129 Fun Facts About 80s TV

Sam Malone, the Cheers bar owner played by Ted Danson, was a former relief pitcher for which team?

The Boston Red Sox; Sam 'Mayday' Malone's drinking ended his relief-pitching career before he bought the bar, and his sobriety was a recurring thread across the show's eleven seasons.

Which city do Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia share a house in on The Golden Girls?

Miami; the girls' address was 6151 Richmond Street, though the exterior shots came from a real house in Brentwood, Los Angeles.

KITT, the talking car on Knight Rider, was a heavily modified version of which production car?

A Pontiac Firebird Trans Am; the car's cool, dry voice belonged to William Daniels, who later played Mr. Feeny on Boy Meets World.

Who was revealed in November 1980 to have shot J.R. Ewing on Dallas?

Kristin Shepard, Sue Ellen's scheming sister played by Mary Crosby, was unmasked in 'Who Done It' on 21 November 1980, one of the most-watched episodes in US television history.

On Miami Vice, what kind of animal is Sonny Crockett's pet, Elvis?

An alligator; Elvis lived aboard Crockett's sailboat, the St. Vitus Dance, and Jan Hammer's instrumental theme hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1985.

Which actor played Hannibal Smith, the cigar-chomping leader of The A-Team?

George Peppard, the Breakfast at Tiffany's star, played Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith, whose catchphrase was 'I love it when a plan comes together'.

Michael J. Fox's Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties embarrassed his ex-hippie parents by being what?

A Young Republican; Alex idolised Richard Nixon and carried a briefcase to school, and Michael J. Fox won three straight Emmys for the role in 1986, 1987 and 1988.

Cliff Huxtable, the father on The Cosby Show, worked in which profession?

Obstetrician; Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable delivered babies from a practice inside the family's Brooklyn brownstone, while his wife Clair worked as a lawyer.

Thomas Magnum lived in the guesthouse of an estate called Robin's Nest on which Hawaiian island?

Oahu; Robin's Nest was the estate of the unseen novelist Robin Masters, and the exterior shots used a real beachfront house at Waimanalo on the island's windward coast.

ALF, the furry alien who moved in with the Tanner family, came from which planet?

Melmac; ALF's real name was Gordon Shumway, and his home planet was destroyed in a nuclear catastrophe after he left, stranding him on Earth with the Tanners.

"Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" was the catchphrase of which character on Diff'rent Strokes?

Arnold Jackson, played by Gary Coleman, aimed the line at his older brother Willis (Todd Bridges) after the Harlem boys were adopted by Park Avenue millionaire Phillip Drummond.

Jessica Fletcher, the mystery novelist of Murder, She Wrote, lived in which fictional Maine town?

Cabot Cove; the Maine fishing village was filmed at Mendocino, California, and Angela Lansbury earned twelve Emmy nominations as Jessica Fletcher without ever winning.

The Facts of Life's Eastland girls' boarding school was in which state?

New York; the Eastland School for girls was set in Peekskill, and a young George Clooney joined the later seasons as handyman George Burnett.

Sgt. Phil Esterhaus ended every roll call on Hill Street Blues with which line?

The show won eight Emmys for its debut season, a record for a first-year series that stood until The West Wing in 2000.

The 1988 finale of St. Elsewhere implied the entire series took place inside what object?

A snow globe; the hospital turned out to be a toy in the hands of autistic Tommy Westphall, spawning the fan theory that hundreds of crossover-linked shows share his dream.

Which sitcom's 1990 finale revealed the entire show had been another sitcom character's dream?

Newhart; innkeeper Dick Loudon woke up as Dr. Bob Hartley beside Suzanne Pleshette's Emily from The Bob Newhart Show, which had ended in 1978.

Which show's 1988 debut aired on ABC immediately after Super Bowl XXII, with narration by Daniel Stern?

The Wonder Years; Fred Savage's Kevin Arnold grew up between 1968 and 1973 to Joe Cocker's 'With a Little Help from My Friends', and the show won the comedy Emmy after only six episodes.

Maddie Hayes and David Addison worked cases at which detective agency on Moonlighting?

Blue Moon; former model Maddie had been the face of Blue Moon Shampoo and renamed the failing agency after it, while Al Jarreau sang the hit theme.

