1984/1985 and 1985/1986 Ratings Battles

[WarriorsFan]

1984/1985 was the big Dallas and Dynasty battle for #1 which Dallas lost. Dallas also had new competition from first season comedy The Cosby Show and first season drama Murder She Wrote.
The 30 episodes from 1984/1985 can be divided in four groups.
Episodes that finished #1 in the weekly ratings
September 28, 1984: Killer at Large (season 8 premiere)
October 5, 1984: Battle Lines. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 3.
November 2, 1984: Shadow of a Doubt
November 9, 1984: Homecoming. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on November 11.
December 28, 1984: Odd Man Out. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on December 26. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on December 27.
January 11, 1985: Winds of War
January 25, 1985: Bail Out. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on January 24. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on January 27.
February 22, 1985: Shattered Dreams
May 17, 1985: Swan Song (season 8 finale). Murder She Wrote season 1 finale was April 21. The Cosby Show season 1 finale was May 9. This was the last episode of Dallas to finish #1 in the weekly ratings.

Episodes that finished ahead of Dynasty in the weekly ratings
November 16, 1984: Oil Baron's Ball III
November 30, 1984: Charlie. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on November 29. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on December 2.
January 4, 1985: Lockup in Laredo. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on January 3.
February 15, 1985: The Brothers Ewing. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show.
May 10, 1985: Deliverance. This episode finished behind the season 1 finale of The Cosby Show. Murder She Wrote season 1 finale was April 21.

Episodes that finished behind Dynasty in the weekly ratings
October 12, 1984: If at First You Don't Succeed
October 19, 1984: Jamie. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on October 21.
October 26, 1984: Family
November 23, 1984: Shadows
December 7, 1984: Barbecue Five
December 14, 1984: Do You Take This Woman
December 21, 1984: Deja Vu. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on December 23.
February 1, 1985: Legacy of Hate. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas. This episode of Dallas was the first episode to finish behind a new episode of The Cosby Show.
February 8, 1985: Sins of the Fathers. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
March 1, 1985: Dead Ends. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
March 8, 1985: Trial and Error. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on March 7.
March 15, 1985: The Verdict. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
March 29, 1985: Sentences. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
April 12, 1985: Terms of Estrangement. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on April 11.

The remainder
April 19, 1985: The Ewing Connection. This episode finished behind the season 1 finale of Murder She Wrote and it was the first episode of Dallas to finish behind a new episode of Murder She Wrote. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on April 17. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on April 18.
May 3, 1985: Deeds and Misdeeds. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on May 1. Murder She Wrote season 1 finale was April 21.

1985/1986 Dallas was still battling Dynasty but it was no match for The Cosby Show, which became the #1 overall show, and Murder She Wrote, which became the highest-rated drama and CBS's highest-rated scripted show.
The 30 episodes from 1985/1986 can be divided in three groups.
Episodes that finished ahead of Dynasty in the weekly ratings
October 4, 1985: Those Eyes. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show.
October 18, 1985: Saving Grace. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote.
November 1, 1985: The Wind of Change. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote.
November 29, 1985: The Prize. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on November 28. This episode finished behind a new episode of Murder She Wrote.
December 6, 1985: En Passant. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on December 8.
December 13, 1985: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote.
December 20, 1985: Curiosity Killed the Cat. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on December 19. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on December 22.
January 10, 1986: Twenty Four Hours. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote.
January 17, 1986: The Deadly Game. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote.
February 7, 1986: Missing. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on February 6. This episode finished behind a new episode of Murder She Wrote.
February 28, 1986: Sitting Ducks. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on March 2.
May 2, 1986: Thrice in a Lifetime. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on May 1. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on May 4.
May 16, 1986: Blast from the Past (season 9 finale). This episode finished behind the season 2 finale of The Cosby Show.

