The Best TV Shows of the 80's: "Who's the Boss?" "Designing Women," and "The Cosby Show"

With the feminist movement at its peak in the mid-70s with more women shifting from home to the business world, it's no wonder that TV shows of the 80s wrestled with how to show the nuances of a contemporary woman. They could no longer be just the smiling Carol Brady of the biggest 70s hit "The Brady Bunch."

The shift in the American consciousness concerning women was not lost on television producers. In the 80s, some of the best shows so enraptured me, and likely many of you, because they gripped the female character and twisted her portrayal in ways we had not seen before. As a young girl I was fixated on "Julia Sugarbaker" of "Designing Women" and often created my own "Julia" diatribes to tell men off haughtily with maximum sophistication and punch as she did. I was tragically glued to "Angela Bower" of "Who's The Boss" who despite her success as a career woman could never really succeed romantically. I was stunned, intimidated and excited by "Claire Huxtable" who seemed to be both Mike Brady and Carol Brady combined as she guided her family with wisdom and fire while not losing her femininity and ability to nurture them as a mom-lawyer on "The Cosby Show."

The 80s television culture was about substantial ideas and ideals - something more than fame, notoriety, gossip, and dramatic back biting which comprise the core of many TV shows today. There was a savvy in dealing with the social shift of the eras, whether it was race relations or feminism.

Based on pure entertainment value, shows like "Who's the Boss," "Designing Women," and "The Cosby Show" kept me on the sofa glued to the picture tube. The characters weren't stupid or cliché. They were the anti-cliché. The writing was intelligent while still being funny, never resorting to slapstick or crude comedy for laughs. Somehow they mastered the boon of comedy: the ability to awaken the psyche and the way we see ourselves (and each other ) through jokes and amusing dilemmas. Mostly, these shows subtly affected the way we see women.

Who's the Boss?

"Who's The Boss" debuted in 1984, starring Tony Danza and Judith Light. The show was a socially innovative one about the shift in gender roles in society. In the aftermath of the 70s which was riled by women's liberation movements and women going to work in mass numbers, the ABC network put on a show with not just a man, but a macho man ("Tony") who worked in the home cleaning and cooking as a housekeeper. The woman of the house was his boss, "Angela," played by Light. She went to work and ran an advertising company. The gender reversals brilliantly were extended to the children, with Tony's daughter becoming a tough tomboy (played by the beautiful Alyssa Milano). Judith Light's character meanwhile raised a very shy, retreating and somewhat emasculated boy, "Jonathan." Angela's mother "Mona" played by Katherine Helmond was the earliest TV portrayal of the "cougar." Not only did she date younger men, but she prowled and openly asserted her lust, body, and sexuality in a non-apologetic way that no grandmother or mother had ever done on TV before.

Despite the ground-breaking gender portrayals, the show raised a sad question. The main question wasn't "Who's really the boss, man or woman?" but rather "Can a business woman still be a sexy, desirable woman at home?" It's interesting that Angela was always unsuccessful at love, raising the secret caveat about strong successful women: that they are undatable. They might succeed in the boardroom, but not in the bedroom. Tony had women but never found one with whom to settle down. While the characters Tony and Angela did flirt and loosely got together, they never made it down the aisle and that was the great detriment of the show. They never showed that the pairing of man at home and woman in the workplace could produce a viable and enduring romance.

"The Cosby Show"

Often touted as the first show on TV to showclass a middle class black family is "The Cosby Show." That distinction, however, actually goes to a short-lived PBS show "Up and Coming" which debuted in 1980, four years before the Cosby show. However, it was short-lived and certainly not as well-crafted. Still "Up and Coming" enjoys a cult following due to featuring Cindy Herron as one of the teen stars on the show. She later grew up to be the most recognizable front woman of the all-female singing group "En Vogue."

That PBS forerunner to the Cosby Show however could have perhaps survived longer (it was on at least half a season) if it had a secret weapon: a confident, elegant, savvy matriarch like "Claire Huxtable."

She was equal to her husband - and yet was sexy and snuggly and romantic with him. She didn't try to compete with "Cliff" played by Bill Cosby, but didn't dissolve into his shadow either. Some of the most memorable moments were when Clair and Cliff feuded. America, and more importantly little girls like me, got a chance to see two powers able to challenge each other and use that spark to fuel a romance. "Claire" likely got her iconic presence from Phylicia Rashad who is a classy sophisticate off screen and likely endowed Claire with her sensibilities. Her aura, speech, and grace are the stuff of role models. It was refreshing to see an atypical TV black mom. They are usually portrayed as stereotypes. However, Rashad didn't depict "Claire" as mouthy. She didn't careen her neck with attitude. She didn't address problems emotionally and by screaming at the children. She was rational, calm, and strategic in the punishments and teachings she meted out to the children, setting up home courts and family meetings to drive home a point. The children responded to Cliff and Claire as a united bulwark and the husband was not seen as the sole head of the family.

"Designing Women"

My absolute favorite show of the 80s was "Designing Women."

Debuting in 1986, "Designing Women" was a smart and insightful show that captured the full spectrum of female personas: the beautiful but not so bright blond ("Charlene"), the tomboy girl next-door ("Mary Jo"), the sharp-tongued feminist who was still sexy as heck ("Julia!"), and the drama queen who needed constant adoration, a pedestal, and a crown ("Suzanne").

In a way, the series showed that women could unashamedly be any of these types and accept one another despite differences in female values and expression. Together, the four women embodied the entire feminine psyche. While men came and went on the show, the girls stayed together, offering a ride-or-die sisterhood that preceded "Sex in the City."

It seemed that Delta Burke's "Suzanne" was the star of the show. However, for me, the only star was "Julia" played by Dixie Carter. She embodied the woman I wanted to be. She was mannered and cultivated - yet not afraid to give injustice a tongue lashing. She didn't need anyone to defend or rescue her. She was by far the superhero who rescued everyone else. Even in her romance with Reese, she, like Claire, provided a challenge and a mental peer.

Wouldn't it be great to have "Claire" and "Julia" in a room together...? Wow! They could teach "Angela" a few things.