Dynasty Discussion Thread

[SoapDope]

That Dynasty 69 mash up was well done. I wish they had found or used a clip where Blake could have seen 1960's Krystal for the first time. Linda Evans was stunning back then.

[GLATWT88]

I wonder if this "more grounded" feel also had to do with the massive ratings erosion that occurred in season 7 and the decline that would continue til the end. 

[Soapsuds]

 

[Maxim]

I actually recently rewatched season one and loved it. 

[kalbir]

Inspired by @Paul Raven posts earlier in this thread looking back at 1986/87 ratings, I'm tracing the path of Aaron Spelling reaching his goal of Dynasty being bigger and better than Dallas.

1982/83: Dynasty gets its first weekly win over Dallas and overall gets three weekly wins over Dallas. These episodes were

November 10, 1982: The Wedding, rating 25.8, 3rd for the week. Dallas (November 12: Hit and Run, rating 24.7) was 4th.

December 29, 1982: The Locket, rating 19.3, 16th for the week. Dallas (December 31: Mama Dearest, rating 18.3) was 24th.

February 2, 1983: Two Flights to Haiti, rating 24.3, 4th for the week. Dallas (February 4: Crash of ’83, rating 24.0) was 5th.

At the end of the season, Dynasty was 5th (up from 19th in 1981/82) and Dallas was 2nd (down from #1 in 1981/82).

1983/84: Dynasty gets its first weekly #1 finish over Dallas and overall gets two #1 finishes and two weekly wins over Dallas. These episodes were

January 11, 1984: Lancelot, rating 25.7, 3rd for the week. Dallas (January 13: Offshore Crude, rating 24.2) was 6th.

March 14, 1984: The Voice (Part 1), rating 24.6, #1. Dallas (March 16: The Unexpected, rating 24.4) was 2nd.

May 2, 1984: New Lady in Town, rating 25.2, #1. Dallas (May 4: Love Stories, rating 23.8) was 2nd.

May 9, 1984: The Nightmare (season 4 finale), rating 25.7, 3rd for the week. Dallas (May 11: Hush, Hush Sweet Jessie, rating 24.4) was 4th.

At the end of the season, Dynasty was 3rd and Dallas was #1.

1984/85: Aaron Spelling went all out to be the biggest and best, mainly by cashing in on Diana-mania. Little did we know that a rookie hit was waiting in the wings ready to blow up. I divide 1984/85 into two parts, pre-Super Bowl and post-Super Bowl.

Pre-Super Bowl

September 26, 1984: Disappearance (season 5 premiere), rating 22.2, 4th for the week. Dallas (September 28: Killer at Large (season 8 premiere), rating 26.4) was #1 and The Cosby Show (September 27: Goodbye, Mr. Fish (episode 2), rating 22.5) was 3rd.

October 3, 1984: Pre-empted for American League Championship Series. Dallas (October 5: Battle Lines, rating 24.7) was #1 and The Cosby Show (October 4: Bad Dreams (episode 3), rating 21.9) was 5th.

October 10, 1984: The Mortgage, rating 25.1, 5th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (October 12: If at First You Don’t Succeed, rating 24.0, 7th) and The Cosby Show (October 11: Is that My Boy? (episode 4), rating 20.6, 9th).

October 17, 1984: Fallon, rating 26.1, #1. Dallas (October 19: Jamie, rating 24.6) was 2nd and The Cosby Show (October 18: A Shirt Story (episode 5), rating 21.3) was 7th.

October 24, 1984: The Rescue, rating 26.3, #1. Dallas (October 26: Family, rating 25.9) was 2nd and The Cosby Show (October 25: Breaking with Tradition (episode 6), rating 21.2) was 8th.

October 31, 1984: The Trial, rating 24.9, 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of The Cosby Show (November 1: One More Time (episode 7), rating 20.0, 8th). Dallas (November 2: Shadow of Doubt, rating 27.1) was #1.

November 7, 1984: The Verdict, rating 25.7, 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of The Cosby Show (November 8: Play it Again, Vanessa (episode 8), rating 21.2, 7th). Dallas (November 9: Homecoming, rating 26.2) was #1.

