Charlton Heston starred in a spin-off of a major ’80s primetime soap opera, and it failed spectacularly. The show was called “The Colbys,” a spin-off of “Dynasty,” and it premiered in November 1985 with Charlton Heston as the patriarch, Jason Colby. It lasted two seasons, got terrible reviews, and was canceled in 1987.
How “The Colbys” Got Made
In 1985, “Dynasty” was the top show on TV. ABC decided to build a spin-off around the Carringtons, the super-rich Dallas family at the center of the flagship series. The new show followed another rich family, the Colbys, who lived in Southern California rather than Dallas.
Heston appeared in three episodes of “Dynasty” that season to set up the spin-off. Those appearances worked: the premiere of “The Colbys” drew a 39 percent audience share, which was a strong start for a show carrying the name of the hottest series on television.
The Cost Of Stunt Casting
“The Colbys” was expensive to make. Heston and co-star Barbara Stanwyck reportedly earned $85,000 and $75,000 per episode, respectively — over $250,000 adjusted for inflation. The budget for the show’s sets alone was $2.5 million, nearly $8 million today.
| Comparison | “The Colbys” Premiere | Second Episode |
|---|---|---|
| Date | November 20, 1985 | November 21, 1985 |
| Time | Regular prime-time slot | Preempted by Reagan’s speech |
| Rating | 39 percent audience share | Not aired that night |
Ronald Reagan Ruins The Premiere
The second episode of “The Colbys” was supposed to air the night after the premiere. Instead, President Ronald Reagan preempted it with a speech to a joint session of Congress. Reagan was set to update the country on his recent peace talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Heston, who was friends with Reagan, reportedly called him to see if he could move the date. Reagan refused. The episode aired instead on Wednesday.
Then the show faced its biggest problem: Thanksgiving. The third episode aired on Thursday, November 28, in the show’s regular time slot. Ratings suffered because the episode was not Thanksgiving-themed, and viewers had other plans.
The Reviews Were Brutal
Critics savaged “The Colbys.” They said it was too similar to “Dynasty,” which makes sense since it was originally called “Dynasty II: The Colbys” before ABC dropped the first part of the name. Barbara Stanwyck left the show, killed off as Constance Colby in a plane crash. She told The Los Angeles Times the show was “a turkey.”
“I don’t have very much integrity, but I have enough integrity that I got out,” she said. “It wasn’t acting, it was just the same scene every week, in a different dress.”
Heston, who had creative control over the show, said he was not involved in the show’s cliffhanger finale, which had Fallon Colby (Emma Samms) walking into a UFO.
“I was not involved and I have no idea what they would have done with it,” he said.
Why The Show Died
Ratings fell fast. The cost of each episode remained extremely high. ABC canceled “The Colbys” after two seasons.
Heston stuck around until the end and later said the cancellation was premature. “We were coming closer to being a creative production team that could make the kind of show we’d planned on from the beginning,” he told The Morning Call in 1987.
The show’s failure was a combination of factors. The spin-off was expensive, the reviews were harsh, and the show’s timing was unlucky. A presidential speech and a Thanksgiving premiere did not help the show’s standing.
The Numbers Behind The Failure
- Premiere date: November 20, 1985
- Premiere rating: 39 percent audience share
- Stanwyck’s salary: $75,000 per episode
- Heston’s salary: $85,000 per episode
- Sets budget: $2.5 million
- Canceled after: two seasons
The show’s fate was sealed by its own ambition. A spin-off costs as much as the original, stars a legend, and fails to escape the shadow of the show that created it.
Heston’s later assessment was that the show was heading in the right direction when it ended. That is a generous reading. The evidence suggests otherwise: a show that could not escape its predecessor, a show that could not find its own identity, a show that spent millions and delivered nothing memorable.
The lesson is simple: a spin-off should be better than the original, not a pale imitation of it. “The Colbys” failed on both counts.
Source material: “Charlton Heston Starred In The Failed Spin-Off Of A Major '80s Primetime Soap Opera,” TVLine.
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