The 10 Funniest Sitcoms of the 1980s

Network television in the 1980s was fantastic, and sitcoms in particular were thriving. Whether it was watching Steve Urkel’s awkward antics in Family Matters or relating to the coming-of-age drama-comedy The Wonder Years, audiences everywhere loved tuning in to laugh at their favorite characters. Some of these shows still run in syndication, which is a testament to their timeless nature and longevity.

The sitcoms of the ’80s were great because they were all so different. Many of them weren’t afraid to cover the difficult and relevant issues of the era, like politics, war, death, or changing family dynamics. Full House, for instance, dealt with the grief of losing a wife and mother, while M*A*S*H dropped viewers in the middle of the Korean War. Though sometimes serious, the sitcoms of the ’80s also delivered big laughs. The scriptwriting of the time was top-notch, and these TV shows were the funniest.

10 Full House

Full House is an absolute classic that most people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s are familiar with. The late Bob Saget played a recently widowed father named Danny Tanner who is suddenly forced to raise his three daughters alone. He enlists the help of uncles Jesse (John Stamos) and Joey (Dave Coulier) and all of them live together in one house in San Francisco.

The show did an excellent job of delivering big laughs. Whether it was Jesse and Joey trying to figure out how to change a baby’s diaper, or Danny playing in a rock band to try to impress his kids, the show blended humor with human experiences in a way that anyone watching could relate to. It also dealt with difficult topics like loss and grief with respect. Some fans want to see another Full House series, but Stamos says it won’t happen without Saget.

9 Taxi

Taxi ran on ABC and then CBS from 1978 to 1983. The show was centered around several cab drivers who worked the night shift in New York City. Judd Hirsch played Alex Reiger, a recovering gambling addict who was fired from his office job and now considers himself a full-time driver. Alex was the protagonist of the show with many other characters coming to him for advice.

The cast of Taxi also included Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, and Marilu Henner, to name a few, so it easily made viewers laugh every episode. Kaufman’s performance as Latka Gravas was particularly funny, as he often spoke in gibberish and played along with ridiculous physical comedy. Taxi is one of the most celebrated comedies of all time, winning 18 Emmy Awards and 25 Golden Globes during its five-season run.

8 Saved by the Bell

Many of today’s stars got their start on ’80s TV sitcoms, and Saved by the Bell was one show that launched a lot of careers. The series was based around a group of kids at Bayside High School in Los Angeles, and their quirky interactions with their principal, Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins). The most memorable student was Screech (Dustin Diamond), a talkative socialite with a high-pitched voice.

While Screech was a funny character, other actors contributed to the comedy as well. Tiffani Theissen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, and Leah Remini all got their start on Saved by the Bell. The humorous way the show dealt with high school issues like relationships, dating, and exams made it one of the funniest sitcoms of the ’80s. Unfortunately, the reboot of Saved by the Bell was canceled at Peacock after just two seasons.

RELATED: Every Major Saved by the Bell Character, Ranked

7 Cheers

It’s hard to think of a 1980s sitcom that is more beloved than Cheers. It ran from 1982 to 1993 on NBC and produced 275 episodes. Ted Danson played Sam Malone, a bartender in Boston who was a former pitcher for the Red Sox. Sam has a relationship with Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) but both characters wanted different things in a partner, which often caused tension.

Some of the best funny lines in Cheers came from Sam’s interactions with Carla Tortelli (Rhea Pearlman), a sarcastic waitress who is snarky to customers and not particularly good at her job. The show also introduced audiences to Fraser Crane (Kelsey Grammer), who ended up getting his own spinoff show Frasier once Cheers was over. Despite being one of the best ’80s sitcoms, Cheers never ended up getting a reboot. However, fans can still find out what their favorite Cheers actors are up to.

6 Who’s The Boss?

After a successful turn as Anthony Mark “Tony” Banta in Taxi, Tony Danza earned himself a chance to be the star of his own sitcom. In 1984, Danza starred as Tony Micelli in Who’s The Boss?, a show about a retired former MLB star who takes a job as a housekeeper to provide for his daughter. Tony’s boss is Angela Bower (Judith Light), an upscale ad executive who ends up falling in love with Tony. A young Alyssa Milano stars as Tony’s daughter, Samantha.

