Image: TMDB
About This Quiz
Each September, new television shows are introduced to the public, hoping to make it through the first season and get renewed for a second. But so many shows disappear, never to be seen again. Here are 50 forgotten TV shows from the 1980s. Some were so magnificently horrible, you are bound to remember them. Unfortunately or fortunately, 88% of people can't guess these shows from just one image. Can you? Prove it!
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Blacke's Magic
Blacke's Magic follows magician Alexander Blacke as he tries to solve deaths, thefts, disappearances, and other mysteries that seemingly haunt his shows. This crime series aired 13 episodes, including its pilot, before being dropped by NBC in May of 1986.
Quincy M.E.
Remington Steele
TMDB
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Buck Rogers
Automan
ABC aired 13 of Automan's episodes, from 1983 to 1984. This creative sci-fi TV series featured an artificially intelligent and holographic crime-stopper, created by police officer and computer programmer Walter Nebicher. While short-lived, Automan still has a cult following three decades later.
Alf
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Bewitched
Automan
Tucker's Witch
This comedy detective series predated the psychic detective shows that would become popular in the 1990s. While the series aired in two different slots over 12 episodes, the off-show controversy was almost more exciting than the show itself. The original lead, Kim Cattrall, was dumped and replaced by Catherine Hicks after Cattrall's racy scene in the movie Porky's.
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Columbo
Riptide
Casablanca
Like many, many prior attempts to revive the popular movie Casablanca, this television series failed. After only 5 episodes, this hour-long drama was canceled and seemingly lost to the world.
TMDB
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Head of the Class
Doogie Howser
Whiz Kids
Whiz Kids was a show about tenth-graders who used their advanced knowledge of technology to solve crimes. Reviews were mixed, as many adults did not like the examples of computer hacking the show was presenting, while younger viewers loved the show and characters. The show received 5 nominations in the Youth in Film Awards. It lasted only 18 episodes and, despite its younger following, was never released to DVD.
Youtube
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Webster
Big Shamus, Little Shamus
Big Shamus, Little Shamus were a father-son duo who solved legalized gambling crimes at a casino hotel. This detective drama lasted only 2 episodes before being pulled from the air.
Cagney and Lacey
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Gung Ho
Gung Ho is a TV series that aired in 1986-1987, modeled after its namesake movie. Scott Bakula played Hunt Stevenson, an employee of a Japanese car company in Pennsylvania. The series focus was on Hunt and the cultural gap between Americans and Japanese.
Taxi
Webster
TMDB
Which TV show correlates with this image?
Silver Spoons
Small Wonder
Lasting a respectable 96 episodes, Small Wonder was a nostalgic look into the 1980s for many people. The TV series featured an artificially intelligent robot girl who worked as a maid but later became part of the family. The show won two Young Artist Awards in 1986 and 1987 for Emily Schulman's role. The show has also had numerous rounds of reruns on television, Season DVD releases, reunions, and many international airings.
Punky Brewster
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Knight Rider
The Fall Guy
The Highwayman
This 1987 series, The Highwayman, was often touted as a mix between Mad Max and Knight Rider, but with none of the acclaim or fan following. A resurrection of its namesake movie, the highwayman was a former U.S. Marshal who was focused on bringing crime down in a futuristic world. Despite its short-lived TV showing, The Highwayman had a surprising broadcast run in dozens of countries.
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
The Phoenix
Jennifer Slept Here
Jennifer Slept Here was a ghostly sitcom about a previously famous actress who succumbed to death-by-ice-cream-truck. 20 years later she showed up to mentor a teenage boy who was the only person who could see her. The show had mixed reviews and competed with Dukes of Hazzard and Webster, while still holding a good share of the ratings. However, the ratings were not strong enough for NBC to renew it for a second season. The series was nominated for 4 Emmys, taking home the Best Young Actor in a New Television Series.
Tales from the Crypt
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Night Court
The Nutt House
Nutt House was a satirical sitcom, based in a luxury hotel which was quickly falling to its demise. Despite the success of Mel Brooks, he couldn't seem to keep this hotel going. After only 5 of 10 filmed episodes were aired, the show was canceled.
