The Best TV Show of the 80's; The Dukes of Hazzard

When I saw that AC was looking for writers to contribute what they thought the best TV show in the 1980's was, I knew I had to jump on it. There were many great TV shows in the 1980's. Some of my favorites were Cagney and Lacey, Family Ties and The Wonder Years. I would give honorable mention to Roseanne, The Golden Girls and St. Elsewhere. All fine shows, but none could hold a candle to The Dukes of Hazzard!

Come on, how cool was that show? Even the opening credits where we got to see The General Lee fly through the air and land with a perfect thud, always got me pumped up. I can probably blame that show for why I like NASCAR, it's at least to blame for why I like speed!

The Dukes of Hazzard started in 1979 and ran through 1985. I have seen every episode and I intend to buy the box series of it and remember the good old days. Daisy Duke started a whole fashion trend with her short shorts. I'm not saying it was a good fashion trend, unless you happened to be a "working girl", but still it was a fashion statement in the 80's. Daisy Mae Duke was played by Catherine Bach and she was the finest Georgia peach there was on any 80's show.

And who can forget Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Cotrane? I certainly give them no credit for me becoming a police officer, but they were a funny pair nonetheless. Poor Roscoe could never seem to get the best of those Duke boys, and I relished every failure. As for Boss Hogg, there was only one thing I liked about him, that beautiful open top, white Cadillac he drove around him. A sweet ride.

I loved nice old Uncle Jesse, the moonshiner! I had an Uncle Jesse too, but he only drank the moonshine, he didn't run it. Denver Pyle played Uncle Jesse and he was a perfect fit for the show. Cooter was the greasy mechanic that always ran cover for the Duke boys so that Roscoe P. Cotrane could not catch them to arrest them.

My favorites were of course, Bo and Luke Duke aka John Schneider and Tom Wopat. The Duke Cousin's were handsome and funny and brave. They drove the General Lee in a way that would put the movie "The Fast and The Furious" to shame. Mom can vouch for my big crush on John Schneider from the ages of 10-12. I thought he was the cutest guy on the planet, and you know after all these years, he is still a very handsome guy. He had a singing career back then, to go along with his acting prowess. I found out that he was going to be singing at the Big Fresno Fair when I was 11 or 12 years old. I was determined that I would be there, front row and that I would find a way to meet him. I was stubborn then, as I am now, so my mom took me to the Fresno Fair and gave me my chance.

I showed up before almost everyone else, and got my front row seat. When John Schneider came out to sing, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was wearing my little straw cowboy hat with the feather tail clip (I had no idea people used those clips for holding their marijuana joint..I was very innocent). As John Schneider approached the stage, I ran up to it and held out my feathers for him. He bent down, took hold of my feathers and gave me a kiss on the cheek! I still don't know how I managed to get my wobbly legs back to my seat. A kiss from Bo Duke, yeeeeee hawwwww!

That solidified it for me, The Dukes of Hazzard was the best TV show of the 1980's. In case you're wondering, I waited a week before I washed that cheek of mine.

Source: Writers opinion
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078607/