Forgotten Shows That Vanished With The Decade

The 1980s produced some truly bizarre TV shows that disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived. Networks filled the decade with futuristic crimefighters, aliens, supernatural sitcoms, and offbeat comedies that only lasted one season. Some featured future stars, while others became forgotten cult curiosities that perfectly captured how weird 1980s TV could be.

Screenshot from Manimal (1983), NBC

Manimal

NBC’s Manimal starred Simon MacCorkindale as Dr. Jonathan Chase, a man who could transform into animals. It aired for one season in 1983 and produced eight episodes. The concept was pure Glen A. Larson era television, with crime-solving, transformation effects, and a title nobody could forget. Even though the series disappeared quickly, it remains one of the most famously bizarre TV ideas of the decade.

Screenshot from Manimal, NBC (1983)

Automan

ABC’s Automan aired from 1983 to 1984 and came from producer Glen A. Larson. Desi Arnaz Jr. played a police computer expert who created a holographic crimefighter named Automan. The series produced 13 episodes, though only 12 aired on ABC. Its glowing visual effects and digital world aesthetic made it feel heavily inspired by the success of Tron.

Screenshot from Automan, Universal Television (1983–1984)

Street Hawk

Street Hawk aired on ABC in 1985 and followed an injured motorcycle cop recruited for a secret crime-fighting mission. Rex Smith starred as Jesse Mach, the rider of a high-tech attack motorcycle. The show lasted 13 episodes, which was just enough time to become a cult memory for gadget-loving kids. It arrived during the same era that networks were trying to recreate the success of Knight Rider.

Screenshot from Street Hawk, Universal Television(1985)

Blue Thunder

ABC adapted the 1983 movie Blue Thunder into a 1984 action series. James Farentino played the helicopter pilot, while future Saturday Night Live star Dana Carvey appeared as Clinton “JAFO” Wonderlove. The show produced 11 episodes before disappearing from the schedule. Its military-style action sequences gave it a very different feel from most police dramas of the era.

Screenshot from Blue Thunder, Columbia Pictures (1983)

Police Squad!

ABC’s Police Squad! aired only six episodes in 1982. Leslie Nielsen played Detective Frank Drebin in the spoof series from David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. The show was canceled quickly, but its style later became the foundation for The Naked Gun films. In hindsight, the series was simply ahead of its time.

Screenshot from Police Squad!, Paramount Television (1982)

Square Pegs

CBS aired Square Pegs during the 1982-1983 season. Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Linker played awkward teens trying to fit in at Weemawee High School. The sitcom lasted 20 episodes and perfectly captured adolescent insecurity and social awkwardness. Over the years, it has become more appreciated for its sharp writing and early performances.

Screenshot from Square Pegs, CBS (1982–1983)

The Duck Factory

NBC’s The Duck Factory aired in 1984 and gave Jim Carrey one of his earliest starring TV roles. He played Skip Tarkenton, a young cartoonist working at a struggling animation studio. The sitcom produced 13 episodes before Carrey’s bigger fame arrived elsewhere. Watching it today feels like discovering a hidden preview of his future comedic energy.

Screenshot from The Duck Factory, NBC (1984)

It’s Your Move

NBC’s It’s Your Move aired from 1984 to 1985. Jason Bateman starred as teenage con artist Matthew Burton, whose plans were complicated by his mother’s new boyfriend. The show lasted 18 episodes and featured unusually clever writing for a teen sitcom. Bateman’s sarcastic performance hinted at the dry humor he later became known for.

Screenshot from It’s Your Move, Columbia Pictures Television (1984-1985)

Frank’s Place

CBS aired Frank’s Place during the 1987-1988 season. Tim Reid starred as a Boston professor who inherits his father’s New Orleans restaurant. The acclaimed comedy-drama produced 22 episodes, but CBS did not renew it for a second season. Critics praised the show for its mature storytelling and rich cultural setting.

Screenshot from Frank’s Place, Viacom Productions (1987-1988)

Living Dolls

ABC’s Living Dolls aired in 1989 as a spin-off of Who’s the Boss? The sitcom featured Michael Learned, Leah Remini, and Halle Berry in an early acting role. It produced 13 episodes and focused on teenage models living together in New York City. The show disappeared quickly, but its cast later became much more recognizable.

Screenshot from Living Dolls, Columbia Pictures Television (1989)

Free Spirit

ABC’s Free Spirit premiered in 1989 and starred Corinne Bohrer as a witch who becomes a live-in housekeeper. Alyson Hannigan appeared as one of the children years before Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The fantasy sitcom produced 14 episodes, with one left unaired in the United States. Its magical premise fit perfectly into the family sitcom landscape of the late 1980s.

Screenshot from Living Dolls, Columbia Pictures Television (1989)

Jennifer Slept Here

NBC’s Jennifer Slept Here aired from 1983 to 1984. Ann Jillian played the ghost of a movie star who befriends a teenage boy living in her old house. The fantasy sitcom lasted 13 episodes and turned a haunted-house premise into family comedy. The show mixed supernatural humor with standard sitcom storytelling.

