The Best Shows of the 1980s, Ranked

Updated January 6, 2021 283.8k votes 11.1k voters 519.4k views315 items

List RulesOnly TV series that aired between 1980 and 1989, based only on the seasons and eps of those years.

List of the best television shows from the '80s, as ranked by television fans. In the 1980s, sitcoms were among the most talked about and most watched shows on the air. Shows like Cheers, The Cosby Show, Murphy Brown, and The Golden Girls were always topics of conversation around the water cooler. Family sitcoms were especially popular, with the rise of shows like Family Ties, The Wonder Years, The Facts of Life, and Who’s the Boss.

Procedural crime dramas like Miami Vice, Knight Rider, and Remington Steele were popular, not only for the feather-haired hunks and uniquely '80s fashion, but also for their action-packed plots. The '80s also saw a rise in soap-style primetime television. The goings on in Dynasty and Dallas were constant topics of conversation. Many of the more popular shows lasted well into the next decade, but even some of the most well-remembered shows of the 80s only lasted a season or two, such as Max Headroom and The Greatest American Hero.

What are your favorite shows from the '80s? Take a look at this list filled with the best shows the '80s had to offer. Maybe you’ll be inspired to take out those old Betamax recordings and rewatch your favorite actually-good '80s shows that really hold up. For more 80s TV, check out the best shows set in the 1980s.

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3,073
1,371
Cheers
1982-1993
Actors: Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
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2
2,168
851
Happy Days
1974
Actors: Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Musical, Comedy, Family Film
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#253 of 277 The Most Overrated TV Shows Of All Time#92 of 239 The Greatest TV Shows for Women
3
3,099
1,381
Magnum, P.I.
1980-1988
Actors: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Drama, Adventure film
4
2,544
1,126
Knight Rider
1982-1986
Actors: David Hasselhoff, Edward Mulhare, Richard Basehart
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Drama, Adventure film, Action
5
1,710
638
The Muppet Show
1976
Actors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt
Genres (Tv): Sketch comedy, Variety show, Children's television series, Live action, Comedy
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6
2,688
1,130
Married... with Children
1987-1997
Actors: Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
7
2,405
988
MacGyver
1985-1992
Actors: Richard Dean Anderson, Dana Elcar, Bruce McGill
Genres (Tv): Espionage, Action/Adventure, Adventure film, Action
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#13 of 75 The Best ABC Shows of All Time#22 of 89 The Best 1980s Primetime TV Shows

8
2,599
1,152
The Dukes of Hazzard
1979-1985
Actors: Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach
Genres (Tv): Action/Adventure, Drama, Adventure film, Comedy-drama, Comedy
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#11 of 70 The Best Crime Fighting Duo TV Series#15 of 64 The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
9
2,057
904
Three's Company
1977
Actors: John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
10
2,567
1,233
M*A*S*H
1972-1983
Actors: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swi
Genres (Tv): Black comedy, Medical drama, Sitcom, Satire, Military
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#9 of 385 The Greatest TV Dramas of All Time#26 of 95 The Best Dramedy TV Series
11
1,534
640
Mork & Mindy
1978
Actors: Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Ralph James
Genres (Tv): Soap opera, Sitcom, Comedy, Science Fiction
12
2,618
1,196
The Golden Girls
1985-1992
Actors: Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
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13
1,313
401
Quantum Leap
1989
Actors: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Deborah Pratt
Genres (Tv): Procedural drama, Drama, Science Fiction
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14
2,571
1,114
The A-Team
1983-1987
Actors: George Peppard, Mr. T, Dwight Schultz
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Military, Adventure film, Action
15
1,817
895
WKRP in Cincinnati
1978
Actors: Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Howard Hesseman
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
16
1,611
661
The Jetsons
1962
Actors: George O'Hanlon, Janet Waldo, Mel Blanc
Genres (Tv): Animation, Sitcom, Animated cartoon, Children's television series, Science Fiction
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#7 of 344 The Best Kids Cartoons of All Time#60 of 687 The Best Cartoons of All Time
17
1,654
703
Growing Pains
1985
Actors: Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller
Genres (Tv): Sitcom
18
2,466
1,259
Family Ties
1982-1989
Actors: Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
19
1,433
707
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
Actors: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes
Genres (Tv): Action/Adventure, Drama, Adventure film, Action, Science Fiction
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20
1,375
603
The Incredible Hulk
1977
Actors: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Jack Colvin
Genres (Tv): Drama, Live action, Action, Science Fiction
21
1,467
517
The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show
1980
Actors: Frank Welker, Lou Scheimer
Genres (Tv): Animation, Variety show, Children's television series, Comedy, Animated series
22
2,189
1,116
Miami Vice
1984-1990
Actors: Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Saundra Santiago
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
23
1,387
669
Saved by the Bell
1989
Actors: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Teen situation comedy, Comedy
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24
1,858
935
Who's the Boss?
1984-1992
Actors: Tony Danza, Judith Light, Alyssa Milano
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
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#113 of 443 The Funniest TV Shows of All Time#81 of 305 The Greatest Sitcoms in Television History
25
2,243
1,211
Night Court
1984-1992
Actors: Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Richard Moll
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy, Legal