Wait...These Were Real TV Shows?
Everybody remembers Cheers. Everybody remembers The Golden Girls. But the 80s were packed with sitcoms that seem to have vanished into the TV witness protection program. Some were funny. Some were ridiculous. A few sound completely made up. Let's see how many you actually remember.
"The New Leave It to Beaver" (1984–1989)
Yes, Beaver Cleaver came back in the 80s. If you're learning this right now, don't feel bad. Plenty of people who watched television in the 80s seem to have forgotten it too. The wild part? It actually lasted five seasons.
Screenshot from The New Leave It to Beaver, NBCUniversal (1984-1989), enhanced
"Small Wonder" (1985–1989)
For a few years, Vicki the robot was everywhere. Looking back, the amazing part isn't that Small Wonder existed. It's that nobody involved ever stopped and asked whether a robot child pretending to be human might raise a few questions at school. Kids didn't care. They loved it.
Screenshot from Small Wonder, The Walt Disney Company (1985-1989)
"Mama's Family" (1983–1990)
This one started as a spin-off of the famous Mama sketches from The Carol Burnett Show. But for a lot of viewers, Mama's Family became the main event. Vicki Lawrence could get a laugh just by staring at somebody. That's a harder skill than television makes it look.
Screenshot from Mama’s Family, Warner Bros. Discovery (1983-1990)
"Perfect Strangers" (1986–1993)
If the words "Dance of Joy" mean anything to you, congratulations. Balki and Larry spent years turning simple misunderstandings into sitcom gold. A lot of younger viewers have absolutely no idea this show ever existed. And to that we say: "Don't be ridiculous."
Screenshot from Perfect Strangers, Warner Bros. Discovery (1986-1993)
"Just the Ten of Us" (1988–1990)
A high school coach, his wife, and eight kids. That's already enough people to fill most family reunion photos. The show spun off from Growing Pains and had a fun, chaotic energy. Somehow, it still ended up becoming one of the decade's most forgotten family sitcoms.
Screenshot from Just the Ten of Us, Warner Bros. Discovery (1988-1990), enhanced
"Dear John" (1988–1992)
Judd Hirsch starred as a divorced man navigating life with help from a support group. It doesn't sound like a sitcom premise until you remember this was the late 80s. Somehow it ran four seasons and then quietly slipped off the nostalgia radar.
Screenshot from Dear John, Paramount (1988-1992), enhanced
"Gimme a Break!" (1981–1987)
Nell Carter was the show. That's really the easiest way to explain it. She had the kind of personality that could make almost any joke work. The sitcom ran for six seasons and was a legitimate hit. Today, it gets far less nostalgia than it probably deserves.
Screenshot from Gimme a Break!, NBCUniversal (1981-1987), enhanced
"Out of This World" (1987–1991)
If you were a kid in the late 80s, there's a decent chance you wanted Evie's powers. She could freeze time with a touch of her fingertips, which would have made middle school considerably easier. The show ran four seasons, and somehow the alien father thing almost felt secondary.
Screenshot from Out of This World, NBCUniversal (1987-1991)
"Mr. Belvedere" (1985–1990)
For a while, Mr. Belvedere seemed to be on television every five minutes. The premise was simple: an English butler moves in with an American family and spends the next several years quietly proving he's smarter than everyone else. Somehow, that was more entertaining than it sounds.
Screenshot from Mr. Belvedere, The Walt Disney Company (1985-1990), enhanced
"227" (1985–1990)
Before Jackée Harry became one of television's great scene-stealers, she was already doing it on 227. The sitcom spent five seasons turning apartment-building life into comedy gold. The surprising part is how rarely it gets mentioned when people start listing great 80s sitcoms.
Screenshot from 227, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1985-1990)
"Amen" (1986–1991)
Sherman Hemsley followed The Jeffersons with another successful sitcom, this time centered around a church. The show lasted five seasons, pulled solid ratings, and gave Hemsley plenty of opportunities to be funny. Yet somehow Reverend Gregory always seems to live in George Jefferson's shadow.
Screenshot from Amen, Paramount (1986-1991), enhanced
"The Hogan Family" (1986–1991)
This show ran for six seasons. Six. That's longer than a lot of sitcoms people still talk about all the time. Yet somehow The Hogan Family has become the television equivalent of running into an old classmate and completely forgetting their name.
