Image: TMDB
About This Quiz
The 1980s was one of the greatest times for movies, and boy, was TV awesome! This was the year we were introduced to "Roseanne," a show many say is one of the greatest of all time. We also got "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Diff'rent Strokes," "The Facts of Life" and "Knight Rider."
The television of that decade was so good that some say that is when the Golden Age of Television really started. There was lots of drama, laughs and all-around entertainment. TV was now seen as having great potential to make lots of money and budgets were expanded, whereas they were almost nonexistent before. We began to see fancier cars, bigger houses and better quality programming to boot.
What also happened in the '80s was that political leaders were now familiar enough with TV to want to use it for their benefit. Family shows re-emerged, even unconventional ones like "The Golden Girls." Dramas continued to soar with the likes of "Miami Vice," "MacGyver" and, of course, "The A-Team." Actors like Olivia Brown and Michael Talbot had it good. The average actor back then made $487 a week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a salary that could sustain people almost 30 years later.
If this history lesson was not complete news to you, then take our test and check your '80s TV show knowledge!
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Which TV show set in a bar correlates to this screenshot?
Seinfeld
Cheers
In order to make the bar scenes in "Cheers" more believable, Ted Danson completed two weeks of bartending school in order to nail his role as Sam. The creators of the show would also frequent bars in Los Angeles to observe "real bar conversations" that they would then incorporate into the script.
That '70s Show
I Love Lucy
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ALF
Growing Pains
Family Ties
The Cosby Show
The oldest child in the Cosby Show, Sondra, was not written into the original cast. Bill Cosby decided to add in Sondra's character to portray successful parenting as she was away at college. The role of Sondra was played by Sabrina Le Beauf.
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Do you remember which classic show featured this furry character?
ALF
Paul Fusco was the voice of the puppet ALF. He also operated the puppet most of the time from underneath the sound stage built on a 4-foot-high platform. When Fusco wasn't controlling the character, the 2'9" actor Mihaly Meszaros stepped up for the role.
Knight Rider
Airwolf
Three's Company
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Hill Street Blues
Diff'rent Strokes
Charles in Charge
The Wonder Years
After only six episodes, "The Wonder Years" received its first Emmy in 1988 for "Outstanding Comedy Series." The next year, Fred Savage became the youngest actor to be nominated for the "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" Emmy category. He was only 13!
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Miami Vice
"Miami Vice" did great things for Miami's economy. In 1984 when the show premiered, there was a huge influx of tourists in Miami, which bettered the city's infrastructure. Many improvements of visitor attractions — including hotels and restaurants — were made. People referred to this as the "Vice Effect."
Night Court
Punky Brewster
Perfect Strangers
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M*A*S*H
"M*A*S*H" was originally a novel written under the pen name Richard Hooker, which was then used as the premise for a movie. Two years later, it was turned into an 11-season television series, culminating in the most watched series finale of all television shows to date.
Family Ties
The Golden Girls
MacGyver
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Can you match this character to the correct TV series?
The Cosby Show
Family Ties
The Golden Girls
The famous kitchen where much of the action takes place in "The Golden Girls" was actually a hand-me-down set from the show "It Takes Two." This set is missing one thing, however: a fourth kitchen chair. There were four women living in the house and this discrepancy has been recognized by observant viewers. This was simply due to the limitations of filming so no one would have their back to the camera.
Who's the Boss?
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Perfect Strangers
The Greatest American Hero
The A-Team
Only 26 of the 98 episodes of "The A-Team" were run in Germany due to the excessive violence. German broadcasters made the decision not to air all 98 episodes because many were simply too violent and controversial.
Dynasty
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The Wonder Years
Who's the Boss?
Angela and Tony were originally supposed to get married at the end of "Who's the Boss?" but ABC executives, along with star Tony Danza, were against this proposed ending, so they ended up breaking up instead.
Hill Street Blues
Three's Company
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Who's the Boss?
MacGyver
Hill Street Blues
The iconic theme song to "Hill Street Blues" was written by Mike Post in two hours. The composer also wrote theme songs for "The Greatest American Hero," "Magnum, P.I.," "The A-Team," "NYPD Blue" and "Law & Order."
Three's Company
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Can you identify the series by this picture of its cast?
Full House
Despite the exterior of the Tanner house on a famous San Francisco street, "Full House" was actually filmed in Los Angeles. Only one episode, "Comet's Excellent Adventure," was taped in San Francisco. All the exterior and scenery shots of San Francisco were shot in a single day.
Happy Days
The Dukes of Hazzard
Family Matters
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21 Jump Street
Roseanne
Newhart
Magnum, P.I.
"Magnum, P.I." was based in Oahu, Hawaii. In the eight years the show aired on CBS, there were 50 special guest stars. Throughout the eight years the show spanned, there were only two crossovers with other CBS crime dramas.
