While we all love thinking about the great popular culture of the 1980s, we’ve all forgotten about some amazing TV shows. No one can ignore the thrilling (and, yes, sometimes corny) entertainment released during this decade. Audiences swooned along with the main characters in The Princess Bride, wanted to skip school (no matter how old they were) while watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and danced along to Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, and Tina Turner’s amazing music.
’80s TV was often comforting and sweet. Viewers loved spending time at the cozy bar on Cheers, pretended that the best friends on The Golden Girls were their real-life pals, and lived vicariously through the exciting world of Magnum, P.I. These 10 years gave TV fans some truly great forgotten shows, from impressive sci-fi storytelling that had an impact on the genre to a charming sitcom starring a now major TV icon. Which one do you want to watch first?
‘Quantum Leap’ (1989-1993)
Do you wish you could travel through time? It might be a question that you ask yourself often, depending on how many TV shows about time travel you watch (and how often you wish they would make more sense… which might be pretty frequently). Anyone who has thought about this sadly unlikely possibility will want to watch Quantum Leap, the five-season sci-fi series that touches on this topic.
Starring Scott Bakula in the main role of Dr. Sam Beckett, Quantum Leap is an important part of the genre and explores space, reality, memory, and that pesky “butterfly effect” idea that changing one thing means altering more than you planned. It was popular at the time and also starred Teri Hatcher, who would go on to star in big shows like Desperate Housewives. And once you’re caught up on the original, you can watch the 2022 revival.
‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ (1988-2022)
Anyone who watched Mystery Science Theater 3000 back in the day likely wishes they could sit down in a movie theater with robot pals Crow and Tom. Everyone else needs to find this great sci-fi series ASAP. A true hidden gem that has had a few revivals since Season 10 aired in 1999, its fanbase hasn’t forgotten about it. Everyone else might recognize the name, but they don’t think about the show all that frequently.
With fun episode titles like “The Crawling Hand,” “The Mad Monster,” and “The Undead,” Mystery Science Theater 3000 tells stories and sketches about creatures and other sci-fi and horror tropes. There are 13 seasons… and another is coming. In 2024, it was announced that there would be another Mystery Science Theater 3000 revival, so it’s the perfect time to rewatch old episodes (along with the revival on Netflix) and escape into this fun story.
‘Thirtysomething’ (1987-1991)
Do you like sobbing when watching a great TV show? What about becoming so attached to a group of fictional characters that you feel as if they’re your real-life friends? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then the 1980s drama Thirtysomething is a perfect binge-watch.
From creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, who also made the heartwarming and funny 1990s teen drama My So-Called Life, Thirtysomething follows a friend group dealing with this specific time in life. Episodes revolve around serious topics like the pain and loneliness of being single and the struggle of going back to work postpartum, along with infidelity, jealousy, work stress, keeping a long-term marriage exciting, and the importance of having a support system. It’s an endearing series with a particularly amazing performance from Melanie Mayron as lonely, smart photographer Melissa.
‘It’s a Living’ (1980-1989)
Anyone who is a fan of TV shows about wealthy people will be interested in It’s a Living, a 1980s sitcom that pretty much never comes up in conversations about funny shows from this time period. The premise is wonderful: the main characters work at Above the Top, the restaurant in the Los Angeles Bonaventure Hotel. You can imagine the chaos and drama, right?
Over six seasons, Nancy Beebe (Marian Mercer) is in charge of the restaurant, and plotlines cover subjects like dating, pregnancy, Dot Higgins’ (Gail Edwards) acting hopes, and Sonny Mann’s (Paul Kreppel) music career. While it may not be as popular now as ’80s workplace sitcoms like Cheers, It’s a Living can be credited with exploring dreams and ambition. There’s also a particularly great episode paying tribute to Back to the Future.
‘Silver Spoons’ (1982-1987)
Another show about rich characters, Silver Spoons explores a compelling and often frustrating father and son relationship. Joel Higgins played Edward Stratton III, the wealthy dad of Ricky Stratton (Ricky Schroder). Can they get along? Will they learn the lessons they need to learn? Can they ever become better people? The show raises a lot of questions, and it’s up to viewers to decide if there is any engaging, major character growth by the final episode.
