TV Shows: 324

The American television sitcom, ALF (1986–1990), originally aired on NBC from September 22, 1986 to March 24, 1990. The show follows the story of an alien named Gordon Shumway, also known as ALF (which stands for ‘Alien Life Form’), who crashes into the suburban home of the Tanners – a middle-class family living in the San Fernando Valley of California. Gordon is from the planet Melmac and had followed a radio signal to Earth. Despite his real name being Gordon Shumway, the Tanners affectionately call him ALF. The family consists of Willie, his wife Kate, their daughter Lynn, son Brian, and their cat Lucky – whom Gordon has a desire to eat. ...

The American crime drama TV series, Crime Story (1986–1988), was created by Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger, and produced by Michael Mann. It aired on NBC for two seasons from September 18, 1986 to May 10, 1988. The show debuted with a two-hour pilot that had previously been shown in theaters and garnered a viewership of over 30 million. Originally airing on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. opposite ABC’s Moonlighting, it was later moved to Fridays at 10 p.m. before eventually settling on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. during the fall of ...

Mussolini: The Untold Story (1985) is a biographical miniseries that chronicles the life and reign of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Like Hitler: The Rise of Evil, the series is spoken in English rather than Mussolini’s native language. It delves into the private aspects of his life, including his long-term relationship with Clara Petacci. Based on the recollections of Vittorio Mussolini, it spans seven hours and begins in 1922 as Mussolini gains power through his Black Shirt militia. He presents himself as the reincarnation of Caesar and his popularity soars after Italy invades Ethiopia in 1935. In an attempt for peace, he attends a conference in ...

The Twilight Zone (1985–1989), an anthology television series that originally aired from September 27, 1985 to April 15, 1989, was the first of three revivals of Rod Serling’s acclaimed 1959-1964 show. Similar to its predecessor, it featured a range of speculative fiction that often involved ordinary characters in extraordinary situations. However, unlike the original, most episodes included multiple self-contained stories instead of just one. Though the voice-over narrations were still present, they were not as consistent as in the previous series. Some episodes had only an opening or closing narration, while ...

Amazing Stories (1985–1987), an American anthology television series created by Steven Spielberg, originally aired on NBC in the United States from September 29, 1985 to April 10, 1987. During its run, it received nominations for 12 Emmy Awards and won five. One of its first-season episodes, The Amazing Falsworth, even earned writer Mick Garris an Edgar Award for Best Episode in a TV Series. Despite these accolades, the show did not perform well in terms of ratings, placing 40th in Season 1 and 52nd in Season 2. As a result, the network chose not to renew it ...

Miami Vice (1984–1989), the popular American crime drama, was created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The show follows the exploits of two undercover detectives, James ‘Sonny’ Crockett and Ricardo ‘Rico’ Tubbs, in the Metro-Dade Police Department as they tackle cases in Miami. Running for five seasons on NBC from 1984 to 1989, Miami Vice gained even more popularity when it began airing reruns on the USA Network in 1988. During its syndication run, a previously unaired episode was also broadcast on January 25, 1990. This ...

Tales from the Darkside (1983–1988), created by George A. Romero, is an American anthology horror TV series that first aired in October 1983 with a pilot episode. It was later picked up for syndication in September 1984 and ran for four seasons until July 1988. Each episode was a unique short story with a plot twist, originally airing late at night on Tribune Broadcasting. The show explored the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and sometimes incorporated elements of black comedy or lighthearted themes. In October 2012, reruns began airing in the UK on Horror Channel. On ...

Widows (1983–1985), a British crime drama that originally aired in 1983 and 1985 on the ITV network, was produced by Euston Films for Thames Television. The two six-part series were written by renowned crime writer Lynda La Plante. During an armed robbery, three men — Harry Rawlins, Terry Miller, and Joe Perelli — are fatally shot, leaving behind their wives Dolly Rawlins, Shirley Miller, and Linda Perelli. With pressure from the police and a rival gang attempting to take control of Harry’s criminal empire, the widows turn to Dolly for guidance. Utilizing Harry’s infamous ‘ledgers’ which detail ...

St. Elsewhere (1982–1988) is an American medical drama television series originally airing on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. Created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, it follows the lives of staff at the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston’s South End neighborhood. The hospital’s nickname, ‘St. Elsewhere’, is a slang term in the medical field for hospitals that may not have the same resources as others, but still provide care to patients who are turned away elsewhere. This term can also be used in medical academia for teaching ...

