The '80s Greatest

Season 12018

A challenging and stimulating view of one of history's most enigmatic periods, shining a light on the people and events that shaped the decade while illuminating the trends that helped design our future.

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10 Episodes

E01 Miracle on Ice

The 1980s begins with an Olympic Hockey game that lifts America's spirits; Ronald Reagan battles Bruce Springsteen; and a sitcom helps invent the yuppie.

August 13, 2018

E02 Passion for Profit

In the '80s, doing what you love can turn your passion into profit; new technology creates new opportunities; and capitalism gets a conscience.

August 13, 2018

E03 Family Values

In the '80s, family values undergo a huge makeover, as depicted in films and sitcoms, despite President Reagan's best attempts to stop it.

August 20, 2018

E04 The Culture Clash

A generation of kids express themselves by breaking all the rules, takes on '80s conservative America in the ultimate pop culture clash.

August 20, 2018

E05 America Gets Wired

In the '80s, networks like CNN help drive the stratospheric rise of cable. The 24-hour news channel's coverage of John Lennon's death at the start of the 80s and the rescue of baby Jessica McClure near the end cemented its place in viewers' homes. Niche channels are spawned, including MTV, QVC and many televangelism networks. The downfall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker becomes must-see TV.

August 27, 2018

E06 I Want It All

In the early 1980s America emerges from a recession and goes straight into an era of conspicuous consumption. Widely available credit cards spark a spending frenzy and competing brands battle to make a sale. Sex, and controversy, enter the advertiser's toolkit - but one iconic brand is almost brought to its knees when it takes rebranding too far.

August 27, 2018

E07 New Dynasty

For American women in the 1980s, life is not easy. Bullied by their bosses or stuck at home, they find unlikely inspiration and support from stars of the stage and screen. Eighties icons like Madonna, Jane Fonda and Joan Collins encourage them to speak up and break out of traditional gender roles, and by the end of the decade, the difference between men and women is no longer so clearly defined.

August 27, 2018

E08 Greed Is Good

The '80s, when nothing succeeds like excess. In Texas, a fictional oil millionaire's lifestyle captures the world's imagination and even changes the world. On Wall Street, a new philosophy breeds a new kind of capitalist, and for yuppies "Greed is Good." In Los Angeles, music and fashion take new heights. But in this era of big hair, big bonuses and even bigger phones, what goes up must come down.

August 27, 2018

E09 It's a Small World

In the '80s, shrinking gadgets and new technology bring the world together in unexpected ways but also trigger fears of Japanese economic might.

September 10, 2018

E10 Walls Come Down

In the late '80s, the Berlin Wall embodies the Cold War, but change is in the air and (with some unexpected help from popular culture) it come crashing down.

September 10, 2018

The '80s Greatest

E01 Miracle on Ice

E02 Passion for Profit

E03 Family Values

E04 The Culture Clash

E05 America Gets Wired

E06 I Want It All

E07 New Dynasty

E08 Greed Is Good

E09 It's a Small World

E10 Walls Come Down

The New Nurses

The Vampire Diaries

Breaking Bad

Stranger Things

New Amsterdam

Lucifer

Californication

The Walking Dead

Pretty Little Liars

9-1-1: Lone Star

How I Met Your Mother

Under the Dome

The Originals

The Big Bang Theory

Chernobyl

Parks and Recreation

The Flash

Peaky Blinders

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Sacred Games

E01 Miracle on Ice

E02 Passion for Profit

E03 Family Values

E04 The Culture Clash

E05 America Gets Wired

E06 I Want It All

E07 New Dynasty

E08 Greed Is Good

E09 It's a Small World

E10 Walls Come Down