Screenshot from The Hogan Family, Warner Bros. Discovery (1986-1991)
"My Sister Sam" (1986–1988)
Pam Dawber followed Mork & Mindy with this sitcom about an independent photographer whose younger sister suddenly moves in. It was funny, warm, and had a loyal audience. Then time did what time usually does and quietly pushed it out of the spotlight.
CBS Network, Wikimedia Commons
"Day by Day" (1988–1989)
This sitcom about a family-run daycare center only lasted one season, but it left behind a surprisingly impressive cast list. Future stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Courtney Thorne-Smith both appeared here. Looking back, the show almost feels like a future-celebrity convention with a sitcom attached.
Screenshot from Day by Day, Paramount (1988-1989), enhanced
"Valerie" (1986–1991)
Before it became The Hogan Family, it was Valerie. Then came contract disputes, cast changes, and one of the strangest behind-the-scenes stories of the decade. The funny thing is that a lot of people remember the controversy better than the actual episodes.
Screenshot from Valerie, Warner Bros. Discovery (1986-1991)
"Square Pegs" (1982–1983)
Before Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker played an awkward high school outsider on Square Pegs. Critics liked it, and future cult-TV fans eventually found it. Regular viewers mostly missed it the first time around, which is almost too perfect for a show about not fitting in.
Screenshot from Square Pegs, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1982-1983)
"We Got It Made" (1983–1988)
Two bachelors hire a beautiful housekeeper, and suddenly both of them forget how to function like adults. That was basically the show. It bounced from network TV to syndication and somehow lasted longer than most people remember. The 80s really did love a complicated living arrangement.
Screenshot from We Got Made, Amazon MGM Studios (1983-1988), enhanced
"Check It Out!" (1985–1988)
A sitcom set inside a supermarket should probably be easier to remember. Check It Out! starred Don Adams as the store manager and ran for three seasons in syndication. Still, it mostly lives in that strange memory zone where people remember watching it but not what it was called.
Screenshot from Check It Out!, DLT Entertainment (1985-1988), enhanced
"Throb" (1986–1988)
Throb was a workplace sitcom set at a record company, which is about as 80s as putting shoulder pads on a fax machine. Diana Canova starred, and the show leaned into music-business chaos. It lasted two seasons, then disappeared like a forgotten cassette in a junk drawer.
Screenshot from Throb, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1986-1988), enhanced
"Rocky Road" (1985–1987)
Two young people inherit an ice cream shop and try to keep it running. That's it. No aliens. No robots. No magical talking furniture. Just ice cream and sitcom problems. Somehow, that simple setup made it feel exactly like the kind of show you watched after school without thinking.
Screenshot from Rocky Road, Warner Bros. Discovery (1985-1987), enhanced
"Open House" (1989–1990)
Before Ellen DeGeneres became Ellen, she appeared in this sitcom about a chaotic real estate office. It was a spin-off of Duet, which is already a pretty deep cut. By the time you're remembering forgotten spin-offs of forgotten sitcoms, you're officially in the weeds.
Screenshot from Open House, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1989-1990), enhanced
"You Again?" (1986–1987)
Jack Klugman and John Stamos played a father and son trying to live together after years apart. On paper, that sounds like a show that should have worked. Instead, it came and went pretty quickly. Apparently even John Stamos hair could not save everything.
Screenshot from You Again?, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1986-1987), enhanced
"Double Trouble" (1984–1985)
The 80s loved twins. They really did. Double Trouble starred real-life sisters Jean and Liz Sagal as identical twins causing sitcom confusion. The show only lasted two seasons, but it had that very specific after-school rerun energy where you watched it because it was simply there.
Screenshot from Double Trouble, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1984-1985), enhanced
"The Charmings" (1987–1988)
Only in the 80s could a network say, "What if Snow White and Prince Charming woke up in modern suburbia?" and actually make the show. The Charmings was silly, weird, and surprisingly committed to the bit. It was basically a fairy tale trapped in a mall.
Screenshot from The Charmings, The Walt Disney Company (1987-1988)
"Rags to Riches" (1987–1988)
A millionaire adopts a group of orphaned girls, and then everyone breaks into 60s-style musical numbers. That was Rags to Riches. It sounds like three different shows fighting for control of the same remote, but the concept was memorable. Subtle? Absolutely not. Forgettable? Somehow also no.
