Plot

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Best TV Shows of the 1980s

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The 1980s expanded television's creative possibilities through innovative shows that blended genres and pushed content boundaries. Programs like Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, and The Twilight Zone demonstrated television's potential for cinematic storytelling and sophisticated themes.

Takeda Shingen (1988) poster

Takeda Shingen (1988)

Ultra B (1987) poster

Ultra B (1987)

Shōgun (1980) poster

Shōgun (1980)

Pão-Pão, Beijo-Beijo (1983) poster

Pão-Pão, Beijo-Beijo (1983)

The Hitchhiker (1983) poster

The Hitchhiker (1983)

Do Your Best Genki (1980) poster

Do Your Best Genki (1980)

Mad Love (1983) poster

Mad Love (1983)

Burning Mountain River (1984) poster

Burning Mountain River (1984)

The Storyteller (1988) poster

The Storyteller (1988)

Transformers: The Headmasters (1987) poster

Transformers: The Headmasters (1987)

Zillion (1987) poster

Zillion (1987)

No Goal (1987) poster

No Goal (1987)

Mandala (1987) poster

Mandala (1987)

J.J. Starbuck (1987) poster

J.J. Starbuck (1987)

Belle and Sebastian (1981) poster

Belle and Sebastian (1981)

Space Runaway Ideon (1980) poster

Space Runaway Ideon (1980)

Code Red (1981) poster

Code Red (1981)

L'Heure de vérité (1982) poster

L'Heure de vérité (1982)

动物世界 (1981) poster

动物世界 (1981)

Reading Rainbow (1983) poster

Reading Rainbow (1983)

Police Squad! (1982) poster

Police Squad! (1982)

POV (1988) poster

POV (1988)

Plymptoons: The Complete Early Works of Bill Plympton (1989) poster

Plymptoons: The Complete Early Works of Bill Plympton (1989)

Heart Cocktail (1986) poster

Heart Cocktail (1986)

This decade's experimentation with television formats and storytelling techniques established foundations that would support the medium's later artistic achievements.