Episodes that finished behind Dynasty in the weekly ratings
September 27, 1985: The Family Ewing (Part 1 of season 9 premiere), Rock Bottom (Part 2 of season 9 premiere). The Cosby Show season 2 premiere finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas. Murder She Wrote season 2 premiere finished ahead of Dallas.
October 11, 1985: Resurrection. A new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
November 15, 1985: Close Encounters. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on November 17.
November 22, 1985: Suffer the Little Children. A new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
January 24, 1986: Blame it on Bogota. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on January 23. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on January 26.
January 31, 1986: Shadow Games. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on February 2.
February 14, 1986: Dire Straits. A new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
February 21, 1986: Overture. A new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
March 7, 1986: Masquerade. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on March 6. A new episode of Murder She Wrote finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
March 14, 1986: Just Deserts. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on March 16.
March 21, 1986: Nothing's Ever Perfect. A new episode of The Cosby Show finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on March 23.
April 4, 1986: J.R.'s Rising. A new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.
April 11, 1986: Serendipity. A new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote finished ahead of both Dynasty and Dallas.

The remainder
October 25, 1985: Mothers. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 23.
November 8, 1985: Quandary. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on November 6.
January 3, 1986: The Missing Link. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show and a new episode of Murder She Wrote. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on January 1.
May 9, 1986: Hello-Goodbye-Hello. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on May 7. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on May 11.

1986/1987 to 1988/1989 there were no episodes of Dallas that finished behind Dynasty in the weekly ratings.

1986/1987 to 1990/1991 there were three episodes of Dallas that finished ahead of either a new episode of Murder She Wrote or a new episode of The Cosby Show in the weekly ratings
September 26, 1986: Return to Camelot (season 10 premiere). This episode finished behind the season 3 premiere of The Cosby Show.
October 23, 1987: Tough Love. This episode finished behind a new episode of The Cosby Show. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 21.
May 3, 1991: Conundrum (series finale)

 

[Monzo]

Episodes that finished behind Dynasty in the weekly ratings
October 12, 1984: If at First You Don't Succeed

Thanks for posting! I love all ratings stuff! This is the biggest shock from this list. Apparently not nearly as many people wanted to know who shot Bobby as they did with JR. The episode should have been the most watched show of the week. Wasn't it previously promoted that the shooter would be revealed in this episode?

 

[Matthew Blaisdel]

Maybe people weren't that interested because they assumed Bobby would survive anyway, at least for one more season. And then even that "death" wasn't permanently.

 

[WarriorsFan]

April 12, 1985: Terms of Estrangement. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on April 11.

Edit to add: CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on April 14.

 

[WarriorsFan]

The Dallas and Dynasty battle began in 1982/1983 when Dallas had their first finish behind Dynasty in the weekly ratings and continued in 1983/1984. The battle peaked in 1984/1985 when Dallas lost #1 overall to Dynasty and ended in 1985/1986 as that was the last season Dallas would have episodes finish behind Dynasty in the weekly ratings. During 1984/1985 there was new competition from The Cosby Show and Murder She Wrote, which in their second season 1985/1986 became the #1 show overall and the highest rated drama series respectively.

Episodes from 1982/1983 to 1985/1986 that finished #1 in the weekly ratings
October 29, 1982: Jock’s Will
December 3, 1982: The Wedding
December 17, 1982: Barbecue Three
February 18, 1983: Legacy
March 11, 1983: The Sting

November 4, 1983: Check and Mate
December 23, 1983: Past Imperfect
January 6, 1984: Peter’s Principles
February 3, 1984: 12 Mile Limit
February 17, 1984: When the Bough Breaks. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on February 15.
March 9, 1984: Fools Rush In
March 23, 1984: Strange Alliance
April 6, 1984: Blow Up
May 18, 1984: End Game (season 7 finale). Dynasty season 4 finale was May 9.

September 28, 1984: Killer at Large (season 8 premiere)
October 5, 1984: Battle Lines. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 3.
November 2, 1984: Shadow of a Doubt
November 9, 1984: Homecoming. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on November 11.
December 28, 1984: Odd Man Out. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on December 26. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on December 27.
January 11, 1985: Winds of War
January 25, 1985: Bail Out. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on January 24. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on January 27.
February 22, 1985: Shattered Dreams
May 17, 1985: Swan Song (season 8 finale). Murder She Wrote season 1 finale was April 21. The Cosby Show season 1 finale was May 9.

