@Ankhor 9 it's not so common these days, but is still used primarily by poor, white, and Southern people. It comes from both the Greek and Hebrew 'Enosh', which just means "man"; so sadly, not as interesting as it could have been.
I never watched most of the shows mentioned by Chato, but I also never felt irritated by them the way I do towards so much of "entertainment" in today's world. Everything is now so woke, so political, so obnoxious. These are mean, surly, debased times.
Hill Street was American television drama becoming "serious" and realistic. There's the hilarious scene where a detective is undercover at a grocery store and a woman is thoroughly examining a chicken. She spreads the legs wide open and takes a huge wiff inside the cavity and complains the chicken isn't fresh. The detective says, "Lady, could _you_ pass a test like that?"
Serious and realistic? Many would say banal and crude. Back then, the fringe elements were not considered. Today, they run the culture. I do not see that as an improvement.
That factoid blew my mind. I loved/watched nearly all those shows. Imagine what he could have done with another 2 decades. Chato's right... we need him now.
Around 1992, Brandon Tartikoff moved to my hometown New Orleans because his daughter had been seriously injured in a car accident & somehow Slidell had the best rehab hospital. While living in N.O. Brandon was going to start a production company & some projects that got off the ground. New Orleans was on the rise in the entertainment not only with Brandon arrived in The Big Easy, Quincy Jones bought a TV station, Larry Hagman did a TV show and two rap labels(No Limit Records and Cash Money Records) were successful. Things were looking up in The Big Easy in the 90's. But sadly Tartikoff passed on August 27, 1997. It was a big loss.
Magnum PI was such a classic! The stars aligned for this one. Decent budget, excellent cast with chemistry, great writing, great performances. Was my favourite show for a very long time.
Another show that started with a crap song /opening credits before changing it to one of the best ones ever made that huge number of people remember after seeing it for a few seconds.. Simon and Simon was the same and Miami Vice did similar..
I cannot believe Bosom Buddies only lasted 2 seasons. It's strong in my memories, and not just because it launched Tom Hanks. It's one of the most memorable shows from when I was in my teens. Hill Street Blues was something I watched with my Dad, as we both absolutely loved it, and it was a good bonding experience. We watched Magnum together as well, but Hill Street Blues was unique and a water-cooler show, at least between the two of us.
And that original theme song, Billy Joel's "My Life." Fun fact, Holland Taylor went on to do Two and a Half Men, and Peter Scolari went on to Newhart and the series of Honey I Shrunk the Kids.
I remember this sight gag, where The two of them started tapping on random office equipment, and chunky Wendy Jo Sperber came into the room, dancing to the vaguely latin beat, until the two guys realized what they were doing.
You'll never see Bosom Buddies the way it was originally broadcast. After the first few reruns, the license to the music for the show's theme lapsed and they had to use a generic BGM for later reruns and any home video releases (if they did one -- I never saw any DVDs for Bosom Buddies). The original theme song for Bosom Buddies was "My Life" by Billy Joel but it was sung by a soundalike. It's obvious to me now that it wasn't Billy Joel who sang it but his record company controlled the license and they were greedy bastards as usual. Same thing happened with WKRP in Cincinnati. They used so much contemporary music in that series that it's virtually impossible to re-license it for rebroadcasts and home media.
It let's me find good old non woke shows to look for.. I have given up watching new Western TV due to the insane stuff they insert that ruins the show.. Now I just watch old shows and shows from other countries that don't do much or any woke..
Ah yes! Mount St Helens! That was an interesting Sunday morning in Lake Stevens, WA, for six-year-old me. There was a layer of ash on everything. It was surreal seeing the mountain after it'd blown its top. You used to be able to get plastic containers of ash in vending machines, and everyone had a stash of ash stowed away as a memento. Loved "Mork and Mindy," "Buck Rogers," "BJ and the Bear" and "Bosom Buddies"... and "Enos" is pronounced "EE-nis." Yes, I watched (and enjoyed) "The Dukes of Hazard" when I was a kid... Although none of those shows was ever going to be mistaken for Shakespeare, certainly...
Wow - funny you should mention - I didn’t see Mt St Helen’s in person until 1990, but this Christmas I asked my dad for anything he wouldn’t mind parting with from his geology collection, and among the various volcanic items he gave me was a 4” cube container of St Helen’s ash - not from a vending machine but gathered from a friend’s yard, I think in Yakima.
@@andygrams6344 Yeah, everyone had jars and containers of ash stashed in a closet somewhere. I know my mom still had some several years ago, along with some photos a friend-of-a-friend took of the mountain from a helicopter that had absolutely no business flying around the day before it blew its top. The eruption wasn't unexpected, but the raw destruction that resulted in the top of the mountain pretty much disintegrating was still shocking. There are some mountains in Washington that are just iconic. You can see and recognize them from miles and miles away. Mount St Helens just... changed... overnight.
80s were awesome. 4 on the floor was on. Sadly only 1 season but my brothers and I sang all the song s and recited every line. Even did 1 of the skits (Mr Friendly) and sang "grade 3" at big cottage get together fun times.
Fun fact, Magnum P.I. star Tom Selleck was very nearly cast as Indiana Jones, but was prevented by obligations to his Magnum contract. In season 8 of Magnum they did an Indian Jones parody of sorts in the episode Legend of the Lost Art.
I remember watching Bosom Buddies in Australia in the 1980's where it aired on the Channel 7 network. The Channel 7 network had an output deal with NBC in the 1970's to 1990's. Peter Scolari is no slouch either. He still has an active film and tv career as a character actor. After Bosom Buddies, Tom Hanks went on to guest star in a few episodes of Family Ties, as the uncle of Michael J Fox's character, Alex Keaton.
What a year. I used to scoff about nostalgia--no more. 1980 was a cultural renaissance compared to today. Yes, it was dark too, but there was so much to experience so directly. Culture mattered. Music, comedy, movies, literature--what a time. Addendum: Wasn't this the period when Pink Lady & Jeff arrived onto television?
SO HAPPY to see a return to this sequence/series. Hill Street was a stable of my teen years...the send-off from the morning briefing at the start of each episode still hangs in my mind. Magnum PI was a foundation of 80's TV.
Magnum is one of the best shows ever done. I am certain that Selleck has permanent injuries from the jeans he wore in the show. I think the shirts were just as tight. That's why he could only get two buttons done up on them. But let's be real, his mustache was the real star of the show.
