The sixth season of ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

'' originally aired in the United States on ABC from September 25, 1985, through May 21, 1986. The series, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, revolves around the Carringtons, a wealthy family residing in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. Season six stars

John Forsythe John Lincoln Forsythe ( Freund; January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several t ...

as millionaire oil magnate

Blake Carrington Blake Alexander Carrington is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. The role of Blake was originally portrayed by actor John Forsythe from 1981 to 1989. Forsythe returned for the ...

;

Linda Evans Linda Evans (born Linda Evenstad; November 18, 1942) is a retired American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s, she played Audra Barkley, the daughter of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck), in the Wes ...

as his wife Krystle; Jack Coleman as Blake and Alexis's earnest son Steven; Gordon Thomson as Blake and Alexis' eldest son

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

; Pamela Bellwood as Steven's ex-wife, Claudia;

Heather Locklear Heather Deen Locklear (born September 25, 1961) is an American actress known for her role as Amanda Woodward on '' Melrose Place'' (1993–1999), for which she received four consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Se ...

as Krystle's niece and Steven's ex-wife Sammy Jo; Michael Nader as Alexis's husband Dex Dexter;

Catherine Oxenberg Catherine Oxenberg (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Amanda Carrington on the 1980s prime-time soap opera ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty''. Oxenberg is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of ...

as Blake and Alexis' youngest daughter, Amanda; Michael Praed as Amanda's husband Prince Michael of Moldavia;

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll ( ; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, incl ...

as Blake's half-sister Dominique Deveraux; Ted McGinley as Clay Fallmont; and

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

as Alexis Colby, Blake's ex-wife and the mother of Adam, Fallon, Steven and Amanda. The season also features

Maxwell Caulfield Maxwell Caulfield (born Maxwell P.J. Newby; 23 November 1959) is a British actor. He has appeared in ''Grease 2'' (1982), ''Electric Dreams (film), Electric Dreams'' (1984), ''The Boys Next Door (1985 film), The Boys Next Door'' (1985), ''The S ...

as Jeff's cousin, Miles Colby; Christopher Cazenove as Blake's brother, Ben Carrington; Kate O'Mara as Alexis' sister Caress Morell; and George Hamilton as con man Joel Abrigore. A spin-off series, ''

The Colbys ''The Colbys'' (originally titled ''Dynasty II: The Colbys'') is an American prime time soap opera that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from November 20, 1985, to March 26, 1987. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and E ...

'', was launched in November 1985, starring John James and Emma Samms as their ''Dynasty'' characters,

Jeff Colby Jeffrey Broderick "Jeff" Colby is a fictional character on the ABC prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by John James, Jeff Colby was introduced in the show's first episode in 1981 and appeared as ...

and

Fallon Carrington Fallon Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Dynasty'' and its spin-off '' The Colbys''. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro, the role of Fallon was originated by Pamela Sue Martin in the show's first episode i ...

. To set up the new series, ''Dynasty'' introduced the series regulars of ''The Colbys'', including

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

as wealthy Colby Enterprises CEO Jason Colby;

Stephanie Beacham Stephanie Beacham (born 28 February 1947) is an English actress. In a career spanning six decades, she has a wide number of credits to her name on film, television, stage and radio in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Beacham beg ...

as his wife

Sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...

; Tracy Scoggins as their daughter Monica, twin sister to Miles; Claire Yarlett as Bliss Colby; Jason and Sable's youngest daughter; Barbara Stanwyck as Jason's sister Constance Colby; and Ricardo Montalbán as shipping tycoon Zach Powers.

Development

The season six premiere episode " The Aftermath" garnered a 28.1 rating, higher than any other episode in the entire series, as viewers wanted to see who survived the "Moldavian Massacre" cliffhanger from the season five finale. The only casualties were Steven's boyfriend Luke Fuller ( William Campbell), and Jeff's love interest Lady Ashley Mitchell ( Ali MacGraw). In the 2006 CBS special ''Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar'', Gordon Thomson stated that it was the "follow-up" that was the letdown, not the cliffhanger itself. John James stated in the 2001 episode of '' E! The True Hollywood Story'' featuring ''Dynasty'' that the Moldavian Massacre was when the show "maxed out" and "overdosed" on outrageousness.'' E! True Hollywood Story: Dynasty'' (2001) Joan Collins was conspicuously absent from the season six opener, as she was in a tense contract renegotiation with the show, seeking an increased salary. She returned to the series in the season's second episode. Although still a top ten series, ''Dynasty'' dropped from first to seventh place in the ratings for its sixth season. A spin-off series, ''

'', was launched in November 1985, starring John James and Emma Samms as their ''Dynasty'' characters, Jeff Colby and Fallon Carrington.

