Top-rated United States television programs of 1985–86 explained

This table displays the top-rated primetime television series of the 1985–86 season as measured by Nielsen Media Research.^[1]

Rank	Program	Network	Rating
1	The Cosby Show		33.7
2	Family Ties		30.0
3	Murder, She Wrote		25.3
4	60 Minutes		23.9
5	Cheers	NBC	23.7
6	Dallas	CBS	21.9
7	Dynasty		21.8
	The Golden Girls	NBC
9	Miami Vice		21.3
10	Who's the Boss?	ABC	21.1
11	Night Court	NBC	20.9
12		CBS	20.5
13	Highway to Heaven	NBC	20.1
14	Kate & Allie	CBS	20.0
15	Monday Night Football	ABC	19.8
16	Newhart	CBS	19.6
17	Knots Landing		19.5
	Growing Pains	ABC
19	You Again?	NBC	19.2
20	227		18.8
21			18.5
22	Hotel	ABC	18.3
		NBC
24	Moonlighting	ABC	18.1
	Falcon Crest	CBS
	Valerie	NBC
27	The Facts of Life		17.7
28	Scarecrow & Mrs. King	CBS	17.4
29	Simon & Simon		17.2
30	The A-Team	NBC	16.9

See also

The Final Ratings (All 82 tracked series for the year, listed)

Notes and References

1. Book: Brooks . Tim . Marsh . Earle . 2007 . The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present . Ballantine Books . 1691 . 978-0-345-49773-4 . Ninth .