The Colbys
Encyclopedia
The Colbys is an American prime time
soap opera
, which originally aired on ABC
from November 20, 1985 to March 26, 1987. The Aaron Spelling
-produced series was a spin-off
of Dynasty
, which had been the highest rated series for the 1984-1985 U.S. television season. The Colbys revolved around another wealthy, upper class family, who were distant relatives of the Carringtons of Dynasty and who owned a large multi-national corporation. Intended to surpass its predecessor in opulence, the series' producers were handed an immensely high budget for the era and cast a handful of well-known stars among its leads, including Charlton Heston
, Barbara Stanwyck
, Katharine Ross
and Ricardo Montalban
. However, The Colbys was ultimately a ratings disappointment, and was canceled after two seasons.
On July 25, 2011,The Colbys began a repeat run on the UK Digital channel CBS Drama
, the first time the series has been repeated in Britain since 1995 when it was repeated on UK Gold.
reappears alive, suffering from amnesia
and using the name Randall Adams. Drawn to California
after recognising the name "Colby," she meets playboy Miles Colby, not realising that he is the cousin of her ex-husband, Jeff
. A mutual business venture brings the Colbys of California to the Denver
mansion of Fallon's father Blake Carrington
.
Set in Los Angeles
, The Colbys focuses on the extended Colby family as Jeff relocates to California to start his life anew — and comes face to face with Fallon, now married to his cousin Miles. A fierce rivalry is sparked between Jeff and Miles, and the love triangle spans the series. Miles' father, billionaire Jason Colby, has a rocky marriage to the icy Sable, in part due to his longtime attraction to Sable's sister Francesca — Jeff's estranged mother, and the former wife of Jason's brother Philip, who is presumed deceased. Other characters include Jason's powerful sister Constance, Miles' twin sister Monica, and their third sibling Bliss.
Jason Colby (Charlton Heston
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Constance "Connie" Colby Patterson (Barbara Stanwyck
(original cast), 1985–1986)
Sabella "Sable" Scott Colby (Stephanie Beacham
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Jeff Colby
(John James
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Fallon Carrington Colby
(Emma Samms
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Miles Andrew Colby (Maxwell Caulfield
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Monica Scott Colby (Tracy Scoggins
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Bliss Colby Rostov (Claire Yarlett
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Lady Francesca "Frankie" Scott Colby Hamilton Langdon (Katharine Ross
(original cast), 1985–1987)
Zachary "Zach" Powers (Ricardo Montalbán
("guest star"), 1985–1987)
Philip Colby (Michael Parks
, 1986–1987)
(original cast), 1985–1986)
Garrett Boydston (Ken Howard
(original cast), 1985–1986)
Dominique Deveraux
(Diahann Carroll, 1985–1986)
Channing Carter Colby (Kim Morgan Greene
, 1986–1987)
Nikolai "Kolya" Rostov (Adrian Paul
, 1986–1987)
Senator Cash Cassidy (James Houghton, 1986–1987)
Adrienne Cassidy (Shanna Reed
, 1986–1987)
The first season's storylines include the construction of an oil pipeline, Zach Powers' vendetta against the Colbys, the romance between Jason and his sister-in-law Francesca, the subsequent collapse of Jason's marriage to Sable, and eventually the revelation that Jason, not his brother Philip, is in fact Jeff's father. There were initially a number of cross-overs featuring members of the Dynasty cast, most notably Blake Carrington
, his sons Adam
and Steven
, and half-sister Dominique Deveraux
. At the end of the season, Fallon learns that Miles could be the father of her unborn child, Monica's plane crashes, and Sable has Jason arrested for assault and battery, claiming that he had inflicted the injuries she actually sustained by falling down a flight of stairs.
In the second season, Jason manages to divorce Sable and plans to marry Francesca, but the presumed-dead Philip reappears alive. Previously romantically linked to both Zach's nephew and former stepson, Bliss falls in love with a Russian dancer watched by the KGB
, the son Monica had given up eight years before reenters her life, and Constance and Hutch are killed after a plane crash in India. At the end of the season, Miles' wife Channing phones to say she will abort their unborn baby, Sable kidnaps Monica's son, Francesca seemingly dies after a car crash involving herself and Philip, and Fallon, stranded in the desert, is seemingly abducted by aliens in the finale. The show's most infamous cliffhanger
proved to be its last when the series was subsequently cancelled.
on Thursday nights. The series was renewed for a second season and fared much worse, finishing a dismal 76th for the year prompting the network to cancel the show
In their Directory To Primetime TV Shows, television historians Tim Brooks
and Earle Marsh stated that the series was "too close a copy" of Dynasty.
