10 Bizarre '80s TV Shows That Will Blow Your Mind! | Retro Renaissance

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  • Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024

Комментарии • 273

  • @mymomsaysimcool9650
    @mymomsaysimcool9650 Год назад +23

    For some reason, I can still remember the premiere of “The Phoenix “. There was a scene where he used the medallion to reflect sunlight onto a gas cap of a car to make it explode. Scared me for years that the family Oldsmobile would to the same.

    • @pooddescrewch8718
      @pooddescrewch8718 Год назад

      I wanted to like The Phoenix but in the end I did not connect with it

  • @ericawatkins5551
    @ericawatkins5551 Год назад +8

    I absolutely LOVED Manimal. I was convinced I was the only one who watched it because nobody I know has ever heard of it. Thank you for showing me I wasn't crazy in remembering this show!

  • @pslinky
    @pslinky Год назад +36

    Apparently my late husband loved the show manimal. He died last year. Ty for posting this, as it triggered memories of him id forgotten. He was a zoologist, most recently before he died he taught high school science and has rescued so many animals over the years. Now that hes gone ive taken up the legacy of removing snakes off the road so they dont get runover. 💜😬

    • @teptime
      @teptime Год назад +2

      Sounds like you had a good catch, bless his soul.

    • @mikelmcknight72
      @mikelmcknight72 Год назад +2

      I loved it when I was a kid. I don’t know if I still would now. Some shows, like Knight Rider, have not aged well at all!

    • @cheddarcheese7928
      @cheddarcheese7928 Год назад +1

      So sorry about your husband..I hope your hanging in there!

  • @alisachamoy225
    @alisachamoy225 Год назад +7

    I absolutely LOVED Rags to Riches - I still remember many of the songs. Such a great show!

  • @sik7476
    @sik7476 9 месяцев назад +3

    Small wonder was friggin awesome! Tiffany Brissette's performance of Viki, was impeccable! Sik

  • @ozzmora
    @ozzmora 11 месяцев назад +5

    The Charmings always struck me as strange when I was a kid.

  • @sheilaschumacher3946
    @sheilaschumacher3946 11 месяцев назад +3

    I was OBSESSED with “Beauty & The Beast.” Also loved “Rags To Riches.”

  • @melissacooper8724
    @melissacooper8724 Год назад +12

    I loved Pee-Wee's Playhouse when I was a kid! ❤ May you rest in peace, Pee-Wee. 😢

    • @jennibennecke669
      @jennibennecke669 2 месяца назад

      Pee-Wee'playhouse was amazing. I would watch it now

  • @Dulcimerist
    @Dulcimerist 11 месяцев назад +3

    They showed Slim Goodbody at my school. I remember it airing on public television during the day, and the only time I'd see it is when I had to stay home from school due to being sick.
    Pee Wee's Playhouse was my favorite show! I remember it airing at 9am on CBS on Saturdays. I'd make sure not to sleep in!

  • @redwillow79schippers94
    @redwillow79schippers94 Год назад +12

    I remember Rags to Riches. I was pretty young when it was on. I couldn't tell you one scene for one episode but I do remember loving it as a child. I tried watching an episode on RUclips the other day and could not get past the first 10 minutes

    • @grannyweatherwax8005
      @grannyweatherwax8005 Год назад +1

      This is how I feel about Manimal. I remember being way into it as a kid. I was so upset when it was canceled. Then I watched a couple episodes a while back. It’s so bad! Wow.

  • @genicemilliner7667
    @genicemilliner7667 Год назад +18

    I would add "Max Headroom" to this list.

  • @carlosrobinson7458
    @carlosrobinson7458 Год назад +3

    Omg! I remember the theme song to small wonder. I loved viki and Jaimie

  • @doreenbierens
    @doreenbierens Год назад +2

    Manimal was my favorite one, I’m 50 now and I still remember the music when he transforms.

  • @Dulcimerist
    @Dulcimerist 11 месяцев назад +6

    Manimal was the first show I ever saw, where I could not believe the concept behind it. Even though I was 8 years old, I could easily see that transforming into animals of different sizes wasn't how the physical world worked. Also, I realized that changing bone structures and size would have to be incredibly painful, and would likely result in death.

