These ’80s fantasy TV shows may be cheesy, but they stand up against the best series modern TV has to offer. The ’80s were an interesting time for television. Things were starting to get a bit more interesting on TV, with showrunners willing to get a bit more experimental in how they told their stories.
Shows like Cheers, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Newhart premiered, launching their casts into stardom. Very special episodes and bright colors ruled the airwaves, and there’s no doubt the styles made for incredibly cheesy TV shows. That doesn’t mean they were bad, but they are definitely a bit goofy.
What wasn’t particularly big in the 1980s was fantasy, and you’ll be surprised by how few fantasy shows there are that came out of the decade. However, there are a handful of excellent ones, and even the cheesy series can stand up against the abundance of fantasy TV shows we have in the modern era.
Galtar And The Golden Lance (1985-1986)
One of the many shows created after the success of the He-Man franchise, Galtar and the Golden Lance stands out as one of the better knock-offs of the era. A Hanna-Barbera Production animated series, Galtar and the Golden Lance, follows three companions, Galtar, Princess Goleeta, and Goleeta’s younger brother, Zorn.
Galtar wields the mythical Golden Lance, a powerful weapon that, when combined with Goleeta’s Sacred Shield, makes the wielder invincible. When the Lance is held by someone unworthy, they are cast away by a blast of energy, similar to how Thor’s hammer can only be lifted by someone deemed worthy.
It’s a very cheesy TV show, filled with all the fantasy tropes and exaggerated animation and voice-work of the era. However, it’s extremely charming and has a distinctly nostalgic feel to it that you can’t help but get wrapped up in. The series refuses to wink, and that just makes it all the more enjoyable.
Down To Earth (1984-1987)
Not Down to Earth with Zac Efron, the 1980s Down to Earth is a fantasy series that stars Carol Mansell as Ethel MacDoogan, a free-spirited woman who lived during the “Roaring 1920s” and was unceremoniously run over by a trolley in 1925. Ethel waits 60 years in heaven for the right to earn her wings.
Her task to earn them involves being sent back down to Earth in the 1980s to help the Preston family, a typical, modern-day American family, guiding them through troubles and tribulations. All the while, she’s being watched over by a nitpicking group of supervisor angels. It’s about as cheesy a story as you can get.
However, despite the silly premise, Down to Earth is a delightful and charming sitcom, filled with smart jokes and a strict adherence to the conceit. Even after Ethel decides to stay on Earth after earning her wings, her angelic nature plays a part in the show, ensuring the magic isn’t ever lost.
The Storyteller (1988-1990)
The Storyteller is a live-action/puppet anthology TV series that retells European folk tales using the puppetry wizardry of Jim Henson and the talented storytelling abilities of John Hurt, and later, Michael Gambon. The series is centered on an old Storyteller, played by Hurt in the first series and by Gambon in the second series, which adapts Greek myths.
The old Storyteller sits down each episode to tell a different story to his puppet dog, and the warm fire in his cabin dissolves into a fantastical tale that’s often a little scary to boot. You can’t help but laugh at some of the ridiculous creature designs, and the fairytales are often purposefully archaic, but it’s incredibly fun.
The Storyteller does not feature the usual Disney fairytales, instead taking its inspiration from the darker, stranger, and lesser-known ones of Eastern Europe. It adds a bit of menace to the show that cuts through the cheesiness. It still stands up as a wonderful fantasy series and an exercise in impressive creativity.
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