Which show's 'Moldavian massacre' finale left nearly the entire cast lying in a bullet-riddled chapel?

Dynasty; the Carringtons of Denver were television's number-one show in the 1984-85 season, and Alexis and Krystle's catfights in a lily pond and a salon became its signature.

Which sitcom was the first primetime series broadcast on the newly launched Fox channel in 1987?

Married... with Children; Al Bundy's misery ran 259 episodes from 1987 to 1997, with Frank Sinatra's 'Love and Marriage' as its theme.

The Simpsons made their first appearance in April 1987 as short segments on which program?

The Tracey Ullman Show; the crudely drawn shorts ran from 19 April 1987 until the half-hour series premiered on 17 December 1989 with a Christmas episode.

Which 80s action hero refused to carry a gun, relying on a Swiss Army knife and duct tape?

MacGyver; Richard Dean Anderson's agent built escapes from paper clips and chewing gum, and 'to MacGyver' entered Oxford Dictionaries as a verb in 2015.

What make and model was the General Lee, the orange car of The Dukes of Hazzard?

A 1969 Dodge Charger, painted orange with '01' on the doors, which were welded shut so the Dukes climbed in through the windows; Waylon Jennings narrated as 'the Balladeer'.

Which Cheers regular was a Boston mail carrier forever sharing 'little-known facts'?

Cliff Clavin, played by John Ratzenberger, was the know-it-all postman; Ratzenberger pitched the character himself after auditioning unsuccessfully for Norm.

Balki Bartokomous of Perfect Strangers came from which fictional Mediterranean island?

Mypos; Balki the sheep-herder arrived in Chicago to live with his cousin Larry Appleton, and the pair's 'Dance of Joy' ended many episodes.

V.I.C.I., the android girl of the syndicated sitcom Small Wonder, was an acronym for what?

Voice Input Child Identicant; robotics engineer Ted Lawson passed Vicki off as his adopted daughter for four seasons and 96 episodes in first-run syndication.

Mork & Mindy and which other sitcom were both spun off from Happy Days?

Laverne & Shirley; Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams' brewery workers debuted in 1976 and were television's number-one show in the 1977-78 season.

Which 1982 Happy Days spin-off sent Scott Baio and Erin Moran's characters to Chicago?

Joanie Loves Chachi ran 17 episodes in 1982-83, following Joanie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola to Chicago to chase a music career before both returned to Happy Days.

Which 80s drama recast its lead detective from Loretta Swit to Meg Foster to Sharon Gless?

Cagney & Lacey; between them Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless won the lead-actress drama Emmy six years running from 1983 to 1988, and a letter campaign revived the show after its 1983 cancellation.

Playing Dan Fielding on Night Court earned John Larroquette how many consecutive Emmys?

Four, from 1985 to 1988, after which Larroquette withdrew his name from consideration; the show ran nine seasons on NBC with Harry Anderson as Judge Harry Stone.

Which sitcom's ninth season (1996-97) ended by revealing the family never won the lottery and Dan had died?

Roseanne; the finale revealed the Conners' lottery win was Roseanne's fiction and Dan had died of his heart attack, though the 2018 revival quietly undid both twists.

Which future Oscar winner played Dr. Phillip Chandler on St. Elsewhere for the show's whole run?

Denzel Washington, later a two-time Oscar winner, played Dr. Phillip Chandler for all six seasons from 1982 to 1988, alongside Howie Mandel and Mark Harmon.

Which sitcom added a homeless teen played by Leonardo DiCaprio in its final season to revive ratings?

Growing Pains; DiCaprio's Luke Brower moved in with the Seavers of Long Island in the 1991-92 season, a household headed by home-office psychiatrist Jason Seaver.

Tony Micelli, the live-in housekeeper on Who's the Boss?, had previously been what?

A pro baseball player; Tony had been a St. Louis Cardinals second baseman before a shoulder injury, and the role-reversal setup ran eight seasons and 196 episodes.

Which former neighbors of the Bunkers 'moved on up' to a Manhattan high-rise in their own spin-off?

The Jeffersons; George's fortune came from a chain of dry-cleaning stores, and the spin-off ran eleven seasons to 1985, outlasting its parent All in the Family.

Which future James Bond actor played the suave con man Remington Steele?