  • @Aisha.The.Traveler
    @Aisha.The.Traveler Год назад +6

    Maybe it was tailored to little girls but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Rags to Riches, i was sad when it went off the air.

  • @Aisha.The.Traveler
    @Aisha.The.Traveler Год назад +9

    As a kid Small Wonder was my favorite show! ❤

  • @foxxknight8847
    @foxxknight8847 Год назад +30

    With the technology at the time, the transformations in Manimal were amazing

    • @Iggystar71
      @Iggystar71 Год назад +2

      Absolutely!!! And there’s still something to be said about practical effects having a better visual feel to them even if dated.

    • @savethezombies
      @savethezombies Год назад +1

      Looks like amazing nightmare fuel. If they made it a horror show, It'd probably have been on for 10 seasons and I would remember it.

    • @MisterJWJ71
      @MisterJWJ71 Год назад

      Yeah the effects were decent for the time and especially on a TV budget. However, the show wasn't the best.

    • @pooddescrewch8718
      @pooddescrewch8718 Год назад

      It was too ambitious

    • @manchesterunitedno7
      @manchesterunitedno7 11 месяцев назад

      If I recall. Manimal employed the same vfx artists from the legendary American Werewolf in London. That's why it looked so good.

  • @strangastrigo
    @strangastrigo Год назад +10

    My Mom loved Beauty and the Beast! I was half expecting to see Out of This World (half alien teen who can freeze time) on the list but it was cool to see so many unfamiliar or vaguely remembered shows!

  • @timEzeee
    @timEzeee Год назад +15

    Out of this World with Evie who could freeze time with her index fingers and talk to her father(Burt Reynolds' voice) through a cube. And My Secret Identity with Jerry O'Connor who got super powers and could fly by using aerosol cans. D.C. Follies, Herman's Head and a show called A Little Bit Strange.

    • @raymondhopwood9393
      @raymondhopwood9393 Год назад +6

      How about "The Greatest American Hero"?

    • @mdkfuzz187
      @mdkfuzz187 Год назад +4

      ​@@raymondhopwood9393Great show. I've been rewatching on prime video. William Katt really did a fantastic job

  • @therealEmpyre
    @therealEmpyre Год назад +6

    I fondly remember most of those. Some other 80s shows that were weird and/or too short-lived are Misfits of Science, Probe, Greatest American Hero, Square Pegs, and Automan.
    Edit: Here are some more: Max Headroom, Shaky Ground, Bosom Buddies, and Voyagers.

  • @aqua-angela
    @aqua-angela 10 месяцев назад +2

    I was obsessed with Small Wonder! It was so weird and kind of creepy

  • @jamesday9701
    @jamesday9701 Год назад +22

    One of my favorites that you didn't mention was 1983's "Automan", starring Desi Arnaz Jr & Chuck Wagner

  • @aubrey1633
    @aubrey1633 Год назад +4

    I was obsessed with beauty and the beast. Ron Pearlman is still one of my favorite actors. I feel like it was too good to be on a list with Manimal. 😂

    • @BATMAN-gh1nf
      @BATMAN-gh1nf 10 месяцев назад

      Several of my friends said that Beauty and the Beast was a really good show, so I began watching it on their recommendations. I did not see the appeal of the show and could not get into it.

  • @Luckyrabbit1313
    @Luckyrabbit1313 Год назад +16

    Loved Small Wonder when I was a kid. Yeah it was weird, but it was funny for the time.

    • @JanetStarChild
      @JanetStarChild Год назад +2

      It had a good start; the first season was solid and there was some strong character development for Vickie when she met her "grand parents".
      Unfortunately, after season 1, the show got stuck in status quo mode; Vickie barely grew. Still a decent series though; just wasted potential.

  • @ahhamartin
    @ahhamartin Год назад +5

    I had forgotten the name of the show "Jennifer slept here" but I remembered the star came to visit us in the Persian Gulf in '90 with Bob Hope's Christmas Special, and was the ONLY star besides singer Aaron Tippin (and Bob of course) who was still nice when the cameras stopped rolling. The Pointer Sisters quit even acknowledging us the moment the film cut, but Ann Jillian's manager had to threaten her to get HER to leave us. She is to me what Anne Margaret was to my dad's fellow servicemen in the previous war.

