10 Best One-Season '80s Shows, Ranked

The 1980s was a banner decade for television. It introduced iconic shows like The Golden Girls, Cheers, Married With Children, Family Ties, Miami Vice, and more. But the decade of decadence also saw a handful of shows that didn’t continue beyond a single season.

Most of these shows are ones that have completely fallen off the radar and have become forgotten. Even TV fans who grew up in that decade might not even remember they existed. A few who starred here became big names in the television and movie world and went on to achieve greater success with other projects.

10

‘Boone’ (1983)

Created by Earl Hamner

The family from Boone posing in a poster image. — NBC

Earl Hamner is best known for creating The Waltons and Falcon Crest. But he didn’t achieve the same level of success with Boone, a short-lived TV drama set in Nashville about Boone Sawyer (Tom Byrd), a teenager with big dreams of becoming a rock star. The musical show sees the lead character singing both country and rock music in every episode, struggling to make it in the business when his blue-collar family doesn’t approve of his dreams.

Boone didn’t receive good ratings and was canceled after its first 13 episodes. Viewers would be hard-pressed to locate these old episodes as they have completely fallen off the map. But it was a show ahead of its time that incorporated music, something that has become more common nowadays.

Boone

Release Date: 1983 – 1983
Network: NBC

Amanda Peterson

Squirt Sawyer

9

‘Code Red’ (1981–1982)

Created by Laurence Heath

Four people standing in front of a fire truck in the series Code Red. — ABC

This action drama produced by Irwin Allen known for many 1960s sci-fi series like Lost in Space and Land of the Giants didn’t strike a chord with fans, yet so many similar shows are out today. It centers around Joe Rorchek (Lorne Green), a fire chief working in Los Angeles with both his sons Ted (Andrew Stevens) and Chris (Sam J. Jones). The series also features Martina Deignan as Haley Green, the first female firefighter in the department, making it progressive for its time.

Code Red follows the department through various calls, including fires and emergencies, along with their own family drama. The series was designed for family viewing and even featured messaging about fire safety and first aid at the end of every episode. A show that was both entertaining and educational should have been given a shot to continue.

Code Red

Lorne Greene

Battalion Chief Joe Rorchek
Andrew Stevens

Ted Rorchek
Sam J. Jones

Chris Rorchek
Martina Deignan

Haley Green

8

‘Herbie, The Love Bug’ (1982)

Created by Arthur Alsberg, Don Nelson, and Don Tait

A man sits on the ground leaning against a Volkswagen Beetle in Herbie, The Love Bug — CBS

Based on the 1963 sentient Volkswagen Beetle character featured by Disney in projects like the 1968 movie The Love Bug, Herbie, the Love Bug was a mid-season replacement with an intended short shelf-life. It saw Dean Jones reprise his role as Jim Douglas, the original owner of the vehicle. Now retired, he works at a driving school when he comes across a bank robbery. In the process, he and Herbie save a young woman named Susan MacLane (Patricia Harty), and eventually, they fall in love. The series follows her ex-boyfriend Randy Bigelow’s (Larry Linville) attempts to break them up.

Herbie, The Love Bug was only meant to run for five episodes. The show was the last time the intelligent car, one of the best Hollywood vehicles that aren’t the Batmobile, was seen on screen until the TV movie The Love Bug in 1997.

Herbie, the Love Bug

Release Date: 1982 – 1981
Network: CBS

Cast

James Karen

Randy Bigelow
Larry Linville

Susan MacLane

7

‘Blacke’s Magic’ (1986)

Created by Richard Levinson and William Link

Two men in suits, one wearing a hat, in Blacke's Magic. — NBC

Blacke’s Magic was a crime drama that lasted 13 episodes, though it was later aired in reruns to fill space during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. The series stars Hal Linden as Alexander Blacke, a magician who solves mysteries with the assistance of his con-man father Leonard (Harry Morgan).

Combining magic with crime and logic in a unique way, Blacke’s Magic flips the traditional whodunit on its head to ask the question “how did he do it?” instead. Despite earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for its cinematography, Blacke’s Magic was out in a puff of smoke before it got to a Season 2.

Blacke’s Magic

Release Date: 1986 – 1985
Network: NBC

Cast

David Ackroyd

Alexander Blacke
Dick Butkus

Leonard Blacke
Eddie Bracken

Jamie Byrnes

6

‘Bret Maverick’ (1981–1982)

Created by Gordon Dawson

Two men in cowboy hats talking to a woman in Bret Maverick. — NBC

Bret Maverick had all the right elements to succeed and become one of the best classic Western TV shows that still hold up today. James Garner stars as the title character, a professional poker player living in the Old West. As a sequel to Maverick, the hope was that Bret Maverick would enjoy a similarly long run. But fans didn’t like seeing Maverick settled in one location versus traveling around to participate in high-stakes games.

Coming out almost 20 years after the original, Bret Maverick did pull in decent ratings. Some believe the cancelation had to do with the original creator not being connected to the series, and the direction going too much off course to what fans wanted to see.

