Rotten Tomatoes Biggest TV Shows of the 80s Survey

 

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20 TV SHOWS THAT DEFINED THE 1980S

For Rotten Tomatoes’ annual Fall TV Survey, we asked thousands of our users what they’re most looking forward to in the coming TV season and to reflect on the best shows from seasons past.

Cheers to Cheers! Rotten Tomatoes users selected the show about a bar where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came as the top show of the 1980s. The series was truly an ensemble effort with Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, Kirstie Alley, and Shelley Long as the principal cast.

Cheers took top spot with 66% of the vote, followed by The Cosby Show at 53%, The Golden Girls at 47%, Magnum, P.I. with 46%, and the 1980s edition of Saturday Night Live taking fifth place with 45%.

Which star ruled the 1980s? Your vote went to SNL star Eddie Murphy with 16%, followed by The Golden Girls cast with 14%, and Tom Selleck with 12%. Bruce Willis was at No. 4 with 12%, and Don Johnson took fifth with 7%.

Disagree with the survey results? Tell us in the comments who you think should have made the list or have been ranked higher.

MURDER, SHE WROTE (1984)
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#20

Synopsis: Mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher - a down-to-earth, middle-aged widow - ferrets out the criminals in idyllic Cabot... [More]

Starring: Angela Lansbury

ALF (1986)
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#19

Synopsis: A smart-mouthed creature, ALF (aka Alien Life Form), crash-lands in a suburban garage. His spaceship is beyond repair, he's ugly,... [More]

Starring: Max Wright, Paul Fusco, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson

DYNASTY (1981)
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#18

Synopsis: One of the quintessential 1980s prime-time soaps, "Dynasty" follows the gloriously over-the-top trials and tribulations of the fabulously wealthy and... [More]

Starring: John Forsythe, Linda Evans, Joan Collins, Heather Locklear

KNIGHT RIDER (1982)
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#17

Synopsis: Michael Knight is a man on a mission. Reborn, so to speak, after getting shot in the face, Knight decides... [More]

Starring: Richard Basehart, David Hasselhoff, Edward Mulhare, Patricia McPherson

THE A-TEAM (1983)
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#16

Synopsis: A team of ex-special forces soldiers on the lam from the military police (even though they didn't really commit the... [More]

Starring: George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz

THREE'S COMPANY (1977)
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#15

Synopsis: When two single girls need a roommate to share their Santa Monica apartment, they decide to offer a room to... [More]

Starring: John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers, Richard Kline

MOONLIGHTING (1985)
 89%

#14

Synopsis: After being cleaned out by her no-good manager, model Maddie Hayes is about to sell one of her few remaining... [More]

Starring: Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong

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#13

21 JUMP STREET (1987)
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#12

Synopsis: Crime in school is bad, so to combat it, LAPD higher-ups decide to send four young-looking officers to high school... [More]

Starring: Holly Robinson, Steven Williams, Peter DeLuise, Johnny Depp

HILL STREET BLUES (1981)
 97%

#11

Synopsis: A gritty, realistic look at the life of cops in a large (and unnamed) metropolitan city. Led by Capt. Frank... [More]

Starring: Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, Charles Haid

FAMILY TIES (1982)
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#10

Synopsis: Steven and Elyse Keaton, once 1960s radicals, now find themselves in Reagan-era American trying to raise a traditional suburban family.... [More]

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter Birney, Michael Gross, Justine Bateman

SAVED BY THE BELL (1988)
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#9

Synopsis: Lovable schemer Zack Morris leads his pals on adventures at California's Bayside High School. The friends navigate relationships, final exams,... [More]

Starring: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley

MACGYVER (1985)
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#8

Synopsis: MacGyver is a top agent for the Phoenix Foundation, a progressive agency devoted to righting the wrongs of the world.... [More]

Starring: Richard Dean Anderson, Dana Elcar, Bruce McGill, Elyssa Davalos

DALLAS (1978)
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#7

Synopsis: "Dallas" is the saga of the Ewing family and its massive oil empire. Patriarch Jock has three sons. The eldest... [More]

Starring: Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Victoria Principal

MIAMI VICE (1984)
 71%

#6

Synopsis: This series is largely remembered for the stylish clothes Detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs wore, the soundtrack, and its... [More]

Starring: Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Edward James Olmos, Saundra Santiago

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1975)
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#5

Synopsis: Live from New York for more than four decades, celebrity hosts join an award-winning ensemble cast to perform comedic sketches,... [More]

Starring: Michael Che, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner

MAGNUM, P.I. (1980)
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#4

Synopsis: This series makes the most of its Hawaiian setting by sending private eye Thomas Magnum all over Oahu righting wrongs... [More]

Starring: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, Larry Manetti

THE GOLDEN GIRLS (1985)
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#3

Synopsis: Four mature women live together in Miami and experience the joys and angst of their golden years. Strong-willed Dorothy, spacey... [More]

Starring: Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, Estelle Getty

THE COSBY SHOW (1984)
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#2

Synopsis: "The Cosby Show" centers on the lives of the Huxtables: obstetrician Cliff and his lawyer wife Claire, their daughters Sondra,... [More]

Starring: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe

CHEERS (1982)
 87%

#1

Synopsis: Laid-back Sam Malone, a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, owns and runs Cheers, a cozy bar in... [More]

Starring: Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, Shelley Long