TV Shows - Decades - 1980s, a list by Ryan Keast

8.6

/464104/

82

/24269/

80

/10525/

85

/141/

87

/16/

age 12+

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

86

8.9

/380412/

85

/14257/

82

/2232/

89

/131/

92

84

/16/

age 14+

A stand-up comedian and his three offbeat friends weather the pitfalls and payoffs of life in New York City in the '90s. It's a show about nothing.

81

8.7

/147745/

86

/9517/

84

/1666/

92

/77/

90

51

/8/

age 10+

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

73

7.3

/32490/

74

/846/

75

/416/

71

/20/

age 14+

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.

74

8.6

/57815/

84

/1504/

82

/523/

71

/35/

49

From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

82

8.0

/67224/

78

/2335/

76

/635/

87

/94/

95

81

/17/

age 13+

The story about a blue-collar Boston bar run by former sports star Sam Malone and the quirky and wonderful people who worked and drank there.

86

9.0

/65389/

88

/976/

80

/290/

Only Fools and Horses.... Is a British sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally transmitted on BBC One from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until 2003. In working-class Peckham in south-east London, ambitious market trader Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter and his younger half-brother Rodney, explore their highs and lows in life, in particular their attempts to get rich. Initially not an immediate hit and receiving little promotion early on, it later achieved consistently high ratings, and the 1996 episode "Time on Our Hands" (originally billed as the series finale) holds the record for the biggest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting 24.3 million viewers. The series bears a significant influence on British culture, contributing several words and phrases to the English language.

79

8.2

/52007/

80

/1797/

75

/368/

82

/6/

age 13+

Four Southern Florida seniors share a house, their dreams, and a whole lot of cheesecake. Bright, promiscuous, clueless and hilarious, these lovely, mismatched ladies form the perfect circle of friends.

73

8.1

/116979/

78

/3909/

77

/1138/

58

/5/

age 15+

Al Bundy is an unsuccessful middle aged shoe salesman with a miserable life and an equally dysfunctional family. He hates his job, his wife is lazy, his son is dysfunctional (especially with women), and his daughter is dim-witted and promiscuous.

77

7.6

/33323/

75

/797/

74

/477/

72

/48/

90

The story of the Miami Police Department's vice squad and its efforts to end drug trafficking and prostitution, centered on the unlikely partnership of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs - who first meet when Tubbs is undercover in a drug cartel.

74

7.5

/44832/

74

/1823/

75

/1023/

age 11+

A fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit."

54

5.5

/32524/

60

/711/

59

/523/

42

/8/

age 13+

Join the Baywatch lifeguards on their thrilling adventures filled with beautiful beaches and those iconic red swimsuits.

61

6.8

/66527/

72

/2527/

75

/1087/

31

/7/

age 7+

After the death of his wife, Danny enlists his best friend and his brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle.

87

86

8.7

/29246/

Trakt

79

/404/

79

/202/

4.2

/8847/

98

/43/

94

age 14+

A pair of longtime friends and former Texas Rangers crave one last adventure before hanging-up their spurs. After stealing over a thousand head of cattle from rustlers south of the border, they recruit an unlikely crew of hands to drive the herd 3,000 miles north to the grasslands of Montana.

82

8.4

/43350/

79

/1270/

83

/1058/

82

/9/

age 12+

The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.

72

7.1

/48910/

71

/1500/

67

/372/

76

/124/

78

73

/45/

age 13+

A working-class family struggles to get by on a limited income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois.

72

7.1

/39532/

70

/838/

77

/688/

age 9+

Lovable schemer Zack Morris leads his pals on adventures at California's Bayside High School. The friends navigate relationships, final exams, school dances, breakups and more while frequently frustrating their principal, Mr. Richard Belding, who does his best to keep them in check.

77

7.6

/44612/

78

/2073/

77

/891/

age 11+

He's everyone's favorite action hero... but he's a hero with a difference. Angus MacGyver is a secret agent whose wits are his deadliest weapon. Armed with only a knapsack filled with everyday items he picks up along the way, he improvises his way out of every peril the bad guys throw at him. Making a bomb out of chewing gum? Fixing a speeding car's breaks... while he's riding in it? Using soda pop to cook up tear gas? That's all in a day's adventures for MacGyver. He's part Boy Scout, part genius. And all hero.

75

8.2

/38974/

79

/1891/

80

/746/

61

/7/

age 12+

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished... He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

74

7.5

/31378/

76

/878/

73

/424/

age 11+

A private investigator who works when he wants, lives in a beachfront estate in Hawaii, drives a posh Ferrari, runs up an unlimited tab at a swank bar, and charms attractive women in peril - that's the lifestyle of Thomas Magnum, aka Magnum, P.I.

56

55

7.2

/15024/

69

/388/

72

/183/

13

/4/

age 14+

21 Jump Street revolves around a group of young cops who would use their youthful appearance to go undercover and solve crimes involving teenagers and young adults.

71

7.3

/21873/

73

/535/

72

/251/

68

/17/

age 11+

Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton raise their conservative son Alex, daughters Mallory and Jennifer, and later, youngest child Andrew.

74

7.7

/19349/

75

/436/

72

/137/

age 13+

An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.

