Ever wondered what treasures lie buried in the 80s television vault? Beyond Miami Vice and The A-Team, dozens of quirky shows came and went without fanfare. Some featured talking cars, others showcased alien teens with superpowers. Many predicted technologies we use today, while others simply faded into pop culture history.
Could your next binge-watching obsession be hiding among these 24 overlooked series from television’s neon decade?
24. Manimal
Back in ’83, NBC gambled on “Manimal,” featuring Dr. Jonathan Chase, a professor who could transform into animals at will. This guy teamed up with Detective Brooke McKenzie and his buddy Tyrone Earl to crack cases that had regular cops scratching their heads. Simon MacCorkindale headlined the series, with Melody Anderson as McKenzie and Michael D. Roberts as Earl rounding out the crew.
The transformation scenes? Pretty impressive for 80s TV – Stan Winston (the effects wizard) and his team created them without fancy CGI. Sadly, the show got dumped into the Friday night death slot against some heavy hitters and tanked in the ratings. NBC pulled the plug after just eight episodes. Though quickly canceled, those groundbreaking practical effects sequences influenced creature transformations across film and television for years before digital morphing became the industry standard.
23. Automan
Remember when computers seemed like actual magic? “Automan” capitalized on this 1983 tech fascination with its story of police computer geek Walter Nebicher, who creates a holographic superhero to fight bad guys regular cops couldn’t touch. Chuck Wagner rocked the glowing blue suit as Automan, while Desi Arnaz Jr. (yes, from that famous family) played the nerdy creator.
They had this cute little floating dot called Cursor that zipped around making digital cars and gadgets whenever needed. The whole show looked like “Tron” had a baby with a cop show – all blue neon effects and digital weirdness. Despite the cool visuals, it got crushed in the ratings war. Decades before we all created digital avatars and lived partially online, Automan envisioned a world where digital entities could cross into physical reality – eerily predicting our increasingly blurred digital-physical existence.
22. Small Wonder
Imagine bringing home a robot and pretending it’s your daughter – that’s the bonkers premise “Small Wonder” delivered in ’85. Ted Lawson, robotics whiz, builds V.I.C.I. (Voice Input Child Identicant) and passes her off as his daughter “Vicki.” Tiffany Brissette nailed the robot-girl character, talking like a monotone computer while casually bending steel and lifting furniture. Dick Christie played the dad/creator, with Marla Pennington as mom Joan and Jerry Supiran as their flesh-and-blood son Jamie.
Every episode was basically “don’t let the neighbors figure out she’s a robot!” hijinks. Despite critics absolutely hating it, the show ran for four solid seasons in syndication. For all its cheesy 80s trappings, Small Wonder asked questions about consciousness, family, and what defines humanity that feel startlingly relevant in our current era of sophisticated AI assistants and robots.
21. Riptide
Two Vietnam vets and a computer genius on a boat team up to solve crimes. “Riptide” splashed onto NBC in ’84. Cody Allen and Nick Ryder teamed up with computer nerd Murray “Boz” Bozinsky to tackle cases too weird for regular cops. These guys had toys galore – a seriously pink helicopter nicknamed the Screaming Mimi and Roboz, this clunky robot that would make Alexa look like Einstein. Perry King played smooth-talker Cody, Joe
Penny was the tough-guy Nick, and Thom Bray rocked the coke-bottle glasses as tech genius Murray. The show mixed crime-solving with speedboat chases and early computer mumbo-jumbo that makes modern viewers snort-laugh. Many detective shows now feature specialist teams with high-tech gadgets, but Riptide was among the first to suggest that the computer geek might ultimately be more valuable than the guy with the gun.
20. The Powers of Matthew Star
Before CW packed its lineup with supernatural teens, “The Powers of Matthew Star” beamed onto NBC in ’82 with an out-of-this-world concept. The show followed an alien prince hiding out on Earth as a typical high school student while secretly developing telekinetic powers. Louis Gossett Jr. starred as Walt Shepherd, Matthew’s alien protector posing as a teacher, right after snagging his Oscar for “An Officer and a Gentleman” (talk about range!). Peter Barton played the teenage space prince trying to survive both high school drama and intergalactic assassins.