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Married with Children
"Married with Children" was a prime-time sitcom that debuted on Sunday, April 5, 1987 on Fox. There were 259 episodes, the final one airing in 1997.
Designing Women
Family Ties
Kate & Allie
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Murder, She Wrote
Knight Rider
Four to nine cars were typically ruined each season due to the extreme stunts performed in "Knight Rider." Most of the cars required custom parts in order to be lightweight and powerful enough for the stunts.
The A-Team
Newhart
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Happy Days
Silver Spoons
Full House
Family Ties
Marc Price, who played the Keatons' lovably annoying neighbor Irwin “Skippy” Handelman in "Family Ties," has kept his comedic tendencies going since the show ended. Price tours the country with his stand-up routines.
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Moonlighting
MacGyver
MacGyver lived in a Vancouver boatyard on a unique floating home. His floating home ended up on Craigslist in 2014 when Paramount was done using it. It sold for $40,000 (far below the original $200,000 it was priced at in 2012).
Silver Spoons
The Love Boat
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Magnum, P.I
Night Court
The catchphrase "ooooooo-kay" was always fit somewhere in each episode. Ratings lagged in the first couple of seasons of the show, then it became a top 10 show on NBC.
Hill Street Blues
Three's Company
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The Cosby Show
The Golden Girls
Full House
Roseanne
The Conners' home on "Roseanne" actually exists! The house was built in 1925 and has four bedrooms. Although the show was filmed on a studio lot, the exterior is shot in a real neighborhood.
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Moonlighting
Punky Brewster
The infamous fridge episode of "Punky Brewster" was thought up by Jeremy Reams, a kid who submitted a contest-winning premise that involved Punky having to perform CPR on her friend who had gotten trapped inside an abandoned refrigerator.
M*A*S*H
Charles in Charge
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Charles in Charge
The theme song of "Charles in Charge," which talks about a new boy in the neighborhood, was composed by David Kurtz, Michael Jacobs and Al Burton. The song was performed by Shandi Sinnamon.
Punky Brewster
Diff'rent Strokes
Cagney & Lacey
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The Love Boat
21 Jump Street
The Greatest American Hero
Airwolf
"Airwolf" was not the first television series about a helicopter. The first was "The Whirlybirds," which featured Bell 47 helicopters. "Airwolf" took a more futuristic approach to the original idea.
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Roseanne
Saved by the Bell
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, a natural brunette, had to dye his hair biweekly during filming of "Saved by the Bell" to keep up his character Zack Morris's blond locks. Kelly Kapowski must have liked blonds.
Family Matters
Happy Days
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Head of the Class
My Two Dads
Three's Company
The theme song to “Three’s Company” was composed by Joe Raposo. Raposo also wrote the theme song for “Sesame Street” and “Electric Company”!
Small Wonder
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Dynasty
Murder, She Wrote
21 Jump Street
Quantum Leap
Jennifer Aniston appeared in an episode of "Quantum Leap" two years prior to the debut of "Friends." She played a volunteer at a hospital that helps Vietnam veterans.
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Cagney & Lacey
If you look closely, you can see the actor playing the corpse clearly blink his eyes in the last episode of "Cagney & Lacey." Um ... awkward.
Bosom Buddies
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Facts of Life
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MacGyver
Growing Pains
ALF
The Simpsons
All of the characters on "The Simpsons" have just four fingers on each hand. The only exception is God, who has five. The long-running cartoon aired its first episode in 1989.
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The Cosby Show
Diff'rent Strokes
Gary Wayne Coleman, who played Arnold Jackson in "Diff'rent Strokes," was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars." In addition to acting, he was a voice artist and comedian.
Roseanne
The Love Boat
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Can you match these characters to the correct TV series?
Happy Days
When "Happy Days" creator Garry Marshall first developed the series, it was initially called "Cool." The original title did not go over very well when presented to focus groups, so he had to change the name.
Silver Spoons
The Facts of Life
Family Ties
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The Fall Guy
Mr. Belvedere
Gum-chewing was not permitted on the set of "Mr. Belvedere" because star Christopher Hewett hated gum and declared this rule, which everyone followed.
Cheers
Miami Vice
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Growing Pains
The Wonder Years
My Two Dads
"My Two Dads" tied for a People's Choice Award in 1988 with the show "A Different World."
Perfect Strangers
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Bosom Buddies
If you remember the show "Bosom Buddies," you remember two things: Tom Hanks in a dress and the opening sequence set to Billy Joel’s “My Life.” The likability and popularity of Tom Hanks is likely what kept this show going for 37 total episodes.
Married With Children
Happy Days
The Love Boat
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Dynasty
Newhart
Doogie Howser, M.D.