Pierce Brosnan played Remington Steele from 1982 to 1987; NBC's last-minute renewal of the show cost him the Bond role in 1986, which went to Timothy Dalton.

The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World was originally built around which Huxtable child?

Denise; Lisa Bonet's Denise Huxtable enrolled at fictional Hillman College, but she left after one season and the show ran six seasons and 144 episodes without her.

Estelle Getty played Bea Arthur's mother on The Golden Girls despite being how much younger?

One year; Estelle Getty, born in July 1923, was about fourteen months younger than Bea Arthur, born in May 1922, and was aged up with makeup and a wig to play Sophia.

Rose Nylund's endless anecdotes on The Golden Girls came from which small farming town?

St. Olaf, Minnesota; Betty White's Rose told interminable tales of the town's oddball customs, and the show won the comedy-series Emmy in 1986 and 1987.

Which Cheers regular was originally written as Diane's first customer, with a single one-word line ordering a beer?

Norm Peterson; the part was just one word, 'Beer', before it was expanded, and Norm anchored the bar for all eleven seasons.

Which Cheers actor joined in season three as psychiatrist Frasier Crane and later headlined a hit spin-off?

Kelsey Grammer's Frasier moved to Seattle after the bar closed, and his icy ex-wife Lilith, played by Bebe Neuwirth, was a recurring guest there too.

Woody Boyd joined Cheers after which character died off-screen following the actor's death?

Coach; Nicholas Colasanto died in February 1985 during the third season, so Ernie 'Coach' Pantusso died off-screen and his former pen pal Woody Boyd took the bar job.

Family Ties, with its ex-hippie parents and Reagan-loving son, was set in which Ohio city?

Columbus; the Keatons lived in the Ohio capital, where the show pitted Steven and Elyse's 1960s idealism against son Alex's 1980s materialism.

How many Emmys did Hill Street Blues win for season one, a record until The West Wing?

Eight, at the 1981 ceremony, a record for a first-year series until The West Wing's nine in 2000; Bochco and Kozoll's precinct sat in a large city never named on screen.

Which 80s show ended on an unresolved cliffhanger in 1990 that was not wrapped up until a 1996 TV movie?

The alien was captured by the Alien Task Force in the last episode, and Project: ALF finally served as the finale six years later.

Knight Rider villain Garthe Knight drove what kind of vehicle named Goliath?

A semi-truck; Goliath was an armoured 18-wheeler built by Garthe Knight, Wilton Knight's evil son, and coated in the same molecular-bonded shell as KITT.

Cheers finished a season as America's number-one show only once, in which season?

The ninth season, 1990-91, was the only one of Cheers' eleven in which it finished the year as the number-one show in America.

In the ABC series Max Headroom, reporter Edison Carter worked for which broadcaster of the near future?

Network 23; Edison Carter's employer was the top-rated network in a dystopian future ruled by television, and Matt Frewer's Max Headroom lasted only 14 episodes on ABC.

Which 80s spin-off outran its parent show, largely thanks to a nerdy neighbor introduced later?

Family Matters; Steve Urkel's arrival turned the Perfect Strangers spin-off into a nine-season hit that ran from 1989 to 1998, five years past its parent's 1993 finale.

Whom does Dorothy marry in the 1992 finale of The Golden Girls?

Blanche's uncle Lucas, played by Leslie Nielsen; the other three sold the house and ran a Miami hotel in the short-lived spin-off The Golden Palace.

Where did Cheers rank among all network shows in its first-season ratings, when NBC nearly cancelled it?

74th of 77, almost last; it went on to win 28 Emmys and finish in the top ten for eight of its eleven seasons.

Which new regular arrived at Cheers in season six, after Shelley Long's Diane departed?

Rebecca Howe; Kirstie Alley's corporate manager was written as an ice queen, but the writers quickly made her a neurotic mess instead.

The address of the Cheers bar, revealed on the show as 112½, puts it on which Boston street?

Beacon Street; the exterior shots were of the real Bull & Finch Pub in Boston, which soon drew nearly a million tourists a year.

Which singer appeared repeatedly as himself on Night Court as Judge Harry Stone's musical idol?

Mel Torme; Judge Harry Stone idolised the crooner, who appeared as himself several times, and Harry Anderson, a real magician, gave the judge a love of magic tricks too.