Smiley’s People (1982) is a British six-part spy drama by the BBC, directed by Simon Langton and produced by Jonathan Powell. It is an adaptation of John le Carré’s 1979 novel of the same name and a sequel to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, excluding the second book in the trilogy, The Honourable Schoolboy, which was not filmed due to budget constraints. Starring Sir Alec Guinness, Michael Byrne,

The American television sitcom, Bosom Buddies (1980–1982), was created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson. Starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari, it aired on ABC for two seasons from November 27, 1980 to March 27, 1982. Later in the summer of 1984, it was aired in reruns on NBC. The show follows the misadventures of two single men working in creative advertising who disguise themselves as women to afford ...

The BBC’s seven-part spy drama, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), is an adaptation of John le Carré’s novel of the same name. Directed by John Irvin and produced by Jonathan Powell, the series follows George Smiley, a retired deputy from the British Secret Intelligence Service. Smiley was forced into retirement after a failed mission in Czechoslovakia known as Operation Testify. The operation, orchestrated by the head of the Circus (the British Secret Intelligence Service), resulted in the capture and torture of ...

The American television sitcom, Mork & Mindy (1978–1982), originally aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off of the popular show Happy Days, it featured Robin Williams as Mork, a visitor from the planet Ork, and Pam Dawber as his human companion and eventual love interest, Mindy McConnell. Despite her efforts to help him adapt to life on Earth and understand human customs, Mork’s behavior remains delightfully odd. His mission is to gather information about our planet for his superiors back home.

The American sitcom, Taxi (1978–1983), was originally broadcasted on ABC from September 12, 1978 to May 6, 1982, and then on NBC from September 30, 1982 to June 15, 1983. It explores the daily experiences of a few taxi drivers and their tough dispatcher in New York City. The show follows the employees who work the night shift at the fictional Sunshine Cab Company and mainly takes place in the company’s garage in Manhattan. Alex Reiger is the only driver who sees driving a cab as his career while others consider it a temporary job. Elaine Nardo is a single mother working as an art gallery receptionist while Tony Banta is a struggling boxer. Bobby Wheeler is ...

Jesus of Nazareth (1977) is an epic film and television drama serial. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli and co-written by Anthony Burgess and Suso Cecchi d’Amico, it tells the story of Jesus’s birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. In the screenplay writing process, additional scenes were added for a more concise and dramatic presentation. Some characters, like Zerah, were also included for the same reason. Notably, Judas Iscariot is portrayed as initially well-intentioned but later manipulated by ...

Starsky & Hutch (1975–1979) is an American action television series, with a 72-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. Created by William Blinn and produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, it starred Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul as the title characters. The show first aired on the ABC network from April 1975 to August 1979. It has since been syndicated, appearing on various local channels and cable networks such as The National Network, WWME-CA (also known as MeTV), TNT, TV Land, El Rey Network, ...

Happy Days (1974–1984), an American sitcom, originally aired on the ABC network for 11 seasons from January 15, 1974 to July 19, 1984. Created by Garry Marshall, it quickly became one of the most successful shows of the 70s. Based in Milwaukee during the 50s, the series follows teenager Richie Cunningham and his family: his father Howard who runs a hardware store, traditional stay-at-home mother Marion, younger sister Joanie, and older brother Chuck (who only appears in seasons 1 and 2). The Cunninghams also have a tenant who is both cool and suave – mechanic Fonzie – who eventually becomes Richie’s ...

Gene Roddenberry’s American science fiction TV series, Star Trek (1966–1969), chronicles the voyages of USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew. This show, which started an entire media franchise, later became known as Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS). Set in the 23rd century, it follows the exploits of the Enterprise crew on a five-year mission to discover new worlds, life forms, and civilizations; all while venturing into uncharted territory. The ship is under the command of handsome and daring Captain James Tiberius ‘Jim’ Kirk. His two closest confidants are Commander Spock, a ...

Get Smart (1965–1970), an American comedy TV series, was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The show premiered on NBC on September 18, 1965, as a parody of the popular secret agent genre that had been brought to fame by the James Bond films in the early 1960s. Starring Don Adams as agent Maxwell Smart (Agent 86), Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, and Edward Platt as Thaddeus the Chief, the show’s concept was conceived at the ...

The Outer Limits (1963–1965), an American TV show, aired on ABC from September 16, 1963 to January 16, 1965 at 7:30 PM Eastern Time every Monday. Often compared to The Twilight Zone, it focused more on science fiction rather than fantasy or supernatural elements. Each episode was a standalone story with surprise endings. During its first season, the show gained a devoted fan base. Some dedicated viewers even brought their TVs with them when they were away so they wouldn’t miss an episode. However, the second season didn’t do as well in ratings after moving to Saturday nights and competing against Jackie ...