REAGAN SPEECH UPSETS ABC’S PLANS FOR ‘DYNASTY,’ ‘COLBYS’

ABC’s carefully crafted plans to introduce a spinoff of its hit soap opera “Dynasty” have been thrown awry by President Reagan.

The network had laid out an intricate schedule for hooking viewer interest in “Dynasty II: The Colbys” by inserting characters from the new serial in “Dynasty” beginning in September. Then there was to be a two-hour “Dynasty” episode next Wednesday with both casts, followed Nov. 20 by an hour of “Dynasty” at 9 p.m. that would lead directly into the first independent episode of “The Colbys” at 10 p.m. Then “The Colbys” finally would appear Nov. 21 in its regular time slot of Thursdays at 9 p.m.

So guess what day the U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in Geneva ends: Nov. 21. And guess what time President Reagan has scheduled a nationally televised speech to report on its outcome: 9 p.m. (EST).

ABC, accordingly, has adjusted its plans for “The Colbys.” The first episode still will air after “Dynasty” Nov. 20. But the second episode, which had been scheduled for Nov. 21, will now be seen at 9 p.m. Nov. 27, with “Dynasty” following it at 10 p.m. (“The Colbys” will air first on that date because the two shows’ interconnected story lines dictate that order, a network spokesman said.)

“The Colbys” will begin airing in its regular time period the following night, Nov. 28.