Screenshot from Rags to Riches, NBCUniversal (1987-1988)
"Jennifer Slept Here" (1983–1984)
Ann Jillian played the ghost of a glamorous movie star who haunts a teenager. Yes, that was an actual sitcom. NBC aired it for one season, and Jillian was already a recognizable TV face. Honestly, if somebody pitched this today, half the room would think it was a joke.
Screenshot from Jennifer Slept Here, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1983-1984), enhanced
"Together We Stand" (1986–1987)
Elliott Gould and Dee Wallace starred as parents raising a blended family. That sounds normal enough, but the 80s family sitcom world was crowded. Very crowded. Together We Stand had heart, but it got swallowed up by a decade that had no shortage of living rooms with problems.
Screenshot from Together We Stand, NBCUniversal (1986-1987), enhanced
"Goodnight, Beantown" (1983–1984)
Bill Bixby and Mariette Hartley played married rival news anchors, which honestly sounds like a pretty good sitcom setup. The show earned some attention but never became a major hit. Today, it mostly survives as the answer to the question, "Wait, Bill Bixby did what?"
Screenshot from Goodnight, Beantown, Warner Bros. Discovery (1983-1984)
"The Duck Factory" (1984)
Before Jim Carrey became Jim Carrey, he starred in The Duck Factory, a sitcom set inside an animation studio. The show barely lasted, but watching it now is strange fun. You can practically see the future superstar trying to escape through the screen.
Screenshot from The Duck Factory, The Walt Disney Company (1984)
"It's Your Move" (1984–1985)
Before Jason Bateman became the king of dry sarcasm, he played a teenage schemer on It's Your Move. The show was sharp, funny, and probably a little too clever for its own good. If you remember "The Dregs of Humanity," you deserve an 80s sitcom merit badge.
Screenshot from It’s Your Move, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1984-1985), enhanced
"She's the Sheriff" (1987–1989)
Suzanne Somers played a widow who becomes sheriff of a small town. That is the kind of sentence only 80s television could say with a straight face. The show ran two seasons in syndication, proving once again that this decade would try absolutely anything.
Screenshot from She’s the Sheriff, Warner Bros. Discovery (1987-1989), enhanced
"Learning the Ropes" (1988–1989)
A high school teacher secretly moonlights as a professional wrestler. That's already one of the most 80s sitcom premises ever created. The series even featured appearances from real wrestling personalities during wrestling's national boom. And somehow nobody said, "Maybe we should sit with this for a minute."
Screenshot from Learning the Ropes, WildBrain Distribution (1988-1989), enhanced
"Down to Earth" (1984–1987)
An angel comes back to Earth as a housekeeper to help a family get its act together. That's the premise, and somehow it lasted three seasons. The 80s had a real gift for taking a strange idea and acting like it was completely normal.
Screenshot from Down to Earth, Warner Bros. Discovery (1984-1987), enhanced
"He's the Mayor" (1986)
A young man unexpectedly becomes mayor and suddenly has to run a city. That was the hook. He's the Mayor had a clever idea and a likable lead in Kevin Hooks, but it never really caught on. Today, even serious 80s TV fans might need a minute.
Screenshot from He’s the Mayor, NBCUniversal (1986), enhanced
"Foley Square" (1985–1986)
Margaret Colin starred as an assistant district attorney trying to balance work, life, and sitcom chaos in New York. It had a smart cast and a grown-up setup, but viewers never really showed up. Sometimes a show can have all the right pieces and still vanish by spring.
Screenshot from Foley Square, Paramount (1985-1986), enhanced
"My Two Dads" (1987–1990)
A teenage girl is raised by two men who might be her father. That premise was perfectly normal by 1987 television standards. The show was actually popular for a while, and Paul Reiser helped make the weird setup work. Today, the title sounds like somebody invented it during trivia night.
Screenshot from My Two Dads, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1987-1990)
That's a Lot of Forgotten Laughs
That's the funny thing about television. A show can run for years, make people laugh, and still vanish from memory like it never happened. If you remembered more than five of these, congratulations. You didn't just watch 80s sitcoms. You survived the deep end.
Screenshot from My Two Dads, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1987-1990)
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