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1980s American TV.

by alexanderdavies-99382 • Created 4 years ago • Modified 1 week ago
A list of shows from the days when American TV was still entertaining. Classic escapism!
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  • 194 titles
  • George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict, and Dwight Schultz in The A-Team (1983)

    1. The A-Team

    1983–198797 epsTV-PGTV Series
    7.5 (44K)
    Four ex-Army Special Forces soldiers become heroes for hire, after being branded as war criminals for a crime they didn't commit. After breaking out of Prison, they end up helping the downtrodden while on the run from the Military Police.
    CreatorsStephen J. CannellFrank LupoStarsGeorge PeppardMr. TDwight Schultz
    The ideal escapism.
  • David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider (1982)

    2. Knight Rider

    1982–198690 epsTV-PGTV Series
    6.9 (40K)
    Follows the adventures of lone crime-fighter, Michael Knight, who battles the forces of evil with the help of his virtually indestructible and artificially intelligent supercar called KITT.
    CreatorGlen A. LarsonStarsDavid HasselhoffEdward MulhareRichard Basehart
    K.I.T.T was THE ultimate car back then.
  • The Equalizer (1985)

    3. The Equalizer

    1985–198988 epsTV-PGTV Series
    7.8 (6.3K)
    A retired Intelligence Agent turned private detective helps various threatened clients to equalize the odds.
    CreatorsRichard LindheimMichael SloanStarsEdward WoodwardKeith SzarabajkaRobert Lansing
    Edward Woodward commands the attention.
  • Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)

    4. Magnum, P.I.

    1980–1988158 epsTV-PGTV Series
    7.5 (31K)
    The adventures of a Hawaii-based private investigator.
    CreatorsDonald P. BellisarioGlen A. LarsonStarsTom SelleckJohn HillermanRoger E. Mosley
    I haven't seen many episodes but Tom Selleck is good in the title role.
  • Tony Becker, Eric Bruskotter, Stephen Caffrey, Stan Foster, Ramón Franco, Terence Knox, and Miguel A. Núñez Jr. in Tour of Duty (1987)

    5. Tour of Duty

    1987–199058 epsTV-14TV Series
    8.3 (5.3K)
    The trials of a U.S. Army platoon serving in the field during the Vietnam War.
    CreatorsL. Travis ClarkSteve DuncanStarsTerence KnoxStephen CaffreyTony Becker
  • Fred Savage, Olivia d'Abo, Danica McKellar, Jason Hervey, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, and Josh Saviano in The Wonder Years (1988)

    6. The Wonder Years

    1988–1993115 epsTV-PGTV Series
    8.4 (43K)
    Kevin Arnold recalls growing up during the late 60s and early 70s; the turbulent social times make the transition from child to adult unusually interesting.
    CreatorsCarol BlackNeal MarlensStarsFred SavageDan LauriaAlley Mills
    A masterpiece of drama about the upheavals of childhood.
  • Ernest Borgnine, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Alex Cord in Airwolf (1984)

    7. Airwolf

    1984–198655 epsTV-14TV Series
    6.7 (14K)
    As part of a deal with an intelligence agency to look for his missing brother, a renegade pilot goes on missions with an advanced battle helicopter.
    CreatorDonald P. BellisarioStarsJan-Michael VincentAlex CordErnest Borgnine
    Tacky and shallow. Only Ernest Borgnine saves the show from disaster.
  • Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell in Quantum Leap (1989)

    8. Quantum Leap

    1989–199397 epsTV-PGTV Series
    8.2 (38K)
    During a time travel experiment, a scientist becomes lost in time, swapping lives with a variety of different people during different time periods. To return to his present, he must solve their problems and change history for the better.
    CreatorDonald P. BellisarioStarsScott BakulaDean StockwellDeborah Pratt
  • Street Hawk (1985)

    9. Street Hawk

    198513 epsTV-PGTV Series
    6.7 (3.8K)
    A desk bound cop secretly fights crime as the test pilot for a prototype combat motorcycle.
    CreatorsPaul M. BelousBruce LansburyRobert WolterstorffStarsRex SmithRichard VentureJoe Regalbuto
  • Alien Nation (1989)

    10. Alien Nation

    1989–199022 epsTV-14TV Series
    6.9 (5.7K)
    In the near future, a human cop and his alien partner fight crime and discrimination in Los Angeles.
    CreatorKenneth JohnsonStarsGary GrahamEric PierpointMichele Scarabelli
  • Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in Miami Vice (1984)

    11. Miami Vice

    1984–1989111 epsTV-14TV Series
    7.6 (32K)
    Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, "Miami Vice" follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.
    CreatorAnthony YerkovichStarsDon JohnsonPhilip Michael ThomasSaundra Santiago
    Gritty and well made.
  • Lee Majors and Heather Thomas in The Fall Guy (1981)

    12. The Fall Guy

    1981–1986112 epsTV-PGTV Series
    7.1 (10K)
    Film stuntman Colt Seavers moonlights as a bounty hunter.
    CreatorGlen A. LarsonStarsLee MajorsDouglas BarrHeather Thomas
  • Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

