Top 10 80's Television Sitcoms

During the 80's the U.S. experienced a dramatic change in television sitcoms. The 70's had been an era in which sitcoms were the voice of social issues, injustices, and political viewpoints. In the 80's viewers no longer wanted to turn to television to be goaded into social action; they wanted to watch T.V. as an escape from an increasingly hectic world. Light-hearted humor returned to sitcoms.

Morals and values remained part an element of sitcom plots, but sitcoms of the 80's were more escapism than anything else. As proof of this, consider one of the most popular sitcoms of the 80's Alf.

Alf (1986 - 1990)

Alf was an alien life form who crashed on the garage of an average middle class American family, the Tanner's. Alf's given name was Gordan Shumway, but the Tanner family called him Alf for short. Willie (Max Wright), Kate (Anne Schedeen), Lynn (Andrea Nelson), and Brian (Benji Gregory) Turner spent their time trying to keep Alf a secret, while he tried to understand the bizarre life and customs of earthlings.

Alf's perception of earth and endless sarcasm kept the 80's sitcom moving. It also gave viewers an opportunity to look at ourselves through the eyes of an alien. Many of Alf's observations were accurate, others provocative. The humor was in Alf's true evaluations of earthlings and human life. Alf was a sitcom that poked fun at our own customs and traditions without offending us.

In 1990 when Alf stopped production, he left earth with two other Melmacians who found him and took him away to populate a new planet. He escaped just before the U.S. government Alien Task Force closed in on his location.

An animated version of Alf aired on Saturday morning T.V. for a couple of years. Currently Alf re-runs air in Canada and other parts of the world, but not the U.S.

If Alf returned to U.S. television, he would have to be more than a fury, adorable creature. In order to hold audiences today an Alien Life Form would need to incorporate high-tech computer animation and other-word abilities.

A new Alf would be accompanied by a number of diverse high-tech friends. All shapes, sizes and planetalities of aliens who would point out the absurdity of our world, demonstrating the more things change, the more people remain the same. The new Alf would be the voice of collective consciousness, with a sense of humor. I'm sure that Shirley MacLaine and Tom Cruise could pull of production and direction; after all, they have the edge on other worldly experiences.

Cheers, 1982 - 1993

When you mention top sitcom's of the 80's the first word on people's lips is usually Cheers. A group of unlikely friends found comfort and refuge in their local neighborhood bar. Quick wit and sardonic exchanges were fun and funny. Sam's (Ted Danson), attempted exploits of women often formed the basis for the sitcom's plot.

Sam owned Cheers and bartended. He was joined by a family of friends including the waitress Carla (Rhea Pearlman); Norm (George Wendt), a good tempered alcoholic who hung out at the Boston bar to avoid his wife; Coach (Nicholas Colasanto) who always seemed a step behind what was actually happening around him; Cliff (John Ratzenberger) a local mailman, and Woody (Woody Harellson) a young bartender who was wet behind the ears in a number of ways.

The show wouldn't have been the same without the constant bickering of Sam and his love interests, first Diane (Shelly Long) and later Rebecca (Kirstie Alley). Diane was a waitress who considered herself a step above everyone else, but who was forced to waitress when her fiancé jilted her. Rebecca was a sophisticated manager for Cheers. She was also a little classier than the rest of the Cheer's gang, but not as snobbish as Diane.

Of course Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and his wife, Lillith (Bebe Neuwirth), added dry wit, and eventually launched Kelsey Grammer into his own popular sitcom of the 90's, Frasier.

From 1985-1993, Cheers remained in the top ten Nielsen ratings of most popular sitcoms.

Cheer's made people feel comfortable. Viewers felt as if they were a part of the neighborhood gang. For viewer's who had no local neighborhood bar, Cheer's offered them a place to pull up to the bar and keep up with the lives of their friends and neighbors.

Cheer's might not work today, but Starbuck's would. The local coffee house where everyone gathers to check their emails, text on their cell phones, update their blackberries, and download their calendar for tomorrow. Occasionally, they might stop to speak to each other, to make a demand or complain about a low Wi-Fi signal.

It would be fun if we never saw the actors, but only their instant messaging device, laptop, or cell phone. Later the characters could be revealed, and we'd learn how right or wrong we really were in assessing the person behind the electronic screen.

The Cosby Show, 1984-1992

Bill Cosby created an 80's sitcom based on his own stand-up material. In a ground-breaking move, he had a black family whose father was a doctor and whose mother was a lawyer. Cosby didn't make a big deal of it. He preferred for viewers to simply accept that this is where black people in America today were, and it was where they belonged. He didn't make race a social issue as sitcom's of the 70's had. The encouragement to blacks was in his insinuation that this upper-middle family was nothing out of the ordinary.

Cosby's show revolved around his family, primarily the unending issues and dilemmas facing families with adolescents, teenagers, and college kids. Rudy (Keisha Knight Pulliam) was the youngest child in the family. Her presence helped show the contrast in raising small children and dealing with problems that are very real to them, and raising teenagers.

