On Monday September 8th I celebrate another birthday...one of those "milestone" birthdays, although I'm not bothered by it at all. In fact I think I'm aging quite nicely; except for the fact that now more than ever before I find myself stuck in the "past". A good example is music. Well Madonna just put out a new CD this year, she's still one of those new popular singers, isn't she? Er, well actually her first single was 26 years ago, in 1982. TWENTY SIX YEARS AGO? It can't be that long ago, I'm only.....uh oh yeah I guess it was that long ago. But it seems like only yesterday I was at home every Friday night watching Dallas and all my other favorite programs. The more I thought about it I realized that all my favorite TV show were on back in the 1980's. Maybe back then I just had more time to watch TV. or maybe TV just stinks today. This inspired me for another scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Favorite TV Shows of the 80's #1 Dallas- hands down, my favorite program. I watched it religiously for 14 seasons
#2 The Jeffersons- I loved Weezy and Florence. And what about Tom Willis, check out his ASCOT!
#3 Eight is Enough-Regular readers know that I am friendly with the Van Patten family. Dick Van Patten was everyone's favorite dad.
#3 Eight is Enough-Regular readers know that I am friendly with the Van Patten family. Dick Van Patten was everyone's favorite dad.
#4 Falcon Crest- long before I was a wine connoisseur, I loved this show. Show matriarch, the late Jane Wyman was practically my neighbor here in Palm Springs.
#5 The Cosby Show- Bill Cosby is just pure genius. I love that guy.
#6 Hart to Hart- Jonathon Hart was so dashing, Jennifer Hart was so beautiful, they were so in love. And they always caught the baddie. I loved the electric gates on their estate.
#7 The Love Boat- Who knew that i would eventually become a fan of cruises? Back then I watched it for the guest stars, especially to when Charo was on!
#7 The Love Boat- Who knew that i would eventually become a fan of cruises? Back then I watched it for the guest stars, especially to when Charo was on!
Bonus entry: Three's Company- It was always good for a laugh. Today Suzanne Somers is practically my neighbor here in Palm Springs. She is really very sweet, and so talented too.
What were YOUR favorite TV shows back in the 1980's? C'mon I'm sure you have a few not mentioned here. I'm running a special offer today, ALL COMMENTS ARE FREE.
-Rick Rockhill
28 comments:
what about M*A*S*H?
well how great is that...I just saw you had left a birthday wish on my blog back in August....and here I am visiting yours on your Birthday....Happy birthday to you!!!!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.....
Rockford Files, Murder she Wrote, Mork and Mindy,Ah Grasshopper...cant remember the name of the show....Charlie's Angles...oh I could go on...
the cosby show was definitely a favorite from then because i've always been a big bill cosby fan.
all time favorite was the golden girls, also loved designing women of course! happy birthday honey! what are you now, 30?
smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Are you kidding?? Those were all my favorite shows too, and I'd watch them in re-runs if I could.
Thanks for the visit and the nice compliment. You run a fine blog, too, and I always enjoy what I read and see here.
P.S. I hope you have a great birthday, and you are not old until you allow yourself to feel old!
All great choices except for "Three's Company" - I just couldn't stand that show as dumb blonds annoy the heck out of me!
So you're a September baby, too, eh? I turn a half century the day after you and I'm good with it - after all, it's better than the alternative, right?!?
Bee/Kenju- nope I'm 40 now, the B-I-G 4-OH!
Where's THE GOLDEN GIRLS and THE WONDER YEARS?! Those were two of my big 80s favs!
Oh, and Happy Bday!
You're just a baby then. Wait till you hit the big 50. That's when you stop checking the rear view in the mirror! And of course that's when those front pockets come in very handy when your boobs start heading south. I knew there was a reason for them but didn't find out till now why they have so much room.
Sheesh! Although I watched many of those programs you mentioned, along with those cited in some of the comments, I've been around so many years that I can't keep track of what decade shows were popular now -so thanks for putting me a little on track in that respect. My earliest memory of a tv comedy show was one I watched back in the summer of 1951 and it starred Betty White -I think it was titled "Life With Elizabeth" or something like that and it was one of those 15-minute programs that were around way back then too! But I remember loving that show and she was a great comedic actress then, just as she is today -a half a century later!
The only ones I remember watching were Bill Cosby and Three's Company. I couldn't watch Three's Company until I was at least 14 years old. My parents said it wasn't a show for kids. Can you imagine what they must think of shows now? hehehehe...
LOL...Well, to be honest with you, I don't remember what my favorite shows were in The 80's! But...I want to tell you Rick, there have been some really FABULOUS shows in the 90's and now!
Here are three: "WEST WING"...Brillisnt Writing and Brilliant Acting---It was about something important!
"THE SOPRANO'S"....BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, in every way. Combining everything I want in a really GREAT TV Show....Fantastic Writing and Fantastic Acting....And it was often terribly funny, too, plus very touching, as well.....!