Why was Uncle Jesse's surname on Full House changed after the first season?

To reflect John Stamos's Greek heritage; Stamos asked for Cochran to become Katsopolis after season one, and the rock-musician uncle had moved in with widowed Danny Tanner in San Francisco.

Which First Lady appeared in an anti-drug episode of Gary Coleman's sitcom about two adopted Harlem boys?

Nancy Reagan visited the Drummond household in a 1983 episode to promote her 'Just Say No' campaign against drugs.

Sugarbaker & Associates, the firm at the heart of Designing Women, does what kind of work?

Interior design; Dixie Carter's Julia Sugarbaker ran the Atlanta decorating firm from her home, and Delta Burke left after season five following a public feud with the producers.

Mr. Belvedere, the English butler of the Owens family, ends nearly every episode doing what?

Writing in his journal, closing each episode with a reflection; Bob Uecker played sportswriter dad George, and the butler came from Gwen Davenport's 1947 novel and the film Sitting Pretty.

Punky Brewster was named after whom?

Tartikoff named her after tomboy Peyton 'Punky' Brewster; her dog was named Brandon in return.

The actors playing the couple who adopt Emmanuel Lewis's Webster were what in real life?

Married to each other; the couple, who wed in 1980, ran their own production company, Georgian Bay, and the show drew immediate comparisons to Diff'rent Strokes.

What runs through the mansion of Ricky Schroder's overgrown-child father on Silver Spoons?

A rideable model train; Edward Stratton III's toy-filled mansion also hosted early roles for Jason Bateman and Alfonso Ribeiro as Ricky's friends.

Murphy Brown anchors which fictional TV newsmagazine?

FYI; Candice Bergen's recovering-alcoholic anchor drew a real-life scolding from Vice President Dan Quayle in 1992 for becoming a single mother.

Dallas wiped out an entire season by revealing it had been whose dream?

Pamela's; Pam Ewing woke to find Bobby in the shower in the 1986 season premiere, erasing the 1985-86 season in which Patrick Duffy's character had died.

Which actress played Alexis Carrington Colby, Blake Carrington's scheming ex-wife?

Joan Collins joined Dynasty in its second season as Alexis, Blake Carrington's ex-wife, and her feuds with Linda Evans's Krystle lifted the show to number one.

Which rule did executive producer Michael Mann impose on the look of Miami Vice?

'No earth tones' was Mann's edict, so the show ran on pastels, sockless loafers and Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a look that shaped men's fashion for the rest of the decade.

Per The A-Team's opening narration, in what year was the unit sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit?

1972, per the narration 'a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit'; they escaped to the Los Angeles underground.

Which A-Team member, the team's pilot, was declared insane and lives in a VA hospital between missions?

'Howling Mad' Murdock, played by Dwight Schultz, was the team's pilot, which was awkward given B.A.'s terror of flying.

Higgins patrols the Magnum, P.I. estate with two Dobermans named what?

Zeus and Apollo, 'the lads', were as suspicious of Magnum as their master; John Hillerman's very English majordomo Higgins was played by a Texan.

Colt Seavers of The Fall Guy is a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as what?

A bounty hunter; Colt tracked bail-jumpers between stunt jobs, Lee Majors sang the theme 'Unknown Stuntman' himself, and Ryan Gosling played Colt in the 2024 film.

Why did Coy and Vance replace Bo and Luke Duke for part of Dukes of Hazzard season five?

John Schneider and Tom Wopat walked out over pay and merchandising; ratings sank and they were back within the season.

Simon & Simon, about two mismatched detective brothers, is set in which city?

San Diego; straight-laced A.J. and scruffy Rick Simon ran their agency there, and CBS rescued the show by slotting it after Magnum, P.I. with a two-hour crossover.

Which 1988 Emmy-winning ABC drama followed Michael and Hope Steadman and their baby-boomer friends?

thirtysomething, created by Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 1988 for its first season of Philadelphia baby-boomer angst.

On Fantasy Island, what does Mr. Roarke tell his staff just before the guests step off the plane?

'Smiles, everyone, smiles!' was Ricardo Montalban's order to the staff; Herve Villechaize's Tattoo rang the bell tower shouting 'De plane! De plane!', and the show aired Saturdays after The Love Boat.