Naked Gun
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Bosom Buddies
Everything's Relative
While Jason Alexander would go on to fame in TV's Seinfeld, the series Everything's Relative lasted a mere 6 episodes aired out of 10 produced. The show featured two brothers with different values and social lives, living together in a Manhatten loft.
The Facts of Life
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
The Facts of Life
Breaking Away
Breaking Away, about a young man obsessed with bicycle racing, was one of the most promoted comedy series in the early 1980s. Its airing was delayed, due to an actor's strike and subsequent poor ratings. While the show was canceled after only 8 episodes, it did have a bit of a resurgence in popularity in reruns in the following year (1981) and 1985-1987.
The Young Ones
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Concrete Cowboys
Tom Selleck and Jerry Reed played two rough-and-tumble gamblers who were mistaken for detectives. As you can guess, these blow-hards were a little in over their heads - as was the series, when it was canceled after only 7 episodes. Despite some of the biggest names in the business - Selleck, Reed, and Morgan Fairchild - the series never lived up to its promise.
Wildside
Young Maverick
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Magnum, P.I.
The Devlin Connecton
Rock Hudson starred in this crime drama, which aired for 13 episodes in 1982. A military intelligence officer turned performing arts director and a racquetball pro/P.I.? How did this one not work out? This father-son crime fighting series did make it to VHS and bootlegged DVDs to satisfy their cult following.
Crime Story
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Hardball
This TV series was just another in the popular genre of the '80s - detective duos. This duo featured an aging cop and a new cop who made his own rules. While the series did air for 18 episodes over 2 years, it could not keep up with many new shows popping up from rival networks.
Cagney and Lacey
Jake and the Fat Man
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Moonlighting
Helltown
This NBC drama lasted only a couple of months. Despite a good cast and interesting plot, the show couldn't hook viewers. Robert Blake played a criminal-turned-priest who used his street knowledge to help turn a crime-ridden neighborhood around.
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
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The Last Precinct
With the popularity of the Police Academy movies, producers hoped The Last Precinct would continue cop slap-stick. Led by Adam West, these misfit cops needed to somehow redeem their names in the seediest precinct in the city. Despite the popularity of this theme, the series didn't make it past its second month.
Night Court
Matt Houston
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Maggie Briggs
Maggie Brown was a 1984 sitcom about an experienced New York Examiner reporter who moved from front-page reporting to candid human-interest pieces. You can guess what ensued, as did the small audience, since the show was canceled after only 6 episodes.
WKRP in Cincinatti
Designing Women
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T.J. Hooker
21 Jumpstreet
Manimal
Possibly one of the more unique plots of the 1980s, Manimal featured a shape-shifting doctor who helped the police solve crimes. Considered a massive flop, it was meant to go up against CBS's popular soap opera, Dallas. Sadly, it's listed in the book The Best of Science Fiction TV as number 15 on their list of 50 worst TV shows of all time.
TMDB
Which TV show correlates with this image?
Misfits of Science
Misfits of Science was another series that couldn't compete with CBS's Dallas. The show featured crime-fighting and goofy super-humans, not unlike X-Men, but much campier. After 15 aired episodes, low ratings forced the show to be canceled.
Weird Science
Madmen
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Alfred Hitchcock
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe was a chubby detective who was more interested in his own self-indulgent ways than in solving crimes. While the series stemmed from a previously popular series, this one was canceled after 14 episodes.
Hunter
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Ace Crawford: Private Eye
One of Tim Conway's shortest showings on television. Ace Crawford, Private Eye lasted all of a month, from March to April of 1983. The quintessential bumbling P.I. could hardly tie a shoe, yet he always caught his man.
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
The Professionals
TMDB
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Mork and Mindy
The Powers of Matthew Star
The Phoenix
The Phoenix was a 1982 ABC series about an ancient alien from another planet, who was discovered in a sarcophagus in Peru. Trying to take advantage of a growing fan interest in the metaphysical, new age, and sci-fi, The Phoenix couldn't quite hold viewers' interest. It was canceled after only 4 episodes were aired.
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Private Eye
Private Eye followed Jack Clearly, an ex-cop-turned-gumshoe, as he solved crimes in 1950s Los Angeles. After only 12 episodes, the series was canceled and subsequently forgotten among the dozens of other P.I. series to follow.
Cagney and Lacey
Booker
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Yes, Prime Minister
Blue Peter
Q.E.D.
