The 1980s were one of the wildest years when it came to TV shows. The decade spawned creative concepts that were wonderfully unique and resulted in several now-classic series. Science fiction was a particularly fertile ground for innovative storytelling, either through new concepts or bold updates on classic shows. Many of them are still relevant today, as fans have rediscovered them over the decades, or Hollywood has rebooted them for modern times.
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Below you’ll find a list of the five most important sci-fi TV shows of the 1980s. While there were many iconic sci-fi shows in both live-action and animation, these five series all did something transformative that influenced TV in a big way thereafter.
Combined, these five shows from the ’80s offer viewers a combined total of 616 episodes of content. So if you’re a sci-fi fan who didn’t get to enjoy the ’80s era, there’s a lot of catching up to do with some of the best the genre had to offer.
5. V
These days, you may hear some refer to those in positions of political power as “Lizard People,” but do you know where that term comes from? The original V miniseries (1983) was only two episodes long, but had a massive impact. The first episode of the miniseries snagged 40% of the total television viewing audience the night it aired. The miniseries was so popular that it inspired a regular TV series the next year. To be clear: the regular TV series was not on the same level as the miniseries, nor was the public response to it. However, the V miniseries was influential enough to make the whole franchise worthy of this list.
V chronicles the world-changing arrival of an alien race. At first, the aliens pretend to be friendly and are received openly; however, it soon becomes clear that they are simply disguising themselves to look like humans to cover up a darker truth. When it is discovered that the aliens’ planet is dying and that they have come to steal Earth’s natural resources, the war truly begins. But the biggest danger to humanity is trying to determine who is human and who is only wearing the mask of a human face. The mystery and thrilling reveals made V a milestone TV event, which has redefined sci-fi and popular culture.
Total Episodes: 21 (2 in the miniseries, 19 in the regular series)
4. Mystery Science Theater 3000
Yes, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was an ’80s show, even if you probably didn’t catch onto it until the ’90s or ’00s. It premiered on November 24, 1988, on a local affiliate station in Saint Paul, Minnesota (KTMA-TV, which has since become WUCW). It aired there for one season before moving to Comedy Central (initially “Comedy Channel”) for the first time in 1989.
Every episode of MST3K uses a combination of human and puppet characters, as well as a replay of an old film. The show’s premise is that a human subject is abducted by aliens and imprisoned aboard the spacecraft Satellite of Love. A group of mad scientists (“The Mads”) force the test subject to watch bad movies, in the hopes of discovering a piece of cinema that will drive the subject insane. Instead, the human subject (initially Joel Hodgson’s fictional persona, “Joel Robinson”) builds himself robot companions out of spaceship parts, and has them join him in the theater for the cinematic “experimentation.” The main draw of the episodes is the human host and the puppet robots framed in black silhouettes in front of the movie theater screen, as they crack jokes and banter about the content (“riffing”). There would be in-show sketches to break up the movie and commentary with some relevant comedy and satire, while simultaneously helping build out the world and characters of the series.
Looking back now, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is responsible for so many modern forms of content. From content creator reviews and reactions on platforms like YouTube, to the entire notion of live-reacting, hosting watch parties, and streaming, all it owes some level of debt to MST3K for blazing the trail.
Total Episodes: 230 (13 Seasons)
3. Knight Rider
Look, sci-fi can always be marketed to a niche audience who love the genre for its heady explorations of scientific phenomena or fantastical depictions of scientific theory. However, it’s much harder to create sci-fi that appeals to a mainstream audience, but that’s exactly what ’80s TV audiences all over the world got with Knight Rider (1982).
