Battle of Soaps : J.R. Deposed by ‘Dynasty’

In the battle of the soaps, ABC’s “Dynasty” edged out CBS’ “Dallas” by three-tenths of a point to become the top-rated series of the 30-week prime-time season, according to final figures released today by A. C. Nielsen Co.

The “Dynasty” victory was more for prestige than advertising dollars since the 1984-85 ratings of the two series were essentially the same. “Dynasty” finished with a 25.0, while “Dallas,” the winner three of the last four seasons, had a 24.7.

A rating measures the percentage of the nation’s 84.9 million TV homes watching, on average, a given minute of prime time. So the Carringtons, with an average tune-in audience of 21.2 million homes, had a very slight advantage over the Ewings, who were seen in 21 million homes.

NBC’s “The Cosby Show” was third, with a 24.2 rating, but the comedy actually surged past the two soaps for the 1985 year alone. Since January, “Cosby” has averaged a 26.9 rating to a 24.9 for “Dynasty” and a 24.5 for “Dallas.”