It seems TV in the '80s got really, really awful and it took something weird and challenging and different like "Twin Peaks" to reinvigorate the medium and pave the way for TV's Second Golden Age -- "The Sopranos," "Breaking Bad," "The Wire," "Black Mirror," The X Files," and others.
shareI like Knight Rider in the 80s. It's great.
shareKnight Rider was good fun too
shareThe theme was amazing.
shareThe theme was the best part of a lot of those 80s shows.
The A Team. Mr Belvedere. After the theme, the shows went downhill.
I haven't sat through an episode of "Knight Rider" since I was probably about 10. But, even to this day, I will occasionally go on Youtube and listen to its theme -- which is just a phenomenal piece of work.
Pity these '80s shows couldn't put as much effort into their writing as they did their music themes.
I've always been suprised that they greenlit Twin Peaks in the first place considering how conventional TV programs were during that era.
shareOne has to really spend some spent immersed in late '80s TV to fully grasp how risk-free and dull the medium had become and how totally bonkers a decision it was letting the guy behind "Eraserhead" loose in this homogenized environment.
shareTwin Peaks was 90s. Nothing good came from the 80s.
shareWell, it was filmed in 1989 and released early in 1990. True, people weren't introduced to it until the '90s but 1990, like 1980, 1970 and so on, feels still very much a part of the decade that preceded it. Furthermore, "TP" feels like a rebuke of all that '80s bilge. It feels made by people who would wholeheartedly echo your sentiment: "Nothing good came from the '80s."
shareBlah blah blah. Twin peaks came out in the 90s.
shareYeah, 90s
shareIt was a product of the 1980's - conceived and filmed in 1989, which keeps to the point of the OP froggy that the show emerged during a medicore era or medicore time period for TV. 12am on January 1st 1990 didn't suddenly become a new creative era.
shareAlso, it felt like the previous decade because it was a year after the previous decade sooooo... twin peaks was actually very 90s.
shareWell, technically, you're completely right. But, spiritually, I just feel it's '80s though it's certainly pointing the way to the '90s, and beyond, more than anything prior.
shareNo.
share1990 was the final year of the 80s decade. 1991 was the first year of the 90s decade. Our calendar began with the year 1, not with the year 0.
shareGood point.
shareBut 1990 still isn't the "1980s".
shareIn fact, it is. 1990 was the final year of the decade of the 80s. (In The Chicago
Manual of Style, Kate Turabian specified that there are NO apostrophes in abbreviated year dates when the century of the abbreviation is obvious; no ‘80s or 80’s or ‘80’s, and I am a stylistic stickler.) The first year of the decade in question was 1981. The final year of the decade was 1990.
Nope. 1990 may be the last year of the 199th decade, but the numbers are not right for it to be part of the "1980s".
shareThe math is right. The numbers are right. End of discussion.
shareI'm not sure what your point is with that. To be part of the "1980s" it should start with "198". That's it.
shareRight. Dumb argument. Anyway, I think the drunken point I was trying to make is that even though twin peaks was shot in a very “80’s” time period, the show itself was extremely 90’s. Very ahead of its time. That’s why it didn’t survive the first time around. Twin peaks was never mainstream and i certainly would never consider it an 80s type show.
shareHill Street Blues was great, paved the way for NYPD Blue and Homicide Life on the Steet and all the fast editing style etc.
Auf Wiedersehen Pet
The Equalizer
Cagney and Lacey
Moonlighting
Boys from the Blackstuff
Miami Vice
The A-Team
Marc Frost, the co-creator of "TP," wrote for "Hill Street Blues." I tried watching "Blues" a few years ago and couldn't get into it. I'm thinking about buying the complete series on DVD and giving it another go. My pop absolutely adored it. He told him quite often how influential and important a show it was. I'm sure it was. And maybe one day I'll get caught up in it just like my father once did.
Miami Vice was certainly one of most visually arresting shows ever made. Couldn't stand anyone on it -- apart from Castillo (it should have just been about him) -- but always admired its cinematic swagger.
I second Hill Street Blues. It was great. St, Elsewhere was also a pretty good show that paved the way for ER and Chicago Hope.
shareYeah give Hill Street Blues another go and see what you think.
shareAs someone already pointed out It was a 90's show.But the 80s had a lot of great offerings.
Magnum pi
Moonlighting (Although it got pretty bad after Maddie and David hooked up)
Equalizer
Married with children
Werewolf
Miami vice
Macgyver
Remington steel
Maddie+David sort of ruined Moonlighting
MacGuyver was great...i cant look at duct tape or a Swiss Army knife and not think of that show to this day
MWC...Al Bundy was a great TV character
"Maddie+David sort of ruined Moonlighting"
That and then the whole baby drama that followed.The show went down hill real fast.But the first few seasons were great.
Northern Exposure seemed good at the time. (I only put it that way because I haven't had a chance to watch it recently, unlike Twin Peaks.)
shareThe Brits have repeated the Northern Exposure concept many times, most recently as Doc Martin, which is quite popular.
Am sure it still holds up.
Hill Street Blues was also very good. Binge-watched that later.
M*A*S*H was still going in the 80s and often excellent.
thirtysomething had its haters, but was really good I thought.
I loved Hill Street Blues. And MASH as well. thirtysomething I'm not sure I ever saw. Tried Doc Martin recently (just the first episode), didn't get into it.
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