"SEX AND THE CITY": LOVED it! Absolutely loved everything about it. Like the other two just mentioned---It had Superb Writing and Supereb Acting and was funny and touching, too!
And right now:
"MAD MEN"....A Brilliant series which takes place in the early 1960's about the Advertising business and the men and women on Madison Avenue. It has it all---The Great Writing and The Great Acting, too.....A Fascinating series that you might want to take a look at.
Oh, And HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rick....May this year be a Happy & Healthy one for you, my dear!
Ok, I'll play -
Spencer for hire
21 Jump Street (Johnny Depp!)
Remington Steele
Star Trek - next generation
Riptide
Bosom Buddies & Perfect Strangers
Night Court
Family Ties (early 80s!!!!)
Hill Street Blues
In the heat of the night
Magnum PI (lord help me!)
China Beach
The 1980s were such a rich time for television. In addition to the ones you've already listed, these are a few of my personal favs: Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, Lavern and Shirley, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, Law and Order (with the original cast), The Muppet Show, The Facts of Life, The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Matt Houston, Dynasty and Dynasty II: The Colbys, Fantasy Island,C.H.I.P.S, Hunter, L.A. Law, T.J. Hooker, Amen, Our World, Knot's Landing, Murder She Wrote, Crazy Like A Fox, The A-Team, Growing Pains, Saved By The Bell, Thirty-something, Wings, Designing Women, The Nanny, Simon and Simon, Magnum P.I., Sisters, Blossom, Who's The Boss?, Macgyver...okay, I'll stop now.
Man! I LOVED Hart to Hart. I thought Robert Wagner was so suave. I never watched Dallas, but I watched Knot's Landing pretty faithfully.
Oh, Rick! What a fantastic post! ALL of those shows are some of my all time faves! *sigh* Thanks for posting this! :)
P.S. A milestone birthday, eh? You mean you're turning 25? ;)
Oh, and I was listening to some old Madonna tunes today. I've always been a Madonna fan...even dressed like her when I was in elementary school and in high school! She will always be cool (and a great performer) in my eyes!
I've never heard of Falcon Crest. I used to watch Love Boat and Dallas sometimes, while growing up in the UK. Then when we moved to the Dallas area, one day we got the idea of driving up to Parker (very quiet farming country where all the tornados hit) north of Dallas where Southfork Ranch is situated. The house is just a facade, rather disappointing really.
I think of all of them I watched the Cosby Show most regularly.
Ah yes, just reading Anonymous's comment - I used to watch Mork and Mindy, then I got into Knight Rider and LOVED the A-Team. Used to put that on every day after school. There was another one where a man shape shifted into animals. Also, Airwolf. Nobody's mentioned Cheers yet.
Having said all that, I don't really care for the music and media of the 80s and avoid it as much as possible. Also the 90s because it has remnants of the 80s. I prefer the 70s and the Noughties.
I had to go back and look at a list to prod my memory, but here are some favorites: Magnum PI, Family Ties, and of course Dallas. Great post!
Happy birthday to a fellow Virgo!
Must be nice to turn 30....
I laughed when I saw Love Boat on your list. We had a drinking game in college that evolved around watching that show. Certain camera shots elicited everyone taking a drink (Isaac pouring a drink, capt's bald head, boat in water, bikinis by pool, Doc hitting on a chick, Gopher doing something stupid, and Julie's cleavage), then each player chose a guest star. When your guest star had a closeup you had to drink...well, you know where that was going...
I'll be 46 soon.... (sigh!)
Dallas and Falcon Crest. I miss them still!
I knew Kirsten killed JR because in the last one, she was ever-so-nice. I didn't trust her. I won the family bet and got to choose where we went to dinner. :) I remember all of these. You are just a few months older than me-- I can't believe that as different as we are that you watched the same shows! (OK, Alaska in the 70's and 80's was a frozen frakking wasteland if you didn't have several four wheel drive cars to your name and we always lived out on the edge of town so we carried water and food in the backs of the vehicles we drove. We stayed in to stay out of the cold.)
I mimicked George Jefferson's walk and it drove my parents crazy.
What I liked with all these shows was how they brought up touchy subjects. Do you remember when Lionel married Jenny, who George called a zebra because her parents were black and Caucasian?
With Eight is Enough, it was death and a step mother adjusting and working with eight personalities-- I think of it often now!
Brings back some good memories! I remember Friday nights watching Dukes of Hazard, then Dallas then Falcon Crest. I watched the later 2 with my grandmother but she wasn't watching Dukes of Hazard LOL
I also watched Knots Landing on Thursdays and Dynasty on Wednesdays with her. Is it any wonder I am gay?
But my all time favorite show we watched together was The Golden Girls. Still is one of my favorite shows.
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