    13. Star Trek: The Next Generation

    1987–1994176 epsTV-PGTV Series
    8.7 (145K)
    Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.
    CreatorGene RoddenberryStarsPatrick StewartBrent SpinerJonathan Frakes
  • Joanna Kerns, Alan Thicke, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, Ashley Johnson, and Jeremy Miller in Growing Pains (1985)

    14. Growing Pains

    1985–1992167 epsTV-GTV Series
    6.6 (17K)
    The misadventures of a family with a home business father and a journalist mother.
    CreatorNeal MarlensStarsAlan ThickeJoanna KernsKirk Cameron
  • Susan Clark, Alex Karras, and Emmanuel Lewis in Webster (1983)

    15. Webster

    1983–1989150 epsTV-GTV Series
    5.8 (3.5K)
    The post-retirement season is suddenly disrupted for football player George Papadapolis and his wife Katherine when Webster, the orphaned son of a former teammate, moves in. Laughter, and life lessons, in every episode.
    CreatorStu SilverStarsEmmanuel LewisAlex KarrasSusan Clark
  • Soleil Moon Frye, Susie Garrett, George Gaynes, and Cherie Johnson in Punky Brewster (1984)

    16. Punky Brewster

    1984–198888 epsTV-GTV Series
    6.6 (6.4K)
    Young Punky Brewster is abandoned with her dog, Brandon, in a supermarket. When she befriends Henry Warnimont, her new family life begins.
    CreatorDavid W. DuclonStarsSoleil Moon FryeGeorge GaynesCherie Johnson
  • Lisa Bonet, Bill Cosby, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Phylicia Rashad, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in The Cosby Show (1984)

    17. The Cosby Show

    1984–1992197 epsTV-GTV Series
    7.4 (38K)
    The goings-on in the life of a successful African-American family.
    CreatorMichael LeesonStarsBill CosbyPhylicia RashadMalcolm-Jamal Warner
  • Paul Fusco and Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros in ALF (1986)

    18. ALF

    1986–1990104 epsTV-GTV Series
    7.4 (42K)
    When an ugly creature, who loves eating cats, crash-lands into the Tanner family's garage, they treat him as a guest and allow him to live with them as he comments on the stupidity of mankind.
    CreatorsTom PatchettPaul FuscoStarsMihaly 'Michu' MeszarosPaul FuscoMax Wright
  • Harry Anderson, Selma Diamond, Ellen Foley, John Larroquette, Charles Robinson, and Richard Moll in Night Court (1984)

    19. Night Court

    1984–1992193 epsTV-PGTV Series
    7.7 (19K)
    An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.
    CreatorReinhold WeegeStarsHarry AndersonJohn LarroquetteRichard Moll
  • Nell Carter in Gimme a Break! (1981)

    20. Gimme a Break!

    1981–1987137 epsTV-GTV Series
    6.4 (3.9K)
    Nell agrees to look after the Kanisky's home, as a special favor to her dying friend, and takes on the role of housekeeper to widowed police chief Carl and a parental figure to his three teenage daughters, and eventually a foster son.
    CreatorsMort LachmanSy RosenStarsNell CarterLara Jill MillerKari Michaelsen
  • Ted Danson, Shelley Long, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, Nicholas Colasanto, and Rhea Perlman in Cheers (1982)

    21. Cheers

    1982–1993270 epsTV-PGTV Series
    8.0 (66K)
    The regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.
    CreatorsJames BurrowsGlen CharlesLes CharlesStarsTed DansonRhea PerlmanJohn Ratzenberger
  • John Goodman, Roseanne Barr, Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, Alicia Goranson, and Laurie Metcalf in Roseanne (1988)

    22. Roseanne

    1988–2018230 epsTV-PGTV Series
    7.1 (48K)
    A revival of the popular 1990s sitcom "Roseanne," which centered on the everyday life of an American working-class family.
    CreatorsRoseanne BarrMatt WilliamsStarsRoseanne BarrJohn GoodmanLaurie Metcalf
  • Christina Applegate, David Faustino, Katey Sagal, and Ed O'Neill in Married... with Children (1987)

    23. Married... with Children

    1987–1997263 epsTV-PGTV Series
    8.1 (116K)
    Al is the quintessential working class dad. Peggy, his wife, always wants more from him. With their children, they go through the highs and lows of ordinary life.
    CreatorsRon LeavittMichael G. MoyeStarsEd O'NeillChristina ApplegateKatey Sagal
  • Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)

    24. Murder, She Wrote

    1984–1996264 epsTV-PGTV Series
    7.2 (32K)
    Professional writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher uses her intellect, charm, and persistence to get to the bottom of every crime she encounters.
    CreatorsPeter S. FischerRichard LevinsonWilliam LinkStarsAngela LansburyWilliam WindomRon Masak
  • Lydia Cornell, Jim J. Bullock, Nancy Dussault, Ted Knight, and Deborah Van Valkenburgh in Too Close for Comfort (1980)

    25. Too Close for Comfort

    1980–1987129 epsTV-PGTV Series
    6.6 (3K)
    In liberal San Francisco a conservative cartoonist tries to keep his two daughters, who rent an apartment below him, safe.
    CreatorsBrian CookeEarl BarretArne SultanStarsTed KnightNancy DussaultJim J. Bullock

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