THE COLBYS
Premiere Date: November 20, 1985
Finale Date: March 26, 1987
Created By: Richard and Esther Shapiro, and Robert and Eileen Pollock
Overview: To capitalize on DYNASTY’S huge popularity at that show’s ratings peak, a spin-off was created that transplanted fan fave Jeff Colby to exclusive Bel Air, CA to deal with the dysfunctions of his affluent family. Initially called DYNASTY II: THE COLBYS (that name lasted for four episodes), the show was conceived to be even more sumptuous than its predecessor ($2.5 million was spent on the interior sets of the Colby manse alone). Big-screen luminaries Charlton
Heston played
Jason, the patriarch, and Barbara
Stanwyck his TV sister, Constance.
The debut featured Jason’s son, Miles, introducing his surprise bride, Randall, who Jeff was stunned to recognize as his presumed-dead wife, Fallon. The show never attracted a large audience and was axed after two seasons.
We Knew Them When: Soap alumni on
THE COLBYS included John James (Jeff; ex-tom, SFT), Emma Samms (Fallon; ex-holly, GH), Maxwell Caulfield (Miles; ex-punk, RH), Claire Yarlett (Bliss; exwhitney, DAYS), Kim Morgan Greene (Channing; ex-nicole, AW), Philip Brown (Neil; ex-steve, SFT), Joseph Campanella (Hutch; ex-joe, GL) and Ray Wise (Spiro; ex-jamie, LOL et al).
Crossing Over: Guest appearances by DYNASTY-ITES included John Forsythe (Blake), Gordon Thompson (Adam), Jack Coleman (Steven) and Diahann Carroll (Dominique).
We Had It Covered: Samms and James were featured on the 7/29/86 cover of Digest.
Trophy Case: THE COLBYS won the People’s Choice Award in 1986 for Favorite New TV Dramatic Program.
Grand Finale: THE COLBYS ended with a supernatural bang: Fallon, stranded in the middle of nowhere, was agog when a huge alien spaceship landed near her. Entranced, she approached the UFO, which opened up to reveal a humanoid figure beckoning her to come aboard — and she did. The ship zooming off was freeze-framed as the closing credits played. (On the following season of DYNASTY, a confused Fallon woke up back on Earth.)
You Can Go Home Again: After THE COLBYS’S cancellation, James and Samms rejoined DYNASTY, followed by Stephanie Beacham (Sable) and Tracy Scoggins (Monica).