59

13

7.2

/1013/

47

/12/

60

/9/

Our House is an American television drama series that aired on NBC for two seasons from September 11, 1986 to May 8, 1988. The series centers on the Witherspoon family and the challenges they face adjusting to life with three generations living in the same house.

85

68

8.6

/24227/

83

/186/

87

/32/

4.2

/22193/

When Anne Shirley arrives at the Cuthbert’s Farm on Prince Edward Island, she is a precocious, romantic child, desperate to be loved, and highly sensitive about her red hair and homely looks. Anne moves from one mishap to another as her wild imagination and far-fetched antics combine to constantly bring trouble upon her shoulders.

84

8.7

/27031/

84

/542/

81

/241/

Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.

80

76

8.2

/15685/

80

/324/

78

/134/

Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.

67

7.4

/42104/

74

/1910/

76

/1174/

44

/7/

age 8+

A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.

77

7.6

/26624/

75

/657/

75

/378/

89

/52/

90

62

/20/

age 11+

After being duped and going bankrupt, model Maddie is convinced by David to become a partner in a detective agency. Together they solve various cases, while getting comfortable with each other.

90

9.3

/52055/

91

/1247/

86

/409/

4.5

/10157/

Carl Sagan covers a wide range of scientific subjects, including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe.

85

8.3

/24241/

81

/902/

78

/409/

91

/32/

96

In this cult parody of cop dramas, replete with farce and sight gags, Lieutenant Frank Drebin and his fellow officers from Police Squad bungle their way though crime investigations.

72

7.4

/38623/

72

/1087/

70

/460/

age 7+

The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an upper middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.

72

6.9

/40435/

73

/1760/

75

/1375/

age 9+

Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.

77

8.0

/29227/

78

/920/

79

/945/

82

/39/

92

56

/9/

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?

63

6.6

/31836/

69

/944/

67

/328/

51

/9/

age 8+

A long-running dramedy centering on the Winslow family, a middle-class African American family living in Chicago, and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers.

82

8.4

/38977/

83

/2371/

80

/416/

The adventures of the last human alive and his friends, stranded three million years into deep space on the mining ship Red Dwarf.

62

55

7.1

/10614/

70

/226/

71

/128/

36

/4/

age 12+

Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of criminal defense attorney Ben Matlock. The show, produced by The Fred Silverman Company, Dean Hargrove Productions, Viacom Productions and Paramount Television originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC; and from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC. The show's format is similar to that of CBS's Perry Mason, with Matlock identifying the perpetrators and then confronting them in dramatic courtroom scenes. One difference, however, was that whereas Mason usually exculpated his clients at a pretrial hearing, Matlock usually secured an acquittal at trial, from the jury.

74

33

8.7

/15023/

60

/7/

76

/5/

Series of adaptions of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.

68

47

6.7

/4526/

70

/52/

67

/43/

The daily lives of the men and women at Sun Hill Police Station as they fight crime on the streets of London. From bomb threats to armed robbery and drug raids to the routine demands of policing this ground-breaking series focuses as much on crime as it does on the personal lives of its characters.

70

64

7.0

/8527/

67

/257/

74

/273/

Beauty and the Beast is an American drama series which first aired on CBS in 1987. Creator Ron Koslow's updated version of the fairy tale has a double focus: the relationship between Vincent, a mythic, noble man-beast, and Catherine, a savvy Assistant District Attorney in New York; and a secret Utopian community of social outcasts living in a subterranean sanctuary. Through an empathetic bond, Vincent senses Catherine's emotions, and becomes her guardian.

66

63

6.6

/17531/

67

/357/

65

/160/

age 8+

Fatherhood has taken on a whole new meaning for Jason Seaver, who has assumed the chores of cooking, cleaning and minding the kids so that his wife, Maggie, can pursue a career in journalism after spending 15 years as a housewife.

63

18

7.3

/1167/

51

/19/

65

/13/

The life of British MI6 spy Magnus Pym, from his school days to his mysterious disappearance.

77

7.9

/40239/

77

/1184/

78

/801/

age 7+

Four turtles fall into the sewers and are befriended by Hamato Yoshi a Japanese man sent to New York who was forced to live in the sewers. One day he sees a strange green glow which transforms the four turtles into human-like creatures. Hamato (now Master Splinter) changes into a giant rat from the green glow and teaches the turtles the skills of the ninja as they team up with news reporter April O'Neil to battle against Yoshi's arch enemy Shredder and Krang, an alien warlord from Dimension X.

82

68

8.5

/5263/

78

/92/

77

/51/

4.0

/1481/

90

/40/

Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what happened. He begins to follow up the clues of his friends past days, discovering that the clues lead to a high person in the Russian Secret service, and a secret important enough to kill for.

83

8.0

/43373/

84

/2694/

79

/519/

85

/29/

89

Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders throughout British history, from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of the First World War.

69

58

6.9

/7484/

66

/172/

73

/190/

age 11+

A probationary angel is sent back to Earth to team up with an ex-cop and help people.

74

54

7.5

/2697/

75

/158/

73

/51/

This newsmagazine series investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, driven the reopening — and resolution — of cold cases, and changed numerous lives. CBS News correspondents offer an in-depth look into each story, with the emphasis on solving the mystery at its heart.

65

51

7.6

/7033/

70

/68/

75

/64/