Episodes from 1982/1983 to 1985/1986 that were not #1 in the weekly ratings but finished ahead of Dynasty in the weekly ratings
November 5, 1982: Aftermath
November 19, 1982: The Ewing Touch
November 26, 1982: Fringe Benefits
December 10, 1982: Post Nuptial
January 7, 1983: The Ewing Blues
January 14, 1983: The Reckoning
January 28, 1983: A Ewing is a Ewing
February 25, 1983: Brothers and Sisters
March 4, 1983: Caribbean Connection
March 18, 1983: Hell Hath No Fury
March 25, 1983: Cuba Libre
April 15, 1983: Things Ain’t Goin’ Too Good at Southfork

September 30, 1983: The Road Back (season 7 premiere)
October 7, 1983: The Long Goodbye
October 14, 1983: The Letter
October 21, 1983: My Brother’s Keeper
October 28, 1983: The Quality of Mercy
November 11, 1983: Ray’s Trial
November 18, 1983: The Oil Baron’s Ball
November 25, 1983: Morning After
December 2, 1983: The Buck Stops Here
December 9, 1983: To Catch a Sly
January 20, 1984: Some Do, Some Don’t
February 24, 1984: True Confessions
March 2, 1984: And the Winner Is
April 13, 1984: Turning Points

November 16, 1984: Oil Baron's Ball III
November 30, 1984: Charlie. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on November 29. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on December 2.
January 4, 1985: Lockup in Laredo. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on January 3.
February 15, 1985: The Brothers Ewing
May 10, 1985: Deliverance. Murder She Wrote season 1 finale was April 21.

October 4, 1985: Those Eyes
October 18, 1985: Saving Grace
November 1, 1985: The Wind of Change
November 29, 1985: The Prize. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on November 28.
December 6, 1985: En Passant. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on December 8.
December 13, 1985: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
December 20, 1985: Curiosity Killed the Cat. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on December 19. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on December 22.
January 10, 1986: Twenty Four Hours
January 17, 1986: The Deadly Game
February 7, 1986: Missing. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on February 6
February 28, 1986: Sitting Ducks. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on March 2.
May 2, 1986: Thrice in a Lifetime. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on May 1. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on May 4.
May 16, 1986: Blast from the Past (season 9 finale)

Episodes that were not #1 in the weekly ratings but finished ahead of a new episode of The Cosby Show in the weekly ratings
October 12, 1984: If at First You Don't Succeed
October 19, 1984: Jamie. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on October 21.
October 26, 1984: Family
November 16, 1984: Oil Baron's Ball III
November 23, 1984: Shadows
December 7, 1984: Barbecue Five
December 14, 1984: Do You Take This Woman
December 21, 1984: Deja Vu. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on December 23.
May 3, 1991: Conundrum (series finale)

Episodes that were not #1 in the weekly ratings but finished ahead of a new episode of Murder She Wrote in the weekly ratings
October 12, 1984: If at First You Don't Succeed
October 26, 1984: Family
November 16, 1984: Oil Baron's Ball III
November 23, 1984: Shadows
December 7, 1984: Barbecue Five
December 14, 1984: Do You Take This Woman
January 4, 1985: Lockup in Laredo. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on January 3.
February 1, 1985: Legacy of Hate
February 8, 1985: Sins of the Fathers
February 15, 1985: The Brothers Ewing
March 1, 1985: Dead Ends
March 8, 1985: Trial and Error. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on March 7.
March 15, 1985: The Verdict
March 29, 1985: Sentences
October 4, 1985: Those Eyes
October 25, 1985: Mothers. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 23.
May 16, 1986: Blast from the Past (season 9 finale)
September 26, 1986: Return to Camelot (season 10 premiere)
October 23, 1987: Tough Love. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 21.
May 3, 1991: Conundrum (series finale)

