The BEST shows of 1983
Every show that aired an episode in 1983, ranked
We've compiled the average episode rating for every TV show episode aired in 1983 to compile this list of best shows!
#1 - Knots Landing
Hoping to ride the crest of its success with Dallas, CBS spun off this series featuring the black sheep of the Ewing Family, Gary Ewing. Gary was a weakened reformed alcoholic who had deserted his wife Valene Ewing, and then remarried her and moved to Southern California to escape the formidable nature of life with the Ewings in Dallas. All the equals in this series lived on the same cul-de-sac in the quiet little community of Knots Landing. In addition to being neighbors, their lives intertwined in other ways. Gary worked for Sid Fairgate, owner of Knots Landing Motors, the local classic car dealership. Sid and his wife Karen Fairgate had three teenage children: Eric Fairgate, Michael Fairgate, and Diana Fairgate. The other two couples on the cul-de-sac were young recording executive Kenny Ward and his attractive wife, Ginger, and Richard and Laura Avery.
View Episode Rankings#3 - Only Fools and Horses
Comedy that follows two brothers from London's rough Peckham estate as they wheel and deal through a number of dodgy deals and search for the big score that'll make them millionaires.
View Episode Rankings#4 - St. Elsewhere
St. Eligius Hospital in South Boston was not exactly the world's best health care center. Despite its flaws, it featured some of the most caring doctors and nurses you could ever meet. Led by Dr. Donald Westphall (and later by Dr. John Gideon), the hospital nicknamed "St. Elsewhere" became a sanctuary for the underdog and the downtrodden.
View Episode Rankings#5 - Dungeons & Dragons
A group of kids are thrown into a fantasy world where they must search for a way home, armed with magic weapons that an evil tyrant wants.
View Episode Rankings#6 - Magnum, P.I.
Former Naval Intelligence officer Thomas Magnum resigns his commission to become a private investigator on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. He lands a home in the guest house on the estate of millionaire author Robin Masters in exchange for testing the estate's security, but is forced to work under the strict and ever watchful eye of Jonathan Higgins, a former British Army soldier who serves as the estate manager, and constantly patrols the grounds with his two "lads" Zeus and Apollo, who are loyally trained Doberman Pinschers always ready to pounce on Magnum. Magnum makes good use of the perks that come with working on the estate, including driving Masters' sporty red 308 GTS Ferrari, Audi, and all-terrain Jimmy, as well as equipment such as high-end cameras and telescopes.
View Episode Rankings#7 - Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a story of the rise and fall of seven very different people. There are three Geordies, one Scouser, one Brummie, one Cockney and one from Bristol. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet shows what life was really like for self - employed workers in the 1980's. And after 20 years they are reunited and begin working together again.
View Episode Rankings#8 - Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is an affectionate comedy about people in the autumn of their years. The series is the world's longest-running sitcom, having clocked up 31 series and numerous Christmas specials during its run.
View Episode Rankings#9 - Remington Steele
Try this for a deep, dark secret. The great detective Remington Steele? He doesn't exist. I invented him. Follow: I always loved excitement, so I studied and apprenticed, and put my name on an office. But absolutely nobody knocked down my door. A female private investigator seemed so . . . feminine. So I invented a superior. A decidedly masculine superior. Suddenly, there were cases around the block. It was working like a charm. Until the day he walked in, with his blue eyes and mysterious past. And before I knew it, he assumed Remington Steele's identity. Now I do the work and he takes the bows. It's a dangerous way to live, but as long as people buy it, I can get the job done. We never mix business with pleasure. Well, almost never. I don't even know his real name.
View Episode Rankings#10 - Blackadder
Cunning plans and cutting comedy as the Blackadder dynasty plot their way through British history.
View Episode Rankings#11 - Dynasty
The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.