Despite raising kids running in different directions, Bill Cosby, as Dr. Huxtable, and Phylicia Rashad, as Claire Huxtable, pulled off convincing rolls as parents who held their family together and had a strong, healthy marriage.

The Cosby Show was positive and uplifting.

Considering crass comedians like, Dane Cook, who are popular today, I can't conceive of a similar sitcom that would fit today's sitcom market demand. Sitcoms that are positive, rather than sarcastic and biting, don't seem to have a place. Even children's sitcoms feature characters who are harsh to each other.

Perfect Strangers, 1986-1993

Imagine arriving in America as a stranger to the country, customs, and traditions. Suppose the only exposure you'd had to the U.S. was through snippets of television, pop culture, and advertisements that had reached your country, a small Mediterranean Island. This was the premise of Perfect Strangers, an 80's sitcom in which photographer Larry (Mark Linn-Baker) was compelled to take in his distant cousin, Balki (Bronson Pinchot) from the island of Mypos.

Balki was an indefatigable optimist and idealist. His application of tid-bits of American culture and slogans to complex situations was a constant source of humor for the audience and frustration for Larry.

Like Alf, the creativity of this sitcom came from its ability to point out the foibles of American culture in a non-offensive way. Again, we were able to laugh at ourselves when we saw our lives through the eyes of a perfect stranger.

Borat takesPerfect Strangers to a new level. Some found Borat offensive, others laughed at what they thought to be self-deprecating humor. The final laugh from Perfect Strangers and Borat is on American's whose oddities are pointed out by inquisitive strangers.

Family Ties, 1982-1989

Family Ties was more intense than other top sitcom's of the 80's. It was infused with humor, but also dealt with serious issues which most middle-class American families face. Michael J. Fox brought life and humor to the show through his character Alex P. Keaton. Alex was the forward-facing upstart of the family. Even while he was in high school, Alex always had an angle for entrepreneurship or some other venture to launch his life beyond the boundaries of the middle class American family.

Alex was the son of Elyse (Meredith Baxter-Birney) and Steve (Michael Gross) Keaton. A thorn in his side, and as dingy as Alex was intelligent, was his sister Mallory (Justine Bateman). His younger sister Jennifer (Tina Yothers) offered a voice of reason, as younger sitcom siblings often do, when no one else is seeing things clearly.

Andrew (Brian Bonsall) was the pre-school/elementary age childe of the Keaton family. His fresh, adorable face provided comic relief when situations on the sitcom were getting too thick.

While it had poignant moments, Family Ties was a comedy in which we could see pieces of ourselves and our own families.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt would make a hot, new Family Ties for the modern decade. American's love reality television. Why not pick a couple of celebrities with children adopted from foreign countries? We might learn a lot from watching this family grow.

Who's the Boss?, 1084-1992

Who's the Boss brought lots of laughs while turning traditional gender roles on their head. Tony Micelli (Tony Danza) was the male housekeeper for female advertising executive Angela Bower (Judith Light). The idea of macho Danza doing a "woman's work" was considered funny, at the time. Tony had a daughter, Samantha (Alyssa Milano) and acted as a father to Angela's son Jonathan (Danny Pintuaro). While keeping the household together, Tony wormed his way into everyone's heart, though he and Angela were always at each other's throats. Mona (Katherine Helmond) was Angelia's mother, a free spirit and vocal advocate of sexual freedom.

Mona provided an eclectic and uncomfortable edge to the sitcom, while Angela and Tony constantly fought their attraction to each other.

Who's the Boss had a rocky start playing opposite Family Ties, but ended up enjoying a seven year run, followed by syndication. When the show's ratings began to fall in '91 and '92 producers wanted the show to end in romance, courtship, and marriage of Angela and Tony. Tony Danza and the network bucked the idea, and the show ended with Tony taking a job as a coach and moving out of the Bower home. It was a bittersweet end to a relationship that had been permeated with sexual tension for seven years.

A remake of the sitcom would need to be titled Who's the Boss Now? A sitcom about today's American family, in which the mother and father work, kids are raised by the school and daycare, would provide a medium for humorous discussion of ever changing roles in our society.

It would not be a stretch for the kid's to be considered the boss. That would be an eye opening sitcom, reflective of many post-modern families.

Night Court, 1984-1992

Night Court was a hit for NBC from the start. Comedian and magician Harry Anderson played Judge Harry T. Stone, who presided over Manhattan's peculiar night court. The premise of the 80's sitcom was the unusual happenings in the night, in the heart of Manhattan.

Judge Stone was joined nightly in court by assistant D.A. Dan Fielding (John Laroquette) who had a difficult time focusing on his cases because his mind was always on sex. Bull (Richard Mall) was the bullish bailiff with a sense of humor so dry it could have survived in the Sahara. Liz (Paula Kelly) provided African-American legal aid. Christine (Markie Post) was the public defendant, who was constantly at odds with the D.A.

