Best TV Shows of the ’80s That Are Still Worth Watching

Big hair. Bigger shoulder pads. Even bigger theme songs. 

The ’80s aren’t remembered for subtlety — the decade gave us synth-heavy soundtracks, neon everything, and appointment television you couldn’t miss. Bartenders dispensed life advice, retirees turned the mundane into prime-time gold, and theme songs couldn’t be skipped (as if you would even want to). 

The way we watch TV has changed, but the shows are still iconic. These are the best ’80s TV shows streaming on Hulu right now.

Best TV Shows of the ’80s

Cheers (1982)

Before streaming queues and group chats, there was Cheers — and its Boston bar where everybody really did know your name. 

Widely regarded as one of the best TV shows ever made, this classic sitcom follows bartender Sam Malone (Ted Danson), waitress Carla (Rhea Perlman), and the unforgettable regulars who keep the place lively, including the lovable underachiever Norm (George Wendt), the know-it-all Cliff (John Ratzenberger). 

Equal parts comfort TV and comedy institution, Cheers redefined what a sitcom could be — and it’s still just as easy to pull up a stool and stay awhile.

Watch: Cheers

The Golden Girls (1985)

Picture it: Miami in 1985. Four roommates, endless cheesecake, and some of the sharpest one-liners in sitcom history. The Golden Girls follows practical Dorothy (Bea Arthur), flirtatious Blanche (Rue McClanahan), innocently aloof Rose (Betty White), and Dorothy’s delightfully blunt mother, Sophia (Estelle Getty). Together, they experience all the ways friendship, dating, and family dynamics evolve in the golden years of life. 

This cuttingly funny comfort show tackled topics most sitcoms avoided — proving great comedy doesn’t get old, it just gets better.

Watch: The Golden Girls

Full House (1987)

When widowed sportscaster Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) finds himself raising three daughters on his own, he brings in reinforcements: rock-loving brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and stand-up comic Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). 

Inside the family’s San Francisco townhouse, D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) grow up surrounded by dad jokes, life lessons sweetly landing before the credits roll, and a parade of catchphrases that still live rent-free in viewers’ heads decades later.

Watch: Full House

Moonlighting (1985)

Private detective David Addison (Bruce Willis) has a knack for bending the rules. Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd), a former model forced to run a struggling detective agency, prefers things done properly. 

Their uneasy partnership at the Blue Moon Detective Agency quickly becomes a running duel of sarcasm, stubbornness, and undeniable chemistry. With rapid-fire dialogue and a habit of playing with TV conventions, Moonlighting turned the standard mystery series into something far more unpredictable.

Watch: Moonlighting

227 (1985)

Life at 227 Lexington Place always comes with commentary. Much of it comes from Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs), the sharp-witted tenant who rarely misses a chance to weigh in on whatever’s unfolding around the building. 

Alongside her husband Lester (Hal Williams) and daughter Brenda (Regina King), Mary keeps a close eye on the neighbors, the gossip, and anything else happening just outside her front door. If someone in the building has something to say, Mary probably said it first.

Watch: 227

The Wonder Years (1988)

Growing up rarely makes sense in the moment. That’s something Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) learns again and again while navigating family life, school, and first love in late-1960s suburbia. Told through Kevin’s adult voiceover (Daniel Stern), The Wonder Years revisits the awkward, funny moments of growing up through a nostalgic lens.

The story even found new life decades later with a 2021 reboot on ABC, also streaming on Hulu, which reimagines the coming-of-age journey through the Williams family in 1960s Montgomery, Alabama.

For more details on the cast, similar shows, and how to stream all six seasons, check out Hulu’s complete guide to streaming The Wonder Years.

Watch: The Wonder Years

Who’s the Boss? (1989)

After a shoulder injury ends his major league baseball career, Tony Micelli (Tony Danza) takes an unexpected job as a live-in housekeeper for high-powered advertising executive Angela Bower (Judith Light). 

Moving into Angela’s Connecticut home with his daughter, Tony quickly becomes more than hired help. Who’s the Boss? built its comedy around the push-and-pull between Tony’s easygoing style and Angela’s buttoned-up professionalism — with plenty of household debates over who was actually running the place.

Watch: Who’s the Boss? 

L.A. Law (1986)

Long before prestige legal dramas became a TV staple, L.A. Law was setting the pace. The series follows the attorneys of the Los Angeles-based firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney, and Kuzak as they juggle high-profile cases and the occasional headline-grabbing scandal. Courtroom battles are only half the story — the rivalries, ambitions, and shifting alliances inside the firm are just as compelling.

Watch: L.A. Law

Family Matters (1989)

Life in the Winslow household rarely stays quiet for long. Chicago police officer Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson) tries to keep everyday life on track, but his plans are often derailed by his relentlessly enthusiastic neighbor, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White). 

What began as a straightforward family sitcom quickly became something else entirely once Urkel — suspenders, inventions, and his classic “Did I do that?” catchphrase — became a fan-favorite character. 

Watch: Family Matters

Designing Women (1986)

In late-1980s Atlanta, running an interior design firm means dealing with demanding clients, strong personalities, and the occasional clash of opinions. At Sugarbaker & Associates, sisters Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker manage the business while navigating the everyday realities of work and friendship. 

Watch: Designing Women

ThunderCats (1985)

After their home planet is destroyed, a group of feline warriors crash land on a strange world known as Third Earth. Led by young lord Lion-O, the ThunderCats must defend their new home from the sorcerer Mumm-Ra and whatever other dangers the planet throws their way. 

The animated adventure became a staple of ’80s after-school TV, mixing fantasy lore, sci-fi gadgets, and one of the decade’s most recognizable rallying cries: “ThunderCats, ho!”

Watch: ThunderCats

Matlock (1986) 

Defense attorney Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) has a reputation for taking cases that look impossible to win — and then proving everyone wrong in court. Week after week, Matlock digs through witness testimony, small inconsistencies, and last-minute revelations to uncover what really happened. The show became a reliable fixture of late-1980s television with its steady case-of-the-week storytelling. 

If you enjoy episodic mysteries, you can find more shows built around weekly investigations in Hulu’s guide to the best procedural TV series.

Watch: Matlock*

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Quantum Leap (1989)

In a top-secret government experiment gone sideways, physicist Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) finds himself leaping through time, waking up in someone else’s life each episode. Guided by holographic advisor Al (Dean Stockwell), Sam must piece together what went wrong and fix it before the next jump sends him somewhere new. 

The series blends sci-fi with self-contained stories about the people Sam becomes, giving late-1980s television one of its most inventive episodic formats.

Watch: Quantum Leap*

*Live TV plan required to watch live content on Hulu. Regional restrictions, blackouts, and additional terms apply.