The Doomed ‘Dynasty’ Spinoff That You Probably Forgot About
What To Know
- The Colbys, a 1985 spinoff of Dynasty featuring a star-studded cast and high production values, launched with strong ratings despite a disrupted premiere schedule.
- The show quickly struggled in its regular time slot against tough competition and was criticized as an expensive, weaker copy of Dynasty, with casting changes and lukewarm material contributing to its decline.
- Despite winning a People’s Choice Award, The Colbys suffered poor ratings and was canceled after two seasons in 1987, with some characters returning to Dynasty and the series now largely unavailable for viewing.
In 1985, Dynasty was more than one of the most popular shows in America — it was a bonafide TV phenomenon, and ABC hoped to capture some of that magic when they premiered a spinoff called The Colbys on November 20, 1985. The show, hoping to give fans of the Dynasty world even more to love, followed characters Jeff and Fallon as they moved to the West Coast. They hoped to bring Pamela Sue Martin back as Fallon, but ultimately, she was recast, with Emma Samms taking her place. Charlton Heston signed on as Jason Colby after talks with Burt Lancaster fell through. Barbara Stanwyck joined as the family matriarch, while British stars Stephanie Beacham and Maxwell Caulfield rounded out the cast. ABC framed the entire project as a luxury expansion of the Dynasty brand, complete with a crossover storyline that would bring Fallon straight into the new series.
Why wasn’t The Colbys a hit?
The launch, however, was rocky before the show even premiered. Many of the stars did not want to be involved in the new show. Joan Collins, who played Alexis Colby on the original series, even encouraged her other costars not to join in.
ABC planned a carefully choreographed rollout that began with a two-hour Dynasty event on November 14, followed by the premiere of The Colbys on November 20 at 10pm. The very next night, the new spinoff was scheduled to air its second episode in its permanent Thursday slot at 9pm.
The plan was unexpectedly derailed when the White House announced a presidential address for that same night. ABC had to reshuffle its entire rollout and instead aired the second episode a week later at a different time. Despite the disruption, the premiere performed exceptionally well, and for a brief moment, it looked like ABC had pulled it off.
Aaron Spelling Productions/Everett Collection
But once The Colbys settled into its regular Thursday time slot, things changed quickly. The series faced some of the toughest competition on television including The Cosby Show, Cheers, Simon & Simon and Knots Landing. The Los Angeles Times said about the show at the time, “It’s not a spinoff, it’s a clone–as close a replica as ABC and the Dynasty producers could concoct, right down to the credits.” Within one week of moving to Thursdays, the show began to plummet in the ratings.
Another problem was that The Colbys was extraordinarily expensive. The Television Academy notes that the producers were handed one of the highest budgets on television at the time, and columnists pointed out that such a costly production needed consistently strong ratings to survive. Even Stanwyck, who had come out of semi-retirement to join the cast, reportedly admitted that the material was weaker than she expected. Viewers were also divided on Samms stepping into the role of Fallon.
ABC publicly insisted that audience patience would pay off, and the show even won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Dramatic Program in early 1986.
But despite a few ratings spikes, especially around Jeff and Fallon’s wedding episode, overall it never recovered. By the end of its second season, the numbers made the decision for ABC. The series finished far behind its competitors, dropping in overall rankings, and reviews continued to describe it as a weaker version of Dynasty. ABC canceled the show in 1987 and quickly folded several characters back into the flagship series.
Where can you watch The Colbys?
Unfortunately for fans who may want to revisit the series, The Colbys is not currently streaming or in reruns, though fans can purchase the DVD box set.
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