Okay, so Silver Spoons isn’t exactly awe-inspiring storytelling, and a lot of other ’80s sitcoms are much funnier. However, it explores how money changes people, which is definitely still a relevant and thought-provoking question. It’s also fun to see Jason Bateman’s performance in Season 2.
‘Alf’ (1986-1990)
Who remembers Alf? Anyone? The adorable creature (ALF means Alien Life Form, but that’s not as much fun) was at the heart of this hilarious sci-fi series, which aired for four seasons on NBC. It’s as corny now as it was then, but that’s okay.
Like the underrated 1990s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, Alf‘s episodes follow an alien figuring out what life on Earth is like and learning about becoming part of a family. There are some real stakes here, as the military’s Alien Task Force wants Alf, and you can’t help but want him to stay with the Tanners (no relation to the Full House group). It’s a sweet kids’ show that should be remembered. After all, just look at Alf. He’ll put a smile on anyone’s face.
‘Perfect Strangers’ (1986-1993)
When fans think of sitcoms about family members, they immediately picture Family Matters, Full House, and other ’90s favorites. No one really brings up Perfect Strangers, which has a smart title and a silly premise. Bronson Pinchot played a character named Balki Bartokomous, who is from Europe and begins living with Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker), his cousin who lives in the Midwest. We can see where this is going.
Yes, Perfect Strangers is a sometimes ridiculous show that acts like Balki, who lived on Mypos, a Greek Island, and Chicago-based Larry (who grew up in Wisconsin), are just so different from each other. It’s not a nuanced portrayal of cultural differences. It’s sometimes fun to just indulge in a light-hearted sitcom, though.
‘Square Pegs’ (1982-1983)
Years before storing her clothes in the oven and spending too much time thinking about Mr. Big, Sarah Jessica Parker starred in the one-season sitcom Square Pegs from 1982 to 1983. The series sees Patty Greene (Parker) and her best friend Amy Linker (Lauren Hutchinson) wishing they were more popular at school. Yes, there’s not a lot more to it that than simple premise, but it’s a great story about those awkward years.
With a great performance by Jami Gertz as beloved high schooler Muffy B. Tepperman (what a name), Square Pegs is a charming look at the common desire to form friendships, be appreciated, and feel “cool.” While we may look back at this show now and realize there are more important things in life than being popular, we can appreciate a great coming-of-age TV series.
‘Knight Rider’ (1982-1986)
A cult classic TV show that many fans still love, but some people don’t remember, Knight Rider stars David Hasselhoff as main character Michael Knight. There’s no way that a TV show about a character pretending to be a cop at the Los Angeles Police Department isn’t going to be entertaining. You can just imagine the story potential.
Over four seasons, Hasselhoff gave one of his best performances. Sure, Knight Rider is pretty simplistic at times. Michael is the so-called good character who is always in the right, and he meets several villains while trying to protect people, close cases, and keep doing his job. It’s not particularly complicated or detailed storytelling. But, given the show’s action-heavy premise, it’s no wonder a Knight Rider movie is happening.
‘Kate & Allie’ (1984-1989)
A sitcom starring Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James is always going to be amazing, and that’s exactly what Kate & Allie, which aired for six seasons, was. If you love a good sitcom but want more of a hook than just friends helping each other through life, Kate & Allie is perfect. Since the main characters are divorced, it explores the very real and powerful question of how to move on from a relationship that you thought would be forever.
Curtin and Saint James are perfect together, and you truly believe they’re close friends who won’t ever let each other down. While Curtin was equally hilarious as Dick’s love interest on 3rd Rock from the Sun and Saint James also had a memorable role on the police drama McMillan & Wife, Kate & Allie was a great story for these talented stars.
Have you seen any of these 1980s TV shows? Do you have a favorite that you wish everyone would remember? Let us know in the comments!
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