The 1980s are not often remembered for science fiction shows. While the 1970s were television’s most groundbreaking era, with many taboos being thrown out thanks to comedies such as All in the Family, the 1980s were far tamer and today are known mostly for their proliferation of comedies featuring families with children.
However, science fiction has been popular since the 1960s, and every era has at least one or two science fiction shows that stand out. The 1980s are no exception — in fact, there were almost as many science fiction shows airing in this era as comedies, many of which should be considered classics.
7) Starman
Not to be confused with the DC Comics character, Starman was a television sequel to a movie that starred Jeff Bridges about the relationship between an alien and a human woman, Jenny. In the movie, Starman cloned himself to create a baby with the otherwise infertile Jenny, and the TV version takes place 15 years later. Starman, who escaped back to his planet at the end of the movie, returns to Earth and takes the form of a late journalist named Paul Forrester so he can reunite with his son, Scott, who joins him to search for Jenny.
Starman and his son were fugitives, as the US government was still on the hunt for the alien who had escaped their clutches 15 years ago, and in every episode, they stopped in a different place to help people in need. These adventures forced Starman to face the unethical things his clone had done, as the real Paul Forrester was selfish and had many enemies, and in resolving problems, he learned more about what it meant to be human. Episodes also included Scott learning to control the telepathic powers he had inherited from his father.
Starman was an unusual show because of its emphasis on empathy, forgiveness, and helping others. It’s a shame that it only lasted one season, especially since Starman and Jenny did reunite, so there would have been opportunities for new and interesting stories had the show continued.
6) Knight Rider
Although Knight Rider is mostly remembered as an action series, it had science fiction elements that made it unique. David Hasselhoff played a police officer who nearly died after getting shot, only to be saved by billionaire Wilton Knight, who gave him the new identity of Michael Knight and an AI-powered supercar named KITT, with which he teamed up to fight crime.
Although the premise of this series sounds silly, it has been popular for over 40 years, and a planned Knight Rider reboot movie was recently announced. Oddly, decades on, Knight Rider developed a bit of a reputation for being cheesy – largely because of Hasselhoff’s other show, Baywatch – but any rewatch confirms that assessment to be unfairly harsh. The very fact that it was so entertaining and accessible despite its high concept is actually pretty astonishing.
5) V
V was originally a miniseries about a group of aliens that invades Earth. These aliens disguise themselves as benevolent humans, but are really the stereotypical green reptilian extraterrestrials that are common in science fiction stories. Their goal is to take over water sources and kill humans for food.
In the miniseries, the aliens encounter resistance from a group of journalists, leading to a human-alien war. After a second mini-series about the final battle, there was a full TV series made that ran for 19 episodes, in which one of the aliens is supposed to face trial for her crimes, but is rescued by the CEO of a technology company who wants access to alien tech to further his business. This leads to a situation in which Diana and other aliens can again invade Earth.
Sadly, this series was canceled after one season, so the final episode was never made, and a proposed movie ending in 1989 was not sold. However, V is a cult classic for a reason. The original miniseries was an allegory about Nazism, and the full TV version continued exploring similar themes.
4) Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an anthology series in a similar vein to The Twilight Zone, created by legendary producer Steven Spielberg. Each week’s episode featured a different 24-minute science fiction story. These stories were less about social messages than the Twilight Zone and were often lighthearted.
Many episodes of Amazing Stories featured people who had magic powers, telepathy, or similar abilities. One memorable story featured three boys who picked up alien signals on a TV antenna and made contact with a race of aliens who had learned about human culture by watching 1950s television shows.
3) ALF
Image courtesy of NBC
ALF was one of NBC’s best comedies of the 1980s. This show was a family comedy with a twist: an alien crash-landed in the family’s backyard and was adopted by them. ALF, which stands for Alien Life Form, quickly became popular with kids. He was always trying to eat the family cat and was known for witty banter.
Throughout the series’ four-year run, ALF tried to blend in with the family and learned about human culture while being treated as an additional child. He also had to hide from their nosy neighbors, which often led to hilarious situations.
2) The Martian Chronicles
Based on the Ray Bradbury book of the same name, The Martian Chronicles was a three-part miniseries that aired on NBC about humans trying to colonize Mars. It is somewhat of an allegory about the way colonists treated Indigenous people in America, as the first episode involves the Martians killing settlers to try to protect their way of life, but as the miniseries continues, future settlers take over the planet and fight with any surviving Martians they encounter.
The Martian Chronicles is one of the highest-quality miniseries to come out of the 1980s, which is unsurprising considering it was based on a book by Ray Bradbury. The TV version is also written by Richard Matheson, who wrote many of the best episodes of the Twilight Zone not written by Rod Serling himself.
1) Red Dwarf
Image courtesy of Paul Jackson Productions
Red Dwarf is a classic British sci-fi comedy in which Red Dwarf crew member Dave Lister wakes up after a millennium in stasis to discover the only other lifeform left on the ship is a man evolved from a cat that Lister sneaked on board. The two have to deal with a hologram of an annoying superior officer, the ship’s computer, and aliens they encounter in other worlds.
Red Dwarf developed a cult following on both sides of the Atlantic because of its satirical humor and parody of space operas. The shows are as funny 40 years later, which is a testimony to how well done this series was.
What is your favorite science fiction show from the 1980s? Leave a comment and join the conversation at the ComicBook Forum.