Night Court was one of the few shows of the 80's that touched social issues such as homelessness, immigration, abuse, and more. While dealing with issue the sitcoms lightened the heartfelt load with antics including satire and slapstick. From overt foolishness to subtle, humorous observations Night Court was a comedy with a layer of depth beneath the tom-foolery.

There is no room for Night Court among prime time sitcoms, anymore. The airwaves are full of real life court drama from Judge Judy to Judge Joe Brown, and Divorce Court to Texas Justice. If that's not entertaining enough, tune into COPS to find out the real drama on the streets. It will make you laugh and cry.

8. Newhart, 1982-1990

Newhart was the sitcom of the 80's that depended on wit and intellectual humor for laughs. Newhart didn't provide social commentary, or slapstick comedy. It was a funny, soft comedy adults could enjoy.

Bob Newhart played Dick Louden, a writer of "How-to" books, who bought the Stratford Inn, much like a bed and breakfast, in Vermont. He and wife, Joanne (Mary Frann ), ran the inn and dealt with a variety of guests and locals who populated small town Vermont.

Among the most memorable characters of Newhart was George (Tom Poston ), the handyman. Kirk (Steven Kampmann ) owned the Café next door to the Stratford Inn. Leslie (Jennifer Holmes), was the maid, but was eventually replaced by her even more shallow cousin Stephanie (Julia Duffy).

Few will ever forget the local woodsmen Larry (William Sanderson), Darryl (Tony Papenfuss ), and their other brother Darryl (John Voldstad ).

Newhart was witty and quick. The characters were quirky and Dick found himself frequently having to rise above the dim-wits that surrounded him. As it turns out, perhaps the shallowest of the characters was Dick for failing to realize that "people are just people."

Newhart enjoyed a long run, and exploited Bob Newhart's dry wit and humor to the fullest.

Newhart is another irreplaceable classic. The good news is that the first season of the sitcom will finally be released on DVD in February of 2008.

The Wonder years, 1988-1993

The Wonder Years was a journey back to youth and adolescents for Baby Boomers. The story was told through the eyes of Kevin Arnold as he looked back twenty years later. The youthful Kevin was played by Fred Savage; the voice of the older Kevin who narrated the story was Daniel Stern.

The show reflected life in the late 60's and early 70's. The perspective was wry and witty coming from an adult looking back on his youth. The nostalgic feel of the show captured the hearts of many baby boomers. The theme accentuated a conclusion we all eventually reach, "if I only knew then what I know now."

Hippies, Vietnam, and a cultural milieu provided the background for Kevin's life and growth. Viewers journeyed with Kevin through rites of passage such as his first kiss, high school, coming to grips with the Vietnam War. Viewers journeyed with Kevin through his junior year of high school.

Much of the story revolved around Kevin's relationships with his family and friends. Dan Lauria played Jack, Kevin's father. Alley Mills played Norma, Kevin's mother. Olivia d'Abo played Karen, Kevin's nemesis and sister. Wayne Arnold, Kevin's brother was played by Jason Hervey. Kevin's childhood sweetheart was Winnie (Danicia McKeller) and his best friend was Paul (Josh Saviano).

Most of the action took place in and around Kevin's home and school.

Perhaps it's time now for a sitcom that looks back at life for generation X-ers. The home life of an adolescent and teenager would be pretty wild, as the 80's were an era during which many mother's and father's worked away from the home. The theme would have to revolve around the relationships among siblings and friends. The real conflict would be among siblings. Who is going to tell the parent's what is really going on? What will it take to keep their sibling from telling on them?

Growing Pains1985-1992

Like many sitcoms of the 80's, Growing Pains revolved around the life of a family, the Seaver family on Long Island. Dr. Seaver (Alan Thicke), a psychologist, worked from home, while his wife, Maggie (Joanne Kerns), worked for a local newspaper. Growing Pains followed the daily trials of the Seavers and their three kids. Mike (Kirk Cameron), was the oldest son, who cared more about socializing than academics. Carol (Tracey Gold) was Kevin's younger sister who concentrated on her grades at the expense of all else. Ben (Jeremy Miller) was a typical third child. Not much of a problem for the Seavers, his character was able to give voice to things no one else could logically say, and provide a third child for the family.

In 1990, as the other kids were getting older, another child joined the cast. Chrissy was played by Kirsten and Kelsey Dohring.

The Seaver family dealt with every day family issues, but occasionally the show delved into hardcore issues dealing with drugs, sex, and alcohol.

An interesting side note, Brad made two guest appearances on Growing Pains. If we had only known then what we know now...

An excellent rendition of Growing Pains today would include a bi-racial family, handling the issues faced by parents and mulatto children. (*Mulatto is used here as commonly accepted with no derogatory meaning whatsoever.) Friends and neighbors should be different races and nationalities. A writer would have to walk a thin line to create such a show with humor.

Resources:

Alf, sitcomsonline.com

Cheers at tv.com

The Cosby Show, imbd.com

Family Ties, timstvshowcase.com

Growing Pains, imbd.com

Newhart, tv.com

Night Court, tvland.com

Perfect Strangers, tv.com

The Wonder Years, museum.tv