During the final season of Dynasty, it is revealed that Monica and twin Miles may not have been Jason's children, as Sable had been raped around the time they were conceived. Miles (who refers to Jeff as his half-brother)) later appears in 1991's Dynasty: The Reunion
, reunited with Fallon, and participates in Jeff's rescue from the Consortium. The Jeff-Fallon-Miles love triangle is finally resolved, as Fallon leaves Miles for Jeff once again.
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, which originally aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from November 20, 1985 to March 26, 1987. The Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
-produced series was a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, which had been the highest rated series for the 1984-1985 U.S. television season. The Colbys revolved around another wealthy, upper class family, who were distant relatives of the Carringtons of Dynasty and who owned a large multi-national corporation. Intended to surpass its predecessor in opulence, the series' producers were handed an immensely high budget for the era and cast a handful of well-known stars among its leads, including Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
, Katharine Ross
Katharine Ross
Katharine Juliet Ross is an American film and stage actress. Trained at the San Francisco Workshop, she is perhaps best known for her role as Elaine Robinson in the 1967 film The Graduate, opposite Dustin Hoffman, which won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and her role...
and Ricardo Montalban
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
. However, The Colbys was ultimately a ratings disappointment, and was canceled after two seasons.
On July 25, 2011,The Colbys began a repeat run on the UK Digital channel CBS Drama
CBS Drama
CBS Drama is a television channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland - home of 'modern US TV classics'.On 14 September 2009, it was revealed that the international arm of CBS, CBS Studios International, struck a joint venture deal with Chellomedia to launch six CBS-branded channels in the UK during...
, the first time the series has been repeated in Britain since 1995 when it was repeated on UK Gold.
Premise
On Dynasty, presumed-dead heiress Fallon Carrington ColbyFallon Carrington Colby
Fallon Carrington Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by Pamela Sue Martin in the show's first episode in 1981; Martin left in 1984. The role was recast with Emma Samms in 1985, and the character was spun off onto a...
reappears alive, suffering from amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
and using the name Randall Adams. Drawn to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
after recognising the name "Colby," she meets playboy Miles Colby, not realising that he is the cousin of her ex-husband, Jeff
Jeff Colby
Jeffrey Broderick "Jeff" Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by John James in the show's first episode in 1981, and the character was eventually spun off onto a separate series called The Colbys...
. A mutual business venture brings the Colbys of California to the Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
mansion of Fallon's father Blake Carrington
Blake Carrington
Blake Carrington is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty. The role was portrayed by John Forsythe from the first episode of the series in 1981 until the finale in 1989. Forsythe returned for the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion...
.
Set in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, The Colbys focuses on the extended Colby family as Jeff relocates to California to start his life anew — and comes face to face with Fallon, now married to his cousin Miles. A fierce rivalry is sparked between Jeff and Miles, and the love triangle spans the series. Miles' father, billionaire Jason Colby, has a rocky marriage to the icy Sable, in part due to his longtime attraction to Sable's sister Francesca — Jeff's estranged mother, and the former wife of Jason's brother Philip, who is presumed deceased. Other characters include Jason's powerful sister Constance, Miles' twin sister Monica, and their third sibling Bliss.
Major characters
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- CEO of Colby Enterprises and brother of Constance, Philip, and Cecil. As the series opens, Philip and Cecil are both deceased — the former in VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, the latter in Denver during the third season of Dynasty. Jason is married to Sable, and their children are twins Miles and Monica, and youngest daughter Bliss. Jason's affair with Francesca Langdon, his wife's sister and his brother Philip's former wife, ends his marriage; he later discovers that he is the father of Francesca's son Jeff.