November 14, 1984: Amanda, rating 23.5, 5th for the week. Finished ahead of The Cosby Show (November 15: How Ugly is He? (episode 9), rating 22.5, 6th). Dallas (November 16: Oil Barons Ball III, rating 26.5) was 2nd.

November 21, 1984: The Secret, rating 24.3, 3rd for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (November 23: Shadows, rating 22.6, 5th) and The Cosby Show (November 22: Bonjour Sondra (episode 10), rating 16.7, 18th).

November 28, 1984: Domestic Intrigue, rating 25.2, 3rd for the week. Dallas (November 30: Charlie, rating 25.9) was 2nd. The Cosby Show was a repeat on November 29.

December 5, 1984: Krystina, rating 25.3, #1. Dallas (December 7: Barbecue Five, rating 24.7) was 3rd and The Cosby Show (December 6: You're Not a Mother Night (episode 11), rating 23.1) was 4th.

December 12, 1984: Swept Away, rating 26.5, #1. Dallas (December 14: Do You Take This Woman, rating 25.2) was 2nd and The Cosby Show (December 13: Rudy’s Sick (episode 12), rating 21.3) was 6th.

December 19, 1984: That Holiday Spirit, rating 25.9, #1. Dallas (December 21: Deja Vu, rating 23.0) was 4th and The Cosby Show (December 20: Father’s Day (episode 13), rating 21.7) was 6th.

December 26, 1984: Pre-empted for a rebroadcast of Malibu. Dallas (December 28: Odd Man Out, rating 24.5) was #1. The Cosby Show was a repeat on December 27.

January 2, 1985: The Avenger, rating 26.2, 4th for the week. Dallas (January 4: Lockup in Laredo, rating 26.3) was 3rd. The Cosby Show was a repeat on January 3.

January 9, 1985: The Will, rating 27.7 (season high), 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of The Cosby Show (January 10: Independence Day (episode 14), rating 25.4, 3rd). Dallas (January 11: Winds of War, rating 27.8 (season high)) was #1.

January 16, 1985: The Treasure, rating 27.0, 4th for the week. The Cosby Show (January 17: Physician of the Year (episode 15), rating 27.9) was 3rd. No Dallas on January 18.

On a win-loss basis, Dynasty pre-Super Bowl was 7-7 vs. Dallas and 11-2 vs. new episodes of The Cosby Show. Notice that the pre-Super Bowl episodes are bookended by the losses to The Cosby Show. Dynasty pre-Super Bowl 15 episodes average was 25.5. Dallas pre-Super Bowl 16 episodes average was 25.3.

Post-Super Bowl

January 23, 1985: Foreign Relations, rating 25.0, 3rd for the week. Dallas (January 25: Bail Out, rating 26.1) was #1. The Cosby Show was a repeat on January 24.

January 30, 1985: Triangles, rating 27.0, 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (February 1: Legacy of Hate, rating 26.2, 3rd). The Cosby Show (January 31: Jitterbug Break (episode 16), rating 27.8) was #1.

February 6, 1985: The Ball, rating 25.9, 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (February 8: Sins of the Fathers, rating 25.0, 4th). The Cosby Show (February 7: Theo and the Joint (episode 17), rating 26.1) was #1.

February 13, 1985: Circumstantial Evidence, rating 23.4, 5th for the week. The Cosby Show (February 14: Vanessa’s New Class (episode 18), rating 26.6) was #1 and Dallas (February 15: The Brothers Ewing, rating 25.0) was 2nd.

February 20, 1985: The Collapse, rating 24.6, 4th for the week. Dallas (February 22: Shattered Dreams, rating 25.8) was #1 and The Cosby Show (February 21: Clair’s Case (episode 19), rating 25.1) was 2nd.

February 27, 1985: Life and Death, rating 24.8, 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (March 1: Dead Ends, rating 22.6, 7th). The Cosby Show (February 28: Back to the Track, Jack (episode 20), rating 27.0) was #1.