@@richdurbin6146 I tried a little bit of the first new version but gave up.. It's over the top woke crap.. From memory at the start the new guy jumped from space (in the suit and everything) and parachuted into North Korea for a mission.. Such crap.. The original had lots of over the top adventures but all were possible and realistic, the only part outlandish was a single person going though so much..
I voted for Ronald Reagan on my 18th birthday. A bunch of old men took me to the country club for lunch and talked to me about “free enterprise”, lobbyists, foreign and special interest groups.🤣 They owned Western Oil Company. I had no idea what the heck they were talking about. I graduated early and didn’t take civics.😮 The 1st 11 months of 1980 was awesome! ❤️🤘🙏 December 8th was tragic. Great video!🫶 Thank you!🥰
First show that pops into my head when I hear "1980." "The Return of Starbuck" was an interesting, if somewhat peculiar episode. The rest are better forgotten...
I was in eastern Washington, Pasco, when Mt. ST. Helens erupted. I was napping when the shockwave hit and was nocked out of bed. Later, before we knew what was happening. I went out to ride my bike. It suddenly became very foggy but stung. Very quickly it became very hard to see and I ran into a parked car. My grandparents lived in Longview and were difficult to reach for a day or two.
I remember the eruption of Mt St Helens. I was 5 years old and my family was returning from a vacation in the mountains. While driving back to DENVER(we were in Colorado) there were piles of ash on the interstate. I thought it was snow but my mom told me "no, thats ash from the volcano eruption.". My mind was blown.
As a young hillbilly from Kentucky I loved DoH. I grew up near Hazard County Kentucky and it always had a bit of a wild west flavor. When the coal miners would go on strike they'd shoot at trucks breaking the picket lines. The mining company set up counter sniper spots with range flags every 100 yards for their snipers to adjust properly for windage. Allegedly. Real life in Appalachia wasn't as fun as TV.
Fall 1980 was about when I got preoccupied with girls and stopped watching TV. I watched very little TV during the 80s so I’m barely aware of all those 80s shows, aside from David Letterman, back when he was still funny.
When I was in college, Hill Street Blues was the one weekday show each week that I allowed myself to watch. I remember 'too close for Comfort's' Deborah Van Valkenburgh most from "The Warriors" Sonny Shroyer had it written into his contract that he would return to "The Dukes of Hazzard" if "Enos" failed.
You got me thinking. about what is the best TV show ever made? Only one stands above all the rest. The Red Green Show . No question. The best darn show ever !
Too Close For Comfort was one of my favorites, Ted Knight had a knack for comedy and playing a cartoonist made him interesting to children watching. I still get the theme song for Bosom Buddies stuck in my head, watched every episode and was sad to see it end.
i use to love it as well, but i just remember always thinking Jim J Bullock was so obviously not into women and i was only like 8, that the premise of the awkwardness between him and the girls always confused me.
I can't remember watching any TV that year - except the eruption. I lived in Washington state up near Seattle, and we didn't get dusted as badly as some parts of the eastern WA, did. I was 30. We had just bought our first house, having great fun setting up our life as a married couple in a real house. We had a black and white 12 inch TV. We were at a hardware store and we heard in the checkout line that 'the mountain had gone off' ... watched the Lahars on the Toutle river when we got home. I think that TV was more of a source of news back then. "This is an NBC special report" being words to cause a shiver down my spine. I remember it exactly... I heard of the more popular shows, but we were hardly watching anything, we were so busy fixing up the house... OH, and we had our first computer, an Apple two!! I remember my husband using the TV as a monitor though I think he bought a monitor? Confused about that. (we weren't exactly rich! and the interest on our house loan was making us FAR FAR poorer, 11.75%) The eruption was an incredible event, terribly shocking to everyone. A old man and his cats died instantly. One of the Scientists also died. I remember his last name, Johnson? "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" Real amazing history to live through. My husband admitted to me, later, he had been considering driving down to Mt St Helens that weekend but we were so busy... God only knows if I'd be here writing this if we had. I'm a science 'nerd'... love Astronomy and Geology, and volcanoes have been a lifelong interest.. and he knew I was fascinated seeing an active one. Glad he decided against it.
Your assessment of Too Close for Comfort is spot on-- but I loved it! Mostly I think because those daughters looked pretty fetching to my teenage self. Loved It's a Living, too. Hmmm, I think I'm beginning to see a pattern. Thanks for another great video. Love these tv guide episodes.
Another excellent TV guide fall preview episode, Chato. I was just about to ask if you never saw Dukes of Hazzard cuz it's pronounced Eeniss, and you should know that if you ever saw DoH. Then you went and explained yourself while I was typing. Well played, sir. Well played.
A couple of years ago I bought the entire series of Night Court on DVD. Definitely a staple of my youth. I miss Harry Anderson. And though you're right, The Dukes of Hazzard renders the "intellectual" a loosely used part of "intellectual property," I still have fond memories of watching it with my family. Catherine Bach singlehandedly caused an entire generation of boys to spontaneously go through puberty.
I remember watching Too Close for Comfort regularly. Mostly for Lydia Cornell, the blonde daughter in the series, but it was a fun watch. Especially when Ted Knight's character was talking to his comic strip creation Cosmic Cow. And I remember the first scene of the first episode when Ted Knight broke his stereotype of being a loud buffoon and showed that he could play a calm, intelligent, and thoughtful character. Ted had some range as an actor.
Yet ABC insisted on focusing on the girls {the "sex angle"}. When they cancelled "TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT" in 1983, it continued as a first-run syndicated series in 1984. And the producers and writers could do whatever they wanted without a "network suit" telling them what to focus on. Ted really came into his own at that point, as did the rest of the cast.
I moved from Puerto Rico as a kid in the 80s, remember seeing Bloosom Buddies. Too Close For Comfort and Magnum didn't understand what was happening. My cousin had to translated for me and my sister.
Could you repeat the part about Ronald Regan defeating Jimmy Cater? Please? That just can't be repeated enough. "Those were the days"....that was Archie agreeing with me.
I feel bad for Barbara Barrie. She played Barney Miller's wife....and was credited in the opening.....(1975-1978) but RARELY ever got on screen. She was great in the film, "Breaking Away," and it's is a shame that film didn't translate to television. (Please note: She won an Emmy that year for her performance in the T.V. version even though it only ran 8 episodes.)
i couldn't watch All In The Family after Edith passed. it just didn't feel right. even today, it still feels like a crime that we never got a proper final season.
