1985–86 United States network television schedule

The 1985–86 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers 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 U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and 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 Nielsen people meter technology was used for the nationwide audience measurement system, largely replacing the diaries system in place from 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		NBC Monday Night at the Movies (22/18.3) (Tied with 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!		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		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

Returning series 20/20 The ABC Sunday Night Movie Benson Diff'rent Strokes (moved from NBC) Dynasty The Fall Guy Hardcastle and McCormick Hotel Life's Most Embarrassing Moments The Love Boat Mr. Belvedere Monday Night Baseball Monday Night Football Moonlighting Ripley's Believe It or Not! Webster Who's the Boss?

New series The Colbys * The Disney Sunday Movie * Fortune Dane * Growing Pains He's the Mayor * Hollywood Beat The Insiders Joe Bash * Lady Blue Lime Street MacGyver Mr. Sunshine * Our Family Honor Perfect Strangers * The Redd Foxx Show * Shadow Chasers * Spenser: For Hire

Not returning from 1984–85: Call to Glory Eye to Eye Finder of Lost Loves Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders Glitter Hawaiian Heat Jessie MacGruder and Loud Matt Houston Me and Mom Off the Rack Paper Dolls People Do the Craziest Things Rock 'n' Roll Summer Action Street Hawk T. J. Hooker @ Three's a Crowd Wildside

CBS

Returning series 60 Minutes Airwolf Cagney & Lacey CBS Sunday Movie Crazy Like a Fox Dallas Falcon Crest Kate & Allie Knots Landing Magnum, P.I. Murder, She Wrote Newhart Scarecrow and Mrs. King Simon & Simon Trapper John, M.D.

New series Bridges to Cross * Charlie & Co. The Equalizer Fast Times * Foley Square * George Burns Comedy Week Hometown Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills * Mary * Melba * Morningstar/Eveningstar * Stir Crazy Tough Cookies * The Twilight Zone West 57th *

Not returning from 1984–85: AfterMASH Alice Charles in Charge (Moved to Syndication) Cover Up Detective in the House Double Dare Dreams The Dukes of Hazzard E/R I Had Three Wives The Jeffersons The Lucie Arnaz Show Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer + Otherworld

NBC

Returning series The A-Team Cheers The Cosby Show The Facts of Life Family Ties Gimme a Break! Highway to Heaven Hill Street Blues Hunter Knight Rider Miami Vice NBC Sunday Night Movie NBC Monday Night at the Movies Night Court Punky Brewster Remington Steele Riptide St. Elsewhere Silver Spoons TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes

New series 1986 * 227 Alfred Hitchcock Presents All Is Forgiven * Amazing Stories Blacke's Magic * Fathers and Sons * The Golden Girls Hell Town The Last Precinct * Me & Mrs. C * Misfits of Science Stingray * Valerie * You Again? *

Not returning from 1984–85: Berrenger's The Best Times Code Name: Foxfire Diff'rent Strokes (moved to ABC) Double Trouble Half Nelson Hot Pursuit It's Your Move Our Time Partners in Crime Sara Spencer/Under One Roof V

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

1. Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
2. de Moraes, Lisa. "David Cook Wasn't the Only Winner on Wednesday, as 'Idol' Ratings Spike". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
3. "Broadcasting Magazine" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 110, no. 17. April 28, 1986.
4. "NBC breezes another ratings victory" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 17, 1986. p. 78. Retrieved November 28, 2023.