The 1980s was a fun decade for family television. It brought about a more realistic, yet lovable family unit. They weren't perfect like the Cleavers. It wasn't about debate and hot button issues like the Bunkers. Instead, these families were the ones most likely to be your next door neighbors if not your own family unit.
Leftover 70s sitcoms were starting to wane in popularity such as Happy Days, Eight Is Enough, Alice and Different Strokes. These shows were a bit unrealistic when it came to solving serious problems in a short format. Happy Days being the exception where the families dealt with situations that did not address any issue families felt as real.
Love Sydney was one of those new family shows. The controversy involving a gay male who was in charge of a minor girl was a bit too much for the mainstream to accept, even though his sexuality was not really mentioned. The idea was too hot to handle and it was quickly dismissed.
It was a very conservative decade, so people were not really ready for anything too different. In the beginning, the family sitcoms were sweet and syrupy. Some were spin-offs of 70s shows such as Archie Bunker's Place (All In The Family), Hello Larry (Different Strokes), Benson (Soap), Joanie Loves Chachi (Happy Days), Mama's Family (Carol Burnett Show skit) and Facts of Life (Different Strokes.) Other shows which proved to be bland were spread throughout the decade included 227, ALF, Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster, Just The 10 Of Us, Mr. Belvedere, Sister Kate and Major Dad. Doogie Houser MD was more of a serious/sitcom, but still a bit over the top to be believed - a genius child doctor? I don't think so.
One Day At A Time, The Cosby Show, Family Matters, Full House, Married With Children, The Simpsons and Roseanne all have something in common. Each of these family sitcoms presented the new faces of what is an American family. Stereotypes were out the window. Mothers were not in silent subjection to the father, if indeed there was a father around. It was okay to be a single parent. African-Americans were in a structured family with a mother and a father who were working in honorable professions never before seen on television. A house of grown men having to raise girls. This was what was wanted as ratings for these shows climbed. One could get away with saying there is no perfection in a family, but as long as there is love problems will work out.
Family shows were a very popular genre, but there was a hunger for something different, something that reflected the times. These shows, if you look at them now, are almost laughable. The Greatest American Hero, Square Pegs, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Max Headroom are perfect examples of what was thought of as ultracool. I can only imagine that Sarah Jessica Parker would want to distance herself from her early geek girl character. Other creative shows were of the sci-fi variety including Quantum Leap, Battlestar Galactica, Beauty and the Beast, Highway To Heaven, Incredible Hulk, Knight Rider, and McGyver.
Police and medical dramas are always in vogue and the 80s were no different. Some shows were ongoing from the late 60s and early 70s and a few new ones were thrown into the mix. A-Team, Airwolf, Barney Miller, BJ and the Bear, Charlie's Angels, CHIPs, Dukes of Hazard, The Fall Guy, Hawaii Five-O, Hill Street Blues, Magnum P.I., Miami Vice, Quincy, St Elsewhere, MASH, After MASH, 21 Jump Street to name a few. All had the standard element of at least one major conflict and one or two minor to be solved in the time frame. While the shows steaming from the 60s and 70s were a bit more serious, the new dramas all had more lighter moments.
The late 70s introduced the concept of night time soap operas which came into full bloom in the 80s with shows such as Dallas, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest and Dynasty featuring wealthy, despicable people in situations of scandal to draw in faithful viewers each week to see their favorite villain or diva wiggle out of trouble.
Pulling through the old TV Guides, here are some of the gems that aired in the 1980s. How many do you remember?
- A-Team
- Airwolf
- ALF
- Alice
- Amazing Stories
- American Gladiators
- Anything But Love
- B.J. and the Bear
- Baby Makes Five
- The Bad News Bears
- Barney Miller
- Battlestar Galactica
- Beauty and the Beast
- Benson
- Bosom Buddies
- Bring 'em Back Alive
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
- Charles in Charge
- Charlie's Angels
- The Charmings
- Cheers
- CHiPs
- The Cosby Show
- Dallas
- Dance Fever
- Day By Day
- Designing Women
- Diff’rent Strokes
- Doogie Howser, M.D.
- Double Trouble
- Duck Factory
- The Dukes of Hazzard
- Dynasty
- Eight is Enough
- The Facts of Life
- Falcon Crest
- The Fall Guy
- Fame
- Family
- Family Matters
- Family Ties
- Fantasy Island
- Full House
- Gimme a Break
- The Golden Girls
- The Greatest American Hero
- Growing Pains
- Happy Days
- Hawaii Five-O
- Head of the Class
- Hello, Larry
- Here's Boomer
- Highway to Heaven
- Hill Street Blues
- I Married Dora
- The Incredible Hulk
- It's A Living
- It's Your Move
- The Jeffersons
- Joanie Loves Chachi
- Just the Ten of Us
- Kate & Allie
- Knight Rider
- Knots Landing
- Laverne and Shirley
- Life Goes On
- Little House on the Prairie
- Living Dolls
- The Love Boat
- M*A*S*H
- MacGyver
- Magnum P.I.
- Major Dad
- Mama's Family
- Manimal
- Married...With Children
- Max Headroom
- Miami Vice
- The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
- Misfits of Science
- Moonlighting
- Mork & Mindy
- Mr. Belvedere
- Mr. Merlin
- The Muppet Show
- My Secret Identity
- My Two Dads
- New Adventures of Beans Baxter
- Newhart
- Night Court
- One Day at a Time
- Our House
- Perfect Strangers
- The Powers of Matthew Star
- Punky Brewster
- Quantum Leap
- Quincy, M.E.
- Rags to Riches
- Real People
- Ripley's Believe It Or Not
- Roseanne
- Sidekicks
- Silver Spoons
- Sister Kate
- Sledge Hammer
- Small Wonder
- Soap
- Soul Train
- Square Pegs
- St. Elsewhere
- Star Search
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Starman
- Street Hawk
- T.J. Hooker
- Tales of the Gold Monkey
- Taxi
- That's Incredible!
- Those Amazing Animals
- Three's Company
- TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes
- The Twilight Zone
- Valerie
- Voyagers
- The Waltons
- Webster
- What's Happening
- White Shadow
- Whiz Kids
- Who’s the Boss
- WKRP in Cincinnati
- The Wonder Years
- The Wonderful World of Disney
- 21 Jump Street
- 227
