We should take a look at the 21 best television shows from the 1980s because we were pretty spoiled growing up with so many classic shows.This led to a more communal viewing experience because there were only three networks.In today’s world, there are so many entertainment platforms competing for your attention that you feel as though you’re being buried under content.
This article will examine a time when it was simpler to access television’s most popular shows.Naturally, this comes from my perspective, so this list takes into account my own senses. However, here is a list of the 21 best television shows from the 1980s.
Conditions:
I’m going to concentrate on shows that ran mostly through the 1980s, so I won’t talk about shows like Saved by the Bell or Seinfeld that started in 1989 but became popular in the 1990s.
That will also include shows like Three’s Company and The Muppet Show, which started in the 1970s and continued for a few years into the 1980s.This list also differs from my article on the best 1980s cartoons, so be sure to read that as well.
Silver Spoons was a show that allowed Ricky Schroder to play Ricky Stratton in a situation similar to that of Annie and the Fresh Prince.Ricky moves in with a father he has never met in a mansion.Ricky supports him as he grows up because his father is a man-child who owns a toy company.His mom was simply hitched to his dad for a week and he has a granddad who shares Ricky’s sensibilities.
From September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986, Silver Spoons aired on NBC, followed by a syndication season from September 15, 1986 to March 4, 1987.It was a Sunday night show that aired at 7:30 on the air, and you may not remember that it ran this late into the decade.This was a fun show with a theme song called “together,” which changed from season to season and even had a synthesized version.
Even though it wasn’t the greatest show ever, it still deserves to be on this list.A few interesting facts:
Silver Spoons introduced us to Jason Bateman, who played Derek and was becoming so popular that they were concerned about him upsetting Ricky. This The house used in the opening actually exists in England and is called Compton Wynyates. It was built in 1481, for crying out loud.He was actually kicked out of the show for this.
The Brilliant Young ladies
The Brilliant Young ladies was way out of my sweet spot however a striking show during the 80s that had a gigantic following.From September 14, 1985 to May 9, 1982, it aired on NBC.The story of four elderly women who live together in a Miami home was called Golden Girls.Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty were among the show’s notable stars.
When I saw Golden Girls, I realized that a lot of the jokes were pretty taboo, even when I was young.The series won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes for its excellent writing.With the exception of one year out of the seven seasons, Golden Girls was also a ratings juggernaut because it consistently ranked among the top ten shows.In that last season, it dropped to number 30, yet the show would normally average something like 20 million watchers.
Each of the four stars won an Emmy at one point, making Golden Girls one of only three sitcoms ever to do so. The original script featured a gay cook, which would have been pretty groundbreaking.However, it was decided that the show should spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and that it would be better for the girls to be cooking. Estelle Getty’s role as Sophia was originally going to be a guest star. However, she auditioned and performed so well that they had to include her. Dallas I shot J.R. – are you happy now?Dallas, similar to the Brilliant Young ladies, was one more show that was over my head as a youthful’ un during the 80s, however I was extremely mindful of it.Dallas was one of those shows that created a huge collective viewing experience, so it’s possible that it was the inception of “water cooler talk.”
The Ewings, a very wealthy family from Texas who were always fighting, were the focus of the show.The initial focus of the show was on Bobby and Pamela’s wedding, and then J. R. Ewing took center stage.Dallas was initially intended to be a five-part CBS miniseries, but due to its popularity, a complete series was ordered.The show’s pretty dramatic themes of power, sex, money, wealth, and basically all the Bible’s sins were what made it popular.
The majority of people probably are unaware that Dallas ran for the entire 1980s decade.It began in 1978 with the miniseries and continued until 1991.It ranked first overall in 1981, 1982, and 1984, and it remained in the top ten most-watched shows from 1980 to 1986.Other years, it remained number 2.What I’m trying to say is that this show was huge. It first aired on Saturday nights, which are typically unaffected by original network programming; however, it eventually moved to Sundays.