Listening to: Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel From his Bad album.
Weather: Warm but the 35mph WINDS are driving me crazy!
Welcome back to our top 80's television...it's been great fun for me being able to reminisce about the really great shows that used to rule the waves back then...though I must say some of the programming back then was ODD...
Continuing forth brethren!
Best "School Centered" TV: Definition=You guessed it, the story line centers around the school, the main couple of students, and usually one or two main teachers/admin that help not only the storyline but usually the moral lesson you learned at the end.
~Saved By The Bell: (1989-1993) Zack Morris and the brick cell phone...the parachute pants...Slater calling Zack Preppy...Will they won't they with Zack and Kelly...this show was funny with the cast that featured Lisa, Jessie, and Kelly...the later years with Tori minus Kelly and Jessie sucked.
~Head of the Class: (1986-1991) I thought the teacher, Charlie Moore, played by Howard Hesseman of WKRP in Cincinnati fame was so cool that I would always wish for a teacher like that...
Best "Alien" TV: Definition=the main character or the second main character is from outer space, their confusion with all things Earth-related is the conflict often of the show.
~Mork and Mindy (1978-1982) Na-noo Na-noo! Robin Williams. Jonathan Winters as their newborn baby (duh, the aliens reverse age) I really can't say anymore than that!
~Out Of This World (1987-1991) Evie, a 13 year old girl living with just her mother realizes she has some supernatural abilities...turns out that she's half alien, her father Troy is an alien (voiced by Burt Reynolds) who fell in love and married Evie's mother Donna. Evie has this special ability to put her two pointers together and make time stop, clap her hands and time would resume, touch someone when frozen and they'd unfreeze. Can you imagine how much sleep I could make up if I had this ability?
Best "Game Show" TV: Game Shows were hot in the 80's...Price is Right, Pyramid Show, Family Feud, Love Connection, Hollywood Squares, Classic Concentration, The Newlywed Game...many of them are still running today!
~Press Your Luck: (1983-1986) Little Red Whammy dudes would come and steal all your earnings if you pressed your buzzer and landed on one of those suckers...you would win your spins based on how many trivia questions you earned.
~Win, Lose, or Draw: (1987-1990) Basically like a Pictionary type of game, two celebrities and one contestant per team (men vs. women) would sit in this cheesy set designed to look like a living room and...you guessed it, draw out what the clue was. It often got sincerely hilarious and we'd practice so hard to play well when we kids would play on our own.
Best "Non Cartoon Youth" TV: Shows that incorporated real-live skits, cheery youths, usually song...basically a young version of SNL.
~Kids Incorporated: (1984-1993) A bunch of singers and dancers sing and dance about their issues. It was a Disney Channel show and like other Disney channel shows, spawned off a lot of careers such as: Stacey Ferguson aka Fergie, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mario Lopez...etc.
~You Can't Do That On Television: (1979-1990) This show (started in Canada and ended up in the brand new station, Nickelodeon) does not fit the criteria for a normal happy bappy show. In fact, it was pretty disturbing but for some reason my sister and I watched it religiously. If you said the phrase, "I don't know" you'd get slimed, and they were always trying to get one another to do it. Don't forget the cafeteria cook who always made you throw up, the executioner who always ended up getting executed...etc...not a show I'd recommend for anyone young but I have to say it was pretty revolutionary tv for younger kids back then.
Best "Creep Factor" TV: These shows basically gave me the creeps but I watched it...all the time...I guess when you're a bored kid, bad tv is better than no tv!
~Small Wonder: (1985-1989) Ted works at robotic industry, makes little girl robot, needs to test her out, brings her home...let the chaos begin. I remember feeling really weird when they'd open her back up and there'd be all those wires, or plugging an outlet under her arm, or worse yet...when she cried! What the schpiel was that all about? Who said robots could cry? Arnold surely knew his place and self-terminated his crazy Terminator self...this show creeped me out...and I watched it every week!
~Today's Special: (1982-1987) This was a Nickelodeon shown show (though originally Canadian). Jodie works at a children's department store. She carries Jeff, the mannequin upstairs where the mouse says the magic words and voila, he'd go doing ballet twirls everywhere until his hat fell off...creep city! The security guard was this really creepy doll grandpa guy, and often I'd finish watching the show feeling really sad that Jeff was a mannequin again and Jodie had to return to her sad existence. I don't think I ever really learned anything.
