The 80s hype is picking up speed. Long hair, quality content, and, most importantly — 80’s sitcoms — are becoming popular each day. They are like the grandparents of our modern comedies. They defined the rules for series like Friends and How I Met Your Mother. Long forgotten, these sitcoms are having a renaissance.
Unlike the 80s movies, sitcoms will glue you to your seat for over a day. You might lose track of time while watching them. With engaging characters and rather bizarre plotlines, 1980s sitcoms explored themes that might be too hostile for some audiences today. But this aspect doesn't stop hundreds of people from rewatching the series.
Do you know why the 80s got the nickname “golden age of sitcoms”? No, not because of The Golden Girls. Stroll through the post to find out why! Upvote the series you want to watch (or already did) and read through the comments. Also, stick around to find out even more about sitcoms of the 80s — the best and longest-running ones.
The Top 10 Shows From the 80’s
Sticking with the top ten? Bored Panda users voted and selected the ten best shows of the 80s of the sitcom genre. Without a doubt, they are some of the most recognizable series in the history of TV. Think of them as the “golden” sitcoms. Like all the great shows of the decade, they did their part and left the formulas for all other sitcoms after them.
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#1 The Golden Girls
1985 - 1992 | 7 seasons | 180 episodes
Who would've thought that watching grumpy older ladies could be fun? Well, the '80s, obviously! The Golden Girls, a critically acclaimed and plentifully awarded '80s TV series, follows four dames as they go about their daily lives in a shared house they occupy together. And the grouchier their moods - the louder the laughs in the staple behind-the-scenes track. It's also worth mentioning that one of The Golden Girls' leads is played by our beloved megastar Betty White.
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70points
#2 Cheers
1982 - 1993 | 11 seasons | 275 episodes
After its premiere in September 1982, Cheers nearly got canceled as its ratings were at about sea bottom level. Thankfully, though, the broadcasting channel did not give up on it, and during the summer reruns of the first season, Cheers suddenly gained its audience, which proved to be an ever-growing one. A sitcom in all of its essence, Cheers follows a group of friends that meets and spends their time together at a bar called, you guessed it, Cheers. Filmed in front of a live audience, it has that signature sitcom laugh track and is often set in the same location. It's also a series that birthed probably one of the most successful spin-offs ever. If not for Cheers, we wouldn't have gotten Frasier!
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66points
#3 Married... With Children
1987 - 1997 | 11 seasons | 259 episodes
Married… With Children follows the lives of Al Bundy, a misogynist shoe seller, Peggy, his vain and lazy wife, and their two kids - stereotypic blonde Kelly and very uncool yet smart Bud. And if you haven't heard about this legendary series, you are definitely a rare specimen as it was an absolute '80s TV staple. Loathed by plenty for its mean-spiritedness, Married… With Children still had a solid allure based on Ed O'Neill's portrayal of Al, relatable family situations and a pretty gloomy sense of humor which resonated with audiences worldwide.
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62points
#4 ALF
1986 - 1990 | 4 seasons | 102 episodes
ALF (Alien Life Form) sitcom centers around an… alien. His real name is Gordon Shumway from planet Melmac and he crash-lands into the Tanner family garage. It turns out that ALF is the sole survivor of his species and the Tanners take him in as a permanent family member. ALF’s boredom of living on Earth, his culture shock, survivor guilt, and the wish to consume the family cat makes his integration into a great and hilarious ordeal. It’s always fun to see how an alien life form would deal with living among us, and the ALF series makes it all the more entertaining!
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58points
#5 Night Court
1984 - 1992 | 9 seasons | 193 episodes
As shown by many TV series, the night shift at the court is generally a gathering place for low-lives, outcasts, and criminals, often with no comedic element in their endeavors. With Night Court, though, the premise takes another turn, and the night shift proceedings, conducted by a young and very unorthodox judge Harold Stone, are usually a place for hilarious happenings and humor.
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57points
#6 Family Ties
1982 - 1989 | 7 seasons | 176 episodes
In our days, it's usually the kids that are hip and the parents that are square. Well, in Family Ties universe, it's all reversed - ex-hippie parents and conservationist '80s kids. And, that's precisely where the conflict lies, and it's never dull to follow this family in their daily lives when their views on life and politics are divided by a chasm. A brilliant depiction of actual events and culture of the decade gained this series plenty of awards and accolades.
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57points
#7 The Wonder Years
1988 - 1993 | 6 seasons | 115 episodes
The Wonder Years, a coming-of-age comedy-drama, follows teenager Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage) as he grows up in a suburban middle-class family in the late ‘60s. The series' unique storytelling, stellar acting, and relatable happenings gained The Wonder Years many awards and accolades. Today, many critics agree that The Wonder Years is a true classic, having inspired plenty of shows that were created after.
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56points
#8 Who's The Boss?
1984 - 1992 | 8 seasons | 196 episodes
Consistently successful in ratings, beloved by audiences, and plentifully awarded, Who's The Boss was a genuine old-fashioned love story in its best sense. It is also unique for its time for a clear role reversal of the characters, where a woman is a breadwinner, and a man takes care of the household. A fresh perspective that agreed very well with viewers.
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48points
#9 The A-Team
1983 - 1987 | 5 seasons | 98 episodes
This action-adventure series follows a foursome of ex-military personnel, wrongfully sentenced and imprisoned. Of course, the four of them escape to Los Angeles and become soldiers of fortune, bringing justice to the little man. Impressionable characters, cartoonish violence, and cool catchphrases are what made The A-Team an iconic series of the decade. Also, its episodic nature, where you can tune in whenever without missing essential plot details, made it very agreeable with audiences and The A-Team soon skyrocketed to the top of the ratings.