The show went through a bizarre identity crisis midseason, ditching school stories for more action-packed adventures. Production was a total mess – Barton even got seriously burned in an on-set accident that shut everything down for weeks. The alien-teenager-with-powers formula would eventually become TV gold, with Matthew Star serving as an early, flawed experiment in mixing cosmic threats with high school hallway drama.
19. Tucker’s Witch
Did your marriage ever need a little magic to spice things up? CBS thought so when they launched “Tucker’s Witch” in ’82, giving us a husband-wife detective duo where wife Amanda had genuine psychic powers that worked… sometimes. Her supernatural hunches helped solve cases but also landed them in hot water when her abilities decided to go haywire. Catherine Hicks played the witchy wife Amanda, with Tim Matheson as her eye-rolling but supportive husband Rick, who preferred old-school detective work.
The show bounced between spooky stuff, case-of-the-week plots, and married couple banter. Fun fact: they originally called it “The Good Witch of Laurel Canyon” before CBS execs got cold feet and renamed it. Despite having two super-talented leads, the show got clobbered in the ratings and vanished after 12 episodes. While it vanished quickly, Tucker’s Witch established the template for blending domestic relationships with paranormal crime-solving that later shows would refine into hit formulas.
18. Hardcastle and McCormick
Vigilante justice got a courtroom twist when “Hardcastle and McCormick” roared onto ABC in ’83. The show’s genius pairing: a cranky retired judge teams up with a smart-mouthed ex-con to catch bad guys who slipped through legal loopholes. Brian Keith brought his gruff, no-nonsense vibe to Judge Hardcastle, while Daniel Hugh Kelly played the reluctant ex-car thief McCormick, who’d rather be racing than catching crooks. Their most iconic co-star? The Coyote X – a fiberglass sports car that looked like someone had described a Ferrari over a bad phone connection.
Created by TV legend Stephen J. Cannell, the show packed in car chases, fistfights, and surprisingly genuine “odd couple” chemistry. Initially, it held its own against ratings monster “The A-Team” before running out of gas. Unlike many action shows of its era, Hardcastle and McCormick managed to develop genuine emotional depth between its leads, evolving from reluctant partners to something resembling father and son.
17. The Charmings
Who hasn’t wondered how Snow White would handle a microwave? ABC explored this burning question when they conjured up “The Charmings” in ’87. Thanks to a botched spell by the Evil Queen, fairy tale royals find themselves stuck in Reagan-era Burbank with no way home. The show lasted a measly 21 episodes across two seasons, with Christopher Rich playing the hilariously clueless Prince Charming and Snow White played by two different actresses (awkward!).
Judy Parfitt chewed scenery as the Evil Queen, now forced to use her magic to deal with shopping malls and VCRs. The show mined laughs from watching these medieval characters totally freak out over toasters and telephones. Unfortunately, ABC scheduled it against ratings behemoth “The Cosby Show,” basically ensuring its doom. In a twist worthy of a fairy tale itself, this short-lived comedy’s DNA lives on in hugely successful shows like “Once Upon A Time” and countless movies that drop magical characters into contemporary settings.
16. Our House
Family drama took on new depth when NBC unveiled “Our House” in ’86. The premise hit hard: after Gus Witherspoon’s son dies, his widow and three kids move in with Grandpa, leading to plenty of family conflict and healing moments. Wilford Brimley brought his folksy, oatmeal-commercial energy to Grandpa Gus, with soap star Deidre Hall as daughter-in-law Annie. A young Shannen Doherty (pre-90210 fame) played oldest granddaughter Lynn, with Chad Allen and Keri Houlihan as the younger kids.
Unlike most 80s family shows with their neat, tidy problems, “Our House” tackled heavy stuff – death, money troubles, and those awkward “your way is old-fashioned” family arguments. Despite solid storytelling, it couldn’t beat the ratings juggernaut “60 Minutes” and wrapped after two seasons. Long before economic necessity forced multiple generations back under one roof, this thoughtful drama explored the complex dynamics of extended family living with surprising nuance and emotional honesty.