Constance "Connie" Colby Patterson (Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
(original cast), 1985–1986)
- Jason Colby's strong-willed sister, who sets the stage for the series by inviting Jeff Colby to California, hoping to mend the rift between him and the rest of the family. Believing her brother Jason is dying and in need of an heir who can run the Colby empire, Constance gifts to Jeff her 50 percent of the company's voting stock. Stanwyck left the series after the first season, with the character being killed in a plane crash while traveling in AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Sabella "Sable" Scott Colby (Stephanie Beacham
Stephanie Beacham
Stephanie Beacham is a British television, film and theatre actress. Making her film debut in 1971's The Nightcomers opposite Marlon Brando and becoming more well-known on British television in the BBC series Tenko and the ITV series Connie , her worldwide breakthrough came as a result of playing...
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born art gallery owner, wife of Jason, sister of Francesca and mother of Miles, Monica, and Bliss. The first cousin of Dynastys Alexis Carrington Colby (Cecil's widow), Sable is protective of her family but vengeful when Jason casts her aside for Francesca. Sable and Alexis share a rivalry hinted at on The Colbys but further explored a number of years later in Dynasty.
Jeff Colby
Jeff Colby
Jeffrey Broderick "Jeff" Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by John James in the show's first episode in 1981, and the character was eventually spun off onto a separate series called The Colbys...
(John James
John James (actor)
John James Anderson is an American actor, best known to television audiences for playing the character of Jeff Colby in both the prime-time soap opera Dynasty and its spin-off series The Colbys throughout the 1980s....
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- The son of Philip and Francesca Colby, raised in Denver by his uncle Cecil Colby on the Colby estate, Nine Oaks, which neighbored the CarringtonCarrington familyThe Carringtons are the core family of the American prime time soap opera Dynasty, which aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989.-Meet the Carringtons:...
estate. He is invited to Los Angeles by Constance and soon becomes embroiled in the dynastic intrigue of the Colbys, reuniting with his presumed-dead wife Fallon and estranged mother, and eventually discovering that his uncle Jason Colby is in fact his biological father.
Fallon Carrington Colby
Fallon Carrington Colby
Fallon Carrington Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by Pamela Sue Martin in the show's first episode in 1981; Martin left in 1984. The role was recast with Emma Samms in 1985, and the character was spun off onto a...
(Emma Samms
Emma Samms
Emma Samms is a British television actress best known for her role as Holly Sutton on the American daytime soap opera General Hospital and for replacing Pamela Sue Martin as Fallon Carrington Colby on the primetime soap opera Dynasty.-Early life:Samms was born in Willesden, London, England, the...
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- Daughter of Dynasty 's Blake CarringtonBlake CarringtonBlake Carrington is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty. The role was portrayed by John Forsythe from the first episode of the series in 1981 until the finale in 1989. Forsythe returned for the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion...
, and Jeff's on-again, off-again wife; she also marries his cousin Miles. The role had been originated on Dynasty by Pamela Sue MartinPamela Sue MartinPamela Sue Martin is an American actress best known for playing Nancy Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series and Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC nighttime soap opera Dynasty.-Biography:...
, who had left the series in 1984 and the character presumed dead in a car crash. Fallon (Samms) reappears briefly on Dynasty in 1985 with amnesia before transitioning to The Colbys, the subsequent love triangle between her, Jeff, and Miles driving much of the drama for the first season. She later returns to Denver and Dynasty for its final seasons.
Miles Andrew Colby (Maxwell Caulfield
Maxwell Caulfield
Maxwell Caulfield is a British film, stage, and television actor who is based in the United States, known for his roles as Michael Carrington in Grease 2 and as Miles Colby in The Colbys and its parent show Dynasty . He has more than 70 film, stage and television credits. He starred in Ronald F...
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- Jason and Sable's playboy son, noted mainly for his bad attitude, his disastrous relationships (first, with the amnesiac Fallon, and second, with the emotionally unstable Channing Carter) and his rivalry with cousin Jeff, who is later revealed to be his half-brother.
Monica Scott Colby (Tracy Scoggins
Tracy Scoggins
Tracy Dawn Scoggins is an American actress known for her roles as Cat Grant in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Monica Colby in the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty, and its spin-off series The Colbys...
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- Jason and Sable's daughter, and general counsel for Colby Enterprises until she quits to run Titania Records for Dominique DeverauxDominique DeverauxDominique Deveraux is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys...
