10 Most Rewatchable ’80s Sitcoms

Even if the 1980s weren’t actually a simpler time and people instead look back on the decade through rose-tinted glasses, there is an argument to be made that the world of television in the 1980s was a simpler time. Things changed rapidly when it came to watching television shows in the 2000s, thanks to the rise of DVD boxsets, and then everything shifted further still with the rise of streaming services in the 2010s. People watched in different ways, and creators responded by making/producing TV shows differently, too.

The word “sitcom” nowadays feels like a dauntingly broad term, but back in the 1980s, sitcoms were indeed a little simpler (with a few offbeat outliers here and there, within the genre). These situational comedy shows can be more comforting nowadays than they were back when they were on the air, given the nostalgia that comes with watching or rewatching a show created four or more decades ago. The following sitcoms weren’t all exclusively broadcast during the 1980s, but had at least several of their seasons air during the decade, with all holding up to this day and indeed proving, in their own ways, to be inherently rewatchable.

10 ‘Blackadder’ (1983-1989)

Creators: Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson

Back in the olden days, American sitcoms tended to air episodes for half a year at a time, with most seasons containing 20-something episodes. British sitcoms have tended to buck this trend, and often feature much shorter seasons of half-a-dozen episodes (and, more often than not, don’t have as many seasons as American sitcoms). Blackadder is an example of this, as it consisted of four seasons with six episodes each, plus a handful of one-off specials.

Blackadder’s a show with a novel concept, as most seasons contain the same main cast of familiar faces while every season has them playing different characters at different points in history. Like many comedy shows, it took a while to find its footing (the first season is okay for its time, but not especially amazing), though seasons 2 to 4 are largely great, containing fantastically witty dialogue, memorable characters, and a surprisingly powerful series finale.

Watch on Hulu

9 ‘The Jeffersons’ (1975-1985)

Creators: Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernie West

The Jeffersons stands out within the world of American sitcoms for a couple of key reasons. One of these is the fact that it was a real long-runner by sitcom standards, airing 253 episodes across 11 seasons spread between the second half of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s. Another reason it was notable was because it focused on a mostly African-American cast at a time when most mainstream TV was particularly white.

There are plenty of sitcoms that revolve around families (some might even argue too many), but in the 1970s and ‘80s, there weren’t many that centered on African-American families. The Jeffersons might seem quaint today, but it represented something refreshingly different for its time, and much of the show is reliably easy viewing for those who want a compelling, rewatchable, and easily digestible old-school TV sitcom.

Rent on Apple TV

8 ‘The Golden Girls’ (1985-1992)

Creator: Susan Harris

Sometimes, even the most classic of sitcoms will have elements that don’t hold up fantastically well, or might have to be awkwardly looked at as products of their time (the passage of which never stops, after all). Thankfully, The Golden Girls is one of those shows that feels close to timeless, being good-hearted and pleasantly funny in a way that’s unlikely to cause much offense to anyone.

The premise still feels somewhat novel, too, adding to the sense that the show’s aged gracefully, as it revolves around four older women who are all single and share a house in Miami. It was quite consistent across its seven seasons, and though most of its episodes aired during the 1980s, it remained popular enough into the early 1990s to ensure its series finale was watched by over 27 million viewers.

Watch on Hulu

7 ‘The Young Ones’ (1982-1984)

Creators: Rik Mayall, Ben Elton, Lise Mayer

While fictional stories about young people maturing and coming of age can prove compelling, a show like The Young Ones shows that there’s also fun to be had in watching fictional characters fail spectacularly at the task of growing up. This British sitcom was short but sweet, airing two six-episode seasons between 1982 and 1984, and following four thoroughly stupid and chaotic university students and the way they failed to get along while living together.

It’s sort of like the anti-Golden Girls, in that way, given both shows revolved around four people living together while having entirely different tones and approaches to humor. The Young Ones is the sort of cult classic show that’s probably not for everyone, but anyone who likes their comedy bizarre and anarchic ought to give this British series a shot.

Buy on Apple TV

6 ‘Cheers’ (1982-1993)

Creators: Glen Charles, Les Charles, James Burrows

Cheers is a quintessential American sitcom that is easily one of the most iconic of the 1980s, being on air for most of the decade and airing its final seasons in the early 1990s. It functions as part-workplace comedy, given some of the main characters are those employed at the Boston bar where much of the show takes place, while also feeling like a hangout show, given other characters are customers of said bar.