Lennon's murder was the first time I remember being deeply affected by the death of a 'celebrity'... truly a tragic loss. On a more positive note, 1980 was the year my family went on holiday to the USA - I was 12 at the time - my brain could barely compute the extraordinary number of television channels available to American audiences - at home, we had 2! Going to Disneyland was pretty cool at that age. Battlestar Galactica must have been a big thing too; I have home movies of my siblings and I harassing a guy in a Cylon costume at Universal Studios! P.S. Breaking Away is one of my favourite movies - didn't know they made a tv prequel... but then we didn't get a lot of these shows in Country-Town Australia.
Thanks for reminding me of I'M A BIG GIRL NOW. I had permanently erased that show from my memory, and now the show's theme song is on replay in my head like some diabolical ear tapeworm that just won't let go.
1980 was a great year for me. I remember it very well. It was also a time of great change. There was still quite a hangover from the 70s. We didn't know what Reagan would be but we were tired of Carter and the terrible economy, the hostage crisis, etc. We wanted the "morning in America" that Reagan promised. We also wanted Sony Walkmans, cable TV, Betamax and VCRs. We also wanted our MTV.
MTV was in the 2nd half of 1981. I remember walking into a record shop, and the records albums had a label "As Seen on MTV". I didn't have the opportunity to watch MTV until September of 1982.
Magnum PI is one of the most important TV shows. Our TV blew a tube in 1974, and we couldn’t afford to fix it. But because my mom wanted to watch Magnum soooo much, she finally let us get a TV in 1983. Was Battlstar Galactica 1980 a spring season show that it wasn’t in the fall preview?
@@johnnymidnight2982 Battlestar Galactica 1980 (the sequel series set after the Galactica reaches Earth) started in 1980. I looked it up and it indeed started in Jan and was cancelled after the spring season. So it was already over with when the 1980 fall preview came out.
Being 63 I love these old reviews. As for 1980, a friend told me that I just HAD to turn on CBS one evening and there was Magnum PI. I know what you’re thinking. I got hooked right away. My 1980’s were highlighted by shows starting with M. Monday Night Football. Moonlighting on Tuesdays. Magnum on Thursdays and Miami Vice on Friday. I miss those days. As I miss my trim gut and hair but I digress.
Answer to your question: some did, but mostly NO. Some of these shows, like Hill Street Blues, got serious commitments from their viewers. With no streaming services, you had to watch it when it was broadcast, or figure out how to program your VHS recorder if you weren't going to be there. A coworker once expressed concern that he might not have a blank tape available for tonight's Magnum PI. He didn't want to reuse one because he was building a library.
This season is what I was born into - so cool to hear you recount these shows. I didn’t know Tartikoff was connected with all those shows - I more associated (some of them anyway) with Bellisario. Great stuff. One of my favorite Magnum episodes: “Ivan… did you see the sunrise this morning?” Brutal for early 80’s tv but incredible show.
Magnum and Buck Rogers, two of my favorite shows. Magnum was pretty good all the way through, but Buck Rogers definitely went down hill in S2, mostly because Gil Gerard wanted more serious scripts (the last broadcast episode, "The Dorian Secret," is a straight-up rip-off of a bad Twilight Zone episode) and because they took Erin Gray out of those awesome spandex jumpsuits and put her in that goddam sailor suit, and no more beautiful, gorgeous, sexy Pamela Hensley slinking her way through the scenery, destroying all in her path to the contents of Buck's tight white flight suit. Also one of my favorite theme songs of all time, both the instrumental series theme and the slower tempo lyric theme from the pilot. Opening credits of the pilot movie get a special mention because of Gray and Hensley in bikinis draped over a sleeping Gil Gerard (lucky bastard).
My brother and I were big "Dukes of Hazzard" fans when we were kids (which is about the level that show seems to be made for). So when we saw "Enos" getting his own spin-off, we begged our parents to watch. We all got to see the first episode. And never saw any more. I mean, it was so bad, it couldn't hold the attention of two kids who watched "Dukes". Sadly, to this day I remember the stupid little gimmick the show tried to pass as cool when Enos and partner solved a crime: one put his hand down like one would do to "gimme five" back in the 80's, and the other would smack the open hand with a thumbs up. Dear lord, the memory of this remains and probably is taking the place of a family birthday or something. Oh well.
i remember being really excited for it and i don not remember disliking it but it was gone quick. and the only memory i have is The Dukes teaching him how to drive on two wheels.
Sonny Shroyer was lucky. His contract for "ENOS" included a clause stating that if the series was cancelled after one season, he could return to "THE DUKES OF HAZZARD". And he did, for the rest of the series.
Hill Street Blues was definitely a revelation, having an ensemble without having a permanent anchor was definitely risky as hell, especially when every other drama was a character study. This was Bochco's first sneak in work, one of many. For the record the Holstein joke was used in the third episode. Too Close was literally Pun: the Show and Knight was contractually obligated to make the balls-being-electrocuted face one per episode. Enos was pronounced Enis. Dynasty had ratings off and on camera and the stars thereof were in tabloid print as often as they were on camera.
I remember watching Those Amazing Animals when I was little. I could have sworn it was on TV for a couple of years. Tho I am probably conflating it with That's Incredible. Burgess Meredith had a penguin on the show ( of course ) named Penny.
Magnum P.I. was my favorite during this era of television but I often missed it. I recently purchased the entire collection and I am watching them one or two per week to find all the hidden gems that I missed when it ran. Hill Street Blues was great too and I also loved NYPD Blue which was a similar type of show but it had Dennis Franz who was a standout. I miss the 80s.
Most of these are still before my time, but I have fond memories of watching reruns of Mork N Mindy. As a child I would see Bosom Buddies for 5pm showings, and thought it was weird that they were promoting it to kids (I'd see advertisements during my 4:30pm cartoons). That Tartakov guy sounds like something else! I watched so many of his shows! I never really watched Magnum, as I was a child at the time and only the intro interested me, I couldn't grasp the gravity of the situations, but I have so many fond memories of it. Even if I didn't know what was going on, I knew this guy was really cool and hip, and wanted to be like the hero he portrayed.
Oh jeez, I watched "Enos". Don't ask me why. I know my parents liked "Magnum, PI" and "Hill Street". But wow, what thin gruel overall. Thank goodness for Brandon Tartikoff!
Right there with you on 'Too Close For Comfort'. The memory of it doesn't hold up to a rewatch. I didn't like the spinoff, but 'Dukes...' was a favorite, mostly because I'm from Georgia, and know people like every character in real life ...and, it was pronounced "Een-Us" Love these, sir! Please keep them going!
