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The 1986–87 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 1986 through August 1987. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1985–86 season.
Although Fox debuted as a fourth network effort in October 1986, the network waited until April 1987 to commence offering prime time programming, effectively deferring its first Fall programming season until September 1987.
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation but the schedule was set by each local station.
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times are U.S. Eastern Time and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and Hawaii–Aleutian times.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.
Legend
- Light blue indicates local programming.
- Gray indicates encore programming.
- Blue-gray indicates news programming.
- Light green indicates sporting events.
- Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies.
- Light gold indicates programming produced outside of the United States.
- highlight Yellow highlights indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Cyan highlights indicates numbers 11-20 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Magenta highlights indicates numbers 21-30 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Highlights indicates that it falls in multiple of the above categories.
Sunday
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | The Disney Sunday Movie | The ABC Sunday Night Movie | |||||||
| CBS | Fall | 60 Minutes (6/23.3) | Murder, She Wrote (4/25.4) | CBS Sunday Movie (16/18.6) (Tied with Matlock and The NBC Monday Movie) | |||||
| Winter | Designing Women | Nothing is Easy | Hard Copy | ||||||
| Spring | CBS Sunday Movie (16/18.6) (Tied with Matlock and The NBC Monday Movie) | ||||||||
| Fox | Spring (began April 5) |
21 Jump Street | Married... with Children | The Tracey Ullman Show | Mr. President | Duet | Local programming | ||
| Summer | Duet (R) | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Our House | Easy Street | Valerie | NBC Sunday Night at the Movies (20/18.2) | ||||
| Spring | Rags to Riches | ||||||||
| Summer | Family Ties (R) | Specials | |||||||
Monday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | MacGyver | Monday Night Football (18/18.4) | ||||
| Winter | The ABC Monday Night Movie | ||||||
| Spring | Monday Night Baseball | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Kate & Allie (19/18.3) | My Sister Sam (22/17.4) (Tied with L.A. Law) |
Newhart (12/19.5) | Designing Women | Cagney & Lacey | |
| Winter | The Cavanaughs | ||||||
| Spring | Designing Women | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | ALF (28/16.5) (Tied with Hunter) |
Amazing Stories | NBC Monday Night at the Movies (17/18.6) (Tied with Matlock and The CBS Sunday Movie) | |||
| Spring | Valerie | ||||||
Tuesday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Who's the Boss? (10/22.0) | Growing Pains (8/22.7) | Moonlighting (9/22.4) | Jack and Mike | ||
| Spring | Max Headroom | ||||||
| Summer | Spenser: For Hire | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | The Wizard | CBS Tuesday Night Movie | ||||
| Winter | Spies | ||||||
| Spring | West 57th | ||||||
| Summer | The Wizard | ||||||
| Mid-summer | Simon & Simon | Houston Knights | Night Heat | ||||
| NBC | Fall | Matlock (15/18.6) (Tied with The CBS Sunday Movie and The NBC Monday Movie) |
Crime Story | 1986 | |||
| Mid-fall | Hill Street Blues | ||||||
| Winter | Remington Steele | ||||||
| Spring | Gimme a Break! | Easy Street | Hill Street Blues | ||||
| Mid-spring | The Tortellis | ||||||
| Summer | NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies | ||||||
Wednesday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Perfect Strangers | Head of the Class (30/16.4) | Dynasty (25/17.2) (Tied with Highway to Heaven) |
Hotel | ||
| Spring | Harry | ||||||
| Mid-spring | Head of the Class (30/16.4) | Mariah | |||||
| Summer | MacGyver | Hotel | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Together We Stand | Better Days | Magnum, P.I. | The Equalizer | ||
| Late fall | The New Mike Hammer | ||||||
| Spring | Houston Knights | ||||||
| Mid-spring | Roxie | Take Five | |||||
| Late spring | The New Mike Hammer | ||||||
| Summer | The Equalizer | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | Highway to Heaven (24/17.2) (Tied with Dynasty) |
Gimme a Break! | You Again? | St. Elsewhere | ||
| Winter | The Tortellis | ||||||
| Spring | Night Court (7/23.2) | The Bronx Zoo | |||||
| Late spring | Easy Street | ||||||
| Summer | The Facts of Life | Night Court (7/23.2) | St. Elsewhere | ||||
Note: Fox Night at the Movies premiered May 17, 1989 with The Fly.
