5 Brilliant ’80s Shows Forgotten By Time
Remember when TV was all about big hair, neon colors, and shows that pushed the boundaries of creativity?
The 1980s gave us some of the most inventive television ever made, but not every series stuck around in our collective memory.
While everyone remembers classics like Miami Vice and The A-Team, plenty of brilliant shows slipped through the cracks of time.
Get ready to rediscover some hidden gems that deserve way more love than they got.
1. Sledge Hammer!
Before Deadpool made fun of superheroes, Sledge Hammer was roasting every cop show cliche in existence.
This trigger-happy detective talked to his gun like it was his best friend and caused more property damage than the criminals he chased.
His catchphrase, “Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” usually came right before something exploded spectacularly.
Critics now call it one of television’s smartest satires, but back then, audiences didn’t quite know what to make of it.
2. The Highwayman
Imagine Mad Max and Knight Rider had a baby, and that baby drove a futuristic eighteen-wheeler packed with hidden motorcycles and helicopters.
The mysterious title character was basically a tech-powered cowboy roaming a near-future America, fighting crime with serious style.
That massive truck could transform and deploy vehicles like something straight out of a Transformers fever dream.
Though it only lasted one season, The Highwayman delivered action sequences that were way ahead of their time for 1987 television.
3. Cover Up
Fashion photography and international espionage might sound like an odd combination, but Cover Up made it work beautifully.
A gorgeous photographer and her rugged partner traveled the world on glamorous photo shoots that were really covers for CIA missions.
Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” became the theme song, and honestly, that power ballad outlived the show by decades.
Tragedy struck when star Jon-Erik Hexum accidentally killed himself on set, leaving the series forever marked by heartbreak.
4. Manimal
A college professor who could shapeshift into any animal to fight crime sounds bonkers, and honestly, it totally was.
Dr. Jonathan Chase usually transformed into a hawk or a black panther, with special effects that were legitimately impressive for early 1980s television.
The show only lasted eight episodes, but those transformation sequences became legendary among TV nerds and pop culture historians.
It’s become such a cult classic that people still reference it whenever discussing the weirdest shows that ever existed.
5. The Phoenix
An ancient immortal being named Bennu wakes up in modern America after sleeping for thousands of years, searching for his lost love across time.
He possessed a mystical amulet that granted him incredible powers, making him both hunter and hunted by government agents.
The concept blended mythology, romance, and science fiction in ways that felt fresh and ambitious for 1982 television.
Sadly, it vanished after just five episodes, leaving fans wondering what could have been if it had gotten a full season.
