These popular shows have been rated according to IMDb rankings.
The '80s had a whole host of shows that got many viewers glued to their TV sets. While some may not have aged as well as the others, and some actors have been called out for their off-screen behavior, the shows have had quite an impact on audiences. According to Screen Rant, the situational comedies of this particular decade often focused on family or workplace environments. The characters were often over-the-top when it came to landing jokes. Some however even tackled serious topics. Are your favorites on this list? Let's have a look.
Married With Children hit our TV screens in April 1987, and is about a married couple with children. While this is a common trope in many shows, at the time it was quite a rarity! The story revolves around Al Bundy and his wife Peg who could barely stand each other. They weren't particularly fawning over their kids either. The Bundys are clearly a family like no other in this hilarious, over-the-top family sitcom.
Created by Susan Harris, the Emmy award-winning sitcom earned all four of its leading ladies awards for their work on the show. Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, and Betty White brought The Golden Girls to iconic status, being particularly progressive for its time and having four older women as leads, made it all the more groundbreaking.
FYI The Golden Girls is STILL really funny even 36 years later. pic.twitter.com/S44lHdcXCc
— Jeremy Baratheon (@jermlikespie) February 11, 2021
This show might have been even more popular for its catchy theme song. Cheers stars Ted Danson as Sam Malone, the owner of a bar, and the sitcom focused on his relationship with his co-workers and friends. The show was a hit and ran for 11 seasons with the final being one of the most-watched series finales of all time.
The series stars Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as author and wife who own and operate an inn situated in a rural Vermont town. The ensemble comedy was a hit amidst audiences for being fun and heartwarming, from start to end. The show too had a widely watched finale.
This hilarious comedy has Harry Anderson as a judge who, with the help of his crew, is in charge of some wacky, bizarre cases during a night court. Like a lot of shows during the 80s, this was also a workplace-based sitcom.
Now, this show was not your ordinary sitcom. The show begins with an alien spaceship crashing into the garage of the Tanner family. They take the alien and treat him as their own and name him ALF. The goofy, over-the-top show had a lot of fans and so did the wise-cracking alien.
The popular series is about the Huxtables, an upper-middle-class Black family, and their life. The characters on the show are memorable and lovable and the series even addresses some more serious topics, such as learning disabilities and teen pregnancy. However, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding Bill Cosby, the star of the show who has been convicted of a number of sex offenses in 2018. Bill Cosby maintains his innocence.
The show has the quintessential over-the-top 80s humor in every episode. It features Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper (Mama). The show is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called The Family featured on The Carol Burnett Show (1974–78) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979).
This show followed the story of the Keatons, a middle-class family in Columbus, Ohio. They include a free-spirited hippie couple who have a Republican son played by Michael J. Fox. It draws light to the values of the 1960s against the values of the new decade. The show was an enormous hit and ran for seven seasons.
Created by Dale McRaven, this show shed light on Larry Appleton and his eastern Mediterranean cousin, Balki Bartokomous, and their different personalities. The show ran for eight seasons between March 1986 and August 1993. Audiences particularly loved the show for the chemistry between the two leads.
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