Plot

Spurned by Blake, Alexis finds his estranged brother Ben and the duo successfully plot to strip Blake of his fortune. Alexis' sister Caress Morell also appears and causes problems for Alexis. Steven's budding relationship with the closeted Bart Fallmont (

Kevin Conroy Kevin Conroy (November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022) was an American actor. He appeared in a variety of stage performances, television series, and television films. Conroy earned fame for voicing the DC Comics superhero Batman in various anim ...

) is ruined by Adam's business-motivated public revelation that Bart is gay. Krystle is held hostage and replaced by lookalike Rita (also played by Evans), who is working with a con man to rob Blake. Amanda, who has divorced Prince Michael, fights with Sammy Jo for the favors of Clay Fallmont. The May 21, 1986 season finale finds Blake strangling Alexis while the rest of the cast is in peril at the La Mirage hotel, which has been accidentally set afire by Claudia.

Cast

Main

Krystle Carrington Krystle Carrington (also Grant and Jennings) is a fictional character from the 1980s American TV series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by Linda Evans, the character was introduced in the 1981 pilot episode. In th ...

* John James as

* Pamela Bellwood as Claudia Carrington * Gordon Thomson as

Adam Carrington Adam Alexander Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Introduced at the beginning of the series' third season, the role was originated by Gordon Thomson in 19 ...

* Jack Coleman as

Steven Carrington Steven Daniel Carrington is a fictional character on the American prime time soap opera ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty''. Steven is noteworthy as one of the earliest gay main characters on American television. Despite identifying as homosexua ...

* Michael Nader as Dex Dexter *

as Amanda Carrington * Michael Praed as Prince Michael of Moldavia * Emma Samms as Fallon Carrington Colby *

as Sammy Jo Carrington *

as Miles Colby * George Hamilton as Joel Abrigore * Ted McGinley as Clay Fallmont * Christopher Cazenove as Ben Carrington * Kate O'Mara as Caress Morell *

Ken Howard Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in ''1776'' (1972) and as high school basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the televisi ...

as Garrett Boydston *

as Dominique Deveraux * Ricardo Montalbán as Zach Powers *

as Alexis Colby ;Special appearance by *

as Jason Colby * Barbara Stanwyck as Constance Colby *

as Sable Colby * Tracy Scoggins as

Monica Colby Monica Scott Colby is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Dynasty'' and its spin-off ''The Colbys'', both created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by Tracy Scoggins, the character was introduced on ''Dynasty'' in th ...

* Claire Yarlett as Bliss Colby

Recurring

* William Beckley as

Gerard Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other Germanic name, early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful ...

* Joel Fabiani as King Galen of Moldavia * Troy Beyer as Jackie Deveraux *

as Bart Fallmont * Calvin Lockhart as Jonathan Lake *

Kerry Armstrong Kerry Michelle Armstrong (born 12 September 1958) is an Australian actress and author. She is one of only two actresses to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year, winning Best Actress in a Leading Role for ''Lantana'' and ...

as Elena, Duchess of Branagh * Patricia Crowley as Emily Fallmont *Virginia Hawkins as Jeanette Robbins * Betty Harford as Hilda Gunnerson * Theodore Bikel as Warnick *

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. One of his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin (Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) in ...

as Buck Fallmont

Notable guest stars

*James Sutorious as Gordon Wales * Anthony Zerbe as Crenshaw * Soon Tek-Oh as Kai Liu * Kabir Bedi as Farouk Ahmed * William Campbell as Luke Fuller *Hank Brandt as Morgan Hess ;Cast notes

Episodes

'' was spun off ''Dynasty'' during season six.

Reception

In season six, ''Dynasty'' was still in the Top 10. However, it dropped to #7 in the United States with a 21.8

Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...

References

External links

* {{Dynasty 1985 American television seasons 1986 American television seasons Dynasty (1981 TV series) seasons