The show is quintessential ’80s content: a bizarre blending of action, espionage, crime-drama, and sci-fi. It followed a billionaire named Wilton Knight, who gains an espionage operative in Detective Lieutenant Michael Long (David Hasselhoff), who nearly dies after taking a gunshot to the face. Wilton Knight saves Michael’s life and builds him a whole new face using cutting-edge plastic surgery, as well as establishing a whole new identity for him as “Michael Knight.” Wilton appoints Michael as the leading operative for his private crime-fighting organization, FLAG (Foundation for Law and Government); Michael is then introduced to his “partner,” a heavily-armored and weaponized battlecar named KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), which is controlled by an advanced AI. Together with his FLAG commander and some brilliant engineers, Michael and KITT take on missions for FLAG that require direct force or intervention against terrorists and other global threats, which no one else can handle.
From its iconic theme song to David Hasselhoff’s breakout stardom and KITT’s legacy as a cultural icon, there are few shows that were bigger in the ’80s than Knight Rider. Now, looking back, the series seems practically prescient for predicting a world where eccentric billionaires try to shape the world to their liking and build advanced computerized cars to help them do it.
Total Episodes: 90 (4 Seasons)
2. Quantum Leap
Quantum Leap wins the prize for having the “most sci-fi title” of any ’80s show. The series first premiered in March of 1989, meaning it just barely makes the cut of being an ’80s show, and it’s more than fair to argue that the series didn’t really achieve much of its popularity until the ’90s. Still, it was a TV show born from the creative spirit of the ’80s, so it definitely counts.
The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a wunderkind physicist working in the near future. Beckett spent tens of billions of government funds on “Project: Quantum Leap,” a portal system that will supposedly prove time travel is possible. When the government tries to pull the plug, Beckett chooses to risk it all by testing Quantum Leap on himself. He achieves the goal of time travel, just not like he theorized: After a time jump, only Beckett can see his true form, reflected in mirrors; to everyone else, he appears to be some figure from the past, who needs help correcting something wrong in their life (which is often also tied to some sort of temporal anomaly).
Beckett is joined by a hologram projection of his cigar-smoking, womanizing best friend, Admiral Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell), who is connected to project Quantum Leap’s AI supercomputer, “Ziggy.” The trio takes up the mission of trying to fix the holes in the timeline, help Beckett recover his lost memories, and find a way back to his own time. The show made constant references to Beckett influencing the course of different historical events and milestones, or being the inspiration behind famous historical figures and their achievements. Quantum Leap became such a staple of sci-fi culture that NBC tried to reboot it in 2022. The modern version was still a quality sci-fi show, but it just couldn’t match the wacky kitsch of the original series.
Total Episodes: 97 (5 Seasons)
1. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Look, there’s nothing to really debate here: Star Trek: The Next Generation is easily the most important sci-fi TV show to come out of the 1980s, for a variety of good reasons. First, the show had the monumental task of being a sequel series to Star Trek, arguably the most groundbreaking and influential sci-fi TV show of all time. Then it had to sell that new vision of the franchise to an audience that was either slavishly loyal to the original or didn’t ever connect with the franchise. This was all in the late 1980s, an era when audiences were far more cynical about the future than in the 1960s “Silver Age” of sci-fi, when Star Trek’s colorful optimism fit hand-in-hand with counterculture movements. Societal focuses on consumerism and greed seemed directly at odds with everything Star Trek: TNG was supposed to be.
Against all odds, TNG and its stellar cast of now-iconic characters created one of the greatest achievements in Star Trek and the sci-fi genre. The Next Generation lived up to its name by bringing in a whole new generation of Star Trek fans, and was so successful and beloved during its run (1987-1994) that it spawned an entire new line of Star Trek shows that sustained the franchise for a decade or more, including Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Star Trek: TNG was so influential that the modern version of the franchise has gone back to that well several times, including the sequel series, Star Trek: Picard. It also remains prominent in pop culture to this day, surviving in the social media era as viral memes, .gifs, and clips. There are very few sci-fi shows that can compete with Star Trek: The Next Generation; some of its greatest episodes have become the new archetypes for certain kinds of sci-fi stories, and are being paid homage (if not copied) to this day.
Total Episodes: 178 (7 Seasons)
You can stream (some of) these shows on Peacock, Paramount+, Sling TV, or Plex TV. Check your listings.