The Smurfs, a Saturday-morning staple from 1981 to 1989, was based on a comic by which Belgian cartoonist?

Peyo, pen name of Pierre Culliford, created the Smurfs in 1958; Hanna-Barbera's series ran 256 episodes, with Don Messick voicing both Papa Smurf and Gargamel's cat Azrael.

What is the name of He-Man's cowardly pet tiger before it transforms into Battle Cat?

Cringer, Prince Adam's timid green tiger, became the armoured Battle Cat whenever Adam raised his sword and transformed into He-Man.

April O'Neil of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon works as a reporter for which station?

Channel 6; April O'Neil reported for the New York station in the 1987 series, whose 193 episodes pitted the Renaissance-named turtles against Shredder and the alien brain Krang.

Late Night with David Letterman debuted on NBC in February 1982 in which time slot?

12:30 a.m., right after Johnny Carson's Tonight Show; Letterman jumped to CBS in 1993 after NBC handed Tonight to Jay Leno.

In 1984 contestant Michael Larson won $110,237 on Press Your Luck by doing what?

He had studied taped episodes with a VCR and realised the 'random' board used only a few sequences; CBS paid up.

Which former football pro played Webster's adoptive father George Papadapolis?

Karras had played Mongo in Blazing Saddles; his real-life wife Susan Clark played Katherine.

Which CBS series ended in February 1983 with a 2½-hour finale watched by about 106 million Americans?

M*A*S*H bowed out with Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, which stayed the most-watched broadcast in American history until a Super Bowl overtook it in 2010.

Tom Selleck's Magnum, P.I. contract cost him which movie hero role that went to Harrison Ford instead?

Indiana Jones slipped away when Magnum's producers would not release Selleck, yet a Hollywood strike then delayed the show long enough that he could have shot the film anyway.

Which gangster's hotel vault did Geraldo Rivera open on live TV in 1986, finding only dirt and empty bottles?

Al Capone's walled-off room beneath Chicago's Lexington Hotel held nothing of value, yet an estimated 30 million people watched, a record audience for a syndicated special.

Which dance move did the King of Pop unveil during Billie Jean on the 1983 TV special Motown 25?

The moonwalk made its debut before more than 47 million viewers, during the only non-Motown song performed on the label's anniversary special.

Which former fashion model won two Golden Globes as Maddie Hayes, opposite Bruce Willis, on Moonlighting?

Cybill Shepherd was playing close to home: Maddie is a former high-fashion model who turns detective after her accountant steals her fortune.

Which twins shared the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House under a single joint screen credit?

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were billed as Mary Kate Ashley Olsen for years because the producers did not want audiences to know Michelle was played by twins.

Which future two-time Oscar winner dressed as a woman to live in a cheap women-only hotel on Bosom Buddies?

Tom Hanks played graphic artist Kip Wilson, alias Buffy, from 1980 to 1982, and the sitcom is now best known for launching his career.

Which actor became a reluctant teen idol playing an undercover high school cop on Fox's 21 Jump Street?

Johnny Depp found teen-idol fame irritating but stayed under a contract paying $45,000 an episode, having replaced another actor after the pilot was filmed.

Which Chicago talk show host, newly Oscar-nominated for The Color Purple, went national in September 1986?

Oprah Winfrey's show grew out of A.M. Chicago, a half-hour local morning program; relaunched under her name, it ran in syndication for twenty-five seasons.

Which dessert do the women of The Golden Girls famously eat around the kitchen table during late-night talks?

Cheesecake fueled the scenes where the housemates gathered to work through each episode's problem, with ice cream as the occasional stand-in.

Which former bodyguard played B.A. Baracus, the A-Team mechanic so afraid of flying that teammates often drugged him?

Mr. T had worked as a bodyguard for almost ten years before playing Baracus and the boxer Clubber Lang in Rocky III, the two roles he is best known for.

Which Wheel of Fortune hostess became Pat Sajak's regular co-host in December 1982 after a three-way tryout?

Vanna White beat two other substitutes for the job, and in 2013 Guinness certified her the world's most frequent clapper, at an estimated 3.48 million claps.

Which Canadian-born broadcaster began hosting the daily syndicated revival of Jeopardy! in 1984?