15. Jennifer Slept Here
Living with roommates is tough enough without adding the supernatural – a lesson learned in NBC’s 1983 sitcom “Jennifer Slept Here.” The setup was classic 80s weirdness: family moves into a new house, discovers it’s haunted by a glamorous, meddling ghost from Hollywood’s golden age. The twist? Only teenage son Joey can see or hear Jennifer, making him look crazy to everyone else. Ann Jillian brought sparkle and sass as the ghostly Jennifer, with John P. Navin Jr. as the exasperated teen forced to deal with her supernatural shenanigans.
The show even scored legendary Lana Turner for a guest spot – one of her last TV appearances before she passed. Despite hitting all the 80s supernatural comedy notes, the show couldn’t scare up decent ratings and got exorcised after just 13 episodes. The concept of friendly ghosts selectively visible to just one person has haunted TV ever since, appearing in everything from children’s shows to modern hits like “Ghosts” and “iZombie.”
14. The Master
When America’s ninja obsession hit fever pitch in the 80s, “The Master” karate-chopped its way onto NBC in ’84. The story followed aging ninja master John Peter McAllister breaking sacred ninja code to leave Japan and search for his long-lost daughter in America. Along the way, he reluctantly takes on a mouthy young drifter as his apprentice. Lee Van Cleef brought serious Western-movie gravitas to the role at age 78 (yeah, seriously!), while Timothy Van Patten played Max, the cocky student who provides the wheels and American street smarts.
Each episode packed in multiple martial arts sequences with slow-mo kicks and that distinctive “HIYAH!” sound effect we all tried to imitate. The show hit right when America was ninja-obsessed, with martial arts studios popping up in every strip mall. After 13 episodes of middling ratings, NBC pulled the plug. The Master accomplished something rare for its time – it treated Eastern martial arts with genuine respect rather than pure exploitation, helping transition ninjas from cartoon villains to complex heroes in American pop culture.
13. Voyagers!
Back in ’82, NBC’s “Voyagers!” catapulted viewers through time with its novel education-meets-adventure formula. Phineas Bogg, a professional time-hopper, crash-lands in 1982 and meets Jeffrey Jones, a history-obsessed orphan with encyclopedic knowledge of the past.
Armed with the Omni—a pocket-watch device that glowed red at historical hiccups—the duo bounced between centuries fixing timeline mistakes. Jon-Erik Hexum brought hunky charm to the somewhat clueless Bogg, while child actor Meeno Peluce impressed as the brainy Jeffrey. The show cleverly snuck actual historical events into Sunday evening entertainment packages that parents actually approved of. Despite enthusiastic support from teachers who appreciated its educational stealth attack, the show couldn’t compete with the CBS news juggernaut “60 Minutes” and vanished after a single season—though its clever blend of time-travel hijinks and historical lessons would influence educational programming for generations.
12. Bring ‘Em Back Alive
When “Raiders of the Lost Ark” fever gripped America, CBS pounced with “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” in 1982, reviving real-life adventurer Frank Buck’s jungle exploits for prime time. This action-adventure romp followed Buck’s expeditions from colonial Singapore into Southeast Asian jungles, where he captured exotic animals while battling everything from smugglers to hostile tribes.
Bruce Boxleitner swaggered through the jungle as the dashing Buck, flanked by Cindy Morgan as the token American consulate beauty and Clyde Kusatsu as his loyal assistant Ali. Rather than fake jungle sets, producers schlepped to actual Malaysian locations, creating authentic tropical atmosphere few TV shows could match. Tuesday nights brought tiger encounters and fistfights with sweaty villains in khaki, but even Buck’s animal magnetism couldn’t trap viewers when scheduled against ABC’s comedy powerhouses. The exotic series wilted in the ratings jungle after just 17 episodes, though its ambitious international production values raised the bar for adventure television that escaped studio confines.