I was 20 that year. The only show I remember is Magnum P.I. Bikini clad girls and that hot Ferrari 308. What's not to love? The opening was epic, him taking off in the Ferrari while giving the audience a look that said: "I've got the world by the balls." I think a lot of guys just wanted to be Magnum. They tried to remake the show but it sucked. Lucas considered casting Seleck as Han. I think we lucked out with Ford but I've always liked Selleck, especially in 'High Road to China.' He made some good Westerns too.
I had streamed all of Magnum P.I. a few years ago. Magnum P.I. and Remington Steele are my favourite shows of the 80s. Hill Street Blues is on my Hulu list, but I'm currently binging Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and rewatching The Orville. I hope to get into in a week or two. I'm kind of curious about Enos. The Dukes of Hazzard was one of the first "retro" series I had streamed when streaming became a thing.
"Magnum P.I." used the same studios that "Hawaii Five-O" did. Five-O had only finished in the 79-80 season and so most of the crew worked on Magnum. There are also some references in early Magnum P.I. to the Five-O team.
That's interesting and the 2010 Five-O reboot producers created the current Magnum series. I am curious if NBC will sever ties to the CBS Hawaii 5-O characters?
I believe it was Ee-nos. I like the memories when you do this. I had a friensld jn school who came in with a CBS press kit and coincidencltallybthe only one I remember that was from the packet, was Magnum PI. Thanks for these and your other videos, awesome stuff! Thank you.
The only thing I really remember about It's a Living was that one of the actresses, Anne Jillian, played Little Bo Peep in the Disney version of Babes in Toyland. Enos was so low budget they came up with the idea that their police cars had been seized from criminals so they didn't have to paint them like patrol cars before they wrecked them in their stunts. Also he had a signature line, "God takes care of fools, drunks and children. And I don't drink."
I can no longer trust you implicitly until you watch at least one episode of Dukes of Hazzard. This is a staple of a large portion of the country's childhood. If you wish to reach them on their level, you should probably consider it bro. Great work.
My wife and I enjoyed this one. She's a few years older than me and remembered many of these shows and was puzzled about others. These little walks down memory lane are petty cool. Just can't wait until you get to a point where I was at least out of diapers :D
I lived in Washington when Mt. Saint Helens erupted. That boom and cloud cover scared the hell out of me. Oddly, I did not connect with any of these shows but was still happy with The A Team.
Yeah, 1980 was a great year for TV. i remember most of those hits and the names of the ones I didn't watch were still familiar. You know Paul, one of the things that is missing from these TV Guide episodes is the context. It's one thing to know what shows debuted in a season but it would also be helpful to have the context of what shows they were up against. What was still running and popular then. I know you have occasionally tossed in a comment about a show that failed by telling us it was up against M.A.S.H. or something like that but that landscape is very important for seeing why these things failed or how well they succeeded. Some of those 'hit' shows were dying off and making way for these new ones while some of the new failures were up against great shows and they never stood a chance. Maybe you could just include the competition that the shows were up against more regularly? It would be like knowing the names of the people in the ring at a boxing match :)
Hill St Blues and Magnum were the only two shows I remember coming over to the UK back then. I re watch it from the box set I have, still holds up now I think! Don't remember watching Magnum that often, probably out or working when it was on, the rest of those shows, don't believe I would of gone out of my way to watch if they had arrived over here! Each to their own though!
Wait - what about Galactica 1980? Maybe that debuted in 1979. Hard to recall since I was mostly successful in purging it from my memory banks to make room for more Gilligan’s Island trivia.
The number of people correcting my pronunciation of Enos is proof of the complete collapse of Western civilization.
I got the bit, but had to fight telling you we added a P to the front of his name when we were kids.
It's "Penos".
The P is silent. And invisible.
Yup just like Penis.
It would be interesting to research the name and how it is a consummate Southern moniker.
@Ankhor 9 it's not so common these days, but is still used primarily by poor, white, and Southern people. It comes from both the Greek and Hebrew 'Enosh', which just means "man"; so sadly, not as interesting as it could have been.
Brandon Tartikoff was and is a genius. NBC went to the stratosphere because of him.
I'm just imagining the overall cultural impact he made, it seems like he greenlit 80% of the older shows we still remember and love
I agree. He did a masterful job bringing TV into the modern era.
I never watched most of the shows mentioned by Chato, but I also never felt irritated by them the way I do towards so much of "entertainment" in today's world. Everything is now so woke, so political, so obnoxious. These are mean, surly, debased times.
He knew quality and bet on it every time. Producers now only know what's trendy, not good.
Manimal. Just sayin'...
My family used to religiously watch HIll Street Blues in Australia. "Hey! Let's be careful out there." Such a great show.
Hill Street was American television drama becoming "serious" and realistic. There's the hilarious scene where a detective is undercover at a grocery store and a woman is thoroughly examining a chicken. She spreads the legs wide open and takes a huge wiff inside the cavity and complains the chicken isn't fresh.
The detective says, "Lady, could _you_ pass a test like that?"
lord
Serious and realistic? Many would say banal and crude. Back then, the fringe elements were not considered. Today, they run the culture. I do not see that as an improvement.
I had no idea that the guy greenlit all those shows died at 48. That is a damned tragedy.
He obviously had a lot of talent.
It would appear all the talent in Hollywood went away when he died! RIP!
yeah cancer I remembered when he died. Because it was talked about on the network and others showed their appreciation for him
That factoid blew my mind. I loved/watched nearly all those shows. Imagine what he could have done with another 2 decades. Chato's right... we need him now.
Around 1992, Brandon Tartikoff moved to my hometown New Orleans because his daughter had been seriously injured in a car accident & somehow Slidell had the best rehab hospital. While living in N.O. Brandon was going to start a production company & some projects that got off the ground. New Orleans was on the rise in the entertainment not only with Brandon arrived in The Big Easy, Quincy Jones bought a TV station, Larry Hagman did a TV show and two rap labels(No Limit Records and Cash Money Records) were successful. Things were looking up in The Big Easy in the 90's. But sadly Tartikoff passed on August 27, 1997. It was a big loss.
Magnum PI was such a classic! The stars aligned for this one. Decent budget, excellent cast with chemistry, great writing, great performances. Was my favourite show for a very long time.
Another show that started with a crap song /opening credits before changing it to one of the best ones ever made that huge number of people remember after seeing it for a few seconds..
Simon and Simon was the same and Miami Vice did similar..
I cannot believe Bosom Buddies only lasted 2 seasons. It's strong in my memories, and not just because it launched Tom Hanks. It's one of the most memorable shows from when I was in my teens.
