The 1980s introduced some of the most legendary sitcoms of all time, shows that are still referenced four decades later. Back then, audiences turning on their large televisions could witness the greatness of Cheers, Golden Girls, and, depending on their tastes, Alf. With so many shows to choose from, it’s understandable how a few could be forgotten and lost in the shuffle.
There are many reasons why a show can be forgotten. Modest hits could lose out on attracting new viewers if they don’t find a streaming outlet to call home, while others were received so poorly that they’re less forgotten shows and more repressed memories. No matter the reason, these forgotten sitcoms stand out in a storied decade of television.
10 ‘Free Spirit’ (1989-1990)
Created by Tim O’Donnell, Leslie Ray & Steven Vail
Winnie (Corinne Bohrer) is a magical witch who poses as a mortal family’s housekeeper in the ABC sitcom Free Spirit. The comedy was designed as a family program, originally premiering after Perfect Strangers in the TGIF lineup before the show moved to its permanent time slot. A large amount of humor in Free Spirit stems from Winnie using her powers of object manipulation or… anything else the writers can think of, to “solve” a problem, only to make it worse in an unexpected way.
Bohrer was charming in the role of Winnie and would go on to guest star in multiple television shows over the years. The show’s premise may seem odd, but in context, Free Spirit was released the same year on the same network as Doogie Howser, M.D., so high-concept shows were landing with audiences. Free Spirit is notable for being one of Alyson Hannigan’s first roles, previously appearing in the Dan Aykroyd film My Stepmother is an Alien the year before. Ultimately, viewers didn’t wish to see more episodes, and the show was canceled after one season.
Free Spirit is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
9 ‘The Hogan Family’ (1986-1991)
Created by Charlie Hauck
The Hogan Family followed Valerie Hogan (Valerie Harper) as she raised three teenage boys (one of whom was a young Jason Bateman) while her pilot husband, Michael (Josh Taylor), was consistently away at work. While the show will most commonly be referred to as The Hogan Family, the sitcom originally started out as Valerie, and was a vehicle for the star of the show, Harper. The show would be renamed the Hogan Family after Harper asked for a raise, causing her to be fired from the show after the second season.
Harper’s character would be killed off, with the sitcom starting the third season with Sandy Duncan cast as Sandy Hogan, the sister to widower Michael. Duncan would take over as the mother figure on the show, and the sitcom would continue on for a total of six seasons. Between the notoriety of the pay dispute with Harper, and the show moving networks from NBC to CBS for its final season, The Hogan Family didn’t have the smoothest production. It was a fun sitcom for its time and fans of Bateman should check it out to see him hone his comedy chops.
The Hogan Family is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
8 ‘Mr. Belvedere’ (1985-1990)
Created by Frank Dungan & Jeff Stein
In Mr. Belvedere, the Owens family is never the same after superbutler Mr. Belvedere (Christopher Hewett) becomes their housekeeper. Distinguished, intelligent, and incredibly sassy, Mr. Belvedere adjusts to his suburban environment while slowly growing close to his new employers. Like a Mary Poppins without any of the powers she had, Mr. Belvedere draws from his butler’s wisdom to help the Owens family in times of need.
Mr. Belvedere also starred Bob Eucker as George, the father of the Owen family. Eucker was coming off a role in the baseball comedy Major League, but this would be his first time in a television series. Eucker was better known for his time as a professional baseball player and announcer, but he fit in nicely with the cast, looking comfortable in front of the camera with a likable presence. Mr Belvedere brought in solid ratings to keep it on ABC for five seasons, a respectable feat.
Mr. Belvedere is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
7 ‘It’s a Living’ (1980-1989)
Created by Dick Clair, Jenna McMahon & Stu Silver
It’s a Living follows the staff of a glitzy restaurant at the top of a Los Angeles hotel. Episodes centered around the restaurant’s waitresses as they shared their career goals, dating stories, and frustrations with working. It’s a Living first premiered on ABC and, after failing to connect with audiences, was canceled after two seasons. The sitcom would find a new life in syndication, where high ratings would actually cause the show to be re-booted into first-run syndication for a total of six seasons.
The exotic setting of the show goes a long way to mask the otherwise standard workplace sitcom format, and the bright dresses and nightclub aesthetics might have been the deciding factor as to why It’s a Living benefited from syndication. In a very unlikely course, It’s a Living managed to fight a crowded market of shows to become one of the longest-running sitcoms of the decade. Cast shakeups throughout the seasons would make it harder for viewers to stay invested, but the comedy serves as a time capsule for the fashions and trends of its decade.
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6 ‘Kate & Allie’ (1984-1989)
Created by Sherry Coben
Childhood friends Kate (Susan Saint James) and Allie (Jane Curtin) move in together after their divorces in the CBS sitcom Kate & Allie. The sitcom followed Kate and Allie as they navigated the challenges of raising their children while making time to pursue love lives. Kate & Allie was popular with critics and audiences, focusing on smart, character-based humor with exceptional chemistry from its two leads. Initially brought in as a mid-season replacement, Kate & Allie turned out to be a solid hit for CBS and ran for six seasons.
The sitcom earned high acclaim during its run, but whether it’s due to a limited syndication push compared to its contemporaries or the lack of a prominent streaming home, the TikTok generation won’t be as familiar with the clever comedy.