March 6, 1985: Parental Consent, rating 24.0, 3rd for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (March 8: Trial & Error, rating 22.4, 6th). The Cosby Show was a repeat on March 7.

March 13, 1985: Photo Finish, rating 24.2, 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (March 15: The Verdict, rating 22.7, 5th). The Cosby Show (March 14: The Younger Woman (episode 21), rating 28.3) was #1.

March 20, 1985: The Crash, rating 22.6, 3rd for the week. The Cosby Show was a repeat on March 21. No Dallas on March 22.

March 27, 1985: Reconciliation, rating 23.1, 5th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (March 29: Sentences, rating 23.0, 6th). The Cosby Show (March 28: The Slumber Party (episode 22), rating 30.1 (season high)) was #1.

April 3, 1985: Sammy Jo, rating 23.1, 3rd for the week. No The Cosby Show on April 4. No Dallas on April 5.

April 10, 1985: Kidnapped, rating 24.5, 2nd for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (April 12: Terms of Estrangement, rating 22.1, 6th). The Cosby Show was a repeat on April 11.  

April 17, 1985: Pre-empted for a repeat of Hotel. Dallas (April 19: The Ewing Connection, rating 21.1) was 5th. The Cosby Show was a repeat on April 18.

April 24, 1985: Pre-empted for 20/20. The Cosby Show was a repeat on April 25. No Dallas on April 26.

May 1, 1985: Pre-empted for Miss Hollywood ’85. The Cosby Show (May 2: Mr. Quiet (episode 23), rating 25.5) was #1 and Dallas (May 3: Deeds and Misdeeds, rating 21.4) was 3rd.

May 8, 1985: The Heiress, rating 21.9, 3rd for the week. The Cosby Show (May 9: Cliff’s Birthday (season 1 finale), rating 24.1) was #1 and Dallas (May 10: Deliverance, rating 22.6) was 2nd.

May 15, 1985: Royal Wedding (season 5 finale), rating 25.9, 2nd for the week. Dallas (May 17: Swan Song (season 8 finale), rating 27.5) was #1.

On a win-loss basis, Dynasty post-Super Bowl was 7-5 vs. Dallas and 0-8 vs. new episodes of The Cosby Show. Notice that there were no #1 episodes post-Super Bowl. Dynasty post-Super Bowl 14 episodes average was 24.3. Dallas post-Super Bowl 14 episodes average was 23.8.

At the end of the season, Dynasty was #1, Dallas was 2nd, and The Cosby Show was 3rd.

Edited April 14 by kalbir

[Soapsuds]

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[kalbir]

Heading into 1985/86, Aaron Spelling had reached his goal of Dynasty being bigger and better than Dallas. Little did we know that there would be a sophomore slaughtering, a sophomore surprise, and a rookie hit waiting in the wings to take off. Just as I did for 1984/85, I divide 1985/86 into pre-Super Bowl and post-Super Bowl

Pre-Super Bowl

September 25, 1985: The Aftermath (season 6 premiere), rating 28.1 (series high), 3rd for the week. Finished ahead of Murder, She Wrote (September 29: Widow, Weep for Me (season 2 premiere), rating 24.4, 6th); Dallas (September 27: The Family Ewing (Part 1 of season 9 premiere)/Rock Bottom (Part 2 of season 9 premiere), rating 23.9, 7th), and The Golden Girls (September 28: Rose the Prude (episode 3), rating 19.0, 20th). The Cosby Show (September 26: First Day of School (season 2 premiere), rating 31.6) was #1.

October 2, 1985: The Homecoming, rating 23.4, 5th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (October 5: Transplant (episode 4), rating 21.8, 12th). The Cosby Show (October 3: The Juicer, rating 30.9) was #1, Dallas (October 4: Those Eyes, rating 23.8) was 3rd; and Murder, She Wrote (October 6: Joshua Peabody Died Here…Possibly, rating 23.5) was 4th.

October 9, 1985: The Californians, rating 22.5, 5th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (October 11: Resurrections, rating 21.8, 7th). The Cosby Show (October 10: Happy Anniversary, rating 30.7) was #1 and Murder, She Wrote (October 13: Murder in the Afternoon, rating 24.9) was 2nd. No The Golden Girls on October 12.