. Monica is protective of her twin brother, Miles, but also holds a high regard for his rival (and their cousin) Jeff Colby. Monica has short-lived romantic involvements with both singer Wayne Masterson and married Titania Records executive Neil Kittredge. It is revealed that Monica's past affair with Cash Cassidy had produced a son, whom Constance had arranged for Cash to raise with his wife Adrienne, ending their relationship to preserve his political career.
Bliss Colby Rostov (Claire Yarlett
Claire Yarlett
Claire Yarlett is a British-born American actress, best known for her role as Bliss Colby in The Colbys, the spin-off series to the 1980s prime-time soap opera Dynasty....
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- Jason and Sable's youngest child, a young and idealistic woman who has strong political beliefs which often put her at odds with her father, an oil and industry tycoon. Bliss has ill-fated romances with Sean McCallister and Spiros Koralis, the nephew and former stepson, respectively, of the Colby family's greatest enemy, Zach Powers. She eventually becomes involved with Koyla Rostov, a Russian dancer who defects to America with his sister Anna.
Lady Francesca "Frankie" Scott Colby Hamilton Langdon (Katharine Ross
Katharine Ross
Katharine Juliet Ross is an American film and stage actress. Trained at the San Francisco Workshop, she is perhaps best known for her role as Elaine Robinson in the 1967 film The Graduate, opposite Dustin Hoffman, which won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and her role...
(original cast), 1985–1987)
- Philip Colby's widow, who returns to Los Angeles after years in "exile" as the wife of diplomat Lord Roger Langdon (David HedisonDavid HedisonAlbert David Hedison, Jr. is an Armenian-American film, television, and stage actor. He was billed as Al Hedison in his early film work. In 1959, when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series Five Fingers, NBC insisted that he change his name...
). She is Jeff's mother, but had abandoned him as an infant, bending to pressure from brother-in-law Cecil. Francesca reappears at the invitation of Constance, who is anxious to make amends. Frankie, as she is known, is also Sable's estranged sister, and Jason's lover.
Zachary "Zach" Powers (Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
("guest star"), 1985–1987)
- European shipping tycoon who falls in love with Sable. Born into poverty, Powers blames the Colbys for his father's suicide.
Philip Colby (Michael Parks
Michael Parks
Michael Parks is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in almost fifty films and has made frequent TV appearances, but is probably best known for his work in recent years with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith as well as the 1969 television series Then Came...
, 1986–1987)
- Former husband of Francesca and the black sheep of the Colby family, presumed killed in Saigon in 1957. Initially a mercenary using the name Hoyt Parker, Philip makes his presence known at Jason and Francesca's wedding and proceeds to disrupt the lives of the entire Colby family.
Other characters
Henry "Hutch" Corrigan (Joseph CampanellaJoseph Campanella
Joseph Campanella in Lewistown, Pennsylvania is an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 TV and film roles since 1955, including such shows as The Eleventh Hour, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Road West, The Golden Girls and Mama's Family. He also had a role in...
(original cast), 1985–1986)
- Love interest of Constance Colby who is also killed in the plane crash in Asia.
Garrett Boydston (Ken Howard
Ken Howard
Kenneth Joseph "Ken" Howard, Jr. is an American actor, best known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow...
(original cast), 1985–1986)
- Lawyer and friend of the Colby family, and also an old flame of Dominique DeverauxDominique DeverauxDominique Deveraux is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys...
, and the father of her daughter Jackie.
Dominique Deveraux
Dominique Deveraux
Dominique Deveraux is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys...
(Diahann Carroll, 1985–1986)
- A member of the wealthy Carrington dynastyDynasty (TV series)Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
based in Denver, a chanteuse and businesswoman who travels frequently to Los Angeles for business purposes.
Channing Carter Colby (Kim Morgan Greene
Kim Morgan Greene
Kim Morgan Greene is an American actress.She is perhaps best known for her performance as Channing Carter Colby in the Dynasty spin-off series The Colbys...
, 1986–1987)
- Lucas Carter's niece whom Miles Colby marries on the rebound after losing Fallon to Jeff.