View Episode Rankings#12 - Mama's Family
Mama's Family mined humor from a squabbling family in the Midwestern blue collar suburb of Raytown. The noisy clan was headed by "Mama" Thelma, a buxom, gray-haired widow with sharp opinions and a sharper tongue who shared her small house with her high-strung sister Fran, a journalist for a local paper. Mama's lazy, dimwitted son, Vint, a locksmith by trade, moved in at the start of the series with his troublesome teenage children, Buzz and Sonja, after his wife run off to become a Las Vegas show-girl. Much to Mama's disgust, Vint soon took up with the flirtatious neighbor Naomi. The two where married in early 1983, and Naomi moved in too. Further uproar was caused by the periodic visits from Mama's two married daughter's, the foul mouthed Eunice and the snobbish Ellen. Ed was Eunice's Dolt of a husband. In the Fall of 86 Mama's Family returned to TV in first-run syndication. Fran had recently passed (Rue McClanahan was now starring in The Golden Girls) and Ed and Eunice had moved to Florida, leaving behind their son Bubba as he finishes his time in Juvenile Hall and forcing him to move in. Meanwhile, neighbor Iola Boylen makes the house's acquaintance and becomes a regular visitor with her unique charm.
View Episode Rankings#13 - Are You Being Served?
This comedy series, which follows the exploits of employees at London's fictional "Grace Brothers" department store, is full of sexual innuendo, slapstick, visual gags, and double entendres. Much of the show's humor parodies Britain's class system, and many of the show's characters are based on stereotypes of the period, including the effeminate Mr. Humphries and the rich, but stingy, store owner.
View Episode Rankings#14 - Hill Street Blues
This groundbreaking and award-winning NBC crime drama provided a very realistic view into the lives of the dedicated cops and detectives of an urban police station. From January 1981 to August 1986, the show ran on Thursdays at 10/9 Central, with occasional repeats on Saturdays at 10/9 Central. From August 1986 to August 1987 first-run episodes aired Tuesdays at 10/9 Central.
View Episode Rankings#15 - Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon is a show based on TWO BROTHERS who just happen to be Private Investigators. They live and work in San Diego where once a week, for eight seasons, the series revealed the loyality and love they had for one another, "they're more than brothers, they're best of friends."
View Episode Rankings#16 - Cagney & Lacey
Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD detectives in this landmark series. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the greatest crime-fighting duos of all time.
View Episode Rankings#17 - Three's Company
A man pretends to be gay in order to share an apartment with two women in this legendary bedroom farce.
View Episode Rankings#18 - Cheers
Sam, a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, owns and runs Cheers, a cozy bar in Boston. Somewhat snobby, beautiful and intelligent Diane -- forced to become a waitress when her fiance jilts her -- constantly bickers with Sam. Eventually, they fall in love. Several wacky characters make the bar their home-away-from-home, including sarcastic waitress Carla, beer-loving Norm and Boston letter carrier Cliff.
View Episode Rankings#19 - Taxi
Taxi's success was due to its excellent writing, Burrows's award-winning directing using his innovative four-camera technique, and its largely unknown but talented cast. Danny DeVito's Louie DePalma soon became one of the most despised men on television--possibly the most unredeemable and worthless louse of a character ever to reside on the small screen. Andy Kaufman's foreign mechanic Latka Gravas provided over-the-top comedy within an ensemble emphasizing subtle character humor.
View Episode Rankings#20 - The Dukes of Hazzard
Cousins Bo and Luke Duke and their car "General Lee", assisted by Cousin Daisy and Uncle Jesse, have a running battle with the authorities of Hazzard County (Boss Hogg and Sheriff Coltrane), plus a string of ne'er-do-wells often backed by the scheming Hogg.
View Episode Rankings#21 - Fraggle Rock
Somewhere in the world, there is a workshop owned by a an inventor named Doc and his Dog, Sprocket. While Doc spends his days coming up with new ideas, Sprocket is peering into a large hole in the baseboard. He knows that something lives behind the wall. Through the hole and down the tunnel, hidden from everyday reality, are brightly lit caves filled with wonderful creatures. This land, bound together by Magic, is called Fraggle Rock. The most notable of the creatures who inhabit this beautiful place are the Fraggles. Fraggles are furry, have tails, and come in all sorts of colors. The Fraggles spend their days laughing, splashing, running, singing, playing games, and telling jokes. They live by a simple care-free code.