October 16, 1985: The Man, rating 20.6, 15th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (October 19: The Triangle (episode 5), rating 18.6, 25th). The Cosby Show (October 17: Cliff in Love, rating 31.1) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (October 20: School for Scandal, rating 23.8) was 3rd, and Dallas (October 18: Saving Grace, rating 22.3) was 9th.

October 23, 1985: Pre-empted for World Series. The Cosby Show (October 24: Theo and the Older Woman, rating 29.0) was 2nd, Dallas (October 25: Mothers, rating 22.7) was 8th; Murder, She Wrote (October 27: Sing a Song of Murder, rating 21.1) was 10th, and The Golden Girls (October 26: On Golden Girls (episode 6), rating 18.6) was 20th.

October 30, 1985: The Gown, rating 22.0, 9th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (November 2: The Competition (episode 7), rating 19.6, 15th). The Cosby Show (October 31: Halloween, rating 30.1) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (November 3: Reflections of the Mind, rating 26.2) was 3rd, and Dallas (November 1: The Wind of Change, rating 23.5) was 7th.

November 6, 1985: Pre-empted for North and South. The Cosby Show (November 7: Rudy Suits Up, rating 31.9) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (November 10: A Lady in the Lake, rating 26.9) was 5th, Dallas (November 8: Quandary, rating 22.7) was 11th, and The Golden Girls (November 9: Break-In (episode 8), rating 19.0) was 20th.

November 13, 1985: The Titans, rating 24.2, 5th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (November 16: Blanche and the Younger Man (episode 9), rating 23.2, 7th) and Dallas (November 15: Close Encounters, rating 23.1, 9th). The Cosby Show (November 14: Denise Drives, rating 31.7) was #1. No Murder, She Wrote on November 17.

November 20, 1985: The Decision, rating 22.4, 8th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (November 22: Suffer the Little Children, rating 22.0, 10th). The Cosby Show (November 21: Clair’s Sister, rating 35.3) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (November 24: Dead Heat, rating 25.0) was 3rd, and The Golden Girls (November 23: Heart Attack (episode 10), rating 23.6) was 6th.

November 27, 1985: The Proposal, rating 20.6, 13th for the week. Murder, She Wrote (December 1: Jessica Behind Bars, rating 26.4) was 4th, The Golden Girls (November 30: The Return of Dorothy’s Ex (episode 11), rating 23.2) was 7th, and Dallas (November 29: The Prize, rating 21.4) was 11th. The Cosby Show was a repeat on November 28.

December 4, 1985: The Close Call, rating 21.8, 8th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (December 7: The Custody Battle (episode 12), rating 20.3, 13th). The Cosby Show (December 5: Clair’s Toe, rating 36.2) was #1 and Dallas (December 6: En Passant, rating 22.0) was 7th. No Murder, She Wrote on December 8.

December 11, 1985: The Quarrels, rating 21.4, 12th for the week. The Cosby Show (December 12: Denise’s Friend, rating 35.4) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (December 15: Sticks & Stones, rating 26.5) was 3rd; Dallas (December 13: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen; rating 22.6) was 9th, and The Golden Girls (December 14: A Little Romance (episode 13), rating 21.9) was 10th.

December 18, 1985: The Roadhouse, rating 20.0, 12th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (December 21: That Was No Lady (episode 14), rating 19.3, 14th). Dallas (December 20: Curiosity Killed the Cat, rating 21.1) was 5th. The Cosby Show was a repeat on December 19. No Murder, She Wrote on December 22.

December 25, 1985: The Solution, rating 17.7, 15th for the week. Murder, She Wrote (December 29: Murder Digs Deep, rating 24.0) was 4th. The Cosby Show was a repeat on December 26. No Dallas on December 27. The Golden Girls was a repeat on December 28.

January 1, 1986: Pre-empted for Sugar Bowl. The Cosby Show (January 2: Mrs. Westlake, rating 34.9) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (January 5: Murder by Appointment Only, rating 26.1) was 4th, and Dallas (January 3: The Missing Link, rating 21.9) was 13th. The Golden Girls was a repeat on January 4.