This would mark Curtin’s return to a starring role after her run as one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. The role of Allie would earn Curtin two back-to-back Emmy Awards as Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The sitcom earned high acclaim during its run, but whether it’s due to a limited syndication push compared to its contemporaries or the lack of a prominent streaming home, the TikTok generation won’t be as familiar with the clever comedy.
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5 ‘Too Close for Comfort’ (1980-1987)
Created by Brian Cooke, Earl Barret & Arne Sultan
Henry Rush (Ted Knight) is never far from his family in the sitcom Too Close for Comfort. Knight plays a San Francisco-based cartoonist known for his creation, Cosmic Cow. Henry lives with his wife (Nancy Dussault) in their upstairs unit, while his adult daughters live in the apartment downstairs. Comedy fans familiar with Knight tuned in to the show when it premiered on ABC, but ratings would dip after a few seasons, leading to a first-run syndication shift.
After The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Knight made one of his most famous appearances in Caddyshack before starring in Too Close for Comfort as his final project. For the final season, Too Close For Comfort would shift its premise and name, becoming the Ted Knight Show, and moving the characters to a new location before Knight’s death led to the series’ end. The sitcom managed to stay in the middle of the pack with a loyal fan base, but it hasn’t enjoyed the continued interest of Knight’s more famous work in The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
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4 ‘She’s the Sheriff’ (1987-1989)
Created by Mark Rothman, Dan Guntzelman & Steve Marshall
An unexpected death causes a city to give Suzanne Somers a gun in the syndicated comedy, She’s the Sheriff. Somers plays Hildy Granger, a stay-at-home mom of two before the death of her husband, the sheriff, puts her livelihood in question. Because it’s a sitcom, Hildy is offered her dead husband’s job even though she has no experience in law enforcement. Throughout each episode, Hildy adjusts to the unfamiliar nature of her position while working to earn the respect of her deputies.
She’s the Sheriff was Somers’ return to a television series after her early exit from Three’s Company, and the expectations were high as this would be a starring vehicle for her, as opposed to the shared focus she received next to John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt. Somer always carried a presence a TV star needed to be successful, and she would later put it to good use on the ABC family sitcom Step By Step, but the part of an overworked Sheriff proved to be ill-fighting. She’s the Sheriff ran for two seasons but was read its rights before a third.
She’s the Sheriff is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
3 ‘Out of this World’ (1987-1991)
Created by John Boni & Bob Booker
Alien offspring took center stage in the coming-of-age sitcom Out of This World. On her 13th birthday, Evie Garland (Maureen Flannagan) learns her father, Troy (voiced by Burt Reynolds), is an alien that lives on the planet Antareus. Evie’s half-alien DNA grants her abilities, such as the power to freeze time. Like many fantasy-driven comedies, a large chunk of the humor comes from the efforts to hide her powers while also abusing them for personal gain. Evie receives counsel from her father by talking into a crystal that allows her to communicate with her space-bound parent.
The 80s had a large offering of supernatural-themed comedies, and Out of This World did a decent job of grounding the humor by focusing on the family dynamic with Evie’s mother, Donna (Donna Pescow), and her Uncle Beano (Joe Alaskey). Flannagan was engaged in the role of Evie, and helped propel Out of This World to four seasons before its cancelation.
Out of This World is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
2 ‘Bosom Buddies’ (1980-1982)
Created by Robert L. Boyett. Thomas L. Miller & Chris Thompson
Before Tom Hanks went on to a movie career, he co-starred in the short-lived sitcom Bosom Buddies. In the comedy, Kip (Hanks) and Henry (Peter Scolari) are two young professionals working at an advertising agency when they suddenly find themselves homeless. The duo learns about a women’s only hotel within their limited budget, so they masquerade as women to get a roof over their heads. The result is a loose comedy with a heavy amount of improvisation between stars Hanks and Scolari.
Hank’s breakout film role, Splash, would take him away from television after its release, but declining ratings had already decided the fate of Bosom Buddies. The sitcom would be canceled after two seasons, but the legend of the outlandish premise lives on. In 2012, a similar show titled Work It followed a similar plot where two men dressed as women to get jobs. The sitcom demonstrated that not all ideas need to be rehashed and was canceled after two episodes.
Bosom Buddies is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
1 ‘Small Wonder’ (1985-1989)
Created by Howard Leeds
Small Wonder asks: Can anyone tell the difference between a child and a robot? Ted Lawson (Richard Christie) seeks the answer when he builds a robot named Vicki (Tiffany Brissette), whom he passes off as his adopted daughter. The Lawsons accept Vicki as one of their own, teaching her how to be a human while hiding her true identity from the neighbors. The show ran for three seasons in syndication, long enough that Brisette’s aging had to be explained away as a technical upgrade.
Much of the humor in Small Wonder comes from Vicki’s literal interpretation of the things said to her, along with the robot’s comically portrayed strength. The show had a minor successful run in syndication, with a DVD release of all three seasons in 2010. Small Wonder shows its age, but the broad humor mixed with fantasy elements connected with children, and would later prove fruitful in later Disney shows like Wizards of Waverly Place. The sitcom has a small but loyal following, so perhaps a streaming partnership would bring new eyes to a quirky, forgotten classic.
Small Wonder is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