Bret Maverick

Release Date: 1981 – 1981
Network: NBC
Directors: Ivan Dixon, Leo Penn, John Patterson, Stuart Margolin, Fernando Lamas, Jeff Bleckner, Michael O’Herlihy, Rod Holcomb, Thomas Carter
Writers: Marion Hargrove

5

‘Baby Boom’ (1988–1989)

Created by Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer

A woman in a suit smiling and holding a toddler on a blue background from Baby Boom. — NBC

Towards the end of the decade, the little-known sitcom Baby Boom graced the airwaves. Based on the movie of the same name, the show follows the premise of a young working woman who finds herself unwittingly becoming a mother when her cousin dies and leaves her 14-month-old child to her.

While the series does not feature Diane Keaton like the movie, Kate Jackson took on the lead role while Sam Wanamaker reprised his role as Fritz and Kristina and Michelle Kennedy as the child Elizabeth. Ending before its final three of 13 episodes aired, Baby Boom was only supposed to go on hiatus but never returned.

Baby Boom

Release Date: 1988 – 1988
Network: NBC

Cast

Kristina Kennedy

Elizabeth Wiatt
Sam Wanamaker

Fritz Curtis
Daniel Bardol

Ken Arrenberg

4

‘Call to Glory’ (1984–1985)

Created by Ronald M. Cohen

A family stands by a plane, the dad pointing in Call to Glory. — ABC

Call to Glory did last 22 episodes, but it was still a single season. The drama stars Craig T. Nelson as Raynor Sarnac, a USAF pilot colonel living with his family at an Air Force base. Set in the 1960s, the show covers real-life events, including the Cuban Missile Crisis. Call to Glory gravitated its focus to Raynor’s wife Vanessa (Cindy Pickett) and the loneliness she felt while her husband was away. The show was relatable and emotional, fitting in beautifully with so many shows today that follow similar premises.

Along with Nelson, who went on to star in the wildly successful sitcom Coach and continued his career in movies and with high-profile shows like Parenthood, Call to Glory also features a young Elisabeth Shue in one of her first main TV roles.

Call to Glory

Release Date: August 13, 1984
Runtime: 96 minutes

3

‘It’s Your Move’ (1984–1985)

Created by Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye

A man and woman pose with three kids in the series It's Your Move. — NBC

Before Jason Bateman was a massive movie and TV show star, he appeared as a child actor in this sitcom that was centered around his character. Matthew Burton (Bateman) in It’s Your Move is a teenager who runs scams at school, selling completed term papers and exam answer keys. He’ll even sometimes resort to blackmail. But he meets his match when his widowed mother Eileen (Caren Kaye) starts dating a struggling writer Norman (David Garrison) who moves in across the hall. Matthew might not feel like Norman is good enough for his mom, but Norman is certainly clever enough to foil Matthew’s scams at every turn.

Fans will recognize Garrison from his role as Steve on Married with Children and appreciate Bateman’s stellar acting and the character’s fun antics. It’s Your Move likely didn’t make it for a few reasons. First, its time slot left it competing with the juggernaut that was Dynasty. Second, Bateman recently confirmed on his Smartless podcast that the network received letters from mothers upset that their own teenage sons were copying Matthew’s actions.

It’s Your Move

Release Date: 1984 – 1984
Network: NBC

Cast

David Garrison

Norman Lamb
Garrett Morris

Matthew Burton

2

‘The Duck Factory’ (1984)

Created by Allan Burns and Herbert Klynn

Three men and two women pose with a carton drawn duck in The Duck Factory. — NBC

Many don’t know that before Jim Carrey became a breakout cast member on the sketch comedy series In Living Color, then went on to have a massive comedy movie career, he starred in this little-known sitcom. In The Duck Factory, his first lead role, Carrey plays Skip Tarkenton, a naïve yet optimistic young man seeking work as a cartoonist. He’s in the right place and at the right time and gets a job at a low-budget animation company.

The Duck Factory follows Skip’s journey in his new role alongside real-life cartoon voice actor Don Messick, who plays employee Wally Wooster. Oddly, NBC aired the episodes out of order, which led to a confusing plot with continuity issues. That almost certainly contributed to the otherwise hilarious show’s premature downfall.

The Duck Factory

Release Date: 1984 – 1983
Network: NBC

Clarence Gilyard Jr.

Roland Culp
Jack Gilford

Brooks Carmichael
Julie Payne

Aggie Aylesworth

1

‘Police Squad!’ (1982)

Created by Zucker and Abrahams and Zucker

The men in a police station smiling in suits, one pouring coffee for the other in Police Squad! — ABC

Leslie Nielson was one of the biggest comedic forces in the 1980s, and early on in the decade, he starred in this crime comedy series made by the same creators of the hit movie Airplane!, in which Nielsen also starred. A spoof series of police work, Police Squad! was well received yet canceled after six episodes. It did, however, lead to the wildly successful The Naked Gun film series.

Police Squad! was supposed to be a mid-season replacement and thus was yanked from the line-up as planned, despite good ratings that suggested it should have continued. The show has since developed a cult following and remains a great TV show that was ahead of its time.