Los Colby

Legendary actors, moderate veterans and fresh newcomers came together nicely to bring the Colby family into our homes... They fought to keep their family together, but the fighting almost tore them apart. Brothers fought over the same woman, sisters fought over the same man... Jason (Heston) cared more about love than power and wealth. The characters were related to those on the hit "Dynasty," the Colbys and the Carringtons... and some characters appeared on both shows at times. The Colbys were more interesting and more dramatic than "Dynasty." Charleton Heston and Maxwell Caulfield acted very well opposite each other, as well as Stephanie Beacham and Barbara Stanwyck. I think the show would have been better if Pamela Sue Martin reprised her role as Fallon, or at least someone that acted more like the original. Mr. Bast should have at least written in some gay characters, since some of the actors were handsome enough, and that's one thing "Dynasty" had that this show lacked... Jeff Colby was given a very special gift and offer that he could not refuse in Los Angeles by his Aunt Constance (Stanwyck), and it changed him and brought him back to his true family... I loved this show and I still do, thanks to Soap Net!... It's too bad the show ended without a proper finale! Maybe they all should've been abducted by aliens, especially Zack Powers (who could have been transported to a fantasy island in another galaxy)! Jeff and Fallon returned to "Dynasty" and Sable and Monica popped up later in the series' run. The rest of the Colbys should have slowly appeared, too, even Miles (who was in the "Dynasty" finale special). And who knows, the series might have lasted longer!

The year that Dynasty rose to be the number one rated show in the U.S., this spin-off was created. Original Dynasty character Jeff Colby was invited to Los Angeles and soon found he had a whole family he hadn't gotten to know previously. And what a family! The cast was made up of some very heavy hitters like Charlton Heston, Barbara Stanwyck and Ricardo Montalban. In a twist that can only happen in TV soap opera, Jeff also found that his presumed dead first wife was now an amnesiac, married to his cousin Miles! Small world! (And this was only the beginning......) The plots on this series were more than a little contrived and far-fetched and the producers/writers apparently wanted there to be some sort of violent scuffle between Miles and Jeff in almost every episode. The show is so fever-pitched at times that it's unintentionally funny. Still, the trappings (the clothes, the sets, the jewelry, the cars...) were so glamorous and there was enough drama mixed in with the hilarity that I became an instant fan. In fact, I grew to love The Colbys more than I did Dynasty which was seemingly impossible. The primary reason for this was the tour de force, monumental performance of Stephanie Beacham as Sable. Seemingly tossed in with all the "stars" as a sort of trophy wife character, she soon emerged as the only real reason to watch the show! Her character was so intriguing and her delivery of all those delicious lines was so captivating that she mopped the floor with almost everyone on the show! Every look she gave, every breath she took was calculated to knock viewers' socks off. Katharine Ross barely registered in her drab part, but when she and Beacham went at it, sparks flew. Stanwyck and Beacham created a fascinating enmity as well and when Stanwyck abruptly quit the series, things were never the same. I had recalled, from the original run, the scene in which Beacham begs Heston not to marry Ross. The first time I saw it it blew me away. Fifteen years later when the show re-emerged on SoapNet (something I will be forever grateful for as I thought I'd never see the thing again!), I waited for that scene and once again.....Beacham killed me. She is without question, the most underrated actress TV has ever seen. There were times (and yes, this is embarrassing to admit) when I actually cheered at the screen during her scenes the way most men would cheer a football game. She was that amazing to behold. Small wonder that when she turned up years later on Dynasty, I had to take her side against former favorite Alexis. Those fireworks are even greater! The Colbys is a mesmerizing time capsule of '80's excess. It is uneven and unbelievable at times, but, throughout, Stephanie Beacham held it all together. Another very fine performance came along later in Shanna Reed as an alcoholic senator's wife. Unfortunately, it all just got too out of hand and viewers were tiring of that type of show. Cheers began to beat it to death in the ratings. Thankfully, it has been rescued from the vaults so that new fans can discover it's hidden treasures. The opening credits and sweeping theme song only add to the fun.

I remember this show begin on opposite Dynasty on Wednesday nights back in the 80's! It was also that when this show was created,Dynasty rose to number one in the Neilsons,beating out arch-rival Dallas for the top spot since The Colbys only ran for two seasons on ABC. Its based on the original Dynasty character Jeff Colby and his wife Fallon. The show had some very heavy hitters here as the characters which consisted of Charlton Heston,Barbara Stanwyck,Ricardo Montalban,Diahann Carroll, David Hedison,and Ken Howard not to mention Stephanie Beacham(as the intriguing Sable Colby). This was one show that had more twist then any other I've seen and it can happen only in a prime-time TV soap opera and a whole lot more. Catch the episodes on SoapNet!

Anyone who has watched the Colby's knows it was a spin off of Dynasty. The first episodes opening screen even says "Dynasty II", and it included many references to Dynasty. Although the show only ran from 1985-1987 it was a very entertaining show made even more so by its all star cast. Its intelligent soap opera story line keep you coming back time after time.

I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Colbys' from start to finish. It's all glittery golden campy fun. Great actors like Charlton Heston really made it real for me.