The 1986–87 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 1986 through August 1987. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1985–86 season.
Although Fox debuted as a fourth network effort in October 1986, the network waited until April 1987 to commence offering prime time programming, effectively deferring its first Fall programming season until September 1987.
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation but the schedule was set by each local station.
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times are U.S. Eastern Time 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]
| 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 | The Disney Sunday Movie | The ABC Sunday Night Movie | |||||||
| CBS | Fall | 60 Minutes | Murder, She Wrote | CBS Sunday Movie | |||||
| Winter | Designing Women | Nothing is Easy | Hard Copy | ||||||
| Spring | CBS Sunday Movie | ||||||||
| Fox | Spring | 21 Jump Street | Married... with Children | The Tracey Ullman Show | Mr. President | Duet | Local programming | ||
| Summer | Duet | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Our House | Easy Street | Valerie | NBC Sunday Night at the Movies | ||||
| Spring | Rags to Riches | ||||||||
| Summer | Family Ties | Specials | |||||||
| 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 | MacGyver | Monday Night Football | ||||
| Winter | The ABC Monday Night Movie | ||||||
| Spring | Monday Night Baseball | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Kate & Allie | My Sister Sam | Newhart | Designing Women | Cagney & Lacey | |
| Winter | The Cavanaughs | ||||||
| Spring | Designing Women | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | ALF | Amazing Stories | NBC Monday Night at the Movies | |||
| Spring | 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 | Jack and Mike | ||
| Spring | Max Headroom | ||||||
| Summer | |||||||
| CBS | Fall | The Wizard | CBS Tuesday Night Movie | ||||
| Winter | Spies | ||||||
| Spring | West 57th | ||||||
| Summer | The Wizard | ||||||
| Mid-summer | Simon & Simon | Houston Knights | Night Heat | ||||
| NBC | Fall | Matlock | Crime Story | 1986 | |||
| Mid-fall | Hill Street Blues | ||||||
| Winter | Remington Steele | ||||||
| Spring | Gimme a Break! | Easy Street | Hill Street Blues | ||||
| Mid-spring | The Tortellis | ||||||
| Summer | NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies | ||||||
| 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 | Perfect Strangers | Head of the Class | Dynasty | Hotel | ||
| Spring | Harry | ||||||
| Mid-spring | Head of the Class | Mariah | |||||
| Summer | MacGyver | Hotel | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Together We Stand | Better Days | Magnum, P.I. | The Equalizer | ||
| Late fall | The New Mike Hammer | ||||||
| Spring | Houston Knights | ||||||
| Mid-spring | Roxie | Take Five | |||||
| Late spring | The New Mike Hammer | ||||||
| Summer | The Equalizer | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | Highway to Heaven | Gimme a Break! | You Again? | St. Elsewhere | ||
| Winter | The Tortellis | ||||||
| Spring | Night Court | The Bronx Zoo | |||||
| Late spring | Easy Street | ||||||
| Summer | The Facts of Life | Night Court | St. Elsewhere | ||||
Note: Fox Night at the Movies premiered May 17, 1989 with The Fly.
| 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 | Our World | The Colbys | 20/20 | |||
| Spring | Jack and Mike | ||||||
| Summer | Heart of the City | ||||||
| Mid-summer | Starman | Our World | |||||
| Late summer | Sledge Hammer! | The Charmings | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Simon & Simon | Knots Landing | Kay O'Brien | |||
| Mid-fall | The Twilight Zone | Simon & Simon | Designing Women | Knots Landing | |||
| Winter | Shell Game | Simon & Simon | |||||
| Mid-winter | The Wizard | ||||||
| Summer | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | ||||||
| Mid-summer | CBS Thursday Night Movie | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The Cosby Show | Family Ties | Cheers | Night Court | Hill Street Blues | |
| Mid-fall | L.A. Law | ||||||
| Spring | Nothing in Common | ||||||
| Summer | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | ||||||
| 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 | Sidekicks | Sledge Hammer! | Starman | |
| Late fall | Dads | Gung Ho | |||||
| Winter | Gung Ho | Dads | |||||
| Mid-winter | The ABC Friday Night Movie | ||||||
| Late winter | The Charmings | Webster | |||||
| Summer | Sledge Hammer! | Mr. Belvedere | |||||
| Mid-summer | Webster | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Dallas | Falcon Crest | |||
| Spring | Nothing Is Easy | The Popcorn Kid | |||||
| Summer | CBS Summer Playhouse | Hard Copy | |||||
| Mid-summer | Adderly | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The A-Team | Miami Vice | L.A. Law | |||
| Mid-fall | Crime Story | ||||||
| Winter | Stingray | ||||||
| Spring | Roomies | Amazing Stories | Stingray | ||||
| Summer | Stingray | Crime Story | |||||
| 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 | Life with Lucy | The Ellen Burstyn Show | Heart of the City | |||
| Late fall | Sidekicks | Sledge Hammer! | |||||
| Winter | Ohara | ||||||
| Spring | Starman | ||||||
| Late spring | Webster | Sidekicks | Gung Ho | Dads | Starman | ||
| Summer | The ABC Saturday Night Movie | ||||||
| Mid-summer | Animal Crack-Ups | The Ellen Burstyn Show | The ABC Saturday Night Movie | ||||
| CBS | Fall | Downtown | The New Mike Hammer | The Twilight Zone | |||
| Mid-fall | The Wizard | ||||||
| Late fall | Downtown | ||||||
| Winter | Outlaws | The CBS Saturday Night Movie | |||||
| Spring | The CBS Saturday Night Movie | West 57th | |||||
| Fox | Summer | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | The New Adventures of Beans Baxter | Werewolf | Karen's Song | Local programming | |
| Mid-summer | Werewolf | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | |||||
| NBC | Fall | The Facts of Life | 227 | The Golden Girls | Amen | Hunter | |
| Spring | Sweet Surrender | ||||||
| Late spring | 227 | Me & Mrs. C | |||||
| Summer | The Facts of Life | 227 | |||||
Returning Series
New Series
Not returning from 1985–86:
+ Animal Crack-Ups had a short run in prime time before moving to Saturday mornings in the fall of 1987.
Returning Series
New Series
Not returning from 1985–86:
+ This was a revival of the 1984–1985 series following star Stacy Keach's release from prison on drug charges.
New Series
Returning Series
New Series
Not returning from 1985–86:
Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason. An ^ indicates a show that continued in first-run syndication after the network cancelled it.