Thank goodness for television DVDs and reruns featuring the 1980s television classics many of us fell in love with and still enjoy watching today. Thank goodness too for the blogs dedicated to discussing and reliving some of the greatest moments in television history that were made by the televisions classics of the 1980s. 1980s television was built on both family friendly sitcoms like The Cosby Show as well as some dramatic and action packed dramas like Dallas and The Fall Guy. The combination of the familiar and the cutting edge made 80s television classics to a generation.



One memorable season of Dallas came to a close with a cliffhanger that captivated the world. In that final scene, a shadowy figure approaches and shoots JR Ewing before the screen faded to black and the credits rolled. The world was fixated on ?who shot JR? over what seemed to be an endless summer hiatus. Sue Ellen, Cliff Barnes, Pamela, Lucy, Ray, competing oil barons JR had crossed, and even brother Bobby all had motive and were suspect. I mean JR Ewing really never met someone that he didn't eventually make an enemy of. But when the question of who was finally answered it was Sue Ellen's little sister Kristen Shepard who had tried to send JR to his maker for judgment day. Dallas is now available on DVD so you can relive every addictive moment with the Ewing's at Southfork on those 1980s evenings.

What do a substitute teacher, farm enthusiast, addict and an old Sicilian have in common? Retirement and living with roommates. The Golden Girls, a classic television show from the 80s gave us a different perspective on getting older, working beyond the typical age of retirement, and the tribulations of sharing a home with other adults, even if one of them is the mother you thought had been comfortably situated to live at the Shady Pines nursing home. We laughed a lot with the gals, but we also cried a lot too. Issues faced by older adults were also played out on this 80s television classic. Letting your grown children live their own lives, pensions not lasting as long as they did 50 years ago, the poor conditions in many nursing homes, Alzheimer's, heart conditions, deaths of friends, planning for our own deaths, and dealing with the conflicts that arise from living with a house full of roommates were faced with determination, humor, and Sicilian curses by these Golden Gals we grew to love so much.. In addition to picking up episodes of The Golden Girls on DVD, you can still catch reruns of The Golden Girls on television stations devoted to showing 1980s classic TV.

Quick, name the five Cosby kid. Were you able to remember the children of Cliff and Claire Huxtable from the beloved 1980s TV sitcom, The Cosby Show? Sandra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy, the Huxtable kids, kept Father, Dr, Cliff Huxtable, and Mother, Attorney Claire Huxtable busy dealing with their growing pains. The theme of this 1980s television sitcom focused on a working family living in a brownstone in New York. The Cosby show is often heralded as being one of the first television sitcoms to feature a black family in a situation that many of us could then and now relate to. The Cosby's were a loving family headed by two professional, hard-working parents. Love of family, civic duty, education, political and religious participation, and service to others, integrity, living above negative influences such as smoking, drinking, gang violence, and racism were all themes that were skillfully dealt with by The Cosby Show writers. Still seen on certain television stations, we never get tired of watching the Huxtables. Selected seasons of The Cosby Show are now available on DVD too so you can watch them whenever you want to.

Perhaps one of the least talked about but better loved action adventure shows on during the 80s was The Fall Guy. He made the hearts of women skip a beat with his spectacular stunts, completed without giving his tanned face or muscled body a scratch. Falling off tall buildings, jumping cars over flaming lines of vehicles, throwing punches, crashing through windows, fighting crime and rescuing those in need is what every action-packed episode centering around. Fearless stuntman and hero, sexy bounty hunter Colt Seavers provided us with a weekly dose of excitement and mystery. Colt and his cousin Howie never failed to catch their fugitive from the law man. This is one classic television show from the 1980s that still gets the adrenaline pumping even when watching reruns. Seasons 1 through 5 of The Fall Guy are now available on DVD. This is one 1980s action TV show that will never lose its appeal.

Classic television now encompasses great sitcoms and dramas from the 1980s. Catching up on some of your favorite TV families like the Huxtables or the Ewings is now even easier with the broadening availability of classic 80s television on DVD. Catch an episode or purchase a DVD and relive the memories of that great era.

Ben Anton, 2007