"Doogie Howser, M.D." premiered in 1989, and in the 1991-1992 season it had higher ratings than "Seinfeld," which aired at the same time each week. This only lasted a brief period before "Seinfeld" exploded into one of TV's greatest successes.
Kate & Allie
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WKRP in Cincinnati
During its four seasons on CBS, the time slot of "WKRP in Cincinnati" was changed 11 times. The show was canceled in June 1982 but reruns continued and it did very well in syndication.
Head of the Class
Small Wonder
Doogie Howser, M.D.
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Small Wonder
Quantum Leap
Moonlighting
"Moonlighting" was the most expensive series on prime-time television during its time. It is estimated at $1.6 million per installment.
Night Court
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Happy Days
Small Wonder
"Small Wonder" was a syndicated hit two years before "Star Trek: The Next Generation" premiered. Children and seniors alike were very fond of the show for the four seasons it aired.
Moonlighting
Cagney & Lacey
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Hill Street Blues
Who's the Boss?
Growing Pains
Murder, She Wrote
The episode “Murder Among Friends” was a parody of the popular sitcom "Friends." In this episode, Jessica Fletcher solved a murder on the set of a fictitious sitcom called "Buds." Fletcher felt she could experiment with premises like this since she knew the show was phasing out.
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Murphy Brown
The breast cancer plot in the final season of "Murphy Brown" had a positive impact on viewers; it encouraged more women to get mammograms. In fact, stats showed that the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent after the show aired.
ALF
The Cosby Show
The Fall Guy
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Bosom Buddies
Saved by the Bell
Saturday Night Live
Adam Sandler and Chris Farley were both fired from "SNL." Perhaps this had to do with the low ratings the show had during the time they were on the cast.
Whose Line is it Anyway?
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The Greatest American Hero
21 Jump Street
The Dukes of Hazzard
Dynasty
Little Blake Colby, Jeff and Fallon's eldest son, suffers from meningitis in the first season of "Dynasty." He was later cured, which brought Jeff and Fallon back together again.
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The Greatest American Hero
The classic symbol on the hero costume is either a needle or scissors. It also looks like the Chinese symbol which stands for "center," "middle," "in," "among" or "within." In Hong Kong, the show is called "Flying Red Center Hero."
Night Court
M*A*S*H
Moonlighting
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The A-Team
Miami Vice
21 Jump Street
Johnny Depp, the undeniably hot young star of "21 Jump Street," earned $45,000 per episode! He took the role thinking it would not last very long. Little did he know the show would click with audiences immediately.
Night Rider
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Friends
Seinfeld
The original concept for "Seinfeld" actually intended for a single 90-minute special titled "Stand Up" that was set to run for one night only on "Saturday Night Live." It wasn’t intended to be an ongoing series, but the writing was simply too good not to stick around.
SNL
Family Ties
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Designing Women
Mr. Belvedere
Happy Days
The Facts of Life
"The Facts of Life" was a spinoff show for Mrs. Garrett from the hit TV show "Diff’rent Strokes." The show has been off the air for 25 years but remains a favorite for many '80s TV fans.
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Silver Spoons
Charles in Charge
The Jeffersons
"The Jeffersons" reigns as the second longest-running American television series with a predominantly African-American cast. It first aired in 1975 and lasted 11 seasons.
Three's Company
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Magnum, P.I.
Star Trek: The Next Gerneration
Stephen Hawking is the only person in "Star Trek" history to play themselves.
Airwolf
The Greatest American Hero
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Full House
Charles in Charge
The Fall Guy
Growing Pains
"Growing Pains" was the first American sitcom to air in China. The show brought up questions surrounding intercultural parenting philosophies like how to discipline your children.
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Fraggle Rock
You can find the original series "Fraggle Rock" on DVD and streaming. A new cast of Doozers were introduced to the "Fraggle Rock" universe in the Hulu Kids series that launched in 2014.
Newhart
WKRP in Cincinnati
Head of the Class
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Silver Spoons
In episode 22 of "Silver Spoons," in the scene between the three boys in Ricky's bedroom, you can see Rick Schroder mouthing the other actors' lines as they say them.
Mr. Belvedere
Murder, She Wrote
Newhart
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The Facts of Life
Family Ties
Family Matters
"Family Matters" was actually a spinoff of "Perfect Strangers." Jesse Frederick was responsible for the theme songs for both shows, as well as the themes from "Step by Step" and "Full House."
Growing Pains
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My Two Dads
Small Wonder
Perfect Strangers
Both of the lead actors in "Perfect Strangers" attended Yale University. They never crossed paths during their studies, however. Bronson Pinchot originally studied painting and literature while Mark Linn-Baker was in Yale's Drama School.
Mork and Mindy
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You Got:
/50
TMDB