Remainder of 1982/1983 to 1985/1986
October 1, 1982: Changing of the Guard (season 6 premiere). ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on September 29.
October 8, 1982: Where There’s a Will. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 6.
October 15, 1982: Billion Dollar Question. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 13.
October 22, 1982: The Big Ball. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 20.
November 12, 1982: Hit and Run
December 31, 1982: Mama Dearest
February 4, 1983: Crash of ‘83
February 11, 1983: Requiem. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on February 9.
April 1, 1983: Tangled Web. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on March 30.
April 29, 1983: Penultimate. Dynasty season 3 finale was April 20.
May 6, 1983: Ewing’s Inferno (season 6 finale)

October 14, 1983: The Letter. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on October 12.
December 16, 1983: Barbecue Four. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on December 14.
January 13, 1984: Offshore Crude
January 27, 1984: Eye of the Beholder. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on January 25.
February 10, 1984: Where is Poppa. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on February 8.
March 16, 1984: The Unexpected
May 4, 1984: Love Stories
May 11, 1984: Hush, Hush Sweet Jessie

April 12, 1985: Terms of Estrangement. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on April 11. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on April 14.
April 19, 1985: The Ewing Connection. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on April 17. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on April 18.
May 3, 1985: Deeds and Misdeeds. Murder She Wrote season 1 finale April 21. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on May 1.

September 27, 1985: The Family Ewing (Part 1 of season 9 premiere), Rock Bottom (Part 2 of season 9 premiere)
October 11, 1985: Resurrection
November 8, 1985: Quandary. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on November 6.
November 15, 1985: Close Encounters. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on November 17.
November 22, 1985: Suffer the Little Children
January 3, 1986: The Missing Link. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on January 1.
January 24, 1986: Blame it on Bogota. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on January 23. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on January 26.
January 31, 1986: Shadow Games. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on February 2.
February 14, 1986: Dire Straits
February 21, 1986: Overture
March 7, 1986: Masquerade. NBC broadcast a repeat episode of The Cosby Show on March 6.
March 14, 1986: Just Deserts. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on March 16.
March 21, 1986: Nothing's Ever Perfect. CBS did not broadcast Murder She Wrote on March 23.
April 4, 1986: J.R.'s Rising
April 11, 1986: Serendipity
May 9, 1986: Hello-Goodbye-Hello. ABC did not broadcast Dynasty on May 7. CBS broadcast a repeat episode of Murder She Wrote on May 11.

 

[lost-in-time]

I too love all this stuff. I wonder, where did you find this information? Is there a database which shows what shows were number one, two, three etc for the week with their ratings?

 

[WarriorsFan]

I too love all this stuff. I wonder, where did you find this information? Is there a database which shows what shows were number one, two, three etc for the week with their ratings?

IMDb for episode guides, TV Tango for airdates, Ratings Ryan for the weekly ratings, Google Newspaper Archives to fill in the blanks.

 

[Monzo]

Here is an interesting article that (in addition to the standard information) also reports on how Dallas and Dynasty were doing in repeats during the summer and that ratings for repeats apparently got worse from summer to summer. It is also mentioned that Dallas didn't work in syndication and a New York TV station regretted buying it.

''Dallas" and "Dynasty" End on High Note Before Their Summertime Falls

NEW YORK (AP) _ Now that the serial cliffhangers on ''Dallas'' and ''Dynasty'' are over, these shows will come crashing down the cliff this summer.

apnews.com

 

[Chris2]

I think the 84-85 season was the last time CBS repeated Dallas during the summer. CBS planned to repeat the 85-86 season on Wednesdays during the summer of 86, but then pulled it, likely due to a combination of ratings repeat issues and also the fact that the stories were about the be wiped out of existence.

And I’m sure CBS/Lorimar adjusted the license fee to a single run rather than two runs starting with the 86-87 season, which is when we started to see signs of belt tightening.

 

[Julia's Gun]

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