View Episode Rankings#22 - Little House on the Prairie
Based upon the best selling "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The show follows the lives of a simple farming family, the Ingalls, who settle into a quaint little house near the small town of Walnut Grove during the late 1800s. The majority of the shows were narrated by Laura and the series follows her from when she and her family arrive in Walnut Grove until her adulthood with Almanzo Wilder, with whom she starts a family of her own.
View Episode Rankings#23 - This Old House
This Old House celebrates the fusion on old world craftsmanship and modern technology. Each season features two renovation projects. Project One traditionally consists of eighteen or more so episodes and is filmed in Massachusetts. Project Two is taped in a different region of the country to highlight the variety of American architectural styles and renovation issues.
View Episode Rankings#24 - The Facts of Life
Charlotte Rae stars as a dietician and house mother at a private girls' boarding school, watching over students Blair, Tootie, Natalie and Jo.
View Episode Rankings#25 - The A-Team
The A-Team is about a group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a crime they didn't commit.
View Episode Rankings#26 - Diff'rent Strokes
Two orphaned brothers, Arnold & Willis Jackson, are adopted by wealthy Manhattan widower Phillip Drummond when their mother (Drummond's maid) passes away. Along with Drummond's daughter Kimberly & housekeeper Mrs. Garrett, this family sitcom covers topics such as wealth- & racial- inequality. This was Gary Coleman's breakout role as short but sassy Arnold, whose catchphrase "What'choo talkin' 'bout?" became a national trend.
View Episode Rankings#27 - M*A*S*H
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable.
View Episode Rankings#28 - Knight Rider
Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity: Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (K.I.T.T.) and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and K.I.T.T. battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.
View Episode Rankings#29 - CHiPs
Lighthearted look at the adventures of two Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles. The main characters are Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello, two motorcycle officers always on the street to save lives.
View Episode Rankings#30 - Laverne & Shirley
Best friends, roommates and polar opposites Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney work together at the Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee and keep each other's spirits up at home for the show's first several seasons. But after losing their jobs at Shotz, the pair moves to Burbank, Calif., in season six to get a fresh start and hope to break into the movie business. Many of their friends and family, inspired by the women, move to California with them, though they make some new friends as well, including Sonny the stuntman and Rhonda, a model.
View Episode Rankings#31 - Dallas
The world's first mega-soap, and one of the most popular ever produced, Dallas had it all. Beautiful women, expensive cars, and men playing Monopoly with real buildings. Famous for one of the best cliffhangers in TV history, as the world asked "Who shot J.R.?" A slow-burner to begin with, Dallas hit its stride in the 2nd season, with long storylines and expert character development. Dallas ruled the airwaves in the 1980's.
View Episode Rankings#32 - The Smurfs
The Smurfs are tiny blue creatures that live in mushroom houses in a peaceful forest. They repeatedly try to outwit Gargamel, an evil sorcerer, his apprentice, Scruple, and his mangy cat, Azrael.
View Episode Rankings#33 - Doctor Who
The Doctor, a mysterious traveller in space and time, travels in his ship, the TARDIS. The TARDIS can take him and his companions anywhere in time and space. Inevitably he finds evil at work wherever he goes...
View Episode Rankings#34 - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Prince Adam is the young son of Eternia's rulers, King Randor and Queen Marlena. Whenever Prince Adam uses the Sword of Power by holding it aloft and saying the magic words "By the Power of Grayskull, I HAVE THE POWER" he is transformed into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. Together with his close allies, Battle Cat, The Sorceress, Teela, Man-At-Arms and Orko, He-Man uses his powers to defend Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor. Skeletor's main goal is to conquer the mysterious fortress of Castle Grayskull, from which He-Man draws his powers. If he succeeds, Skeletor would conquer the world of Eternia, and possibly the whole universe.
View Episode Rankings#35 - The Mysterious Cities of Gold
In the year 1532, Mendoza, a Spanish Navigator, Estaban, a young orphan, Zia, a young Incan girl, and a band of Spanish sailors set sail from Barcelona in search of El Dorado, the Mysterious City of Gold. Each is on a personal quest of discovery, heritage, and wealth.
