||||
| Mid-spring | Diff'rent Strokes | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Airwolf | CBS Saturday Night Movie | ||||
| Spring | Crazy Like a Fox | ||||||
| Mid-spring | Airwolf | Magnum, P.I. | |||||
| NBC | Fall | Gimme a Break! | The Facts of Life (27/17.7) | The Golden Girls (7/21.8) (Tied with Dynasty) |
227 (20/18.8) | Hunter | |
| Spring | Remington Steele[4] | ||||||
Note: Due to the death of Samantha Smith and her father in a plane crash, ABC ceased production on Lime Street and was forced to move Lady Blue into its slot.
By network
ABC
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Returning series
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New series
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Not returning from 1984–85:
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CBS
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Returning series
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New series
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Not returning from 1984–85:
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NBC
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Returning series
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New series
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Not returning from 1984–85:
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Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.
^ Diff'rent Strokes switched networks for the 1985–1986 season.
+ Mike Hammer abruptly ended production after series star Stacy Keach was sentenced to six months in prison for cocaine possession. Production resumed during the 1986–1987 season.
@ T. J. Hooker continued production for CBS' late night schedule for the 1985–1986 season.
References
- ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa. "David Cook Wasn't the Only Winner on Wednesday, as 'Idol' Ratings Spike". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ "Broadcasting Magazine" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 110, no. 17. April 28, 1986.
- ^ a b "NBC breezes another ratings victory" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 17, 1986. p. 78. Retrieved November 28, 2023.