Thursday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Our World | The Colbys | 20/20 | |||
| Spring | Jack and Mike | ||||||
| Summer | Heart of the City | ||||||
| Mid-summer | Starman | Our World | |||||
| Late summer | Sledge Hammer! | The Charmings | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Simon & Simon | Knots Landing (26/16.8) (Tied with Miami Vice) |
Kay O'Brien | |||
| Mid-fall | The Twilight Zone | Simon & Simon | Designing Women | Knots Landing (26/16.8) (Tied with Miami Vice) | |||
| Winter | Shell Game | Simon & Simon | |||||
| Mid-winter | The Wizard | ||||||
| Summer | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | ||||||
| Mid-summer | CBS Thursday Night Movie | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The Cosby Show (1/34.9) | Family Ties (2/32.7) | Cheers (3/27.2) | Night Court (7/23.2) | Hill Street Blues | |
| Mid-fall | L.A. Law (21/17.4) (Tied with My Sister Sam) | ||||||
| Spring | Nothing in Common | ||||||
| Summer | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | ||||||
Friday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Webster | Mr. Belvedere | Sidekicks | Sledge Hammer! | Starman | |
| Late fall | Dads | Gung Ho | |||||
| Winter | Gung Ho | Dads | |||||
| Mid-winter | The ABC Friday Night Movie | ||||||
| Late winter | The Charmings | Webster | |||||
| Summer | Sledge Hammer! | Mr. Belvedere | |||||
| Mid-summer | Webster | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Dallas (11/21.3) | Falcon Crest (23/17.3) | |||
| Spring | Nothing Is Easy | The Popcorn Kid | |||||
| Summer | CBS Summer Playhouse | Hard Copy | |||||
| Mid-summer | Adderly | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The A-Team | Miami Vice (27/16.8) (Tied with Knots Landing) |
L.A. Law (21/17.9) (Tied with My Sister Sam) | |||
| Mid-fall | Crime Story | ||||||
| Winter | Stingray | ||||||
| Spring | Roomies | Amazing Stories | Stingray | ||||
| Summer | Stingray | Crime Story | |||||
Saturday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Life with Lucy | The Ellen Burstyn Show | Heart of the City | Spenser: For Hire | ||
| Late fall | Sidekicks | Sledge Hammer! | |||||
| Winter | Ohara | ||||||
| Spring | Starman | ||||||
| Late spring | Webster (R) | Sidekicks (R) | Gung Ho (R) | Dads (R) | Starman (R) | ||
| Summer | The ABC Saturday Night Movie | ||||||
| Mid-summer | Animal Crack-Ups | The Ellen Burstyn Show | The ABC Saturday Night Movie | ||||
| CBS | Fall | Downtown | The New Mike Hammer | The Twilight Zone | |||
| Mid-fall | The Wizard | ||||||
| Late fall | Downtown | ||||||
| Winter | Outlaws | The CBS Saturday Night Movie | |||||
| Spring | The CBS Saturday Night Movie | West 57th | |||||
| Fox | Summer (started Jul. 11) |
Down and Out in Beverly Hills | The New Adventures of Beans Baxter | Werewolf | Karen's Song | Local programming | |
| Mid-summer | Werewolf | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | |||||
| NBC | Fall | The Facts of Life | 227 (14/18.9) | The Golden Girls (5/24.5) | Amen (13/19.4) | Hunter (28/16.5) (Tied with ALF) | |
| Spring | Sweet Surrender | ||||||
| Late spring | 227 (14/18.9) | Me & Mrs. C | |||||
| Summer | The Facts of Life (R) | 227 (R) | |||||
By network
ABC
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Returning Series
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New Series
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Not returning from 1985–86:
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+ Animal Crack-Ups had a short run in prime time before moving to Saturday mornings in the fall of 1987.
CBS
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Returning Series
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New Series
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Not returning from 1985–86:
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+ This was a revival of the 1984–1985 series following star Stacy Keach's release from prison on drug charges.
Fox
New Series
- 21 Jump Street
- Down and Out in Beverly Hills
- Duet
- Fox Night at the Movies
- Karen's Song
- Married... with Children
- Mr. President
- The New Adventures of Beans Baxter
- The Tracey Ullman Show
- Werewolf
NBC
Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason. An ^ indicates a show that continued in first-run syndication after the network cancelled it.
References
- Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
| United States network television schedules | |
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