11. Supertrain
Television history buffs still chuckle about “Supertrain,” NBC’s catastrophic 1979 attempt to create “The Love Boat on rails” with a preposterous nuclear-powered luxury train. This vehicular monstrosity supposedly crossed America at speeds over 200 mph while passengers enjoyed swimming pools, disco dancing, and shopping in its impossible interior.
Edward Andrews played the stuffy conductor with Patrick Collins handling security on this rolling disaster-in-waiting. Each week paraded new C-list celebrities through interconnected melodramas that might’ve worked on a cruise ship but seemed ridiculous on a train. NBC executives lost their minds (and jobs) after blowing an eye-watering $10 million on elaborate models and massive sets—including one expensive miniature that crashed during filming. The network frantically hyped their steel behemoth, but viewers immediately recognized the concept’s absurdity and abandoned ship—er, train. After nine episodes of financial hemorrhaging in 1979, NBC pulled the emergency brake, creating TV’s most spectacular crash-and-burn.
10. Street Hawk
After “Knight Rider” struck ratings gold with a talking car, ABC naturally concluded the next logical step was “Street Hawk” in 1985—basically the same concept but with a motorcycle. Jesse Mach, a cop sidelined by injury, gets recruited to pilot a government super-bike capable of speeds up to 300 mph with enough firepower to make the Pentagon envious.
Rex Smith brought requisite 80s hair and leather jacket swagger as Jesse, while Joe Regalbuto played Norman Tuttle, the classic nervous nerd who guided missions from his computer lair. Weekly episodes delivered Jesse zooming through LA alleys while villains wasted bullets on his virtually indestructible bike. Producers blew budgets on elaborate motorcycle stunts that teenage boys absolutely loved but general audiences largely ignored. After 13 episodes of wheelies and weak ratings against Thursday night powerhouses, ABC kicked Street Hawk to the curb—though the show found surprising afterlife internationally, where dubbing apparently made the dialogue less painful and viewers could focus on those sweet motorcycle jumps.
9. Father Murphy
Michael Landon’s Midas touch with wholesome TV briefly extended to “Father Murphy” in 1981, a heartwarming western about a con man finding redemption through an outrageous clergy disguise. Gold-seeking drifter John Murphy stumbles across orphaned children being worked to death in mines and makes the logical television decision: impersonate a Catholic priest and open a school!
Former NFL tackle Merlin Olsen hung up his cleats to portray the gentle giant Murphy, with Moses Gunn adding gravitas as his friend Moses Gage. The series featured authentic frontier settings and tackled surprisingly gritty issues like child exploitation between scenes of Murphy awkwardly faking Catholic rituals. NBC initially struck ratings gold with this “Little House”-adjacent formula, but constant schedule shuffling left viewers confused about when to tune in. After 34 episodes of frontier morality tales, NBC defrocked Father Murphy in 1983—though the show deserves credit for addressing tough historical realities through family-friendly storytelling.
8. The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
When TV producers spot a breakout character, a spin-off invariably follows—thus “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo” was born in 1979 when Claude Akins’ corrupt but lovable lawman character hijacked his own show from “B.J. and the Bear.” In fictional Orly County, Georgia, the scheming Sheriff Lobo and his dimwitted deputies bungled through harebrained get-rich-quick schemes while accidentally solving crimes through pure dumb luck.
Akins clearly relished playing the bombastic sheriff, supported by Brian Kerwin and Mills Watson as his idiot-sidekick deputies Perkins and Birdwell. When rural comedy started tanking in the ratings, desperate producers randomly transplanted these country bumpkins to Atlanta in Season 2, hoping urban surroundings would somehow save this sinking ship. Viewers tuned in for cornpone slapstick, car crashes, and Lobo’s signature exasperated expressions when his schemes inevitably backfired. Despite cranking out 37 episodes across two seasons, the increasingly confused show lost its audience with each bizarre format change. NBC finally put this misadventure out of its misery in 1981.
