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The 20 Best TV Series of the 1980s

By YPB Team

Network powerhouses, cult favorites and the shows that quietly rewrote the rules all share this lineup. Which one still holds up best?

  1. Cheers — ranked #11
    Cheers
    A beloved Boston bar sitcom that ran from 1982 and became one of the most awarded comedies of the decade.
    1000pts
  2. The Wonder Years — ranked #22
    The Wonder Years
    A nostalgic coming-of-age dramedy narrating a boy's suburban childhood during the late 1960s.
    699pts
  3. Magnum, P.I. — ranked #33
    Magnum, P.I.
    A breezy Hawaii-set detective series starring Tom Selleck as a charming private investigator.
    550pts
  4. Hill Street Blues — ranked #44
    Hill Street Blues
    A gritty ensemble police drama that redefined the TV cop show and swept the Emmys in the early 1980s.
    498pts
  5. St. Elsewhere — ranked #55
    St. Elsewhere
    An acclaimed Boston hospital drama known for its realism and famously ambiguous finale.
    498pts
  6. Married... with Children — ranked #66
    Married... with Children
    A crude, subversive sitcom about the dysfunctional Bundy family that helped launch the Fox network.
    498pts
  7. Knight Rider — ranked #77
    Knight Rider
    A hit action series pairing David Hasselhoff with a talking, crime-fighting supercar named KITT.
    440pts
  8. Night Court — ranked #88
    Night Court
    An absurdist workplace sitcom set in a Manhattan night-shift courtroom led by a quirky young judge.
    440pts
  9. The A-Team — ranked #99
    The A-Team
    An action-packed adventure series about a team of fugitive commandos-for-hire.
    372pts
  10. Newhart — ranked #1010
    Newhart
    Bob Newhart's Vermont-inn sitcom, remembered for one of the greatest series finales in TV history.
    372pts
  11. Dynasty — ranked #1111
    Dynasty
    A lavish prime-time soap about feuding oil dynasties, epitomizing 1980s excess and glamour.
    372pts
  12. Roseanne — ranked #1212
    Roseanne
    A groundbreaking working-class family sitcom praised for its honest portrayal of blue-collar life.
    372pts
  13. Family Ties — ranked #1313
    Family Ties
    A warm family sitcom that launched Michael J. Fox as conservative teen Alex P. Keaton.
    372pts
  14. Miami Vice — ranked #1414
    Miami Vice
    A stylish, neon-soaked crime drama that made 1980s pastel fashion and synth soundtracks iconic.
    293pts
  15. Moonlighting — ranked #1515
    Moonlighting
    A genre-blending detective dramedy famed for the crackling banter between Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd.
    293pts
  16. Dallas — ranked #1616
    Dallas
    A prime-time soap about a scheming Texas oil family, famous for its 'Who shot J.R.?' cliffhanger.
    293pts
  17. The Golden Girls — ranked #1717
    The Golden Girls
    A sharp-witted sitcom about four older women sharing a Miami home that became a cultural staple.
    200pts
  18. Star Trek: The Next Generation — ranked #1818
    Star Trek: The Next Generation
    The 1987 sci-fi revival that introduced Captain Picard and reinvigorated the Star Trek franchise.
    200pts
  19. The Cosby Show — ranked #1919
    The Cosby Show
    A landmark family sitcom about the Huxtables that dominated Thursday-night ratings in the mid-1980s.
    200pts
  20. L.A. Law — ranked #2020
    L.A. Law
    A glossy legal drama that made courtroom storytelling prestige television in the late 1980s.
    0pts

#80s147#tv shows306#classics479#sitcom14

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