  • @chasing_amy99
    @chasing_amy99 5 месяцев назад +1

    Being an 8-9 year old girl when it aired, I was obsessed with Rags to Riches and very sad it got cancelled. Pee-wee's Playhouse was a big part of my Saturning morning line-up and I liked the movies too!

  • @misssunnybrooker964
    @misssunnybrooker964 10 месяцев назад +3

    What about Out of the World, with Evie being a half alien/half human. I loved Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Small Wonder

  • @Therevdon
    @Therevdon Год назад +5

    I vaguely remember commercials for Beauty and the Beast, but never watched it. We definitely watched Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and I remember Small Wonder because the robot was my "Older Woman" crush when I was 8 years old.

  • @canadalovesanime3137
    @canadalovesanime3137 9 месяцев назад +2

    Max Headroom and Alf are some I remember fondly.

  • @kenitowills8119
    @kenitowills8119 Год назад +10

    I religiously watched "Jennifer Slept Here" and "It's a Living." I had a major celebrity crush on Ann Jillian. I also liked "Pee Wee's Playhouse," even if I was a bit older than the target demographic.

    • @pooddescrewch8718
      @pooddescrewch8718 Год назад

      I appreciated the oddball creativity ofPee Wees Playhouse . My nephew loved it .

  • @iluvmyboba
    @iluvmyboba Год назад +49

    "Small Wonder" was weird because Vicky's robotic voice was completely ignored by every visitor, friend or neighbor.

    • @christineobrien7707
      @christineobrien7707 Год назад +7

      I was in high school when this show came out. My sister and I would watch it just for the hell of it! Boy, did we laugh our asses off!!👍

    • @RedGarnett-n2p
      @RedGarnett-n2p Год назад +5

      I hated that stupid show

    • @SchofieldAJ
      @SchofieldAJ Год назад +3

      Well so was Sheldon Cooper's on TBBT as was he a REAL BOY or did his Sister Make a Life Like Clone!

    • @iluvmyboba
      @iluvmyboba Год назад +3

      @@RedGarnett-n2p Soon as I read your comment I busted out laughing. That show was absolutely awful. How it stayed on for as long as it did is mind boggling.

    • @RedGarnett-n2p
      @RedGarnett-n2p Год назад +3

      @@iluvmyboba yeah I know I still try to figure it out sometimes from time to time it was on like four years or something my little sister used to love it

  • @bwk1124868
    @bwk1124868 Год назад +7

    Manimal... Wow, I literally thought all these years that I dreamed that show.

  • @barrypennington6245
    @barrypennington6245 11 месяцев назад +2

    I loved Manimal when I was a kid. I'm sad you left out Down to Earth. It was about a woman who dies in the 1920s and was sent back to earth in the 80s to be a maid for a family to earn her wings in heaven.

  • @philipmorris4843
    @philipmorris4843 Год назад +7

    Loved Manimal , was in my twenties and bummed when it was cancelled

  • @keithe2150
    @keithe2150 Год назад +15

    If you like the channel hit the like button, it cost you nothing but it helps Kevin out a lot

  • @davebooth5608
    @davebooth5608 Год назад +8

    I still use cassette tapes! Use and reuse! THE 80’s RULED!!

  • @lizardog
    @lizardog Год назад +2

    Great video! I smiled all the way through it. So many that I had forgotten. I was going to say that you missed "Lucan," but I looked it up and it went off the air in 1978, so it doesn't qualify. Thanks for all your hard work.

  • @Salsuero
    @Salsuero 9 месяцев назад +1

    Absolutely loved Small Wonder.

  • @steveedwards6564
    @steveedwards6564 Год назад +1

    Oh man this takes me back. I remember all these shows. They each have a ton of memories tied to them.

