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80s TV Shows

jaschmidt | May 13, 2010 |

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My, how television has evolved over the decades. For those of us who grew up in the 80's, it is almost incomprehensible to think that our favorite 80s TV shows are now considered "classics," virtually unknown to our kids, some of them fading away completely, while others are being recycled back into popularity. For example, we all remember such cartoons as The Gummi Bears (try not to hum the theme song, I dare you) and The Smurfs. While The Gummi Bears have faded into virtual obscurity, The Smurfs are iconic, with memorabilia fetching top dollar on Ebay and DVD boxed sets on store shelves.

Another trend among 80s TV shows is that a good number of them are being made into feature films – many of them very high budget and starring A-list celebs. I mean, who can't remember Saturday mornings watching Transformers? Who would have thought it would become a widely popular movie series? And what about The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Another thing about 80s TV shows is that they were nearly all family-friendly – even the ones shown at primetime. We never had to worry that we were going to be watching a morally-questionable scene with our parents or the kids we were babysitting – today's TV shows seem to almost be a parody of our more wholesome past – the child stars we knew and loved now featured as washed-out celebs on reality shows or on tabloid magazine shows.

The bottom line is that is seems as though the 80s TV shows were the last of the greats. You can't help but wonder if the idea pool has all dried up. I don't thinks so. I think the real issue here is that the 80s TV shows captured a kind of "feel good" vibe that we are trying to emulate today – and none too soon. I just hope that the shows I know and love don't get turned to smut to satisfy a the current, shock-value generation.