Hill Street Blues was something I watched with my Dad, as we both absolutely loved it, and it was a good bonding experience. We watched Magnum together as well, but Hill Street Blues was unique and a water-cooler show, at least between the two of us.
Bosom buddies launched the careers of more then just Hanks too.
And that original theme song, Billy Joel's "My Life." Fun fact, Holland Taylor went on to do Two and a Half Men, and Peter Scolari went on to Newhart and the series of Honey I Shrunk the Kids.
I remember this sight gag, where The two of them started tapping on random office equipment, and chunky Wendy Jo Sperber came into the room, dancing to the vaguely latin beat, until the two guys realized what they were doing.
@@Peorhum Donna Dixon (mostly known for being Dan Akroyd's wife) and Wendy Jo Sperber of 1941 and Back to the Future.
You'll never see Bosom Buddies the way it was originally broadcast.
After the first few reruns, the license to the music for the show's theme lapsed and they had to use a generic BGM for later reruns and any home video releases (if they did one -- I never saw any DVDs for Bosom Buddies).
The original theme song for Bosom Buddies was "My Life" by Billy Joel but it was sung by a soundalike. It's obvious to me now that it wasn't Billy Joel who sang it but his record company controlled the license and they were greedy bastards as usual.
Same thing happened with WKRP in Cincinnati. They used so much contemporary music in that series that it's virtually impossible to re-license it for rebroadcasts and home media.
The Magnum PI show looks interesting. I hope it did well.
This is the kind of nostalgia, fan service we need right now :)
It let's me find good old non woke shows to look for..
I have given up watching new Western TV due to the insane stuff they insert that ruins the show..
Now I just watch old shows and shows from other countries that don't do much or any woke..
My birth year. I would have been coming home from the hostpial around there. My grandma used to have a ton of tv guides.
Me too!
Ah yes! Mount St Helens! That was an interesting Sunday morning in Lake Stevens, WA, for six-year-old me. There was a layer of ash on everything. It was surreal seeing the mountain after it'd blown its top. You used to be able to get plastic containers of ash in vending machines, and everyone had a stash of ash stowed away as a memento.
Loved "Mork and Mindy," "Buck Rogers," "BJ and the Bear" and "Bosom Buddies"... and "Enos" is pronounced "EE-nis." Yes, I watched (and enjoyed) "The Dukes of Hazard" when I was a kid... Although none of those shows was ever going to be mistaken for Shakespeare, certainly...
Wow - funny you should mention - I didn’t see Mt St Helen’s in person until 1990, but this Christmas I asked my dad for anything he wouldn’t mind parting with from his geology collection, and among the various volcanic items he gave me was a 4” cube container of St Helen’s ash - not from a vending machine but gathered from a friend’s yard, I think in Yakima.
@@andygrams6344 Yeah, everyone had jars and containers of ash stashed in a closet somewhere. I know my mom still had some several years ago, along with some photos a friend-of-a-friend took of the mountain from a helicopter that had absolutely no business flying around the day before it blew its top. The eruption wasn't unexpected, but the raw destruction that resulted in the top of the mountain pretty much disintegrating was still shocking. There are some mountains in Washington that are just iconic. You can see and recognize them from miles and miles away. Mount St Helens just... changed... overnight.
I was a teenager in Longview when it blew. I just walked out onto the deck to gather my souvenir ash.
Camping at Dash Point State park May 18th
80s were awesome. 4 on the floor was on. Sadly only 1 season but my brothers and I sang all the song s and recited every line. Even did 1 of the skits (Mr Friendly) and sang "grade 3" at big cottage get together fun times.
Thank you. I can feel the love.
@@CallMeChato I miss the 80s too. Saludos mi Chatito.
Fun fact, Magnum P.I. star Tom Selleck was very nearly cast as Indiana Jones, but was prevented by obligations to his Magnum contract. In season 8 of Magnum they did an Indian Jones parody of sorts in the episode Legend of the Lost Art.
I remember watching Bosom Buddies in Australia in the 1980's where it aired on the Channel 7 network. The Channel 7 network had an output deal with NBC in the 1970's to 1990's.
Peter Scolari is no slouch either. He still has an active film and tv career as a character actor.
After Bosom Buddies, Tom Hanks went on to guest star in a few episodes of Family Ties, as the uncle of Michael J Fox's character, Alex Keaton.
Hill St Blues was must watch TV in my house
What a year. I used to scoff about nostalgia--no more. 1980 was a cultural renaissance compared to today. Yes, it was dark too, but there was so much to experience so directly. Culture mattered. Music, comedy, movies, literature--what a time. Addendum: Wasn't this the period when Pink Lady & Jeff arrived onto television?
SO HAPPY to see a return to this sequence/series. Hill Street was a stable of my teen years...the send-off from the morning briefing at the start of each episode still hangs in my mind. Magnum PI was a foundation of 80's TV.
I never left. They just take a long time. More to come.
Brandon Tartikoff helped shape my childhood with Knight Rider and Miami Vice, RIP. Thank you for the trip on memory lane. Love 80s TV.
Punky Brewster's dog was named after him.
Magnum is one of the best shows ever done. I am certain that Selleck has permanent injuries from the jeans he wore in the show. I think the shirts were just as tight. That's why he could only get two buttons done up on them. But let's be real, his mustache was the real star of the show.
My girlfriend wishes I would stop watching it regularly.
I refuse.
Huge fan since 88.
I still think original Magnum holds up better than the newer series.
Tom Selleck is just an appendix of the Mustache!
@@lino222 🤣👍
@@richdurbin6146 I tried a little bit of the first new version but gave up..
It's over the top woke crap..
From memory at the start the new guy jumped from space (in the suit and everything) and parachuted into North Korea for a mission..
Such crap..
The original had lots of over the top adventures but all were possible and realistic, the only part outlandish was a single person going though so much..
I voted for Ronald Reagan on my 18th birthday.
A bunch of old men took me to the country club for lunch and talked to me about “free enterprise”, lobbyists, foreign and special interest groups.🤣
They owned Western Oil Company.
I had no idea what the heck they were talking about. I graduated early and didn’t take civics.😮
The 1st 11 months of 1980 was awesome!
❤️🤘🙏
December 8th was tragic.
Great video!🫶
Thank you!🥰
Battlestar Galactica 1980 anyone? 😂
I’ll never forget the episode with the Galactica Boy Scouts jumping high all over the place. 😂😂😂
First show that pops into my head when I hear "1980." "The Return of Starbuck" was an interesting, if somewhat peculiar episode. The rest are better forgotten...
