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OMG Celeb > News > 1980s TV catchphrases that older generations still quote and leave younger generations confused. How many of these do you remember?
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1980s TV catchphrases that older generations still quote and leave younger generations confused. How many of these do you remember?

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Last updated: June 25, 2026 7:17 pm
News Room Published June 25, 2026
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The ’80s gave us some of the best sitcom stars, early acting talent and teen idols, but what’s also beloved are the witty quips made by TV characters throughout the decade that will forever have ’80s kids laughing — and everyone else wondering what exactly’s going on.

Test your own ’80s TV knowledge with our run down of the best catchphrases to come out of the decade’s classic shows.

© Getty Images

Gary Coleman stole the show as Arnold Jackson

“Whatchu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” – Diff’rent Strokes

Wise-cracking child star Gary Coleman was always there with the perfect put-down when onscreen brother Willis stopped making sense. 

Arnold Jackson was the young but clever-beyond-his years member of the Diff’rent Strokes family and his classic line is just as quotable today.

Dirk Benedict, George Peppard, Mr T and Dwight Schultz pose for a photograph.© NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The A-Team has plenty of memorable moments, but it’s this quote that’s best stood the test of time

“I love it when a plan comes together” – The A-Team

The A-Team defined ’80s action television, with Colonel John Smith, nicknamed “Hannibal,” leading the way, usually with a cigar held between his teeth.

If there’s one line every ’80s kid knows, it’s Hannibal’s celebratory phrase that summed up the underdog’s endless adventures.

golden girls glamour shot© Disney General Entertainment Con

Sophia Petrillo’s tales were always extraordinary

“Picture it, Sicily…” – The Golden Girls

There’s nothing quite like a good story, and The Golden Girls’ Sophia Petrillo certainly knew how to tell a great one. All of the Golden Girls brought iconic quotes to the screen, but this is surely a standout.

Whenever Sophia started off a tale with these three words, the audience knew they were in for a treat. If you’re about to go on your own ramble (or call out someone else’s), consider taking a page out of The Golden Girls book. 

Max Wright, Benji Gregory, Andrew Elson and Anne Shedeen with ALF in a promotional still for TV show 'ALF', dated 1986.© Getty Images

Laughing at his own jokes was Alf’s TV trademark

“Ha, I kill me!” – ALF

The Alien Life Form at the heart of ALF was always ready with a witty comment or two. But, whether it was down to an intergalactic difference in humor or not, he seemed to enjoy his own jokes more than anyone else.

Uttered after a particularly bad line or a successful quip, Alf’s iconic line is sure to add a layer of unparalleled ’80s humor to the conversation.

Nicholas Colasanto, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Rhea Perlman, Shelley Long and Ted Danson.© NBCUniversal via Getty Images

‘Afternoon, everybody!’ ‘Norm!’ Everybody really did know your name on ‘Cheers’

“Norm!” – Cheers

Particularly powerful as an ’80s phrase, “Norm!,” had everyone in Cheers’ beloved bar coining one of the show’s best sayings.

If you can rope in some fellow ’80s kids to sign on for a collective greeting, it’ll pack a punch. Just make sure you’re addressing another child of the decade, or you’ll leave your guest very confused.

Star Trek: The Next Generation cast in 1987. Pictured are from left, front row, American actor LeVar Burton (as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge), British actor Patrick Stewart (as Captain Jean-Luc Picard), and American actors Jonathan Frakes (as Commander William T. Riker) and Brent Spiner (as Lieutenant Commander Data); from left, back row, American actors Whoopi Goldberg (as Guinan), Gates McFadden (as Doctor Beverly Crusher), and Michael Dorn (as Lieutenant Worf), British-American actress Marina Sirtis (as Counselor Deanna Troi), and American actor Wil Wheaton (as Wesley Crusher). © Getty Images

Channel your own Patrick Stewart with this famous phrase

“Make it so” – Star Trek: The Next Generation

Before Sir Patrick Stewart was reading minds on X-Men, he brought a gravitas to his most iconic role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek. 

The actor even used it as the title of his autobiography Making It So: A Memoir. So go forth and channel your own commanding energy with one of the show’s most famous phrases.

Read the full article here

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