SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1986-1987 Tuesdays

 Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1986-87 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Who’s the Boss?	Growing Pains	Moonlighting	Jack and Mike
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr				Max Headroom
May

ABC had a killer Tuesday night lineup for the first two hours with all three of their shows back in the Top 10 and placing in the Top 10 of the ratings. Who's the Boss? had quickly become a reliable and strong anchor while Growing Pains actually built on Boss for its second season. At 9pm was Moonlighting, which spent another year in the Top 10 but only produced 15 episodes. The show was notorious for being behind schedule and they often had to throw a repeat up at the last minute. Considering the average TV season is 35 weeks and the show aired in the slot the whole season, only 15 episodes means they had to repeat or preempt a lot. Moonlighting also consumated the relationship between its two main characters in this season which was a big event but the beginning of the end creatively for a show built on sexual tension. Despite the success of the first two hours, things did not go as well at 10pm. For most of the season, Jack and Mike aired in the slot. Centered on a married working couple in Chicago, it was definitely an attempt at finding a compatible show for Moonlighting. However, it only placed at #60 in the ratings despite the first two hours all placing in the Top 10. It was cancelled in March after 16 episodes. The late season entry was Max Headroom, a very odd sci-fi satire set in a future dystopia where an oligarchy of TV networks is in charge. Despite the very unusual concept and the very late start in the season, it was renewed for a second season.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Wizard	Tuesday Night Movie
Oct
Nov	Various Programs
Dec	The Wizard
Jan
Feb	Various Programs
Mar	Spies
Apr
May	West 57th

After a complete disaster on Tuesdays in 1985-86, CBS was less of a mess this season though the 8pm hour still had trouble. The initial lead-off  show was The Wizard, an action drama with an unusual premise. It was centered on a genius with dwarfism who is protected by an agent assigned to keep him from evil forces. The Wizard ended up airing on several nights during the season but it started on Tuesdays. It was taken off the night for November Sweeps and temporarily moved to Saturdays. It returned to Tuesdays in December for two more months and then was shipped to Thursdays. Various specials and other things aired in the hour for November and February but a new show premiered in March. Spies was a, you guessed it, spy drama that starred George Hamilton. It aired just six episodes before being cancelled and the newsmagazine West 57th took over the 8pm hour for the end of the season. For what its worth, The Wizard returned to the hour yet again with summer reruns in June. While there was a revolving door at 8pm, a movie aired at 9pm for the whole season to modest ratings.

NBC	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Matlock	Crime Story		1986
Oct
Nov
Dec		Hill Street Blues
Jan				Various Programs
Feb				Remington Steele
Mar		Various Programs		Hill Street Blues
Apr		Gimme A Break!	The Tortellis
May

NBC revamped its Tuesday lineup for the 1986-87 season. Leading things off was the new Matlock which marked Andy Griffith's return to TV, this time as a Atlanta lawyer. While Griffith had made attempts, he hadn't been on a successful show since his iconic titular one in the 1960s. Matlock started as a two hour movie in Spring 1986 and became a regular series for the fall. It had a lot of success, especially with the older crowd and was TV's highest rated new drama. At 9pm was initially Crime Story, a new drama set in the 1960s Chicago and Las Vegas and starring Dennis Farina. Period dramas were not super common at the time so this was an ambitious attempt by NBC. It was moved to Fridays after a couple months and was replaced by Hill Street Blues. Blues had aired on Thursdays for several years but was showing its age and was moved off of Thursdays early in the season. Moving to Tuesdays, it saw its already modest ratings drop. A move to 10pm late in the season didn't make any difference and Blues was cancelled after seven seasons and 146 episodes. It was never a big hit in the ratings but was the most critically acclaimed dramas of the 1980s. Earlier in the season, two different shows aired at 10pm. Newsmagazine 1986 started things off after airing in the same slot during the Summer of 1986. When the year ended, so did the newsmagazine. For a brief time in February, the final season of Remington Steele aired. The show was near cancellation the season before and ended up being picked up for just a few episodes, some of which were two hour movie episodes. The series ended after its brief midseason run. Late in the season, a comedy block was added to 9pm with two failing comedies. Both Gimme A Break! and The Tortellis were struggling on Wednesdays and were moved to Tuesdays where they didn't fare any better. Both were cancelled at the end of the season. For Gimme A Break!, it ended a six season run while The Tortellis was one and done.

Top Rated Tuesday Show in 1986-87: Growing Pains (#8)
Lowest Rated Tuesday Show in 1986-87: The Wizard (#72)

What would I have watched on Tuesdays in 1986-87?
Who's the Boss and Hill Street Blues, maybe Growing Pains and Moonlighting. I would have probably given Jack and Mike and Crime Story a shot and checked in on Matlock once in awhile.

Tomorrow: Top 10 TV Elected Officials!

Next Monday: A look at Wednesdays in 1986-87!