Trend forecasters say the 90s will be back but anyone who has ever asked their mother for a pair JNCOs is aware that 80s sitcoms offer a more soothing escape from the 24/7 news cycle. It's kind of stressful! prestige television. Amazon Prime offers a variety of fast-paced, funny comedies that can solve any problem, including gentrification, college adjustment, dealing with strange workplaces or convincing a new furry family member that the pet cat is not suitable for dinner.
These are the top 80s sitcoms that you can watch right now on Amazon Prime.
1. 2.
227 is a adaptation of a play written by Christine Houston. Marla Gibbs stars as Mary Jenkins, a stay at home mom who rules her apartment in Washington, D.C. alongside Rose Reed Hall, her best friend. 227 stars a great ensemble, including Regina King as Marys' daughter, Brenda, Hal Williams as Mary's husband Lester, and the charming Helen Martin as Pearl, her wisecracking neighbor; Jacke Harry as Sandra, who won an Emmy in 1987 for her flirtatious role. It was one of many sitcoms that normalized middle-class, Black nuclear families within pop culture. The show celebrated its 35th anniversary recently. (As an added bonus, you can watch this amazing tribute to 227 on A Black Lady Sketch Show with Gibbs and Harry along the BLSS cast.
How to Watch: Amazon Prime has 227 available for streaming.
2. 2. A Different World
The Cosby Show spin-off follows Denise Huxtable's journey to adulthood at Hillman College. This fictional HBCU was also her TV parents'. Denise's coed misadventures with Maggie (then-newcomer Marisa Tomei), who is a white journalism student in Minnesota, and Jaleesa, a 26-year old divorcee, were instantly addictive. Behind-the scenes trouble and a surprise pregnancy of Bonet and her husband Lenny Kravitz prompted a second season overhaul and total reshaping by the skilled hands of Debbie Allen. The show was successful in addressing HIV/AIDs, safe sex, and other serious topics, even though not all episodes held up.
How to watch: A Different World can be purchased on Amazon Prime.
3. ALF
The Tanners are an ordinary family with a very strange secret. It is ALF (aka "Alien Life Form" and Gordon Shumway on his home planet Melmac. ALF is a primetime comedy that stars a furry extraterrestrial puppet. He tells Borscht Belt-style jokes, and tries to eat their family cat. ALF's cast includes Anne Meara and Paul Dooley, beloved characters of Stiller and Meara fame. Strange twist: Anne's son Ben Stiller was the ALF writer Jerry Stahl in a film adaptation Stahls addiction memoir Permanent Midnight. This movie used a fictional nightmarish TV show called Mr. Chompers instead of ALF.
How to watch: ALF can be streamed on Amazon Prime via IMDb TV.
4. Cheers
"Sometimes, you want to go where everyone knows your name ..." Credit : Paramount TV / Kobal/ Shutterstock
Ted Danson was a silver-fox devilishly handsome and sexy, but he also spiced up primetime with his role as Sam Malone. He was a former professional baseball player who lost his career to alcohol, only for him to become the owner of a charming neighborhood watering place where everyone, well, knows. Sam enjoys drinking with his coach, Coach; the fiery waitress Carla Tortelli(Rhea Perlman); as well as Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), an erudite fish out-of-water who he has been flirting with for several seasons. Cheers is a timeless classic thanks to its witty banter and guest stars as well as the warm and friendly atmosphere between Sam and his regulars (Norm, Cliff, and yes, Frasier, and Lilith). Woody Harrelson (baby-faced) joined the show as a main character for Season 4.
How to watch: Cheers can be purchased on Amazon Prime.
5. Family Ties
Family Ties was created before the term boomer was considered a dirty word. It featured a happy married couple of hippies Steven and Elyse Keaton and the low-stakes friction that they had with their less idealistic children, especially Alex, their Young Republican son. Michael J. Fox has a warmth that Fox creators didn't intend for the Reaganite to feel. Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross star as loving, thoughtful parents who try to instill a liberal outlook in their children than the materialistic 1980s. Family Ties features a host of interesting guest stars, including Tom Hanks who appears in an episode about alcoholism.
How to watch: Family Tie is available on Amazon Prime.
6. Golden Girls
Golden Girls could be the perfect comfort show for you if you've ever dreamed about retiring to Florida with a group of your closest friends, being a hot septuagenarian or just hitting people with your purse. Although Dorothy, Rose and Sophia are very different from each other, their love and loyalty to one another makes them timeless icons for anyone who is interested in building their own family and living a life full of wit and vitality. Bea Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty were all active actors before joining the cast. They also starred in iconic feminist TV shows Maude, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Golden Girls.
Amazon Prime allows you to purchase How to Watch: Golden Girls.
7. Growing Pains
Tracey Gold and Kirk Cameron play the Seaver siblings in Growing Pains. Credit: Warner Bros Tv / Kobal / Shutterstock
Growing Pains was a family favorite that portrayed a father-of-Robin who stays home and runs the household, while his wife Joanna Kerns goes back to work as a reporter. It was also known for Kirk Cameron, a teen male star who was often featured on the covers of magazines such as Tiger Beat. He was a popular cover boy before he became a Christian. Leonardo DiCaprio, then a newcomer to the cast in 1991, plays a homeless teen who lives among the Seavers. Some elements of the show aren't as relevant today, like Tracey Golds' fatphobic comments about her character. This led to an eating disorder. It is a fascinating time capsule from that era.
How to Watch: Growing Pains can be purchased on Amazon Prime.
SEE ALSO 10 best wireless headphones to watch TV
8. Night Court
Night Court is more like an adult sitcom in this era than Cheers. It's a little more mature and the subject matter is a little more raunchy since it takes place in the evening shift at a Manhattan municipal court in 1980s Manhattan, long before Times Square was transformed into Disneyland. Harry Anderson, the late great Harry Anderson, is Judge Harry Stone. John Larroquette, who was famous for his creepy voiceover on the Texas Chain Saw Massacre's original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, is the sleazeball prosecution attorney. Markie Post serves as the public defender starting in the third season. You'll also find a host of other cool people, such as Marsha Warfield, Richard Moll and regular appearances by Yakov Smirnoff and Gilbert Gottfried.
How to watch Night Court: Night Court can be purchased on Amazon Prime.
9. Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster was a show that helped young people in the 1980s feel more at home. Johnson, whose uncle started the show, has gone on to produce many TV shows and movies, and has also written several books. Moon Frye and Johnson are both on the 2021 Peacock Punky Brewster revival. Both George Gaynes (the grumpy widow who reluctantly adopted Punky) and Susie Garrett (who played Cheries grandmother), were the adult stars of the show.
How to watch: Punky Beerster is now available on Amazon Prime.
10. 10.
Tony Danza and Judith Light star in "Who's The Boss?" The series aired between 1984-1992. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Credit: Columbia Pictures / Embassy Pictures / Kobal / Shutterstock
Whos the Boss? was the original premise. It was quite subversive. In the 80s Tony Micelli (Tony Danza), a masculine former pro baseball player, takes a job in Connecticut as a housekeeper to provide a better living for his daughter Samantha Milano (Alyssa Milano). Angela, a powerful ad exec, is his new boss. The single mother is grateful for the help but balks at the thought of a man taking care of her house. The norms of the day make Angela's premise seem a bit shaky. It turns out that Angela does indeed need a man, and he is easy to look after. The tension between the will-they-wont they and Angela lasted eight seasons. And what about the title question? You'll have to decide!
How to watch: Who's the Boss? You can watch it for free on IMDb TV via Amazon Prime.