The chemistry between Tony and Angela made for some great comedy. Audiences can’t forget Tony shouting “Angela!” in a thick Brooklyn accent whenever they think of Tony Danza. Who’s The Boss? is still very popular in 2023, and streams on several platforms in the United States including Rewind TV, IFC, Sony Pictures’ YouTube channel, and CTV throwback in Canada.

5 Family Ties

Family Ties marked a shift in the political outlook of the United States in the ’80s. The show aired for seven seasons from 1982 to 1989. Michael J. Fox played Alex P. Keaton, a Republican kid who is the son of two ex-hippies who relocated to California. Alex is determined to make money and be successful, which was a reflection of America’s shift toward capitalism under Ronald Reagan.

The humor in Family Ties came from Alex’s crazy money-making schemes, many of which ended up being foiled and getting Alex in trouble. Many celebrities added to the humor by making cameos over the years, including Tom Hanks, River Phoenix, and Courtney Cox. There hasn’t been much talk of a modern-day reboot, but in 2020, the cast of Family Ties reunited in support of The Actors Fund.

4 M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H was a very clever and witty ’80s sitcom. It was a spinoff of the successful 1970 movie of the same name directed by Robert Altman. The TV show took place in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) outpost during the Korean War. Combining quirky characters with screwball storylines, M*A*S*H stood out because it was funny yet respectful of its source material.

M*A*S*H also has the distinction of having a very memorable theme song. It’s impossible not to picture the TV show without humming the song “Suicide Is Painless”, written by Johnny Mandel. Stars like Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, and Loretta Swit made M*A*S*H an original and hilarious sitcom.

3 The Golden Girls

Even in 2023, The Golden Girls is tremendously popular. The show revolved around Dorothy (Bea Arthur), a teacher and divorcee who lives with and cares for her elderly mother Sophia (Estelle Getty). Rose (Betty White) and Blanche (Rue McClanahan) live with Dorothy and Sophia to help them with the cost of maintaining a house.

Each character brought their own brand of comedy to The Golden Girls. Dorothy was the mild-mannered one, always ready to put someone in their place when they get out of line. Sophia was like an unfiltered grandmother, unafraid to speak her mind. Blanche was adventurous and much of the comedy came from her romantic pursuits. Rose was naive but well-intentioned and scored big laughs for her innocent reactions to situations that go awry.

RELATED: The Most Heartwarming Moments in The Golden Girls, Ranked

2 Growing Pains

Growing Pains was about the Seaver family, led by TV dad Dr. Jason Roland Seaver (Alan Thicke). From 1985 to 1992, audiences tuned in to see Dr. Seaver, a psychiatrist, balance working from home and wrangling his four kids. Kirk Cameron got his start on the show as Mike, a rebellious kid who is Dr. Seaver’s oldest child.

A lot of the comedy on Growing Pains came from the premise that the family was always frazzled, with mom Maggie (Joanna Kerns) back at work as a reporter and Dr. Seaver left to deal with the rambunctious kids. Unfortunately, Alan Thicke passed away before the show could bring laughs to a new generation. However, the cast of Growing Pains paid tribute to Thicke when he died in 2016.

1 Married… with Children

Married… with Children ran from 1987 to 1997 on Fox, making it the longest-running sitcom to ever air on the channel. The show was centered around Al Bundy (Ed O’Neil), a sarcastic middle-aged man, and his family. Before she starred in Sons of Anarchy, Katey Sagal played Al’s wife, Peggy. The couple’s kids were played by Christina Applegate and Ben Faustino.

A lot of the comedy in Married… with Children came from the back and forth between Al and Peggy. Al was an unmotivated shoe sales assistant who wanted an oversimplified life, while Peggy was a lazy homemaker who watched daytime talk shows and mocked Al constantly. The show has the distinction of being one of the raunchiest comedies of the 1980s and the script often bounced from being hilarious to somewhat cringe-worthy.