Key TV premieres in the ’80s were significant for children. I eagerly awaited the “Cheers and Jeers” column in TV Guide each week, and I studied the Fall Preview issue as if preparing for a major event.
It was rare to see four long-running shows debuting in a single week (though one is more iconic than long-running). However, that was precisely what occurred in September 1986.
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Some of these shows were perfect for easy viewing. Others addressed real issues with humor, a trend that began in the ’70s with series like All in the Family, but became less common in ’80s sitcoms outside of the occasional “very special episode.” All of them enjoyed long runs in syndication and became cultural landmarks.
Designing Women (CBS, Sept. 29, 1986)
Forty years ago this week, the women of Sugarbaker & Associates launched their business in Atlanta. They embodied Southern charm, yet beneath their politeness, they weren’t afraid to express themselves.
The show fit well into the Golden Girls template, with each character representing a specific type, but it was more complex than that. With its strong cast and The Golden Girls demonstrating that women could lead successful shows, <em>Designing Women</em> aired for seven seasons and produced 163 episodes. It wasn’t hesitant to address serious topics, as seen in a Season 2 episode where a dying friend asks the women to design his funeral.
ALF (NBC, Sept. 22, 1986)
The pitch for this show must have been entertaining in an NBC executive meeting. ALF followed Gordon Shumway, a wise-cracking alien from the destroyed planet Melmac (not to be confused with Mork’s planet, Ork), who crash-landed in the Tanner family’s garage.
In full-body shots of ALF walking or standing, Michu Meszaros, a 2-foot-9 Hungarian circus performer, portrayed the character. Most of the time, however, ALF was a puppet operated and voiced by co-creator Paul Fusco. ALF had a penchant for cats but never managed to catch the Tanners’ cat, Lucky, during the show’s four seasons.
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NBC canceled ALF after its fourth season, leaving fans frustrated with an unresolved cliffhanger. It wasn’t until an ABC TV movie in 1996 that this cliffhanger was addressed. Earlier this year, we recognized ALF as one of the iconic shows with only one surviving cast member following Anne Schedeen’s passing, who played mom Kate Tanner. Andrea Elson, who portrayed daughter Lynn, remains the last surviving member of the Tanner family unless you count Fusco, the voice of ALF himself.
Matlock (NBC, Sept. 23, 1986)
While your grandma adored Murder, She Wrote, Grandpa preferred <em>Matlock</em>. Andy Griffith was already a television icon after portraying Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, which also launched Ron Howard’s career as he transitioned to Happy Days and later became a renowned Hollywood director.
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The folksy defense attorney Ben Matlock always managed to uncover the true culprit. Despite featuring a murder each week, it maintained a surprisingly low level of violence, making it ideal for family viewing during visits to grandparents’ homes. The series ran for nine seasons until 1995.
Amen (NBC, Sept. 27, 1986)
George Jefferson as a deacon? Sort of. Just one year after The Jeffersons concluded (after an impressive 253 episodes), Sherman Hemsley returned to television in 1986 as Deacon Ernest Frye in Amen. The series was set in Philadelphia, Hemsley’s actual hometown. Interestingly, Clifton Davis played Rev. Reuben Gregory and is an ordained minister in real life.
Bonus: Coming Next Year, thirtysomething (ABC, 1987–1991)
If you’re looking forward to some nostalgia next year: This week in 2027 will mark the 40th anniversary of Thirtysomething, a cozy show about parenting and marriage during the late-’80s. Do the math; you’ll quickly realize that the cast of Thirtysomething is now seventy-something, except for Timothy Busfield who is currently embroiled in legal issues regarding child sexual abuse charges that he denies. A sequel was once planned but ABC decided against it in 2020 before filming began.
If you can’t get enough TV nostalgia, keep scrolling for a look at some of TV’s most iconic houses from then and now.
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