Best "Crossover" TV: One character from a hit show spins off and makes their own hit tv show...these are my two faves. What you talkin' bout Willis?
~Perfect Strangers (1986-1993) --> Family Matters (1989-1997): Their link? Harriet Winslow...the elevator operator from Perfect Strangers is now matriarch of Family Matters aka Urkelville. I enjoyed both shows until the two zany characters jumped the shark and became overtly obnoxious.
~Different Strokes (1978-1985) --> Facts Of Life (1979-1988): Their link? Mrs. Garrett of course. Charlotte Rae was housekeeper to Mr. Drummond and later housemother to the different girls that stayed at that school where they wore those school uniforms...George Clooney made a stay on this show as a boyfriend...Molly Ringwald was dropped as a cast member early in the show...and don't forget Mrs. Garrett's bakery shop!
Best "Spunky Kid" TV: The main character is a spunky kid whom the show revolves around and is rambunctiously adorable.
~Webster: (1983-1987): Adorable Emmanuel Lewis plays Webster, the orphaned kid whose dad played pro football with his current new father, and who could forget him burning down the house with that school experiment? I was frightened to death about house fires after that episode...and I have to say that Emmanuel Lewis had to be the cutest kid actor ever.
~Punky Brewster (1984-1988): Punky is abandoned by her last remaining parent, her mother at a shopping store and finds refuge in an abandoned apartment with her dog Brandon. Henry the older man who owns the apartment is eventually given custody of Punky and her "Punky Power". Don't forget the Margeaux, Allen, and of course Cherie who was also on Family Matters (I guess another crossover!). And of course don't forget the cartoon!
Best "Heartthrob" TV: One of the male main characters becomes a major heartthrob stealing the hearts of many all across the world. Funny thing is, I was not attracted AT ALL to these two guys, yet because I really liked the shows I put them on this list!
~Growing Pains: (1985-1992) Kirk Cameron becomes a major heartthrob from this show as Mike Seaver, the troublemaking teenager...pretty impressive considering their guest list included: Brad Pitt, Matthew Perry, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
~Charles in Charge: (1984-1985, 1987-1990) Scott Baio aka Chachi aka Charles...major heartthrob with his ever comical sidekick Buddy and these kids he's watching to support his college bills...yeah right, as if those girls wouldn't totally fall in love with the guy!
Best "Kid to Envy" TV: The main kid in the show had something to envy, some trait or some given thing that made you say, "Aw man I want one of those!"
~Doogie Howser MD: (1989-1993) The show didn't last long but man oh man everyone talked about Doogie! Child wonder! Doctor before he was 16! And his computer journals he always wrote at the end of his episode was a great way to recap everything.
~Silver Spoons: (1982-1986) I wanted one of those trains so badly! I didn't care about anything else in the show except when Rick Schroeder and Alfonso Ribiero tried to do this breakdance/hiphop thing. As Nell Carter would say, Gimme a Break!
AND NOW...DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!
THE SHOW TO END ALL 80'S SHOWS...
THE SHOW THAT I WATCHED OBSESSIVELY AND STILL DO...
AND THE BEST PART OF IT WAS...
As a young kid how did I even know what they were talking about half the time???
Without further ado I would like to introduce you to what I believe is one of the greatest shows of all time:
THE GOLDEN GIRLS!!!
(1985-1992)
Nominated for an incredible 65 Emmy awards and a gazillion others, it is one of the few shows where each lead character won an Emmy for their role. Sweethearted sort of um, ditzy Rose (Betty White still acting fiercely), Sex crazed Southern Blanche (Rue McLanahan), Reliable strong-minded Dorothy (Bea Arthur) and spicy potty mouthed Sophia, Dorothy's Mother (Estelle Getty) went through their life's troubles about their men, their children, their health...and often solved it or went through it over some cheesecake and really wacky stories that often had nothing to do with the actual problem. Great writing, great acting=great show.
Considered one of the most influential shows made, I consider Golden Girls winner of Best 80's Show of all time...and if you'll excuse me, I'm off to eat some cheesecake and thank everyone for being my friend!
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