1980, year my wife and I were
married so looking forward to this episode of the Wayback Machine! And yes, we're still together!
O Aids came out in 1981 Sorry 1980 i didnt like the 80s that much any way s music whys O ya and john Lennon Was Killed in the 80s
Growing up in -40C I have a soft spot for Magnum P.I. Hawaii 5O got me through the 70s.Top notch reviews.👍
I was in eastern Washington, Pasco, when Mt. ST. Helens erupted. I was napping when the shockwave hit and was nocked out of bed.
Later, before we knew what was happening. I went out to ride my bike. It suddenly became very foggy but stung.
Very quickly it became very hard to see and I ran into a parked car.
My grandparents lived in Longview and were difficult to reach for a day or two.
I wouldn't think I would like history content about TV but I'm really enjoying the channel!!
Thanks. Well, I really enjoy this history.
Two episodes!? How in the world can I remember Those Amazing Animals?
I thought the same thing until I looked it up. It was actually on for a year... August 1980 to August 1981. Not sure why he said only two episodes.
I remember the eruption of Mt St Helens. I was 5 years old and my family was returning from a vacation in the mountains. While driving back to DENVER(we were in Colorado) there were piles of ash on the interstate. I thought it was snow but my mom told me "no, thats ash from the volcano eruption.". My mind was blown.
As a young hillbilly from Kentucky I loved DoH. I grew up near Hazard County Kentucky and it always had a bit of a wild west flavor. When the coal miners would go on strike they'd shoot at trucks breaking the picket lines. The mining company set up counter sniper spots with range flags every 100 yards for their snipers to adjust properly for windage. Allegedly. Real life in Appalachia wasn't as fun as TV.
Fall 1980 was about when I got preoccupied with girls and stopped watching TV. I watched very little TV during the 80s so I’m barely aware of all those 80s shows, aside from David Letterman, back when he was still funny.
When I was in college, Hill Street Blues was the one weekday show each week that I allowed myself to watch.
I remember 'too close for Comfort's' Deborah Van Valkenburgh most from "The Warriors"
Sonny Shroyer had it written into his contract that he would return to "The Dukes of Hazzard" if "Enos" failed.
You got me thinking. about what is the best TV show ever made? Only one stands above all the rest. The Red Green Show . No question. The best darn show ever !
The Frantics, I say but I won't argue.
Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they shall at least find you handy :) - very handy :)
kysoti
Too Close For Comfort was one of my favorites, Ted Knight had a knack for comedy and playing a cartoonist made him interesting to children watching. I still get the theme song for Bosom Buddies stuck in my head, watched every episode and was sad to see it end.
Remember when Monroe the gay character got raped by a bunch of women in a van?
i use to love it as well, but i just remember always thinking Jim J Bullock was so obviously not into women and i was only like 8, that the premise of the awkwardness between him and the girls always confused me.
I can't remember watching any TV that year - except the eruption. I lived in Washington state up near Seattle, and we didn't get dusted as badly as some parts of the eastern WA, did. I was 30. We had just bought our first house, having great fun setting up our life as a married couple in a real house. We had a black and white 12 inch TV. We were at a hardware store and we heard in the checkout line that 'the mountain had gone off' ... watched the Lahars on the Toutle river when we got home. I think that TV was more of a source of news back then. "This is an NBC special report" being words to cause a shiver down my spine. I remember it exactly... I heard of the more popular shows, but we were hardly watching anything, we were so busy fixing up the house... OH, and we had our first computer, an Apple two!! I remember my husband using the TV as a monitor though I think he bought a monitor? Confused about that. (we weren't exactly rich! and the interest on our house loan was making us FAR FAR poorer, 11.75%) The eruption was an incredible event, terribly shocking to everyone. A old man and his cats died instantly. One of the Scientists also died. I remember his last name, Johnson? "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" Real amazing history to live through.
My husband admitted to me, later, he had been considering driving down to Mt St Helens that weekend but we were so busy... God only knows if I'd be here writing this if we had. I'm a science 'nerd'... love Astronomy and Geology, and volcanoes have been a lifelong interest.. and he knew I was fascinated seeing an active one. Glad he decided against it.
Probably the first season I remember. What a great year. HSB and Mangnum PI! I’m going to be sad when you run out of years-this is great content.
I was 12 and remember all these events quite well
Your assessment of Too Close for Comfort is spot on-- but I loved it! Mostly I think because those daughters looked pretty fetching to my teenage self. Loved It's a Living, too. Hmmm, I think I'm beginning to see a pattern. Thanks for another great video. Love these tv guide episodes.
Another excellent TV guide fall preview episode, Chato. I was just about to ask if you never saw Dukes of Hazzard cuz it's pronounced Eeniss, and you should know that if you ever saw DoH. Then you went and explained yourself while I was typing. Well played, sir. Well played.
A couple of years ago I bought the entire series of Night Court on DVD. Definitely a staple of my youth. I miss Harry Anderson.
And though you're right, The Dukes of Hazzard renders the "intellectual" a loosely used part of "intellectual property," I still have fond memories of watching it with my family. Catherine Bach singlehandedly caused an entire generation of boys to spontaneously go through puberty.
I remember watching Too Close for Comfort regularly. Mostly for Lydia Cornell, the blonde daughter in the series, but it was a fun watch. Especially when Ted Knight's character was talking to his comic strip creation Cosmic Cow. And I remember the first scene of the first episode when Ted Knight broke his stereotype of being a loud buffoon and showed that he could play a calm, intelligent, and thoughtful character. Ted had some range as an actor.
Yet ABC insisted on focusing on the girls {the "sex angle"}. When they cancelled "TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT" in 1983, it continued as a first-run syndicated series in 1984. And the producers and writers could do whatever they wanted without a "network suit" telling them what to focus on. Ted really came into his own at that point, as did the rest of the cast.
I moved from Puerto Rico as a kid in the 80s, remember seeing Bloosom Buddies. Too Close For Comfort and Magnum didn't understand what was happening. My cousin had to translated for me and my sister.
Could you repeat the part about Ronald Regan defeating Jimmy Cater? Please? That just can't be repeated enough. "Those were the days"....that was Archie agreeing with me.
I feel bad for Barbara Barrie. She played Barney Miller's wife....and was credited in the opening.....(1975-1978) but RARELY ever got on screen. She was great in the film, "Breaking Away," and it's is a shame that film didn't translate to television. (Please note: She won an Emmy that year for her performance in the T.V. version even though it only ran 8 episodes.)
