10 Best TV Shows of the 80s
Ranked by the 1980s television fans, these series were among the most watched and talked about during their era. Many of these include The Cosby Show, Murphy Brown, The Golden Girls and Cheers of which were certainly no stranger to any conversation.
Popular TV Show Genres
Specifically family sitcoms were most popular, like Seinfeld, Who’s the Boss, and The Cosby Show.
Other genres like crime dramas, including Remington Steele, The Knight Rider and Miami Vice were also of particular interest due to the fashion trends they set. Feathered hair for men and teased, big hair for women had a huge impact on the younger crowd.
The soap-style shows were also a big hit, including Dallas and Dynasty of which were common water-cooler conversation topics. Finally, other series had also made it to the greatest hits list during the 80s, including Max Headroom and The Greatest American Hero.
Top 10 80s TV Shows
1. The Simpsons (1989 – Present)
Category: Animated sitcom
This never-ending tv comedy is centered around a middle class family living in the fictional town of Springfield somewhere in the United States. Homer (Dan Castellaneta), the head of the family is not your average family guy.
As an employee of a nuclear plant, he does his best to raise his three children, Bart (Nancy Cartwright), Lisa (Yeardley Smith) and Maggie with his wife Marge (Julie Kavner). Other popular characters in the series include their religious neighbor Ned Flanders, the bartender Moe, the family doctor Dr. Hibbert and the chief of police Clancy Wiggum.
Created by Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, this show still runs today as one of the longest running series in the history of television.
2. Seinfeld (1989 – 1998)
Category: Sitcom
This 1980s sitcom classic focuses on how four single friends, funny Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld), clumsy George Costanza (Jason Alexander), hard worker workaholic Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and energetic neighbor Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) battle daily challenges in New York City.
Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld for NBC, the sitcom stars Seinfeld as a fictional version of himself with a focus on his personal life with a few of his friends, ex-girlfriend and neighbor. While it has been criticized as a “show about nothing” by some, others voted it as an American favorite.
3. Full House (1987 – 1995)
Category: Sitcom
A classic show of the 80s created by Jeff Franklin for ABC, Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) is desperate for help raising his three daughters, D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and young Michelle (Mary-Kate Olsen).
Saved by his bachelor brother-in-law Jesse (John Stamos) and stand-up comic friend, Joey (Dave Coulier), the show features the family’s best, worst and exciting moments as the kids grow up.
4. The Golden Girls (1985 – 1992)
Category: Sitcom
Created by Susan Harris and aired on NBC, this show consisted of 180 30-minute episodes of four older women living in a Miami home battling everyday challenges. Show star lusty Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) is joined by the spacey widow Rose (Betty White) and the strong-willed divorcée Dorothy Zbornak (Beatrice Arthur) after finding an ad on the bulletin board of their local grocery store a year before the series started.
The first episode begins with Dorothy’s 80-year-old matriarch mother, Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) joining them after her retirement home recently burned down.
This intriguing series won several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice and three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. To top it off, each of the four stars received an Emmy Award.
5. The Cosby Show (1984 – 1992)
Category: Sitcom
Created by Bill Cosby himself and Michael Leeson, this award-winning show takes place around the lives of the Huxtables: obstetrician Cliff (Bill Cosby) and his attorney wife Clair (Phylicia Rashad) with four daughters Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner).
The show was based on the standup comedy from Bill Cosby but focused on his observations of the lives within his family. The series also introduces some serious scenes, including teen pregnancy and learning disabilities. TV Guide had rated this show as the “TV’s biggest hit in the 1980’s, and almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre and NBC’s ratings fortunes.
6. Who’s the Boss? (1984 – 1992)
Category: Sitcom
Created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter and aired on ABC, this story is about a retired pro baseball player and widower, Tony Micelli (Tony Danza), who takes a house cleaning job for a powerful, divorced businesswoman, Angela Bower (Judith Light), and her son (Danny Pintauro).
Tony and his daughter, Samantha (Alyssa Milano), then move into Bower’s home, where his relaxed lifestyle collides with Angela’s first class personality. Also thrown into the mix is Angela’s crazy mother, Mona. This series was nominated for over 40 awards, including five Golden Globes and ten Primetime Emmy’s.
7. Roseanne (1988 – 1977)
Category: Sitcom
Created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr for ABC, this sitcom revolves around Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr) and her fictional, working-class family in the fictional town of Langford, located a few hours outside of Chicago. As they struggle to make it with a limited household income, outspoken Roseanne, her husband Dan (John Goodman) and their three children Becky Lecy Goranson), Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and DJ (Michael Fishman) take on the challenges of everyday expenses, cracking jokes throughout each episode.
A fourth child is also introduced later in the series, Jerry Garcia Conner. Roseanne’s neurotic, but good-natured sister, Jackie also plays an important role throughout the series. Awarded for its realistic portrayal of America’s working class family, this show also achieved a #1 rating in the Nielsen ratings from 1989 – 1990.
8. Cheers (1982 – 1993)
Category: Sitcom
Created by James Burrows, Glen Charles and Les Charles for NBC, this famous sitcom is about a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Sam Malone (Ted Danson) who owns a Boston Bar, known as Cheers. He’s then joined by the beautiful, smart waitress with an attitude, Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), whom he hired at the very beginning.
After a while, they fall in love and are joined by a few other characters who get comfortable at the bar, including joking waitress Carla (Rhea Perlman), stuck up letter carrier Cliff (John Ratzenberger), and beer-addicted accountant Norm (George Wendt). Some new twists are brought to the series with each season, which has kept many TV baseball fans on their toes!
9. Knight Rider (1982 – 1986)
Category: Drama
Created and produced by Glen A. Larson, this series was broadcasted on NBC who stars David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech modern crime fighter and his famous car KITT, a self-aware, artificially intelligent, almost indestructible car.
After taking a shot in the face and revived through plastic surgery by billionaire Wilton Knight, Michael Arthur Long was given a new identity: Michael Knight. He’s made the primary field agent in the pilot program of his public justice organization, called the FLAG (Foundation for Law and Government) as well as KITT (the Knight Industries Two Thousand).
Throughout this incredible action series, Michael and KITT take on the forces of evil with intensive speed and complex fights.
10. The Fall Guy (1981 – 1986)
Category: Action fiction
Created by Glen A. Larson and aired on ABC, The Fall Guy is an action fiction series about a Hollywood stunt man Colt Seavers (Lee Majors) who moonlights as a bounty hunter. Using his knowledge of stunt effects and physical skills, he captures fugitives and criminals with his stuntman-in-training and cousin Howie Munson (Douglas Barr), who is also referred to as “Kid.” They are also occasionally accompanied by fellow stunt performer Jody Banks (Heather Thomas).
Let Us Know What We’re Missing
Are we missing any big shows from the 80s? Please let us know by adding a comment below and we’ll add it to the list! Any feedback is always welcome and appreciated.
Otherwise you may be inspired by some of the shows that made this top 10 list or maybe want to rewatch some old favorites. Happy watching!
