Looking at the Worst Sitcoms of the 80s

Not everything produced in the 80s will give off good ‘nostalgic’ vibes. A lot of stuff from the 80s was so horrendously botched up that it should never be revisited again. But just for the sake of saving you from the agony of revisiting these titles, we’re taking the plunge, so you don’t have to.

Family Matters – 1989 – 1998

Family Matters didn’t age well over the years. Things were looking bright for the show until a minor character Steve Urkel hijacked it. The show didn’t waste any time in bringing likeminded characters who were equally awful, including Lee Urkel, Steve Winslow, and Urkelbot.

You Can’ Take it With You – 1987 – 1988

You Can’t Take it With You could have been a great sitcom if it hadn’t been for the fact that it was borrowed from the 1930s George S. Kaufman- Moss Hart play. Old relics like these don’t do particularly well 40 years later.

We’ve Got it Made – 1983 – 1988

We’ve Got it Made is a short-lived sitcom that had an eerie premise – two college roommates who had a beautiful blonde girl for a live-in maid. Worse still is the fact that the two roommates had their girlfriends. The premise of the show was about how the two roommates remained loyal to their girlfriends without succumbing to the charms of their live-in maid. Least to say, the show didn’t last long.

Small Wonder – 1985- 1989

Many people look back thinking that Small Wonder was innovative in its approach with the maid robot gimmick. The truth, however, is that it is downright unwatchable. The entire underlying theme of the show was centered on a servant-bot who looks like a little girl named Vicki. The robot was taken home to live with Ted’s family like a regular human being.

The only problem was that Vicki always spoke in a monotonous robotic voice and had super strength and intelligence, making it deliriously obvious she was not human. The same plot played every week. Someone suspected Vicki to be a robot, only for something weird to happen that convinced them she wasn’t.

Mama’s Family – 1983 – 1990

Mama’s Family told the story of a dysfunctional family. It was centered on an old lady living with her grandkids. While the dynamics of the entire show sounds promising, it was anything but. Grandma Crowley was known for frequently getting upset at a moment’s notice and then screaming out loud at her family. Ironically, the first season had garnered enough ratings to justify a renewal for the second season. The show eventually dropped out of favor with the audience, and NBC canceled the series as a result in May 1984.

Out of This World – 1987 – 1991

Touted by many critics as the worst TV show ever produced, Out of This World has many flaws. In the show’s defense, it had an excellent premise going for it, namely that Evie’s absent father was actually an alien. Evie was given a blue crystal ball by her mother with which she regularly had cringe-worthy conversations about growing up. The half-alien Evie also had superpowers, including the ability to freeze time and space by joining her fingertips together.

While it sounds good on paper, it clearly wasn’t.