  • @lloydke
    @lloydke Год назад +6

    I always thought "Out of this World " was pretty weird

  • @ElicBehexan
    @ElicBehexan Год назад +3

    I knew a gal who was obsessed with Judson Scott. I also knew a gal who was so obsessed with The Phoenix she wrote a whole fanzine about the show. I didn't catch every episode and I just thought it was okay. I did try hard to catch Beauty and the Beast and I have a bit of an idea for a story, but actually need more of a 'plot' to write it. I really liked Black's Magic, but I don't remember why I could never catch it, might've just been the time it was on... I love both Hal Linden and Harry Morgan. I have loved Morgan since he was Friday's partner on Dragnet. He improved everything he had a part in (looking at the 'Support Your Local..."whatever. Granted, I also loved James Garner. My mother was never much into TV, but Maverick was the one series she always tried to watch. This changed as she got older and she loved Murder She Wrote. But Mom always loved mysteries both on the screen and in a book.

  • @steveadams1576
    @steveadams1576 Год назад +4

    Pee Wee's Playhouse was the only show I watched regularly. Mecca Lecca HI Mecca Hiney Ho Biatches!

  • @maga6252
    @maga6252 Год назад +7

    Weird shows?! I do remember Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous hosted by the late Robin Leach. There was no show like it! It was too different from the other scripted programs.

  • @ers-tj4to
    @ers-tj4to Год назад +2

    Sledgehammer was one of the best shows on television at the time ('86 or '87). Why it was let go was criminal.

  • @mammajamma4397
    @mammajamma4397 11 месяцев назад +2

    I remember Pee Wee's Playhouse wrapping up the Saturday morning cartoon run

  • @bluelionsage99
    @bluelionsage99 11 месяцев назад +1

    Man, I am a 83 high school grad but I only remember two of these shows. I guess that comes from working the night shift from my Junior year in 81-82.

  • @joebufford2972
    @joebufford2972 Год назад +3

    I love the dinosaurs day if we're hilarious especially the baby, not the mama, not the mama

  • @ikeforshort5363
    @ikeforshort5363 4 месяца назад +1

    OMG, I remember Jennifer slept here. Slim we watched in school. I miss the Penny Cartoons.

  • @kassandrabowman1608
    @kassandrabowman1608 7 месяцев назад +1

    I loved a Small Wonder and Pee Wees Playhouse

  • @kimmoore6445
    @kimmoore6445 Год назад +2

    Memories, priceless 😊

  • @Ze0do0Gas
    @Ze0do0Gas Год назад +3

    I saw Beauty and the Beast when I was little, it was a really sad show as far as I remember

  • @mrboogang
    @mrboogang Год назад +1

    Absolutely loved Matthew Starr - as a 7 year old, and on the wings of Star Wars and the Force, it was every kids dream to be like him!

    • @AnodyneJS
      @AnodyneJS 3 месяца назад +1

      My older brother and I watched every episode. It should have been a sign when the whole premise was changed mid-season, but we were young, so we didn't recognize the warning signs.

  • @michaelmcdonald8452
    @michaelmcdonald8452 Год назад +6

    If you ever do a sequel, make sure to include the Misfits of Science

    • @yesmisskitten
      @yesmisskitten Год назад +3

      Came here exactly for this! Loved that show when I was a kid, was so in love with Johnny B 😆❤️

    • @susan7775
      @susan7775 Год назад

      @@yesmisskitten I loved that show as an adult

  • @katrinachance
    @katrinachance Год назад +1

    We watched Slim Goodbody when I was in first grade as part of science class!

  • @mammajamma4397
    @mammajamma4397 11 месяцев назад +1

    SMALL WONDER WAS THE JAM!!!!!!

  • @JanetStarChild
    @JanetStarChild Год назад +4

    I remember some of those shows, but there's some I just learned of that I need to go find (such as Blacke's Magic).
    My absolute favorites on the list are Beauty and the Beast, and Pee Wee's Playhouse!

  • @censusgary
    @censusgary Год назад +1

    I lived through the 80s, but I never even heard of most of these shows. I am enjoying all the mullets in these clips, though.

  • @Middle-Road.Kim.K
    @Middle-Road.Kim.K Год назад +1

    I was *obsessed* with Peter Barton from Powers of Matthew Star (well, for short while... I was 13). Thank you for the memory jolt! 😊

  • @alexanderchase6795
    @alexanderchase6795 Год назад +2

    I don't remember the show Black's Magic, But it seemed like they took the idea from The 70's Bill Bixby's T V series The Magician.

