10 Biggest TV Flops of 1986 - The Year Television Completely Fell Apart
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 cracked the top 10 — 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 — TV's Most Desperate Retooling 10:47 - #6: The Wizard — A Cult Classic, A Tragic End 12:49 - #5: Starman — Blue Lights and Broken Dreams 14:38 - #4: Our World — Dead Last in Ratings, Won an Emmy 17:00 - #3: Amazing Stories — Spielberg's $44 Million Mistake 19:25 - #2: The Colbys — Aliens, Garbage, and Barbara Stanwyck 21:58 - #1: Life With Lucy — 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) ═══════════════════════════════════════ #80sTV #TVHistory #CancelledTooSoon #LifeWithLucy #LucilleBall #80sNostalgia #TVFlops #RetroTV #AmazingStories #TheColbys #Dynasty
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