View Episode Rankings#36 - The Jeffersons
A black couple, headed up by opinionated loud-mouth George Jefferson, moves from a modest Queens neighborhood to deluxe apartment in Manhattan's ritzy East Side.
View Episode Rankings#37 - Newhart
Dick Loudon and wife Joanna relocate from New York City to a small town in Vermont, where they run the historic Stratford Inn. They're surrounded by a town full of oddballs and colorful characters, whom Loudon deals with in various states of bemusement.
View Episode Rankings#38 - Tales of the Unexpected
Tales Of The Unexpected is a British television series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. The series was an anthology of different tales. Initially episodes were based on the short stories collected in the books Tales of the Unexpected, Kiss Kiss and Someone Like You by Roald Dahl. The stories were sometimes sinister, sometimes wryly comedic, and usually had a twist ending. The upbeat theme music for the series was written by the prolific film and television composer Ron Grainer.
View Episode Rankings#40 - The Joy of Painting With Bob Ross
Artist Bob Ross takes you to his magical world of happy trees and teaches the laymen step by step how to create wonderful works of art using his trademark wet-on-wet technique.
View Episode Rankings#41 - Family Ties
In this family sitcom, former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton raise their four kids Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, and Andrew, who was born in 1985. The show revealed the changing values during the Reagan era as the 1960s hippie parents clashed with their 1980's conservative son, Alex. The show also tackled a number of serious issues ranging from suicide to racism to drug dependency.
View Episode Rankings#42 - Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
The adventures of the mystery solving dog and his nephew.
View Episode Rankings#43 - Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E, a man who must have been a nightmare to work with! Quincy was a crusading Medical Examiner in Los Angeles, an expert at his job he was always capable of finding something that everyone else missed. A small clue that would go against all the rest of the evidence in a case and would lead to him arguing with his boss, Asten, and/or the investigating detective, nearly always Monahan. Quincy started of as a straight forward crime series with a difference, it was a M.E. investigating not a police officer or private eye.As the series went from strength to strength the writers, probably with a little push from Klugman, started bringing in stories about social injustice rather than criminal. Most of the time this worked, in fact it is sometimes interesting to see that some of the things highlighted still have not changed even now! Sometimes it came over a little preachy but the show can never be faulted for trying to enlighten the eyes of its viewers.
View Episode Rankings#44 - The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy was a series about bounty hunter Colt Seavers. Every week Colt and his gang was assigned to apprehend a fugitive from justice. Colt and his cousin Howie were also working as stuntmen in Hollywood. The tricks of that trade often helped them to capture their guy.
View Episode Rankings#45 - Inspector Gadget
A cyborg police detective works criminal cases for the Chief of Police, fighting (with help from his genius niece Penny and her pet dog Brain) against his arch-nemesis Dr. Claw, who is the leader of an evil organization, known as "M.A.D.".
View Episode Rankings#46 - Benson
Butler Benson DuBois is the smartest (and possibly only sane) member of widowed Gov. Eugene Gatling's household staff. Benson always manages to keep his head, no matter what the staffers or the governor's family members throw at him. He begins his post on loan from his employer, Jessica Tate on the show "Soap," but soon wins a permanent place in the governor's staff and heart. His cool head and keen intellect are a perfect complement for the constant craziness that surrounds Gov. Gatling and his entourage.
View Episode Rankings#47 - Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British children's soap opera television series originally made by the BBC and portraying life in a typical secondary school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running programmes on British television when it ended its run on 15 September 2008.
View Episode Rankings#48 - Captain Tsubasa
Tsubasa Ozora moves to the town Nankatsu to increase his skills as a soccer player. He is challanged by the Super Goalkeeper Genzo Wakabayashi. He then agree to compete and see who was the best soccer player there.
View Episode Rankings#49 - Nature
Transport viewers to faraway places ranging from the steamy plains of Africa to the splendors of cold Antarctica. The main focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world.
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