It’s the comforting kind of sitcom where things don’t feel high-stakes much of the time, and episodes frequently involve people simply kicking back and talking about their lives. There’s catharsis for the characters attending the bar, and similar catharsis for anyone watching the show and getting invested in it. Cheers is simple, but a simple approach to the sitcom formula often works, ensuring this sitcom staple is endlessly watchable and rewatchable.

Watch on Paramount+

5 ‘Family Ties’ (1982-1989)

Creator: Gary David Goldberg

Airing more than 170 episodes across seven seasons, all of them airing during the 1980s, Family Ties can count itself among the definitive sitcoms of its decade. Like many TV comedies both before and after it, Family Ties is indeed all about the humorous exploits of a family, though here, it’s combined with some political commentary, owing to the fact that the parents clash ideologically with their eldest son (played by Michael J. Fox).

It was a star-making role for Fox, as he won three Emmys for his performance in the show and then went on to become an even bigger star within the world of film, largely thanks to playing the lead character in the Back to the Future trilogy. Family Ties is certainly a sitcom of its time, but by design, capturing and commenting on family life and social issues during the 1980s in a well-balanced and humorous way.

Watch on Paramount+

4 ‘Red Dwarf’ (1988-)

Creators: Rob Grant, Doug Naylor

As far as sitcoms go, Red Dwarf is one of the more ambitious and creative of its time, which admittedly might not make it too surprising that it’s something of a cult classic, rather than a household name. Still, it’s had real longevity as far as oddball and comedic science fiction goes, airing its first three seasons in the late 1980s and then going on to air nine more, plus a feature-length special in 2020.

Red Dwarf revolves around the last human being left alive, drifting in space, after suspended animation preserved him for 3 million years, with humanity being extinct when he finally re-awakens. His only companions are a hologram of a human he once knew, a descendant of a cat that’s evolved into a human (don’t ask – it’s weird), a humanoid robot, and the ship’s computer. The show follows their various misadventures in space, and is often strange, sure, but just as frequently proves hilarious.

Watch on Tubi

3 ‘M*A*S*H’ (1972-1983)

Creator: Larry Gelbart

A show that began comedic and slowly evolved into something more serious as it went along, it doesn’t feel entirely fair to

label M*A*S*H as just a sitcom
. It began in the 1970s and aired throughout much of that decade, but can count as a 1980s show because its final three and a half seasons aired during the decade (including, of course, the iconic series finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,”

a highlight of the entire show
).

M*A*S*H
took place during the Korean War, and was rather humorously on air for more than three times as long as the duration of that conflict. It followed a

group of flawed but likable medical staff
as they did their best to stay both sane and alive during a highly stressful and traumatic time of their lives. It balanced comedy against its more dramatic moments well,

proving immensely quotable throughout its run and still holding up very well when watched today
.

Watch on Hulu

2 ‘Newhart’ (1982-1990)

Creator: Barry Kemp

Newhart
shows that sometimes, great

TV shows get passed over by the Emmys
, because it’s one example of an iconic show that never won an Emmy (despite having 25 nominations). The premise is fairly straightforward and typical sitcom fare, revolving around a husband and wife who run an inn in a small town that’s populated by various unusual individuals (to say nothing of the people who visit the town).As the name somewhat suggests, it was a show starring

Bob Newhart
, not to be mixed up with

The Bob Newhart Show
, which aired during the 1970s. Newhart got to be at the center of one of the most famous sitcoms of the 1970s and then one of the more notable ones of the 1980s, too,

with the latter’s famed finale making the two shows cross over in a rather bizarre and memorable way
.

Watch on Amazon

1 ‘Night Court’ (1984-1992)

Creator: Reinhold Weege

Within the world of film, stories that take place largely in courtrooms are often dramas or suspenseful thrillers, but thanks to Night Court, hearing the words “courtroom” and “TV show” side-by-side will likely conjure images of a more light-hearted nature. This show aired predominantly in the 1980s, and revolved around the staff of a very unusual night court and the cases they’d be forced to deal with as part of their professions.

Night Court keeps things fairly contained and silly throughout, proving to be the sort of classic sitcom that’s easy to watch, as well as similarly fun to revisit, either in whole or by selecting particularly good individual episodes. Night Court also continues to be somewhat relevant within pop culture at large, owing to the fact that the series was rebooted in 2023.

Rent on Amazon

NEXT: The Most Rewatchable 2000s Shows