January 8, 1986: Suspicions, rating 21.1, 18th for the week. The Cosby Show (January 9: The Auction, rating 35.9) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (January 12: Trial by Error, rating 28.5 (season high)) was 3rd, The Golden Girls (January 11: In a Bed of Rose’s (episode 15), rating 24.0) was 8th, and Dallas (January 10: Twenty Four Hours, rating 22.1) was 12th.

January 15, 1986: The Alarm, rating 20.4, 17th for the week. The Cosby Show (January 16: Vanessa’s Bad Grade, rating 38.5) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (January 19: Keep the Home Fries Burning, rating 28.1) was 3rd, The Golden Girls (January 18: The Truth Will Out (episode 16), rating 24.2) was 7th, and Dallas (January 17: The Deadly Game, rating 23.2) was 8th.

January 22, 1986: The Vigil, rating 24.2, 5th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (January 24: Blame it on Bogota, rating 22.0, 11th). The Cosby Show was a repeat on January 23. The Golden Girls was a repeat on January 25. Murder, She Wrote was a repeat on January 26.

On a win-loss basis, Dynasty pre-Super Bowl was 0-11 vs. new episodes of The Cosby Show, 1-10 vs. new episodes of Murder, She Wrote; 5-9 vs. Dallas, and 7-5 vs. new episodes of The Golden Girls. Dynasty has no chance of another #1 season, it’s jockeying for position in the Top 10.

Post-Super Bowl

January 29, 1986: The Accident, rating 23.9, 4th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (February 1: Nice and Easy (episode 17), rating 22.8, 10th) and Dallas (January 31: Shadow Games, rating 20.9, 13th). The Cosby Show (January 30: Theo and Cockroach, rating 36.0) was #1 and The Cosby Show special episode (February 2: The Dentist, rating 27.6) was 3rd. No Murder, She Wrote on February 2.

February 5, 1986: Souvenirs, rating 20.2, 15th for the week. Murder, She Wrote (February 9: Powder Keg, rating 25.9) was 3rd; Dallas (February 7: Missing, rating 22.2) was 8th, and The Golden Girls (February 8: The Operation (episode 18), rating 21.5) was 12th.  The Cosby Show was a repeat on February 6.

February 12, 1986: The Divorce, rating 22.5. 6th for the week. Finished ahead of The Golden Girls (February 15: Second Motherhood (episode 19), rating 21.7, 10th) and Dallas (February 14: Dire Straits, rating 21.0, 12th). The Cosby Show (February 13: Play it Again, Russell; rating 35.2) was #1 and Murder, She Wrote (February 16: Murder in the Electric Cathedral, rating 26.5) was 3rd.

February 19, 1986: The Dismissal, rating 22.6, 9th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (February 21: Overture, rating 20.8, 15th). The Cosby Show (February 20: A Touch of Wonder, rating 36.4) was #1; Murder, She Wrote (February 23: One Good Bid Deserves a Murder, rating 26.4) was 3rd, and The Golden Girls (February 22: Adult Education (episode 20), rating 25.2 (season high)) was 5th.

February 26, 1986: Ben, rating 19.8, 15th for the week. The Cosby Show (February 27: Full House, rating 39.0 (season high)) was #1, The Golden Girls (March 1: Flu Attack (episode 21), rating 24.6) was 5th, and Dallas (February 28: Sitting Ducks, rating 20.6) was 10th. Murder, She Wrote was a repeat on March 2.

March 5, 1986: Masquerade, rating 22.0, 7th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (March 7: Masquerade, rating 20.9, 13th). Murder, She Wrote (March 9: If a Body Meet a Body, rating 26.4) was 3rd and The Golden Girls (March 8: Job Hunting (episode 22), rating 22.3) was 6th. The Cosby Show was a repeat on March 6.

March 12, 1986: The Subpoenas, rating 22.6, 6th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (March 14: Just Deserts, rating 19.9, 14th). The Cosby Show (March 13: Close to Home, rating 34.8) was #1. The Golden Girls was a repeat on March 15. No Murder, She Wrote on March 16.