7. The Phoenix
Before “Ancient Aliens” became a History Channel staple, ABC experimented with “The Phoenix” in 1982—a sci-fi oddity about an extraterrestrial visitor awakened from centuries of slumber. Archaeological researchers discover Bennu, a golden-skinned alien preserved in a Peruvian sarcophagus, who awakens with an arsenal of mental abilities including telekinesis, telepathy, and healing powers. For sci-fi gadgets check out 25 futuristic gadhets inspired by sci-fi movies.
Judson Scott portrayed the frequently shirtless space traveler, while veteran actor E.G. Marshall added credibility as Dr. Preminger, the scientist helping Bennu navigate modern life. Weekly episodes featured Bennu learning confusing human customs while evading government agents and an obligatory evil rich guy seeking to control his powers. The show capitalized on popular ancient astronaut theories following von Däniken’s bestsellers about aliens influencing early human civilizations. Despite decent special effects showing Bennu’s powers (cue the glowing eyes!), ABC extinguished “The Phoenix” after a mere five episodes—though its premise of ancient aliens with superhuman abilities would regenerate repeatedly in science fiction for decades.
6. Blue Thunder
When Hollywood studios spot a theatrical hit, a rushed TV adaptation inevitably follows—as with “Blue Thunder” in 1984, ABC’s attempt to milk the 1983 helicopter action film before audience interest evaporated. This high-flying series centered on an elite LAPD aviation unit operating a militarized chopper that featured armor plating, surveillance capabilities, and weapons systems that would make today’s police militarization critics have conniptions.
James Farentino headlined as Frank Chaney, the requisite troubled Vietnam vet with exceptional pilot skills, alongside a pre-SNL Dana Carvey as tech specialist Clinton “JAFO” Wonderlove. Typical episodes featured the helicopter team swooping dramatically between LA skyscrapers to foil standard TV criminals of the week. Unlike many shows that rely on stock footage, “Blue Thunder” invested in actual helicopter stunts—an admirable but expensive choice. The aerial dogfight for ratings became unavoidable when NBC launched the suspiciously similar “Airwolf” around the same time, splitting the limited audience for helicopter action shows. After 11 episodes of mediocre ratings in 1984, ABC grounded “Blue Thunder” permanently, proving that even cool aircraft can’t save a show when viewers can’t distinguish between competing series with nearly identical premises.
5. The Highwayman
Television mastermind Glen A. Larson, never one to let a high-concept vehicle show opportunity pass, unleashed “The Highwayman” on NBC in 1988, creating a bizarre mash-up of western tropes and futuristic technology. Set in a vaguely defined future Southwest that looked remarkably like present-day Arizona with a few props added, the series followed a mysterious highway marshal patrolling in a semi-truck packed with more gadgets than a Sharper Image catalog.
Sam J. Jones (fresh from “Flash Gordon” fame) played the nameless Highwayman, paired with Australian strongman Mark “Jacko” Jackson, whose primary qualification was bellowing “I’m Jacko!” in battery commercials. The production team created impressive vehicle stunts showcasing the truck’s transformation abilities, including a hidden sports car that deployed for pursuit scenes. Viewers scratched their heads at the jumbled concept that couldn’t decide if it was western, sci-fi, or action-adventure. NBC test-drove this oddity as a mid-season replacement with a budget that couldn’t possibly support its ambitious special effects. After nine confusing episodes in early 1988, the network permanently revoked the Highwayman’s license—though its weird fusion of western elements with futuristic technology would later seem strangely prescient in shows like Joss Whedon’s “Firefly.”
4. The Yellow Rose
While “Dallas” dominated ratings with oil-rich Texans in urban settings, NBC countered with “The Yellow Rose” in 1983, taking the primetime soap opera formula back to its literal roots on a sprawling cattle ranch. The Champion family’s struggles to maintain their vast Yellow Rose spread against corporate raiders provided the backdrop for enough romantic entanglements to fill a decade of country music videos.