Alex Trebek hosted until his death in 2020, stepping away just once to swap shows with Wheel of Fortune's host as an April Fool's joke in 1997.

Which Royal Shakespeare Company veteran took command of the Enterprise-D as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 1987?

Patrick Stewart, a company member from 1966 to 1982, later said all those kings and tragic heroes were just preparation for sitting in the captain's chair.

Which relative takes in Huey, Dewey and Louie when Donald Duck goes off to sea in Disney's 1987 series DuckTales?

Scrooge McDuck is a Scottish-born tycoon created by Carl Barks for the comic books the show is based on, and the three boys are his grandnephews.

Which faction of heroic robots follows Optimus Prime from Cybertron to Earth in the 1984 cartoon The Transformers?

Autobots and their enemies crash-land on Earth while hunting for new energy sources, then lie entombed for 4 million years before the story begins.

Which Atlanta media proprietor launched CNN in June 1980 as the first 24-hour television news channel?

Ted Turner, who also owned the Atlanta Braves, founded the network with Reese Schonfeld, who became its first president and chief executive.

Which actor went from the astronaut of I Dream of Jeannie to scheming oil baron J.R. Ewing on Dallas?

Larry Hagman was the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes of the oil saga, which ran from 1978 to 1991.

Which Tony-winning star of Broadway's Mame spent 12 seasons solving murders as novelist Jessica Fletcher?

Angela Lansbury moved into television in 1984 and found worldwide fame as the sleuth, in one of the longest-running detective dramas in TV history.

Which comedian joined Saturday Night Live in 1980 and was credited with reviving it before leaving in 1984?

Eddie Murphy's sketches included a grown-up Buckwheat, whom he had assassinated on camera after tiring of fans demanding the character.

Which actor turned down the role of Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties before it went to Michael J. Fox?

Matthew Broderick passed on the part, and the actor who took it instead went on to win three consecutive Emmy Awards for the NBC sitcom.

In which borough is the Huxtable family's brownstone set on The Cosby Show, at the fictional 10 Stigwood Avenue?

Brooklyn Heights was the setting, but the brownstone viewers saw was actually a townhouse across the river in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

Which prime-time soap about married couples on a California cul-de-sac was spun off from Dallas in 1979?

Knots Landing was actually pitched first: CBS rebuffed the idea in 1977, then took it once Dallas was a hit, with Gary and Valene Ewing moved to the coast.

Which real California wine region was the model for the fictitious setting of Falcon Crest, CBS's winemaking saga?

Napa Valley also hosted the show's distinctive location filming; on screen the region was renamed the Tuscany Valley.

Which two-time Emmy winner for St. Elsewhere provided the voice of KITT, the talking car of Knight Rider?

William Daniels voiced the car from 1982 to 1986 while playing Mark Craig on the hospital drama, and later became Mr. Feeny on Boy Meets World.

Tony Micelli takes a live-in housekeeping job for ad executive Angela Bower in which state on Who's the Boss?

Connecticut's upscale suburb of Fairfield was meant to give his daughter Samantha, played by Alyssa Milano, a better environment than the city.

Which future ER star joined The Facts of Life as a handyman in the season Mrs. Garrett's shop caught fire?

George Clooney was added to the regular cast in season seven to lift the ratings, and he also turned up on The Golden Girls as a detective.

Which puppeteer created Fraggle Rock, a 1983 series about cave-dwelling Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs?

Jim Henson's Fraggles live mainly on radishes and on the constructions the Doozers build, which are made from an edible radish candy.

Which blockbuster film director created Amazing Stories, the NBC anthology series that ran from 1985 to 1987?

Steven Spielberg would not make it without a second year to fix any flaws, so NBC gave him a then unprecedented commitment of 44 episodes.

Which TV veteran returned in 1986 as Ben Matlock, a folksy Atlanta defense attorney with a love of hot dogs?

Andy Griffith took the part after seven months of rehabilitation for leg paralysis caused by Guillain–Barré syndrome, and played it until 1995.

Which actor played police sergeant T.J. Hooker, joined from season two by Heather Locklear as Officer Stacy Sheridan?

William Shatner swapped a starship for a patrol car as the 15-year veteran sergeant, in a cop show that lasted five seasons.

Which actor created, co-directed and starred in Highway to Heaven as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth?

