The 1980s Onscreen
Television
During the 1980's television became more and more popular. The invention of the remote control revolutionized the way the people watched TV, and the creation of the CNN (Cable News Network) was introduced in 1980 as well as Fox Network. More than half of the American population was subscribed to some form of cable service by 1985 (19). A lot of the shows watched during the 1980's were soap operas, such as Dallas and Falcon Crest. Not only were the overdramatic soap operas popular, but sitcoms that reflected "everyday life" were also a big hit with the American public. Shows such as The Cosby Show and Cheers were also popular with the American people (19)
However, it wasnt all of just happy-go-lucky shows that defined the 1980's television scene. One of the first reality shows, COPS, was first aired in 1989, and followed on duty police officers as they catch criminals. It was the first show to use the filming that is used on reality shows today, called the "Camcorder look" (26).
Top 5 Shows of the 80s (21)
1) 60 Minutes
2) Dallas
3) The Cosby Show
4) Cheers
5) Murder She Wrote
During the 1980's television became more and more popular. The invention of the remote control revolutionized the way the people watched TV, and the creation of the CNN (Cable News Network) was introduced in 1980 as well as Fox Network. More than half of the American population was subscribed to some form of cable service by 1985 (19). A lot of the shows watched during the 1980's were soap operas, such as Dallas and Falcon Crest. Not only were the overdramatic soap operas popular, but sitcoms that reflected "everyday life" were also a big hit with the American public. Shows such as The Cosby Show and Cheers were also popular with the American people (19)
However, it wasnt all of just happy-go-lucky shows that defined the 1980's television scene. One of the first reality shows, COPS, was first aired in 1989, and followed on duty police officers as they catch criminals. It was the first show to use the filming that is used on reality shows today, called the "Camcorder look" (26).
Top 5 Shows of the 80s (21)
1) 60 Minutes
2) Dallas
3) The Cosby Show
4) Cheers
5) Murder She Wrote
Movies
Besides the fashion trends that are usually laughed at, a lot of what people today remember about the 1980s were the movies. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, any movie that featured Molly Ringwald, Back to the Future; those are just a few of the long list of movies that hit theaters in the '80s.
A lot of money was spent on producing and viewing the movies, especially viewing the movies. In 1982, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial grossed the highest amount of money in the box office, at $399.8 million After that came The Return of the Jedi in 1983 that grossed $309. 1 million in theaters (20). This shows how much Americans spent on their seeing movies and amusing themselves. Just in 1980, 135 movies were released, and they grossed an amount of over $2,000,000,000 (22).
Many of the movies produced in the 1980's were teenage movies that featured the nicknamed "Brat Pack"; Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Sean Penn just to name a few. Some of the most well known teenage movies of the 80's are Ferrris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Risky Business, Pretty in Pink, and even more (17).
However, even though the teenage movies seemed to be the most remembered of the 1980's there were many other kinds of movies, like science fiction with movies like E.T and Star Wars, as well as action with Rambo and Die Hard. Of course, lets not forget the movies the Yuppies would enjoy; Wall Street and Mississippi Burning attracted young professionals all over the United States (17). While the teen movies were more comedic and focused on high school life, the Yuppie movies were more serious and focused on national issues, like racism and the economy. In all, 80's movies are a lot broader and attract a whole range of people from around the United States. The comedies, the romances, the action and the science; they were all there for all different types of movie lovers.
A lot of money was spent on producing and viewing the movies, especially viewing the movies. In 1982, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial grossed the highest amount of money in the box office, at $399.8 million After that came The Return of the Jedi in 1983 that grossed $309. 1 million in theaters (20). This shows how much Americans spent on their seeing movies and amusing themselves. Just in 1980, 135 movies were released, and they grossed an amount of over $2,000,000,000 (22).
Many of the movies produced in the 1980's were teenage movies that featured the nicknamed "Brat Pack"; Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Sean Penn just to name a few. Some of the most well known teenage movies of the 80's are Ferrris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Risky Business, Pretty in Pink, and even more (17).
However, even though the teenage movies seemed to be the most remembered of the 1980's there were many other kinds of movies, like science fiction with movies like E.T and Star Wars, as well as action with Rambo and Die Hard. Of course, lets not forget the movies the Yuppies would enjoy; Wall Street and Mississippi Burning attracted young professionals all over the United States (17). While the teen movies were more comedic and focused on high school life, the Yuppie movies were more serious and focused on national issues, like racism and the economy. In all, 80's movies are a lot broader and attract a whole range of people from around the United States. The comedies, the romances, the action and the science; they were all there for all different types of movie lovers.
