SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1985-1986 Fridays

Here's a look at Fridays in the 1985-86 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Webster	Mr. Belvedere	Diff’rent Strokes	Benson	Spenser: For Hire
Oct
Nov					Our Family Honor
Dec
Jan				He’s the Mayor	The Fall Guy
Feb
Mar
Apr			Mr. Sunshine	Joe Bash
May

Although it wasn't called TGIF back then, ABC still had a family friendly Friday night lineup of comedies. The 8pm hour had Webster and Mr. Belvedere. Webster was in its third season while Belvedere was coming off a very short midseason run and entering its second season. Both were modest success stories at the time but haven't had the staying power that other 80s family sitcoms have. At 9pm was Diff'rent Strokes, which made the move from NBC to ABC. It had been cancelled on NBC for low ratings so picking up a declining show in its eighth season and making it the anchor of the Friday night lineup was probably not a great decision by ABC. It was followed by Benson, which was one of the longest running shows on the network by that point though it had never been a huge hit. It was coming off an Emmy win for star Robert Guillaume but it was getting up there in years. Benson moved to Saturdays after Christmas and was replaced by He's the Mayor, a comedy about a 25 year old elected mayor of his hometown, a plot very similar to ABC's 2017 sitcom The Mayor. It lasted just 10 episodes before being cancelled and Diff'rent Strokes ended its eight year run to open up a new hour on Fridays filled by two unusual comedies. Mr. Sunshine starred Jeffrey Tambor as a blind university professor and earned some criticism for its portrayal of a blind character. Joe Bash was a dark comedy without a laugh track (which was rare in those days) starring Peter Boyle as a bitter NYPD cop. The 10pm hour was also a revolving door. It started with the new Spenser: For Hire which showed some promise in the ratings and was quickly sent to Tuesdays to swap with Our Family Honor, which was not showing promise. Our Family Honor languished for a couple months before giving way to The Fall Guy. The action drama was in its fifth year and declining and was cancelled at the end of the season.

CBS	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Twilight Zone		Dallas	Falcon Crest
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May	Charlie & Company	Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills

Friday nights on CBS were all about Dallas, their megahit soap opera. It had placed in the top two of the ratings for five straight seasons, which is impressive especially for a Friday night show. Entering its ninth season, it was attempting to do so without star Patrick Duffy, whose character had been killed off in the previous season finale. Dallas fell to #6 and producers scrambled to get Duffy back making season nine infamous. Duffy inexplicably appeared in the shower at the end of season nine and it was later revealed that the entire season was a dream and Duffy's character hadn't actually died. While that allowed the show to bring Duffy back, it was certainly criticized from a story standpoint and Dallas was never really the same though it did run several more years. The drop in ratings was even more severe for Falcon Crest, the soap that followed Dallas. It fell from #10 to #25 in this season, its fifth. The peak for primetime soaps had probably been 1984-85 and this was the beginning of the decline as sitcoms started to take over the top spots. The 8pm hour was TV's first attempt at rebooting The Twilight Zone, which has happened twice since. The series was hosted by Charles Aidman and was a mix of new scripts and remakes of classic episodes of the original series. Several season one episodes were directed by Wes Craven. It started strong in the ratings but faded quickly. Still, it managed to get renewed for a second season. It ended its season just a little bit early to make room for a comedy block at the very end of the season. Charlie & Company led things off, airing on its third different night during its one season run. It was followed by the new Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills, which starred Harvey Korman and Valerie Perrine and had started as a sketch on the ill-fated George Burns Comedy Week. Centered on a pair of snobby social climbers, it lasted just six episodes.

NBC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Knight Rider	Misfits of Science	Miami Vice
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Misfits of Science	Knight Rider
Feb
Mar	Riptide
Apr		The Last Precinct
May	Knight Rider

NBC also had a drama lineup on Friday nights with an odd mix of shows. First up was Knight Rider, a show that was in its fourth and ultimately final season. For being a show that has stayed in the public consciousness, the David Hasselhoff action drama was not a big hit in its day. It was followed by a show that was totally different aside from perhaps some fantastical elements. Misfits of Science was a superhero/sci-fi show that centered on super-powered humans and featured a young Courteney Cox in its cast. The two shows switched slots in January, which probably made more sense but it was too late and both were cancelled by the end of the season. Towards the end of the season, Riptide moved to Fridays to finish off its three season run while a new show was launched at 9pm. The Last Precinct was an hour-long comedy and the only comedy ever made by prolific producer Stephen J. Cannell. It starred Adam West as the captain of a ragtag group of police academy rejects. The Last Precinct had actually gotten the post-Super Bowl slot back in January but didn't make its premiere until months later. This was before the post-Super Bowl slot was a huge launching pad but it still was a disappointment to be buried on Fridays late in the season. It lasted just eight episodes. The situation at 10pm. Miami Vice had been a modest success in its first season but it broke out this season, its second. It surged into the Top 10 and was regarded as one of the coolest shows on TV with a heavy emphasis on its soundtrack and visuals. It was one of those flashes in the pan though as this was the only season where it placed in the Top 25.

Top Rated Friday Show in 1985-86: Dallas (#6)
Lowest Rated Friday Show in 1985-86: Our Family Honor (#81)

What would I have watched on Fridays in 1985-86?
This is a tough one. I could see myself having gotten into Dallas or Miami Vice back then. Maybe Benson too and I probably would have given The Twilight Zone a try.

Tomorrow: Top 10 TV Pets!

Next Monday: Saturdays in 1985-86!