The 1980s Sitcoms Quiz

Some people thought "Happy Days" went downhill fast after Fonzie literally jumped over a shark with his motorcycle. Hence the phrase for the moment when a show declines in quality and never recovers.

The Stratford Inn was the bed and breakfast run by Dick and Joanna Loudon on "Newhart." Henry Mancini. who wrote the song, "Moon River," composed the theme for the show.

Sisters Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker were the designing women. The title is actually a play on words; in old American-English, a "designing woman" was a woman who schemed.

Murphy Brown (played by Candice Bergen) and Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough) were the anchors of "FYI." "Murphy Brown" won 18 Emmy Awards and was nominated for 62.

Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and David Addison (Bruce Willis) were the partners of Blue Moon on "Moonlighting." Time magazine ranked the show on its list of 100 best TV shows of all time.

Jack Tripper opens Jack's Bistro in the later seasons of "Three's Company." The restaurant continued to exist in the spin-off, "Three's a Crowd." The series only lasted one season.

Kenny, who insisted on being called "Bud," appeared in 32 episodes of the show. It was rated the number one show (according to Nielsen ratings) for five years in a row.

Grandmaster B was just as successful as Bud's other romantic efforts...that is to say, not at all. The show, on the other hand, was quite successful! It spent eleven seasons on the air.

Danza was Tony Banta on "Taxi." The show, which was about New York city cab drivers, won 18 Emmy Awards despite only being on the air for five seasons.

Ellen Travolta played Chachi's mother on "Happy Days" and Charles' mom on "Charles in Charge." She's eleven years older than her brother.

Vera Peterson was seen in exactly one episode; with a cream pie covering her face. The episode is called, "Thanksgiving Orphans," if you're interested!

Hayden Fox led the Screaming Eagles on "Coach." The show also starred Dick Van Dyke's younger brother, Jerry Van Dyke.

Howard Hesseman, who played Dr. Johnny Fever on "WKRP," was history teacher, Charlie Moore, on "Head of the Class." The show's producer had actually worked as a substitute teacher before getting into the entertainment business.

Punky didn't enjoy being called Penelope. Punky Brewster was actually named after someone name Peyton "Punky" Brewster, and the network received her permission to use her name for the show.

Mel Torme appeared as himself nine times on "Night Court." Torme's nickname was "The Velvet Fog," a reference to his smooth singing voice.

Balki was a shepherd on the fictional island of Mypos. "Perfect Strangers" is about two cousins with very different upbringings. There were both Brazilian and Russian remakes of the show.

Dr. Harry Weston of "Empty Nest" was a neighbor of the Golden Girls in Miami. The spin-off lasted for seven seasons, and even won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

Denise Huxtable went off to college and spun off into her own show, "A Different World." The show focused on her and her life at a fictional historical black college. Jada Pinkett Smith and Sinbad were both in the show.

Mike and Carol Seaver's high school gym teacher and father of eight, Graham Lubbock, got his own show, "Just the Ten of Us." There were only four episodes in the first season.

The Drummonds' housekeeper, Edna Garrett, took a new job as a housemother at the Eastland School, and became the star of "The Facts of Life." The series was one of the longest-running sitcoms that decade.

"Family Matters" featured Harriette Winslow, the elevator operator of Larry and Balki's apartment building. Steve Urkel, the nerdy suspender-wearing neighbor, wasn't introduced until the mid-point of the first season.

Robin Williams showed up as an alien, Mork, on a 1978 episode of "Happy Days," and the rest is sitcom history. Remember, "na-nu, na-nu" means "greetings!" in Orkan.

Jamie, Sarah and Adam were Charles' charges. The show didn't do well until after it was in syndication. It was actually canceled after one season in its original form.

Mr. Belvedere is the Owens family's butler. The show (and title character) are based on a 1947 novel by Gwen Davenport.

Samantha was Tony's daughter, and Jonathan was Angela's son, brought together by circumstance on "Who's the Boss?" The show won one Golden Globe and one Emmy Award.

ALF is short for Alien Life Form, but his name is actually Gordon Shumway, and he lives with the Tanner family. According to the show, ALF was born before the American Revolution (1756, to be exact.)

The Tanner girls were the "Full House" sisters, being raised by their dad, uncle and dad's best friend. The 2006, a Russian network adapted the show and called it, "Topsy-Turvy House."

Kevin Arnold (played by Savage) was the narrator of "The Wonder Years." Danica McKellar played his love interest, Winnie. McKellar, who has a degree in mathematics, has written a number of children's math books.

Jerry Garcia was Roseanne and Dan's surprise last-season baby. Before the show, Roseanne Barr was a stand-up comedian.

Fox won three Emmys in a row for his leading role on "Family Ties." He shot most of the "Back to the Future" franchise while on the show.

"The Golden Girls," which won multiple Golden Globes and Emmys, was ranked by TV Guide magazine as one of the best series of all time. The Queen Mother was reportedly a fan of the show, as well.

"Mama's Family" started as a series of sketches on "The Carol Burnett Show." It starred Vicki Lawrence as a curmudgeonly matriarch of a family in the city of Raytown.

"Allie and Kate" starred Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin. Curtin was on the original cast of "Saturday Night Live" and was later on "3rd Rock from the Son."

Gary Shandling, who is (and was) a stand-up comedian, would often interact with the audience during "It's Garry Shandling's Show." The show had guest stars like Rob Reiner and Gilda Radner.

"Laverne and Shirley," one of many spin-offs from "Happy Days," is about two friends and roommates that work as bottle-cappers in a brewery. In its third season, it was the most-watched show on American TV.