The best year ever! ❤
i couldn't watch All In The Family after Edith passed.
it just didn't feel right.
even today, it still feels like a crime that we never got a proper final season.
Lennon's murder was the first time I remember being deeply affected by the death of a 'celebrity'... truly a tragic loss.
On a more positive note, 1980 was the year my family went on holiday to the USA - I was 12 at the time - my brain could barely compute the extraordinary number of television channels available to American audiences - at home, we had 2! Going to Disneyland was pretty cool at that age. Battlestar Galactica must have been a big thing too; I have home movies of my siblings and I harassing a guy in a Cylon costume at Universal Studios!
P.S. Breaking Away is one of my favourite movies - didn't know they made a tv prequel... but then we didn't get a lot of these shows in Country-Town Australia.
In 1980 it was renamed Galactica 1980; they find earth and all sorts of hijinks ensue. I loved season 1 but 1980 was execrably bad.
Thanks for reminding me of I'M A BIG GIRL NOW. I had permanently erased that show from my memory, and now the show's theme song is on replay in my head like some diabolical ear tapeworm that just won't let go.
1980 was a great year for me. I remember it very well. It was also a time of great change. There was still quite a hangover from the 70s. We didn't know what Reagan would be but we were tired of Carter and the terrible economy, the hostage crisis, etc. We wanted the "morning in America" that Reagan promised. We also wanted Sony Walkmans, cable TV, Betamax and VCRs. We also wanted our MTV.
MTV was in the 2nd half of 1981. I remember walking into a record shop, and the records albums had a label "As Seen on MTV". I didn't have the opportunity to watch MTV until September of 1982.
This is about the first year of TV I can remember, I’d have been about 6. The UK started to show all US shows around this time.
I remember most of these. God, I'm old!
Magnum PI is one of the most important TV shows. Our TV blew a tube in 1974, and we couldn’t afford to fix it. But because my mom wanted to watch Magnum soooo much, she finally let us get a TV in 1983.
Was Battlstar Galactica 1980 a spring season show that it wasn’t in the fall preview?
Battlestar was a 1978 premiere.
@@johnnymidnight2982 Battlestar Galactica 1980 (the sequel series set after the Galactica reaches Earth) started in 1980.
I looked it up and it indeed started in Jan and was cancelled after the spring season. So it was already over with when the 1980 fall preview came out.
@@liljenborg2517 Oh! Yeah, I remember that. It takes place on present-day Earth.
Magnum, P.I. led primetime on Thursdays , but the 9:00 slot, Simon & Simon, was the highlight of the night for my family.
Being 63 I love these old reviews. As for 1980, a friend told me that I just HAD to turn on CBS one evening and there was Magnum PI. I know what you’re thinking. I got hooked right away.
My 1980’s were highlighted by shows starting with M. Monday Night Football. Moonlighting on Tuesdays. Magnum on Thursdays and Miami Vice on Friday. I miss those days. As I miss my trim gut and hair but I digress.
Finally! A tv guide after my birth!... I'm feeling old... :(
Answer to your question: some did, but mostly NO. Some of these shows, like Hill Street Blues, got serious commitments from their viewers. With no streaming services, you had to watch it when it was broadcast, or figure out how to program your VHS recorder if you weren't going to be there. A coworker once expressed concern that he might not have a blank tape available for tonight's Magnum PI. He didn't want to reuse one because he was building a library.
This season is what I was born into - so cool to hear you recount these shows. I didn’t know Tartikoff was connected with all those shows - I more associated (some of them anyway) with Bellisario. Great stuff. One of my favorite Magnum episodes: “Ivan… did you see the sunrise this morning?” Brutal for early 80’s tv but incredible show.
I was 2 months old, but I do remember the TV guide. Enjoyed reading them.
For a yank programme of the time, Magnum stands up today, it's really good, and has an extra aspect to it hat I had totally forgotten about.
Damn 1980 was a good year, I remembered it fondly! Hillstreet blues and magnum pi definitely are standouts
OMG I loved Bosom Buddies when I was a kid lol I was 9 at the time...kinda surprised my parents let me watch it actually. 😉✌️🖖
"surprised my parents let me watch it" actually defines the 70's/80's 🤣
Magnum and Buck Rogers, two of my favorite shows. Magnum was pretty good all the way through, but Buck Rogers definitely went down hill in S2, mostly because Gil Gerard wanted more serious scripts (the last broadcast episode, "The Dorian Secret," is a straight-up rip-off of a bad Twilight Zone episode) and because they took Erin Gray out of those awesome spandex jumpsuits and put her in that goddam sailor suit, and no more beautiful, gorgeous, sexy Pamela Hensley slinking her way through the scenery, destroying all in her path to the contents of Buck's tight white flight suit. Also one of my favorite theme songs of all time, both the instrumental series theme and the slower tempo lyric theme from the pilot. Opening credits of the pilot movie get a special mention because of Gray and Hensley in bikinis draped over a sleeping Gil Gerard (lucky bastard).
My brother and I were big "Dukes of Hazzard" fans when we were kids (which is about the level that show seems to be made for). So when we saw "Enos" getting his own spin-off, we begged our parents to watch. We all got to see the first episode. And never saw any more. I mean, it was so bad, it couldn't hold the attention of two kids who watched "Dukes". Sadly, to this day I remember the stupid little gimmick the show tried to pass as cool when Enos and partner solved a crime: one put his hand down like one would do to "gimme five" back in the 80's, and the other would smack the open hand with a thumbs up. Dear lord, the memory of this remains and probably is taking the place of a family birthday or something. Oh well.
i remember being really excited for it and i don not remember disliking it but it was gone quick. and the only memory i have is The Dukes teaching him how to drive on two wheels.
Sonny Shroyer was lucky. His contract for "ENOS" included a clause stating that if the series was cancelled after one season, he could return to "THE DUKES OF HAZZARD". And he did, for the rest of the series.
@@fromthesidelinesLucky or very smart, for certain.
Hill Street Blues was definitely a revelation, having an ensemble without having a permanent anchor was definitely risky as hell, especially when every other drama was a character study. This was Bochco's first sneak in work, one of many.
For the record the Holstein joke was used in the third episode. Too Close was literally Pun: the Show and Knight was contractually obligated to make the balls-being-electrocuted face one per episode. Enos was pronounced Enis.
Dynasty had ratings off and on camera and the stars thereof were in tabloid print as often as they were on camera.
For not having a print, this is very well done, thanks so much Chato!!
I remember getting those TV Guides and loving those fall preview issues.
