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.
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.[1]
PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows released on May 1986 is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[2]
New series are highlighted in bold.
Repeat airings or same-day rebroadcasts are indicated by .
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.
Most of the ratings come from AmericanRadioHistory.com's PDF archive.[3]
| 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 | Murder, She Wrote | Crazy Like a Fox | Trapper John, M.D. | ||||
| Winter | CBS Sunday Movie | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Punky Brewster | Silver Spoons | Amazing Stories | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | NBC Sunday Night at the Movies | |||
| Spring | Silver Spoons | Fathers and Sons | |||||||
| Late spring | Punky Brewster | ||||||||
| 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 | ||||
| Winter | ABC Monday Night Movie | ||||||
| Spring | Monday Night Baseball | ||||||
| CBS | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Kate & Allie | Newhart | Cagney & Lacey | |||
| NBC | Fall | TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes | NBC Monday Night at the Movies | ||||
| Winter | You Again? | Valerie | |||||
| 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? | Growing Pains | Moonlighting | Our Family Honor | ||
| Mid-fall | |||||||
| Spring | Perfect Strangers | ||||||
| Late spring | Growing Pains | ||||||
| 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 | Riptide | Remington Steele | |||
| Spring | Hunter[4] | Stingray | |||||
| Summer | 1986 | ||||||
| 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 | Hotel | |||
| 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 | Hell Town | St. Elsewhere | |||
| Winter | Blacke's Magic | ||||||
| Summer | Gimme a Break! | You Again? | |||||
| 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 | Knots Landing | |||
| Spring | Simon & Simon | Bridges to Cross | |||||
| Summer | Price is Right Special | Crazy Like a Fox | Trapper John, M.D. | ||||
| NBC | Fall | The Cosby Show | Family Ties | Cheers | Night Court | Hill Street Blues | |
| Spring | All Is Forgiven | ||||||
| Summer | Family Ties | ||||||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | Mr. Sunshine | The Love Boat | ||||
| Mid-summer | The Fall Guy | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | The Twilight Zone | Dallas | Falcon Crest | |||
| Spring | Charlie & Co. | Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills | |||||
| Summer | The Twilight Zone | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | Knight Rider | Misfits of Science | Miami Vice | |||
| Winter | Misfits of Science | Knight Rider | |||||
| Late winter | Riptide | ||||||
| Spring | The Last Precinct | ||||||
| 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 | The Golden Girls | 227 | Hunter | |
| Spring | Remington Steele | ||||||
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.
Returning series
New series
Not returning from 1984–85:
Returning series
New series
Not returning from 1984–85:
Returning series
New series
Not returning from 1984–85:
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.