This steampunk-styled detective series, which took place in Edwardian England, would have perhaps done better if it had aired twenty years later. In its day, steampunk wasn't a big draw. After 6 episodes Q.E.D. was canceled, leaving only Dr. Who to wear the steampunk detective adventure mantle.
Youtube
Which TV show correlates with this image?
Warriors
Wiseguy
The Renegades
Trying to follow the success of the movie Warriors, Patrick Swayze was the leader of a street gang turned special police unit in order to avoid prison. However, it seems like viewers were done with street-gang-style antics and the show was canceled after only 6 episodes.
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Street Hawk
While only airing 13 episodes, Street Hawk had a strong following. Jesse Mach was a police officer/dirt-bike racer with a past and a motorcycle, much like Kit from Knight Rider. However, despite being a short series, the music, motorcycle, DVD releases, and even 4 novels continue to please its cult-like fan base.
Tron
Call to Glory
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Wiseguy
Unsub
While released in 2010 as a compilation of Prime Time Crime TV series, the actually series, Unsub, only lasted 8 episodes in 1989. However, the series paved the way for subsequent forensics TV, which continues to hold the interest of viewers today.
Fall Guy
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Walking Tall
Walking Tall was a typical sheriff TV series, which could have done better in another time slot. NBC switched slots from Saturday, where it competed with Love Boat, to Tuesday, where it competed with Hart to Hart. Despite a quick cancellation on TV, the series was released to DVD in 2006.
HiIl Street Blues
Automan
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Amazing Stories
Faerie Tale Theatre
Wizards and Warriors
Despite being a short-lived series, with only 8 episodes aired, Wizards and Warriors did receive some attention, winning an Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Series and an Emmy nomination for Hairstyling in a TV Series. The show replaced the canceled series, Bring 'Em Back Alive, but, due to low ratings, it was not renewed for 1984.
TMDB
Which TV show correlates with this image?
Voyagers
Time travel was huge in the early 80's and NBC thought they had a gem with Voyagers, as a society of time-travelers, namely Phineas Bogg, helped a boy, Jeffrey Jones, travel back in time to ensure the world's future would remain as it was meant to be. The show was loved by viewers and aired 20 episodes. However, it also aired opposite a long-running news program, 60 Minutes. Ultimately the show was canceled and replaced with the news show Monitor, which ended up with less than half the ratings of Voyagers.
Wizards and Warriors
Robin of Sherwood
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Which TV show correlates with this image?
Hello, Larry
Hello, Larry was a series with 2 major changes from its first season. The first change was to humanize the radio show host in season 2, by focusing on his home life with two daughters more than his work life. The second change came in adapting the series to the popular show, Different Strokes, where Larry was an old Army buddy of Phillip Drummond. However, neither were able to catch the ratings the network execs thought could follow McLean Stevenson's M*A*S*H fame.
Murphy Brown
NewsRadio
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Fall Guy
Cover Up
Cover Up was an action-adventure series which was canceled due to low ratings after its first season. However, the series will be remembered for the on-set accident which eventually killed Jon-Erik Hexum. Hexum, while bored on set, began to play Russian Roulette with an unloaded .44 Magnum. However, after he pulled the trigger, the blank cartridge wadding entered his skull and caused hemorrhaging that resulted in his death. Hexum's character was replaced and the show went on, but only for that season.
Manimal
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Star of the Family
Star of the Family followed the crazy life of Fire Captain Buddy Krebs, who was played by Brian Dennehy. The series' antics were funny, but they didn't draw in the audience the show needed. After 10 episodes, Star of the Family was canceled.
My Two Dads
Facts of Life
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The Young Riders
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers had experienced success as a Hollywood film and stage show, for its musical performances, casting, and storyline. As a TV series, however, it did not do as well. While still airing 22 episodes and featuring Richard Dean Anderson, the series could not move beyond its small fan base. It was cancelled in 1983.
Lonesome Dove
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Paper Dolls
Paper Dolls was a soap opera set in New York's fashion industry. Yet, despite the popularity of soaps in the 1980's, Paper Dolls only lasted 14 episodes. While short-lived, the show began with big ratings (18.4) and People Magazine urged viewers to "give the show a chance." However, after being pre-empted a few weeks by the MLB Playoffs, the show was never able to gain a solid audience.
