If you’re looking for a 1980s show to watch on Netflix, look no further. The 1980s were an interesting time for television. Broadcasters were moving away from terrestrial TV and “bunny ears” as cable and satellite began to be adopted on a widespread scale. The landscape looked quite a bit different from what it does today.
Late-night talk shows were dominated by a few key players, wrestling was surging, soaps and game shows began to decline, and infomercials were soaring in popularity. In that space, shows like Cheers, Night Court, and The Golden Girls made their debut to wild acclaim and generational appreciation.
As a lot of these shows were initially broadcast on network TV, you won’t find a lot of them on streaming services unless it’s something like Paramount+ or Peacock, which has ownership over those shows. Netflix, for instance, only has three TV shows from the 1980s, but they’re all worth checking out.
Danger Mouse (1981-1992)
The British animated series Danger Mouse was a staple of kids’ animated television in the 1980s. A parody of British spy fiction, specifically the James Bond movies of the 1970s, like The Man with the Golden Gun and Moonraker, and the series Danger Man, Danger Mouse was popular among children, and a sharp satire for adults.
The series stars the titular Danger Mouse, voiced by David Jason. Danger Mouse is a secret agent with the British Secret Service who works beneath Scotland Yard in London, with the entrance hidden under one of the iconic red pillar boxes that dot the busy thoroughfare of Baker Street.
Danger Mouse works with his sidekick, Ernest Penfold (Terry Scott), a timid hamster with glasses, acting on the orders and missions assigned to them by Colonel K (Edward Kelsey), their chinchilla handler, though he’s easily mistaken for a walrus. One of Danger Mouse’s nagging foes is Baron Silas Greenback (Kelsey), a villainous toad.
Of particular note is the off-screen narrator, Isambard Sinclair, voiced by David Jason. Sinclair often sarcastically comments on the events happening in the show, and frequently laments his profession as the narrator for the series. Danger Mouse spawned a spinoff series, Count Duckula, which aired from 1988 to 1993.
Danger Mouse is about as freewheeling and absurd as you would expect from the description of the show, and if you’re a fan of old spy movies, you’ll absolutely love the send-up of the genre. The series also inspired a long line of merchandise, including comics, video games, and plenty of memorabilia.
A Different World (1987-1993)
A Different World is a sitcom series that premiered in 1987 on NBC and ran for six seasons. The series is a spin-off of The Cosby Show and was originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), the second-born child in the Huxtable family. A Different World followed her exploits at Hillman College, a historically black college in Virginia.
In season one, Denise and her white roommate Maggie Lauten (Marisa Tomei) navigate their classes, friendships, and relationships, with focus on how a white student like Maggie would come to fit in with a mostly black environment. However, Tomei and Bonet were removed from the show after season one.
Bonet was pregnant with her and Lenny Kravitz daughter, Zoë Kravitz. A consultant for the show, Debbie Allen, was in favor of having Denise play a pregnant character on the show, but Bill Cosby said, according to Allen, “Denise Huxtable is not pregnant. Lisa Bonet is pregnant. Not Denise.” (via YouTube).
So, in season 2, two new main characters were brought on to A Different World: Kimberly Reese (Charnele Brown) and Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer). The loss of Bonet and Tomei stung, but it did widen the door for other members of the cast, turning A Different World into a true ensemble.
It was in season 2, with the involvement of Allen, that A Different World began to really take off with critics. Allen, herself an alumna of a hisorically Black college, Howard, broke the series away from its parent. The topics she inserted into A Different World were considered too mature for shows like The Cosby Show.
A Different World tackled real problems affecting young college-aged people, particularly those in the Black community. The series had plot lines regarding HIV, racism, and sexual and physical abuse. It’s not just a spinoff of The Cosby Show, its own distinct series, more grounded and relatable for college-aged viewers.
Seinfeld (1989-1998)
Seinfeld may be more associated with the 1990s, but it premiered in 1989, making it the last 1980s series that can be found on Netflix. For those somehow not in the know, Seinfeld is a classic comedy sitcom, arguably the greatest one ever. It’s so influential there’s a whole TVTropes page dedicated to its mark on comedy.
The series follows four friends living in New York City: Jerry Seinfeld (himself), George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). Seinfeld centers on the day-to-day lives of these four, often showing how small mistakes and proclivities end up causing serious amounts of trouble.
The world of Seinfeld is filled with obnoxious, unbelievable, and absolutely hilarious characters. From David Puddy (Patrick Warburton) to George Steinbrenner (Larry David), even characters who don’t appear on-screen are hard to forget decades later. There’s no overarching plot to Seinfeld, so jump in wherever.
You may be surprised to see just how many future stars have appeared in the series over the years. Bryan Cranston, Jon Gries, Teri Hatcher, Anna Gunn, and Janeane Garofalo are just a few of the notable actors who sometimes appear in only one episode. It’s a trove of dramatic actors in the early stages of their careers.
Seinfeld was nominated for 15 Golden Globes and won three over its nine seasons, and it also earned 68 Emmy nominations with 10 wins. Despite the ubiquity and popularity of the show, it may have gotten to the point that most younger viewers have never seen an episode.
As a series that premiered in the 1980s, there are certainly some dated references, funky outfit choices, and scenarios that could have easily been solved with a phone call, but don’t let those small issues stop you from turning on the series on Netflix. Once you start, you’ll quickly see why Seinfeld has the reputation it does.
