When fans tuned in to wish
The Love Boat a bon voyage on May 24, 1986, they got what they expected. After three made-for-TV movies and nine seasons, the final episode of
The Love Boat didn’t deliver anything exciting or new. Instead, the finale offered tenderness and corny jokes, absurd situations and ’80s glamour, and, of course, guest stars.
The series took a bow with a fittingly-odd assortment of Hollywood veterans and new names including
Police Academy regular Michael Winslow, a 21-year-old Teri Hatcher and Marion Ross (Marion Cunningham on
The anchor of ABC s popular Saturday-night lineup for a decade,
The Love Boat had become an institution by 1986. What started with a trio of ’70s TV movies blossomed into a series on Sept. 24, 1977.