Nikolai "Kolya" Rostov (Adrian Paul
Adrian Paul
Adrian Paul Hewett , better known as Adrian Paul, is an actor best known for his role on the television series Highlander: The Series as Duncan MacLeod. In 1997, he founded The Peace Fund charitable organization.-Early life:...
, 1986–1987)
- Russian ballet dancer who falls in love with Bliss Colby.
Senator Cash Cassidy (James Houghton, 1986–1987)
- Senator and former love of Monica Colby, with whom he had a son, Scott (Coleby Lombardo). He had to give up his relationship with Monica to further his own political career.
Adrienne Cassidy (Shanna Reed
Shanna Reed
Shanna Reed is an American dancer and actress, best known for her roles on television and movies. She is best known for playing Polly Cooper McGillis on Major Dad....
, 1986–1987)
- Unhappy wife of Cash Cassidy, resentful and suspicious of his relationship with Monica.
Storylines
Blake Carrington
Blake Carrington is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty. The role was portrayed by John Forsythe from the first episode of the series in 1981 until the finale in 1989. Forsythe returned for the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion...
, his sons Adam
Adam Carrington
Adam Alexander Carrington is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty.The role was originated by Gordon Thomson in the first episode of the show's third season ; he played the character until the series finale in 1989...
and Steven
Steven Carrington
Steven Daniel Carrington is a fictional character on the American prime time soap opera Dynasty. Steven is noteworthy as one of the earliest gay main characters on American television...
, and half-sister Dominique Deveraux
Dominique Deveraux
Dominique Deveraux is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys...
. At the end of the season, Fallon learns that Miles could be the father of her unborn child, Monica's plane crashes, and Sable has Jason arrested for assault and battery, claiming that he had inflicted the injuries she actually sustained by falling down a flight of stairs.
In the second season, Jason manages to divorce Sable and plans to marry Francesca, but the presumed-dead Philip reappears alive. Previously romantically linked to both Zach's nephew and former stepson, Bliss falls in love with a Russian dancer watched by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, the son Monica had given up eight years before reenters her life, and Constance and Hutch are killed after a plane crash in India. At the end of the season, Miles' wife Channing phones to say she will abort their unborn baby, Sable kidnaps Monica's son, Francesca seemingly dies after a car crash involving herself and Philip, and Fallon, stranded in the desert, is seemingly abducted by aliens in the finale. The show's most infamous cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
proved to be its last when the series was subsequently cancelled.
Ratings and criticism
Although it was a very hyped new show in 1985, garnering high ratings its premiere night, and the winner of a 1986 People's Choice Award for New TV Dramatic Program. The Colbys was ultimately a ratings disappointment, finishing a disappointing 35th place (16.0 rating) for the season, in part due to competition with NBC's CheersCheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
on Thursday nights. The series was renewed for a second season and fared much worse, finishing a dismal 76th for the year prompting the network to cancel the show
In their Directory To Primetime TV Shows, television historians Tim Brooks
Tim Brooks (television historian)
Tim Brooks is an American television and radio historian, author and retired television executive. He is credited with having helped launch the Sci Fi Channel in 1992 as well as other USA Network projects and channels....
and Earle Marsh stated that the series was "too close a copy" of Dynasty.
Aftermath
Following the cancellation of The Colbys, the characters of Jeff and Fallon were immediately reintroduced into Dynasty during that series' eighth season premiere, "The Siege - Part 1". Sable (now divorced from Jason who was still involved with Frankie who survived the car crash ) and Monica Colby (who no longer had contact with ex-lover Cash or their son Scott) also later reappeared on Dynasty for the series' 1988-89 final season.During the final season of Dynasty, it is revealed that Monica and twin Miles may not have been Jason's children, as Sable had been raped around the time they were conceived. Miles (who refers to Jeff as his half-brother)) later appears in 1991's Dynasty: The Reunion
Dynasty: The Reunion
Dynasty: The Reunion is a 1991 miniseries reuniting the characters from the American prime time television soap opera Dynasty, a series which aired on ABC from 1981 to 1989 and was the highest-rated U.S. series in 1985. The miniseries, like the series, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil...
, reunited with Fallon, and participates in Jeff's rescue from the Consortium. The Jeff-Fallon-Miles love triangle is finally resolved, as Fallon leaves Miles for Jeff once again.