TMC
04-06-2026, 08:12 PM
za575kA6LLA
In 1986, Barbara Stanwyck called her own show "the biggest pile of garbage" she'd ever done. She wasn't wrong. This was the year television completely fell apart.
Not a single new show (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_United_States_network_television_schedule) cracked the top 10 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-rated_United_States_television_programs_of_1986%E2%80%9387) — the first time that happened since 1977. ABC hit their worst ratings since 1953. CBS bottomed out entirely. And the casualties? Legendary.
From Lucille Ball's heartbreaking final sitcom to Steven Spielberg's $44 million guaranteed flop, we're counting down the 11 biggest TV disasters of 1986. These are the shows that got cancelled in weeks, the spinoffs that tanked million-dollar franchises, and the comeback vehicles that ended careers.
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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction: The Year TV Fell Apart
1:15 - #11: Better Days — First Cancellation of the Season
2:41 - #10: Kay O'Brien — Grey's Anatomy 19 Years Too Early
4:21 - #9: Melba — Premiered the Day Challenger Exploded
6:24 - #8: The Ellen Burstyn Show — Buried by Lucy
8:12 - #7: Together We Stand / Nothing Is Easy (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125202/http://www.jumptheshark.com/t/togetherwestand.htm) — TV's Most Desperate Retooling
10:47 - #6: The Wizard — A Cult Classic, A Tragic End
12:49 - #5: Starman (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125314/http://www.jumptheshark.com/s/starman.htm) — Blue Lights and Broken Dreams
14:38 - #4: Our World — Dead Last in Ratings, Won an Emmy
17:00 - #3: Amazing Stories (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125335/http://www.jumptheshark.com/a/amazingstories.htm) — Spielberg's $44 Million Mistake
19:25 - #2: The Colbys (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125247/http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/colbys.htm) — Aliens, Garbage, and Barbara Stanwyck
21:58 - #1: Life With Lucy (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125326/http://www.jumptheshark.com/l/lifewithlucy.htm) — The Saddest Flop in TV History
26:17 - Conclusion: What the Wreckage Produced
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📺 SHOWS COVERED IN THIS VIDEO:
Life With Lucy (ABC, 1986) — Lucille Ball
The Colbys (ABC, 1985-1987) — Dynasty spinoff
Amazing Stories (NBC, 1985-1987) — Steven Spielberg
Our World (ABC, 1986-1987) — Linda Ellerbee
Starman (ABC, 1986-1987) — Robert Hays
The Wizard (CBS, 1986-1987) — David Rappaport
Together We Stand / Nothing Is Easy (CBS, 1986-1987)
The Ellen Burstyn Show (ABC, 1986)
Melba (CBS, 1986) — Melba Moore
Kay O'Brien (CBS, 1986)
Better Days (CBS, 1986)
═══════════════════════════════════════
In 1986, Barbara Stanwyck called her own show "the biggest pile of garbage" she'd ever done. She wasn't wrong. This was the year television completely fell apart.
Not a single new show (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_United_States_network_television_schedule) cracked the top 10 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-rated_United_States_television_programs_of_1986%E2%80%9387) — the first time that happened since 1977. ABC hit their worst ratings since 1953. CBS bottomed out entirely. And the casualties? Legendary.
From Lucille Ball's heartbreaking final sitcom to Steven Spielberg's $44 million guaranteed flop, we're counting down the 11 biggest TV disasters of 1986. These are the shows that got cancelled in weeks, the spinoffs that tanked million-dollar franchises, and the comeback vehicles that ended careers.
═══════════════════════════════════════
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction: The Year TV Fell Apart
1:15 - #11: Better Days — First Cancellation of the Season
2:41 - #10: Kay O'Brien — Grey's Anatomy 19 Years Too Early
4:21 - #9: Melba — Premiered the Day Challenger Exploded
6:24 - #8: The Ellen Burstyn Show — Buried by Lucy
8:12 - #7: Together We Stand / Nothing Is Easy (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125202/http://www.jumptheshark.com/t/togetherwestand.htm) — TV's Most Desperate Retooling
10:47 - #6: The Wizard — A Cult Classic, A Tragic End
12:49 - #5: Starman (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125314/http://www.jumptheshark.com/s/starman.htm) — Blue Lights and Broken Dreams
14:38 - #4: Our World — Dead Last in Ratings, Won an Emmy
17:00 - #3: Amazing Stories (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125335/http://www.jumptheshark.com/a/amazingstories.htm) — Spielberg's $44 Million Mistake
19:25 - #2: The Colbys (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125247/http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/colbys.htm) — Aliens, Garbage, and Barbara Stanwyck
21:58 - #1: Life With Lucy (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125326/http://www.jumptheshark.com/l/lifewithlucy.htm) — The Saddest Flop in TV History
26:17 - Conclusion: What the Wreckage Produced
═══════════════════════════════════════
📺 SHOWS COVERED IN THIS VIDEO:
Life With Lucy (ABC, 1986) — Lucille Ball
The Colbys (ABC, 1985-1987) — Dynasty spinoff
Amazing Stories (NBC, 1985-1987) — Steven Spielberg
Our World (ABC, 1986-1987) — Linda Ellerbee
Starman (ABC, 1986-1987) — Robert Hays
The Wizard (CBS, 1986-1987) — David Rappaport
Together We Stand / Nothing Is Easy (CBS, 1986-1987)
The Ellen Burstyn Show (ABC, 1986)
Melba (CBS, 1986) — Melba Moore
Kay O'Brien (CBS, 1986)
Better Days (CBS, 1986)
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