7 popular 1980s TV shows that no one remembers anymore

The Hogan Family was originally called Valerie and Valerie’s Family: The Hogans before it adopted its now famous moniker. The show was created by Charlie Hauck and was a family sitcom chronicling Valerie Hogan’s life as a mother struggling to raise her three teenage sons, while managing her career and her absent pilot husband. 

The show’s cast included Valerie Harper as the lead, as well as Josh Taylor, Christine Ebersole, Tom Hodges, and Jason Bateman.

Running for six seasons from 1986 until 1991 on NBC and later CBS, the sitcom was famed for being Jason’s breakout before he made his film debut. 

This sitcom with a sci-fi twist ran on television from 1985 until 1989 and starred Richard Christie, Marla Pennington, Jerry Supiran, and Tiffany Brissette.

It was created by Howard Leeds and told the story of a robotics engineer, Ted Lawson, who secretly creates V.I.C.I. (Voice Input Child Identicant), a humanoid robot resembling a little girl. 

The show was a massive hit among children, both in America and overseas; however, it has largely been forgotten as the decades rolled on. 

From 1980 until 1982, Bosom Buddies dominated ratings with its storylines about the adventures of two single friends, struggling advertising professionals, Kip and Henry, who disguise themselves as women in an attempt to find affordable housing after their apartment is knocked down. 

The show launched the career of Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and was created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller, and Chris Thompson. 

Peter Scolari starred alongside Tom and the show also featured Holland Taylor, Donna Dixon, Telma Hopkins, and Wendie Jo Sperber. 

Susan Harris’s Empty Nest was a spin-off of The Golden Girls, following the story of Harry Weston, played by Richard Mulligan, who was a widowed paediatrician and the neighbour of the main characters in the classic show. 

The show, which aired from 1988 until 1995, starred Dinah Manoff and Kristy McNichol as Harry’s daughters, with whom he struggles to have a relationship, despite their moving in with him. 

David Leisure, Park Overall, and Paul Provenza also starred in the sitcom, alongside Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty, who guest-starred as their Golden Girls characters.

Played by Corinne Bohrer, Free Spirit was a fantasy sitcom that followed the misadventures of a high-spirited witch called Winnie. 

Other members of the cast included Edan Gross, Franc Luz, Alyson Hannigan and Paul Scherrer and the show was created by Leslie Ray and Steven Vail. 

The show was Alyson Hannigan’s first television role and earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series.

Kate & Allie was a sitcom about two childhood friends navigating life with divorced mothers who raise their families together, created by Sherry Coben. 

Kate was played by Susan Saint James, and Allie was played by Jane Curtin. On-screen, the characters helped each other as they discovered their new lives in 1980s New York City. 

The show also starred Ari Meyers, Frederick Koehler, Allison Smith, Sam Freed, and Peter Onorati. 

Misfits of Science was a sci-fi comedy-drama series created by James D. Parriott. 

Fronted by Dean Paul Martin, who plays Dr Billy Hayes, the show followed the adventures of a group of individuals with superpowers. 

Kevin Peter Hall, Mark Thomas Miller, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Holmes, and Max Wright all starred in main roles, and the series was on the air from 1985 until 1986.