Why a lavish Dynasty spin-off with a Hollywood legend became a notorious television failure

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Intended to surpass its predecessor in opulence, The Colbys was a high-budget prime time soap opera featuring Charlton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck. Despite its star power and extravagant production, the series struggled with ratings and critical derision, ultimately becoming infamous for a bizarre finale involving a UFO abduction.

Launched in November 1985 as a spin-off of the ratings-dominant Dynasty, The Colbys was designed to be a more luxurious version of its parent show. Producers secured an immense budget for the era, casting cinema icons like Charlton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck to anchor the drama. The series centered on a wealthy Los Angeles family connected to the Carringtons, featuring elaborate sets like the 15,110-square-foot Jay Paley House in Holmby Hills. Despite the pedigree, critics like Lee Margulies of the Los Angeles Times dismissed it as a mere clone of Dynasty, while others compared the scripts to children's books.

The production faced immediate hurdles. Its second episode was preempted by a speech from President Ronald Reagan, and Heston’s attempt to have the address rescheduled proved futile. Once settled into its regular Thursday night time slot, the show faced stiff competition from NBC's hits Cheers and Night Court. Ratings plummeted, and the series finished its first season in 35th place, dropping to 64th by the end of its second season. Internal friction also plagued the set; Barbara Stanwyck famously disparaged the show as a 'turkey' and a 'pile of garbage' before exiting after the first season.

The series is perhaps best remembered for its increasingly outlandish plot twists. By the second season, storylines included plane crashes in India, kidnapping, and a finale where the character Fallon was seemingly abducted by aliens. Following the show's cancellation in 1987, the network attempted to integrate the characters back into Dynasty, but the damage to the brand was done. While Heston maintained that the show's cancellation was premature, historians Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh concluded that the project likely failed because it was simply too close a copy of the original, failing to establish its own unique identity.

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