Screenshot from Jennifer Slept Here, Columbia Pictures Television (1983–1984)

Mr. Smith

NBC’s Mr. Smith aired in 1983 and centered on a highly intelligent talking orangutan. The character became a political adviser after gaining human-level intelligence. The sitcom ran for 13 episodes, which may have been exactly the right amount for that premise. Even by 1980s standards, the concept sounded wonderfully strange.

Screenshot from Mr. Smith, NBC (1983)

Bay City Blues

NBC’s Bay City Blues aired in 1983 and was created by Steven Bochco and Jeffrey Lewis. The comedy-drama followed a minor league baseball team and starred Michael Nouri, Dennis Franz, and Pat Corley. Eight episodes were produced, but only four aired before cancellation. The series later gained attention because of Bochco’s future television success.

Screenshot from Bay City Blues, NBC (1983)

E/R

CBS aired E/R from 1984 to 1985, nearly a decade before NBC’s famous ER. Elliott Gould starred as Dr. Howard Sheinfeld in the medical sitcom. The series produced 22 episodes and also featured a young George Clooney in the cast. Modern viewers are often surprised to learn Clooney appeared in another hospital series first.

Screenshot from E/R, Sony Pictures Television (1984-1985)

Misfits Of Science

NBC’s Misfits of Science aired from 1985 to 1986. The sci-fi comedy-drama followed a team of super-powered oddballs and featured Courteney Cox before Friends. It produced 16 episodes and blended comic-book concepts with light adventure storytelling. The show now feels like an early template for superhero ensemble television.

Screenshot from Misfits of Science, NBC (1985–1986)

Otherworld

CBS’s Otherworld aired for eight episodes in 1985. The sci-fi series followed a family trapped in a strange parallel world ruled by a controlling government. Jonathan Banks appeared in the cast, giving modern viewers a familiar face before Breaking Bad. The ambitious world-building made it memorable for the few people who watched it.

Screenshot from Otherworld, CBS (1985)

The Wizard

CBS’s The Wizard aired from 1986 to 1987. David Rappaport starred as Simon McKay, a brilliant inventor and philanthropist who used his gadgets to help people. The action-adventure series produced 19 episodes. Its blend of technology and mystery made it feel like a cousin to other high-concept adventure shows from the era.

Screenshot from The Wizard, 20th Century Fox Television(1986-1987)

The Phoenix

ABC’s The Phoenix aired in 1982 and starred Judson Scott as Bennu of the Golden Light. The story followed an ancient extraterrestrial awakened in modern times after being found in a Peruvian sarcophagus. It lasted only five episodes, making it one of the decade’s shortest sci-fi experiments. The mystical tone gave it a very different feel from most alien series.

Screenshot from The Phoenix, ABC(1982)

The Powers Of Matthew Star

NBC’s The Powers of Matthew Star aired from 1982 to 1983. Peter Barton played an alien prince hiding on Earth as a high school student, while Louis Gossett Jr. played his guardian. The series produced 22 episodes and mixed teen drama with science fiction. Its premise sounds like several later YA stories rolled into one show.

Screenshot from The Powers of Matthew Star, Universal Pictures(1982–1983)

Hard Time On Planet Earth

CBS’s Hard Time on Planet Earth aired in 1989. Martin Kove starred as an alien warrior sentenced to live on Earth with a floating robotic parole officer named Control. The midseason sci-fi series produced 13 episodes before cancellation. The show combined action, comedy, and fish-out-of-water storytelling in a very late-1980s way.

Screenshot from Hard Time On Planet Earth, CBS (1989)

Alien Nation

Fox’s Alien Nation aired from 1989 to 1990 and adapted the 1988 film of the same name. Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint starred in a police procedural about humans and alien “Newcomers” living together in Los Angeles. The show lasted one season, but later continued through TV movies. Its themes about prejudice and immigration gave it more depth than viewers expected.

Screenshot from Alien Nation, Fox Network (1989-1990)

Sara

NBC’s Sara aired in 1985 and starred Geena Davis as a lawyer in a San Francisco legal aid office. The cast also included Alfre Woodard, Bronson Pinchot, and Bill Maher. The sitcom produced 13 episodes and included one of the earlier regular gay characters on American television. Despite its progressive elements, the show faded quickly from public memory.

Screenshot from Sara, NBCUniversal (1985)

I Married Dora

ABC’s I Married Dora aired from 1987 to 1988. Daniel Hugh Kelly played a single father who marries his housekeeper, played by Elizabeth Peña, to keep her from being deported. The sitcom lasted 13 episodes and became best remembered for its unusual finale. In the final episode, characters openly acknowledged that the show had been canceled.

Screenshot from I Married Dora, ABC(1987-1988)

Starman

ABC’s Starman aired from 1986 to 1987 and continued the story of the 1984 John Carpenter film. Robert Hays played the returning alien, while Christopher Daniel Barnes played his teenage son. The series produced 22 episodes and leaned heavily into a father-son road story. Although it disappeared after one season, fans of the film still remember it fondly.

Screenshot from Starman, Columbia Pictures Television (1986–1987)

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Sources:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24