March 19, 1986: The Trial (Part 1), rating 21.3, 10th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (March 21: Nothing’s Ever Perfect, rating 19.4, 15th). The Cosby Show (March 20: An Early Spring, rating 36.4) was #1. The Golden Girls was a repeat on March 22. No Murder, She Wrote on March 23.

March 26, 1986: The Trial (Part 2), rating 20.2, 12th for the week. Murder, She Wrote (March 30: Christopher Bundy Died on Sunday, rating 23.7) was 4th and The Golden Girls (March 29: Blind Ambitions (episode 23), rating 21.8) was 7th. The Cosby Show was a repeat on March 27. No Dallas on March 28.

April 2, 1986: The Vote, rating 21.1, 11th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (April 4: J.R.’s Rising, rating 19.8, 16th). The Cosby Show (April 3: Theo’s Holiday, rating 34.3) was #1 and Murder, She Wrote (April 6: Menace, Anyone?; rating 25.7) was 3rd. The Golden Girls was a repeat on April 5.

April 9, 1986: The Warning, rating 21.0, 9th for the week. Finished ahead of Dallas (April 11: Serendipity, rating 20.0, 14th). The Cosby Show (April 10: The Card Game, rating 34.6) was #1 and Murder, She Wrote (April 13: The Perfect Foil, rating 25.8) was 3rd. The Golden Girls was a repeat on April 12.

April 16, 1986: The Cry, rating 19.2, 13th for the week. The Cosby Show was a repeat on April 17. No Dallas on April 18. The Golden Girls was a repeat on April 19. No Murder, She Wrote on April 20.

April 23, 1986: Pre-empted for Alex: The Life of a Child. The Cosby Show was a repeat on April 24. No Dallas on April 25. The Golden Girls was a repeat on April 26. Murder, She Wrote was a repeat on April 27.

April 30, 1986: The Rescue, rating 19.5, 12th for the week. The Golden Girls (May 3: Big Daddy (episode 24), rating 21.7) was 5th and Dallas (May 2: Thrice in a Lifetime, rating 19.7) was 11th. The Cosby Show was a repeat on May 1. Murder, She Wrote was a repeat on May 4.

May 7, 1986: Pre-empted for North and South: Book II. The Cosby Show (May 8: Off to the Races, rating 28.3) was #1, The Golden Girls (May 10: The Way We Met (season 1 finale), rating 19.9) was 11th, and Dallas (May 9: Hello-Goodbye-Hello, rating 18.6) was 15th. Murder, She Wrote was a repeat on May 11.

May 14, 1986: The Triple-Cross, rating 20.5, 9th for the week. The Cosby Show (May 15: Denise’s Decision (season 2 finale), rating 31.8) was #1, Dallas (May 16: Blast from the Past (season 9 finale), rating 24.9 (season high)) was 3rd; and Murder, She Wrote (May 18: If the Frame Fits (season 2 finale), rating 21.7) was 6th.

May 21, 1986: The Vendetta (season 6 finale), rating 21.9, 4th for the week.

On a win-loss basis, Dynasty post-Super Bowl was 0-9 vs. new episodes of The Cosby Show, 0-8 vs. new episodes of Murder, She Wrote; 8-4 vs. Dallas, 2-6 vs. new episodes of The Golden Girls.

At the end of the season, The Cosby Show was #1; Murder, She Wrote was 3rd (the highest-rated drama), Dallas was 6th, and Dynasty and The Golden Girls tied for 7th.

1985/86 would be Dynasty last season as a Top 10 show. As we saw earlier in the thread 1986/87 was the big ratings drop resulting in a Top 10 fallout.

Edited May 4 by kalbir

[DRW50]

@kalbir Thanks for all these detailed writeups and ratings info. So much of Dynasty by this point seems built to fail - they are lucky the fall wasn't even steeper.

@Soapsuds Thanks for the Cheers & Jeers. Those Jeers felt like straw-clutching.

[kalbir]

You're welcome. 

1985/86 was the tank season, but 1986/87 it went off the rails.