Capitol
Ryan's Hope
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B.A.D. Cats
B.A.D. Cats, which stands for Burglary Auto Detail, Commercial Auto Thefts, was one of Michelle Pfeiffer's first major acting roles. 10 episodes were shot, but only 6 aired. This short-lived 1980 series focused on two ex-race car drivers who joined the LAPD. Unfortunately, their hijinx led them to run more people off the road than to jail.
21 Jump Street
Jake and the Fatman
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Sonny Spoon
The Gentle Touch
Lady Blue
Lady Blue was a crime drama, featuring a tough female detective. Unfortunately, its ranking was only 72nd out of 82 programs in 1985, so ABC did not renew the show for a second season. One of the show's concerns was over violence - television watchdogs noted that Lady Blue was the most violent show in 1985, with nearly 50 acts of violence per episode.
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Voyagers
Star Cops
Beyond Westworld
Beyond Westworld was written to continue the storylines of cult favorite movies: Westworld and Futureworld. However, poor ratings and viewer response resulted in a quick removal from television. Despite only airing 3 of its 5 filmed episodes, Beyond Westworld was nominated for 2 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Makeup and Outstanding Art Direction for a Series.
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Raising Miranda
Raising Miranda had the dark theme of an abandoned family. However, the humor came from Donald Marshack's complete lack of domesticity as he tried to raise his teenage daughter. Despite the humor, viewers weren't sure about the dark premise and the show was canceled after only 7 episodes.
Perfect Strangers
Head of the Class
TMDB
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Miami Vice
Wiseguy
Crime Story
Crime Story was on a long list of NBC blunders in the 1980s, associated with poor scheduling. Its intro to television resulted in high ratings and viewership, as it followed Miami Vice on Friday nights. However, due to the show's success, NBC thought it could move Crime Story to Tuesday, to compete with ABC's Moonlighting. It could not, and this move eventually led to the cancellation of the show after 2 seasons.
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Call to Glory
Call to Glory focused on USAF pilot Colonel Raynor Sarnac and his family during the 1960s and the drama surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. The drama series often focused on the loneliness of Sarnac's wife as she raised a military family. While the show had mixed reviews and wasn't renewed for a second season, it did have a solid cast of characters, including a young Elisabeth Shue, who would go on to much bigger things.
Spearhead
China Beach
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Brideshead Revisited
A Year in the Life
A Year in the Life followed a family coping with the loss of a mother/wife. The three-part mini-series did so well that it was extended into a one-hour TV drama series. Despite being ranked as the third-highest series of 1986-87, it was not renewed for a second season.
The Thorn Birds
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Hell Town
Hell Town featured a bad guy gone really good and becoming a Catholic priest. He used his knowledge of the streets and the seedier side of town to improve the neighborhood. It lasted only 13 episodes and one season.
Booker
Wiseguy
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AfterMASH
AfterMASH featured three characters from the TV show M*A*S*H, after the Korean War ended. However, considered an airing blunder, CBS tried to put AfterMASH up against NBC's widely popular The A-Team, assuming the program would pull viewers from NBC. They couldn't have been more wrong - while The A-Team went on for 97 more episodes, AfterMASH was quickly canceled.
China Beach
The A-Team
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One of the Boys
When a show is ranked as TV Guide's 24th out of 50 worst TV shows ever made, it's a wonder that 13 episodes even aired. The series was about two elderly men who escaped a nursing home to live with a college-aged grandson. Critics and viewers alike weren't impressed.
Hogan Family
Barney Miller
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The Phoenix
Manimal
The Powers of Matthew Star
What started off as a high school drama quickly turned into a fantasy as Matthew Star found himself thwarting assassins, when he was solicited for help by extraterrestrial investigator General Tucker. The series was canceled after its first season, ending, ironically, with the pilot as its last episode. TV Guide lists the series 22nd out of 50 of the Worst TV Shows of All Time.
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Night Court
Happy Days
She's the Sherrif
She's the Sheriff was a mix of Three's Company and The Andy Griffith Show. After her success on Three's Company, Suzanne Somers returned to TV with a show ranked by TV Guide as #44 on the list of 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time. Still, with only two seasons under its belt, the show gained some acclaim with viewers and is still well remembered over 20 years later.
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