Michael Landon brought along Victor French, his Little House on the Prairie co-star, as the retired policeman who travels with the angel.

In the 1983 NBC miniseries V, what kind of creatures are the alien Visitors beneath their human-like disguises?

Reptiles in thin synthetic skin and human-eye contact lenses: Donovan discovers that the Visitors are carnivorous humanoids with green, scaly skin.

The Day After, an ABC film watched by about 100 million Americans in 1983, depicted the aftermath of what?

A nuclear war levels Kansas City in the film, which drew a record audience for a made-for-TV movie on its first broadcast.

The Thorn Birds, the 1983 miniseries about a priest's forbidden love for Meggie Cleary, is set mainly in which country?

Australia's outback is where the Clearys help run their aunt's ranch; the saga was then the second most-watched miniseries ever, behind Roots.

Which terrorist organization, plotting to undermine world governments, do the heroes of the cartoon G.I. Joe fight?

Cobra spent 95 syndicated episodes trying to take over the world, and in 1986 its own scientist engineered a new leader, Serpentor, from the DNA of history's conquerors.

Which villain, whose face is never shown, leads the crime syndicate M.A.D. against the bumbling Inspector Gadget?

Dr. Claw parodies the Bond villain Blofeld, appearing only as hands beside a pet cat, while Gadget's niece Penny and her dog Brain are the ones who really foil his schemes.

Which Roots actor hosted the PBS children's series Reading Rainbow from its 1983 premiere?

LeVar Burton narrated many of the books himself and led video field trips to places such as NASA headquarters and Niagara Falls.

On the 1980s game show Press Your Luck, which red cartoon creature reset a contestant's winnings to zero?

The Whammy was the mascot of the CBS show, and every time a player landed on one, viewers were treated to a short animation of the creature.

Which Mexican-born actor welcomed guests as the mysterious Mr. Roarke on the original Fantasy Island until 1984?

Ricardo Montalbán played the host in a trademark white suit, and in 1982 he also returned to the big screen as the villain Khan in Star Trek II.

Which sportscaster called the 1980 Miracle on Ice for ABC, chosen because nobody else on the team had covered hockey?

Al Michaels had called the sport once before, at an earlier Winter Olympics in Sapporo, and American viewers saw the upset on tape delay in prime time.

Which writer-producer developed Hill Street Blues, then followed it with L.A. Law and Doogie Howser, M.D.?

Steven Bochco made long story arcs a feature of straight drama; before his precinct saga, they were rare on American TV outside prime-time soaps.

What is the name of the pet dog owned by wealthy amateur sleuths Jonathan and Jennifer Hart on Hart to Hart?

Freeway was a stray Löwchen, named for the road where the Harts found him wandering.

Which actor played Vincent, the noble man-beast living in tunnels, opposite Linda Hamilton in Beauty and the Beast?

Ron Perlman's Vincent rescues Catherine, a New York lawyer, and carries her to a secret community hidden below the city.

Which sitcom starring Richard Mulligan as a recently widowed pediatrician was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls?

Empty Nest was first tried out in a 1987 episode of the parent show meant as a backdoor pilot, then ran for seven seasons from 1988.

Which Carol Burnett Show regular played elderly Thelma Harper on Mama's Family after first turning the spin-off down?

Vicki Lawrence at first refused because she did not want to wear a fat suit and play an old lady every week without her sketch partners beside her.

What is the proper name of the decaying city teaching hospital nicknamed St. Elsewhere in the 1980s medical drama?

St. Eligius earned its mocking nickname, a surgeon explains in the pilot, because the local media saw it as a place where unwanted patients were sent.

Which real-life cruise ship was the setting for Captain Merrill Stubing and his crew on The Love Boat?

Pacific Princess was a working Princess Cruises liner, and none of the regular cast, Gavin MacLeod's captain included, appeared in the first pilot movie.

Which English actor played Robert McCall, a retired intelligence agent who helps people in danger, on The Equalizer?

Edward Woodward was already a star in Britain from the spy drama Callan when he took the role of the ex-agent who offers his help, usually free of charge.

Which film director shot Apple's 1984 commercial, which aired nationally only once, during Super Bowl XVIII?

Ridley Scott was hired a year and a half after his dystopian Blade Runner came out, and he filmed the Macintosh ad in England.