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47points
#10 Perfect Strangers
1986 - 1993 | 8 seasons | 150 episodes
Perfect Strangers is a sitcom documenting the rocky coexistence between a midwesterner, Larry Appleton, and his distant cousin from a fictional Mediterranean island, Balki Bartokomous. Think of Larry as the perfect polite citizen of society and of Balki as someone like Borat - a well-meaning although terribly misinformed foreigner. Now, picture them trying to live together, and here you have Perfect Strangers! It’s funny, it’s tasteful, and always entertaining - a series that became an inspiration for plenty more TV entertainment.
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46points
What is the Golden Age of Sitcoms?
The age of greed did have some horrible moments, with movies especially. However, TV shows did have a resurgence in the decade. Animation and acting-wise, the bar was raised. Quality became the standard, and humor became modern — the golden age for 80s family sitcoms began. It continued to the other decade, although with some minimal changes.
However, there were other golden ages in history. What made the 80s different was the rise of multiple channels. In the 80s, more networks tried to copy each other, replicating the success. The network competition brew series seems to follow the same trends. People got the chance to find their favorite sitcoms in just a few clicks.
#11 Moonlighting
1985 - 1989 | 5 seasons | 67 episodes
Moonlighting is a comedy-drama television series that centered around the events in the lives of two private detectives. Want to guess who they were played by? Well, none other than Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd! Now that’s a pair that would gather some attention, am I right? The show itself is a fun mixture of mystery, romance, comedy, and drama that was considered to be one of the prime examples of the ‘dramedy’ genre. Besides all this already intriguing stuff, Moonlighting’s theme song was written by Al Jarreau, instantly becoming a hit. See, now it’s truly a wonder how this series fell under our radar before!
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46points
#12 Growing Pains
1985 - 1992 | 7 seasons | 166 episodes
Growing Pains follows the Seaver family - a reporter mom Maggie and a psychiatrist dad Jason who works from home watching over their three kids. Augmented by realistic and relatable situations, a great sense of humor, and stellar acting, Growing Pains was an instant hit in the ratings. And it also had a nice surprise in the seventh season, as a very teenage Leonardo DiCaprio entered the series playing Luke Brower. And who could resist Leo's charms?
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45points
#13 Roseanne
1988 - 1997 | 10 seasons | 231 episodes
Roseanne follows the lives of the Conners, a working-class family struggling to make ends meet. The family consisted of lively and outspoken Roseanne, her husband Dan, and their three kids (though later in the series, they have a fourth). Roseanne was praised for its realistic portrayal of a blue-collar family and for the fact that its lead characters were noticeably overweight without it being some sort of staple joke of the series. Provocative topics were also a huge part of the series, making it even more relatable to real-life working-class families.
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44points
#14 Full House
1987 - 1995 | 8 seasons | 192 episodes
Full House chronicles the life of widower Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law and best friend to help raise his three daughters. And you just know that there's bound to be some hilarious misunderstandings with young girls being raised by young and very inexperienced guys. Though the show was never a favorite among critics who often called it an exemplary depiction of a completely dysfunctional family, it was a great hit among the audiences. So much so that it keeps on gaining popularity in syndicated international reruns.
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44points
#15 Saved By The Bell
1989 - 1993 | 4 seasons | 86 episodes
Saved By The Bell follows a group of high school friends and their lives at a fictional Bayside High School in Los Angeles. Though its main attraction is the comedic situations spawning from your regular and painstakingly familiar high school happenings, Saved By The Bell didn't shy away from more serious topics. Throughout its run, the series discussed a broad array of those - from DUIs to environmental issues, it wanted to tell the youth about the problems they might encounter. And if watching and re-watching the series, the spin-offs, and the revivals just isn't enough, you can always read one of the 21 novels based on the show.
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44points
#16 Coach
1989 - 1997 | 9 seasons | 200 episodes
Coach centers around the life of Hayden Fox, whose main interest, goal, and passion in life is football. This obsession causes a great friction in his relationships with his partner and his daughter. And, although Hayden is the most stereotypical jock in many instances in life, he also has a softer, caring side that makes him want to do right by others and by himself. The Coach series itself was also kind of a jock in its own right, winning plenty of awards and being named as one of the top TV series for five consecutive years!
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42points
#17 Newhart
1982 - 1990 | 8 seasons | 184 episodes
The Newhart series catches your attention from the very first moment for its setting. And although the bustling streets of New York City might pop into your mind, Newhart is actually set in rural Vermont. Life is slow here, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be filled with various eccentric and dubious characters which our protagonists - Bob and Mary - have to deal with in the Stratford Inn they are operating there. A solid ratings winner and the conqueror of audiences’ attention, Newhart is truly an iconic sitcom of the ‘80s.
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41points
#18 Family Matters
1989 - 1998 | 9 seasons | 215 episodes
Family Matters is a spin-off series of another show called Perfect Strangers that ran from 1986. The events in Family Matters are centered on the Winslows, a middle-class African-American family living in Chicago. Somewhere in the first season, the series introduced a new character - Steve Urkel - a nerdy neighbor who was supposed to be a one-time character. Alas, he became the breakthrough character of Family Matters, soon taking the leading spot. Family Matters is a genuinely fun, entertaining series that very deservedly gained its spot in TV entertainment's hall of fame.
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40points
#19 Mama's Family
1983 - 1990 | 6 seasons | 130 episodes
Mama’s Family is a sitcom that’s actually a spin-off of recurring sketches from The Carol Burnett Show. You know, it’s a fact that some of the best TV series ever were spin-offs from comedy sketches, and Mama’s Family is no exception. Full of wacky misadventures of the Harper family, this show brings one gag after the other, and you’ll laugh until your belly aches!
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34points