Sam Elliott’s legendary mustache and gravelly voice perfectly embodied patriarch Wes Champion, with Cybill Shepherd bringing Hollywood glamour as his wife Colleen and “Starsky & Hutch” alum David Soul as brooding foreman Quinton McCord. Unlike studio-bound soaps, producers filmed on actual Texas ranches, giving viewers authentic Lone Star scenery rarely seen in television. Episodes balanced business intrigue involving predatory oil companies with steamy love triangles clearly designed to raise temperatures in living rooms nationwide. Despite its impressive cast and genuine Texas locations, Saturday night viewers chose other entertainment options, forcing NBC to close the ranch gates after a single 22-episode season in 1984.
3. Trauma Center
A full decade before “ER” made medical drama cool, ABC experimented with “Trauma Center” in 1983, bringing gritty emergency medicine to primetime when most medical shows still featured impossibly handsome doctors making house calls. This ahead-of-its-time series plunged viewers into the controlled chaos of a Los Angeles hospital emergency department, where life-and-death decisions happened between commercial breaks.
James Naughton led as Dr. Michael Rippa, the dedicated chief resident perpetually fighting both bureaucracy and exhaustion. Weekly storylines featured multiple critical cases rolling through the emergency doors, from car crash victims to gunshot wounds, interspersed with the standard medical staff personal dramas. Unlike many medical shows that made actual healthcare workers roll their eyes, producers consulted real emergency physicians for accuracy in procedures and terminology. ABC gambled that audiences were ready for a more realistic portrayal of medicine than the sanitized dramas of previous decades. Though canceled after just 13 episodes in 1983, “Trauma Center” essentially wrote the treatment protocol that later medical hits would follow to ratings glory.
2. Wizards and Warriors
Long before dragons and medieval politics became mainstream entertainment, CBS took a brave gamble with “Wizards and Warriors” in 1983, bringing sword-and-sorcery to primetime when most Americans thought fantasy belonged exclusively in children’s programming. This high-concept series transformed a Renaissance Faire with better costumes into the fictional kingdom of Aperion, where good Prince Erik Greystone battled evil Prince Dirk Blackpool in weekly magical confrontations.
Jeff Conaway (looking uncomfortable transitioning from “Taxi” to chainmail) starred as the heroic Greystone, while Duncan Regehr gleefully chewed scenery as the villainous Blackpool. Julia Duffy appeared as Princess Ariel, perpetually kidnapped and rescued in medieval damsels-in-distress tradition. Production designers stretched limited budgets with clever practical special effects, creating dragons through puppetry and magical spells via camera tricks before CGI existed. Episodes blended sword fights and sorcery with deliberately campy humor that confused viewers expecting either serious fantasy or full comedy. CBS executives apparently rolled critical failure when they greenlit this fantasy experiment for 1983 audiences still processing “The Dukes of Hazzard.” After eight episodes of declining viewership, the network permanently sheathed the show’s sword—though fantasy enthusiasts now appreciate it as television’s earliest attempt at bringing Dungeons & Dragons-style adventure to primetime.
1. Spenser: For Hire
While most 80s detective shows featured cops with questionable methods, ABC offered something different with “Spenser: For Hire” in 1985—a private investigator equally comfortable quoting poetry or throwing punches. Based on Robert B. Parker’s bestselling novels, the series followed Spenser (no first name needed), a cultured ex-boxer turned detective solving cases in Boston with intelligence first and fists when necessary.
Robert Urich perfectly embodied this thinking-man’s detective, balancing intellectualism with street smarts, while Avery Brooks created television’s coolest sidekick as Hawk—a bald, designer-suited enforcer whose minimal dialogue and maximum intimidation factor made him an instant fan favorite. Instead of generic studio backlots, the production filmed in authentic Boston locations, showcasing the city’s historic neighborhoods as essential characters in the storytelling. Typical episodes featured Spenser investigating cases that addressed meaningful social issues while maintaining his personal moral code—inevitably requiring Hawk’s assistance when situations turned violent. The sophisticated series stood apart from formulaic detective shows by respecting viewer intelligence and focusing on character development over car explosions. Though never dominating ratings against tough competition, Spenser’s investigations continued for three seasons and 66 episodes before ABC closed the case in 1988—but the characters proved so compelling that four television movies followed.
