The BEST shows of 1984
Every show that aired an episode in 1984, ranked
We've compiled the average episode rating for every TV show episode aired in 1984 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 - 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#4 - Fist of the North Star
Kenshiro is the sole heir of the deadly 2000 year old martial art, Hokuto Shinken. He is on a quest for vengeance after being betrayed by a former friend, Shin, who mutilates Ken's body and steals his girlfriend Julia. Bandits and rival martial artists await him in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Known as 北斗の拳 (Hokuto No Ken) in Japan, Ken le Survivant in France and Quebec and Ken il Guerriero in Italy. First Opening song: Ai o Torimodose Second Opening song: Tough Boy Closing song: Love Song
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 - Sherlock Holmes (1984)
Sherlock Holmes is one of the world’s most popular fictional detectives, famed for his legendary powers of observation and deduction. Adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original novels, this classic series by Granada Television starred Jeremy Brett as the definitive Holmes, with David Burke and later Edward Hardwicke as his able assistant Dr. Watson.
View Episode Rankings#7 - The Young Ones
Anarchic sitcom about degenerate North London students in the 80s, starring Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan and Alexei Sayle
View Episode Rankings#8 - 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#9 - 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#10 - 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#11 - 'Allo 'Allo!
In this spoof of World War II, René Artois runs a café in German-occupied France. He always seems to have his hands full: He's having affairs with most of his waitresses, he's keeping his wife happy, he's trying to please the German soldiers who frequent his café, and he's running a major underground operation for the Resistance.
View Episode Rankings#12 - 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#13 - 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#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 - 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#17 - 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#18 - Highway to Heaven
The series stars Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent down to earth "on probation", and his human companion Mark Gordon, played by Victor French. Jonathan and Mark are given "assignments" by "The Boss" (God) where they are required to use their humanity in order to help various troubled souls to overcome their problems. Examples of these problems include families dealing with sick loved ones; wealthy and greedy businessmen being encouraged to use their wealth for good; and discouraging prejudice in regards to people of different ethnicities, appearances, or socioeconomic backgrounds or who have disabilities. Jonathan's mission on Earth is to do enough good so that he could earn his wings and, presumably, ascend to heaven. Due to the close relationship that builds between Jonathan and Mark, this becomes a contentious issue as Mark does not want to lose his friend, and sometimes tries to prevent it from happening.
View Episode Rankings#19 - 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#20 - Saturday Night Live
Each week, live from New York, a famous guest host appears in sketches and parodies alongside a company of up-and-coming comedians. A popular musical guest, short films, and Weekend Update - a recurring satirical newscast - form the backbone of one of the most influential and culturally significant comedy shows in history.
View Episode Rankings#21 - The Cosby Show
Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable was an OBGYN (obstetrician/gynecologist), and his wife Clair was a successful attorney. They had five children: Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa and Rudy. Sondra was rarely seen during the first season because she was away at Princeton. She became a regular character in the second season, and was usually seen with her on-again off-again beau, Elvin. They eventually married and had twins; but not before stunning their families by announcing the fact that Elvin was dropping out of medical school to open a camping store, and Sondra was dropping out of law school to help her husband in his endeavor. Denise was the "unique" child, the black sheep of the family. She had her own way of doing things, right down to the style of clothing she wore. After graduating high school, she left for Hillman College in 1986 (a year later, this would become the setting for the spin-off A Different World), but returned two years later with news that she was dropping ou
View Episode Rankings#22 - 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#23 - Who's the Boss?
When Tony Micelli takes a job as housekeeper for Angela Bower, a successful businesswoman, he and his daughter, Samantha, move into Angela's home. Now Tony and Sam must adjust to their new lives with the Bowers- Angela, her son Jonathan, and her mother, Mona.
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 - Miami Vice
Miami Vice centers around the unlikely partnership of Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), two undercover detectives from the Miami Police Department’s vice squad battling against drug trafficking and prostitution in the city’s seamy underworld. Its use of New Wave music and colorful Italian men’s fashion was groundbreaking and the series had a defining influence on the popular culture of the 1980s.
View Episode Rankings#27 - 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#28 - 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#29 - The Transformers
Two opposing factions of transforming alien robots engage in a battle that has the fate of Earth in the balance.
View Episode Rankings#30 - 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#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 - Murder, She Wrote
Murder seems to follow Jessica Fletcher, a former English teacher and a mystery writer full of charm, zest-for-life, and personality; who happens to become "the investigator" when traveling around the country to promote a series of novels. Murder always occurs when she is present. Even in Cabot Cove!
View Episode Rankings#33 - Night Court
Judge Harold T. Stone presides over Manhattan's Night Court, where all of the petty, silly, and dime-a-dozen crimes get sent to be tried. Invariably, the cases appearing before the court are bizarre, but that's OK because Harry Stone is not your typical judge. He's assisted by a motley crew of clerks, attorneys, and bailiffs who often create as much chaos as the criminals they bring in for trial.
View Episode Rankings#34 - 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#35 - 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#37 - 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#38 - 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#39 - 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#40 - V
Planet Earth is visited by an alien race. Initially, they seem friendly and kind, but over time, their intentions become quite clear. Their peaceful facade quickly turns, also showing their true colors and their real intentions...
View Episode Rankings#41 - 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#42 - 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#44 - Airwolf
'Airwolf' followed the adventures of a hi-tech helicopter and its reclusive pilot, Stringfellow Hawke. Airwolf itself was a hi-tech attack helicopter, equipped with cutting-edge on-board computer, surveillance and radar systems.
View Episode Rankings#45 - 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#46 - Family Ties
Steven and Elyse Keaton, once 1960s radicals, now find themselves in Reagan-era American trying to raise a traditional suburban family. Son Alex P. Keaton is an ambitious young Republican, and his sister Mallory is a shallow victim of the corporate culture, obsessed with music, clothes and boys. Their only normal kid is young Jennifer, a bit of a tomboy. In later seasons, the Keatons add a fourth child, Andrew. Most of the comedy arose from the conflict between the liberal parents and the conservative children. Content expanded.
View Episode Rankings#47 - Lupin III
Probably the most light-hearted and crazy series of all those dedicated to the gentleman thief.
View Episode Rankings#48 - Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
The adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his engine friends on the Island of Sodor.
View Episode Rankings#49 - Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
The adventures of the mystery solving dog and his nephew.
View Episode Rankings#50 - 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.
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