Entertainment

The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s  

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Originally by Ranker Community
125.4k votes 9.3k voters 633k views 65 items

List Rules Includes situation comedies (sitcoms) that originally aired in the 80s

What are the best 80's sitcoms? The 1980s were truly a golden age for television comedy, with many of the most popular TV sitcoms dominating the landscape. Trying to choose favorites is a bit of a challenge, with so many excellent shows, but that's what's going on right here. Vote for the famous 80s sitcoms that you loved the most, vote down any you didn't like and feel free to re-rank this list in any order you choose.

No list of great 80s sitcoms would be complete without several of the notable NBC comedies. In the 1980s, NBC came on strong with brilliant, groundbreaking situation comedy shows that captured viewers' collective attention. Given their popularity, is it any wonder that some of these top programs are among the longest running US sitcoms? Many of these 80s shows also went on to become the best NBC comedies of all time: Can anyone argue that The Cosby Show, Cheers, and Family Ties, aren't forever a part of pop culture?

From Newhart to Murphy Brown and beyond, this list of outstanding 1980's comedy TV shows includes some of the greatest sitcoms in television history. Enjoy this walk down TV memory lane, and don't forget to vote!

list ordered by
1
Cheers is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger
Cheers is an American sitcom that ran for eleven seasons between 1982 and 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Network Television for ...more
2
The Golden Girls is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom, created by Susan Harris, that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and ...more
3
Family Ties is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 22, 1982 until May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States from the ...more
4
Night Court is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Richard Moll
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, ...more
5
Married... with Children is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal
Married... with Children is an American sitcom that aired for 11 seasons. It featured a dysfunctional family living in a fictional Chicago suburb. The series, notable for being the first ...more
6
Three's Company is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977 to September 18, 1984 on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom Man About the House. The story revolves around three single ...more
7
Happy Days is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life ...more
8
Growing Pains is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron
Growing Pains (ABC, 1985) is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens. In Long Island, New York, Dr. Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) and his wife, Maggie (Joanna Kerns), take care of ...more
9
M*A*S*H is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swi
M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH. The series, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ...more
10
Who's the Boss? is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Tony Danza, Judith Light, Alyssa Milano
Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992. Produced by Embassy Television, in association with ...more
11
The Wonder Years is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Daniel Stern
The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988, following ABC's ...more
12
The Cosby Show is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Keshia Knight Pulliam
The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on the Huxtable family, ...more
13
ALF is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
bojanthebest added Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros, Paul Fusco, Max Wright
ALF is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 22, 1986 to March 24, 1990. It was the first television series to be presented in Dolby Surround sound system. The title character is ...more
14
WKRP in Cincinnati is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Howard Hesseman
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy television series that features the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was ...more
15
Newhart is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Bob Newhart, Mary Frann, Tom Poston
Newhart is an American television situation comedy which aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990. The series starred comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an ...more
16
Roseanne is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf
Roseanne is an American sitcom that was broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working-class family. ...more
17
Taxi is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito
Taxi is an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series—which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series—focuses ...more
18
Coach is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
wiabux added Craig T. Nelson, Jerry Van Dyke, Shelley Fabares
Coach is an American television sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997. The series stars Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional Division I-A college ...more
19
Moonlighting is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley
Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes. Starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as ...more
20
Laverne & Shirley is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, David L. Lander
Laverne & Shirley is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from January 27, 1976 to May 10, 1983. It starred Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney, ...more
21
Full House is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Bob Saget, John Stamos, Dave Coulier
Full House is an American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show chronicles a widowed father, who enlists his best friend and his brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters. It ...more
22
The Dukes of Hazzard is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, ...more
23
Perfect Strangers is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Bronson Pinchot, Mark Linn-Baker, Melanie Wilson
Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky ...more
24
Designing Women is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts
Designing Women is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, until May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 178 episodes. The ...more
25
Murphy Brown is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
Candice Bergen, Grant Shaud, Robert Pastorelli
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy ...more