I remember watching Those Amazing Animals when I was little. I could have sworn it was on TV for a couple of years. Tho I am probably conflating it with That's Incredible. Burgess Meredith had a penguin on the show ( of course ) named Penny.
Thanks for another great video Chato! I was born in 1980, so I enjoyed these hit series years later in reruns.📺
Magnum P.I. was my favorite during this era of television but I often missed it. I recently purchased the entire collection and I am watching them one or two per week to find all the hidden gems that I missed when it ran. Hill Street Blues was great too and I also loved NYPD Blue which was a similar type of show but it had Dennis Franz who was a standout. I miss the 80s.
Enos was pronounced Eeniss. He was the sheriff's hapless deputy on Dukes. I remember that spin-off. I was glad to see his character growth.
I've been waiting a long time for this...
I could hear in my mind the iconic theme songs to Magnum and Hill Street Blues as you talked about them.
I loved Too Close For Comfort.
I love these. Keep it up. Brings back memories and I learned some new stuff. Thanks
Glad you like them!
I love Hill Street Blues... It was sooooo good! My eyes still tear up a little everytime I see the intro!
This was right around when I pretty much quit watching tv for about 10 years. Hearing about these shows reminds me why.
Most of these are still before my time, but I have fond memories of watching reruns of Mork N Mindy. As a child I would see Bosom Buddies for 5pm showings, and thought it was weird that they were promoting it to kids (I'd see advertisements during my 4:30pm cartoons). That Tartakov guy sounds like something else! I watched so many of his shows! I never really watched Magnum, as I was a child at the time and only the intro interested me, I couldn't grasp the gravity of the situations, but I have so many fond memories of it. Even if I didn't know what was going on, I knew this guy was really cool and hip, and wanted to be like the hero he portrayed.
This really is my favorite segment you do
loved too close for comfort last four seasons never made it to dvd and if you can find the first two they are very expensive
Oh jeez, I watched "Enos". Don't ask me why. I know my parents liked "Magnum, PI" and "Hill Street". But wow, what thin gruel overall. Thank goodness for Brandon Tartikoff!
Wow, what a year. Great setup for the decade.
Right there with you on 'Too Close For Comfort'. The memory of it doesn't hold up to a rewatch.
I didn't like the spinoff, but 'Dukes...' was a favorite, mostly because I'm from Georgia, and know people like every character in real life ...and, it was pronounced "Een-Us"
Love these, sir! Please keep them going!
I was 20 that year. The only show I remember is Magnum P.I. Bikini clad girls and that hot Ferrari 308. What's not to love? The opening was epic, him taking off in the Ferrari while giving the audience a look that said: "I've got the world by the balls." I think a lot of guys just wanted to be Magnum. They tried to remake the show but it sucked. Lucas considered casting Seleck as Han. I think we lucked out with Ford but I've always liked Selleck, especially in 'High Road to China.' He made some good Westerns too.
nice to watch the full video after the Teaser we Got on MITM 😁
These are the best episodes on this channel. I laugh and laugh at your jokes about the good ol' days.
Finally getting close to the years I'm going to remember. Looking forward to more buddy.
I had streamed all of Magnum P.I. a few years ago. Magnum P.I. and Remington Steele are my favourite shows of the 80s. Hill Street Blues is on my Hulu list, but I'm currently binging Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and rewatching The Orville. I hope to get into in a week or two. I'm kind of curious about Enos. The Dukes of Hazzard was one of the first "retro" series I had streamed when streaming became a thing.
"Magnum P.I." used the same studios that "Hawaii Five-O" did. Five-O had only finished in the 79-80 season and so most of the crew worked on Magnum. There are also some references in early Magnum P.I. to the Five-O team.
That's interesting and the 2010 Five-O reboot producers created the current Magnum series. I am curious if NBC will sever ties to the CBS Hawaii 5-O characters?
I love these.
I remember sitting on green ramp at pope AFB twice because of all that Iranian embassy drama.
Ah.. The first year of my life and to this date my favorite decade.
Hearing both Alf and fresh prince on that list hit me right in the nostalgia.
I believe it was Ee-nos. I like the memories when you do this. I had a friensld jn school who came in with a CBS press kit and coincidencltallybthe only one I remember that was from the packet, was Magnum PI. Thanks for these and your other videos, awesome stuff! Thank you.
The only thing I really remember about It's a Living was that one of the actresses, Anne Jillian, played Little Bo Peep in the Disney version of Babes in Toyland.
Enos was so low budget they came up with the idea that their police cars had been seized from criminals so they didn't have to paint them like patrol cars before they wrecked them in their stunts. Also he had a signature line, "God takes care of fools, drunks and children. And I don't drink."
I can no longer trust you implicitly until you watch at least one episode of Dukes of Hazzard. This is a staple of a large portion of the country's childhood. If you wish to reach them on their level, you should probably consider it bro. Great work.
My wife and I enjoyed this one. She's a few years older than me and remembered many of these shows and was puzzled about others. These little walks down memory lane are petty cool. Just can't wait until you get to a point where I was at least out of diapers :D
I lived in Washington when Mt. Saint Helens erupted. That boom and cloud cover scared the hell out of me. Oddly, I did not connect with any of these shows but was still happy with The A Team.
Hill Street became a must-stay-in-to-watch show me me back in the day (we didn't have VHS then)
Yeah, 1980 was a great year for TV. i remember most of those hits and the names of the ones I didn't watch were still familiar. You know Paul, one of the things that is missing from these TV Guide episodes is the context. It's one thing to know what shows debuted in a season but it would also be helpful to have the context of what shows they were up against. What was still running and popular then. I know you have occasionally tossed in a comment about a show that failed by telling us it was up against M.A.S.H. or something like that but that landscape is very important for seeing why these things failed or how well they succeeded. Some of those 'hit' shows were dying off and making way for these new ones while some of the new failures were up against great shows and they never stood a chance. Maybe you could just include the competition that the shows were up against more regularly? It would be like knowing the names of the people in the ring at a boxing match :)
Hill St Blues and Magnum were the only two shows I remember coming over to the UK back then. I re watch it from the box set I have, still holds up now I think! Don't remember watching Magnum that often, probably out or working when it was on, the rest of those shows, don't believe I would of gone out of my way to watch if they had arrived over here! Each to their own though!
More risks, and more failures. But the quality that survived was solid entertainment, in a large part thanks to BT.
Good on ya Chato.
Wait - what about Galactica 1980? Maybe that debuted in 1979. Hard to recall since I was mostly successful in purging it from my memory banks to make room for more Gilligan’s Island trivia.