Top TV of the 1980s
by fugazi-grrl | created - 19 Nov 2011 | updated - 19 Nov 2011 | PublicA list of TV shows I either watched in the 1980s, or have since discovered. All of these shows are among my favorites in either case.
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1. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
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.
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton
Votes: 135,851
2. MacGyver (1985–1992)
TV-PG | 48 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The adventures of a secret Agent armed with almost infinite scientific resourcefulness.
Stars: Richard Dean Anderson, Dana Elcar, Bruce McGill, Robin Mossley
Votes: 41,987
3. St. Elsewhere (1982–1988)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
The lives and work of the staff of St. Eligius Hospital, an old and disrespected Boston teaching hospital.
Stars: Ed Begley Jr., Howie Mandel, David Morse, Christina Pickles
Votes: 5,207
4. The A-Team (1983–1987)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Four Vietnam vets, framed for a crime they didn't commit, help the innocent while on the run from the military.
Stars: George Peppard, Mr. T, Dwight Schultz, Dirk Benedict
Votes: 41,771
5. Not Necessarily the News (1982–1990)
Comedy
An offbeat look at current events, often by dubbing over news video with farcical commentary.
Stars: Anne Bloom, Danny Breen, Lucy Webb, Mitchell Laurance
Votes: 575
6. Doctor Who (1963–1989)
TV-PG | 25 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
The adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.
Stars: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker
Votes: 39,507
7. Hart to Hart (1979–1984)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The globe-trotting adventures of amateur detectives Jonathan and Jennifer Hart.
Stars: Robert Wagner, Stefanie Powers, Lionel Stander, Lee Wilkof
Votes: 8,785
8. Simon & Simon (1981–1989)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two brothers of disparate tastes and manners run a private detective agency.
Stars: Jameson Parker, Gerald McRaney, Mary Carver, Tim Reid
Votes: 6,103
9. The Phoenix (1981–1982)
60 min | Sci-Fi
An ancient and powerful human-like alien is pursued on modern Earth while he searches for his long lost partner.
Stars: Judson Scott, Richard Lynch, E.G. Marshall, Carmen Argenziano
Votes: 342
10. Cheers (1982–1993)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama
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.
Stars: Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt
Votes: 61,985
11. Beauty and the Beast (1987–1990)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
The adventures and romance of a sensitive and cultured lion-man and a crusading assistant district attorney in Manhattan, New York City.
Stars: Ron Perlman, Roy Dotrice, Jay Acovone, Linda Hamilton
Votes: 7,880
12. Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
TV-PG | 48 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The adventures of a Hawaii-based private investigator.
Stars: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, Larry Manetti
Votes: 28,919
13. M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
TV-PG | 25 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
Stars: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
Votes: 63,743
14. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979–1981)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A 20th-century astronaut emerges out of 500 years of suspended animation into a future time to become Earth's greatest hero.
Stars: Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Felix Silla, Mel Blanc
Votes: 10,384
15. Unsolved Mysteries (1987–2010)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Combines dramatic re-enactments, interviews and updates, to tell stories of real mysteries, from human to the supernatural.
Stars: Robert Stack, Dennis Farina, Keely Shaye Brosnan, William Roll
Votes: 6,630
16. Wiseguy (1987–1990)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Vincent Terranova is an agent with the Organized Crime Bureau infiltrating dangerous criminal organizations, struggling to remain true to himself while becoming close to the criminal leaders he is sworn to bring down.
Stars: Jonathan Banks, Jim Byrnes, Ken Wahl, Dwight Koss
Votes: 2,920
17. Dallas (1978–1991)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
J.R. Ewing, a Texas oil baron, uses manipulation and blackmail to achieve his ambitions, both business and personal. He often comes into conflict with his brother Bobby, his arch-enemy Cliff Barnes and his long-suffering wife Sue Ellen.
Stars: Larry Hagman, Ken Kercheval, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray
Votes: 16,574
18. Knight Rider (1982–1986)
TV-PG | 46 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A lone crimefighter battles the forces of evil with the help of a virtually indestructible and artificially intelligent supercar.
Stars: David Hasselhoff, Edward Mulhare, Richard Basehart, Patricia McPherson
Votes: 37,560
19. The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Comedy
The adventures of the fast-drivin', rubber-burnin' Duke boys of Hazzard County.
Stars: Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach, Denver Pyle
Votes: 15,676
20. Benson (1979–1986)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family
Jessica Tate's sharp-tongued former butler, Benson DuBois, moves up in the world, becoming first the governor's "director of household affairs," then the state's budget director, then lieutenant governor and candidate for the executive mansion.
Stars: Robert Guillaume, James Noble, Inga Swenson, Missy Gold
Votes: 4,149
21. Misfits of Science (1985–1986)
60 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
The adventures of a team of misfit superheroes who fight crime for a scientific think tank.
Stars: Dean Paul Martin, Kevin Peter Hall, Mark Thomas Miller, Courteney Cox
Votes: 1,254
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