  • @fashiondolldreamer
    @fashiondolldreamer Год назад +1

    I loved Manimal as I was a 13 year old kid when it aired over here (but the few episodes that did manage to air were over the summer holidays and were on at different times, as the programmers just shoved it wherever on the schedule, so it was hard to find.) but I never forgot it as it was such a unique show - cheesy, yes, but that was part of the fun of it! I remember that actress Melody Anderson who was in the Flash Gordon movie was also in it. A friend introduced me to Pee Wee's Playhouse in the early 90's when I was in my 20's, and I always thought it was so hilarious and camp! I so enjoyed that show.

  • @mescallado
    @mescallado Год назад +4

    I loved Blacke's Magic, where they solved locked room mysteries and "impossible" crimes.

  • @michaelharry8341
    @michaelharry8341 8 месяцев назад +1

    even as an adult I loved Pee Wee's Playhouse

  • @connorfallon4227
    @connorfallon4227 Год назад +2

    My sister and i loved rags to riches, was so fun. Do you guys remember the show “The Charmings” about a time displaced Snow White, Prince Charming and the Evil Queen living and working in the 80’s?

  • @carlosrobinson7458
    @carlosrobinson7458 Год назад +1

    I loved the music on rags to riches

  • @smcwr
    @smcwr 11 месяцев назад +1

    A former friend's sister worked with Vicky from Small Wonder as a nurse.

  • @DaddyOfTheSugarVariety
    @DaddyOfTheSugarVariety Год назад +3

    I vaguely remember Rags To Riches. I don't remember it being set in the 60s, it looked so 80s.

  • @PixelGameSquad
    @PixelGameSquad Год назад +2

    Yooo I loved Small Wonder

  • @DaddyOfTheSugarVariety
    @DaddyOfTheSugarVariety Год назад +4

    I love Beauty And The Beast!

  • @susan7775
    @susan7775 Год назад +1

    “Topper” was a tv series about a ghost and his dog in the 1950’s, he also appeared only to the couple who lived in his house. I watched it on reruns when I was young

  • @sodorflubbs5000
    @sodorflubbs5000 Год назад +2

    I loved Manimal. I was most upset it only got one season

  • @DionIjeh1991
    @DionIjeh1991 8 месяцев назад +2

    Alien Nation was fun to watch

  • @bluemoon1197
    @bluemoon1197 Год назад +9

    My mother loves Beauty and the Beast, and has it on dvd.
    She also remembered and loved The Phoenix, and was upset when it was cancelled.

  • @davidpumpkinsjr.5108
    @davidpumpkinsjr.5108 Год назад +4

    Small Wonder may have been pure cheese, but I liked it; partially because I had a crush on Tiffany Brissett when I was a kid.

  • @ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary
    @ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary Год назад +2

    The first 2 I'd heard of but fortunately my Spidey Senses kicked in and I never watched em. Small Wonder was just plain old Bizarre!! I think I watched maybe 10 minutes of it one time before running for the door!!

  • @fernandezvonschwephausen1979
    @fernandezvonschwephausen1979 Год назад +1

    Manimal, I loved it, though I have not met anyone who actually remembers watching it.

  • @petetopa3544
    @petetopa3544 Год назад +1

    I grew up watching all these shows loved then all Manimal was awesome.

  • @technomikelyons
    @technomikelyons Год назад +1

    How about "Otherworld", which ran only 8 episodes. Great concept, cheesy 80s execution, about a family transported to an alternate world and trying to find their way back home to Earth.

  • @jkyle1018
    @jkyle1018 Год назад

    I was waiting for "Today's Special" to pop in here, and now I'm waiting for it to show up in the sequel to this video.

  • @markengle2199
    @markengle2199 Год назад +2

    I saw that robot girl show as a kid but couldn’t figure out if she was a robot maid or not. She dressed like a cartoon maid but didn’t seem to clean. I was lost

  • @tylerthompson1842
    @tylerthompson1842 Год назад +5

    The small wonder girl was a good actor cause she freaked me the fck out as a kid lol. She totally sold it. I hope she’s doing good these days, child actors that drop off early usually had a bad go at it. The kid from “Jennifer Slept Here” is the bop your baloney kid from Vacation lol

    • @SY-ok2dq
      @SY-ok2dq Год назад

      I think I read somewhere that Tiffany Brissette, the actress from "Small Wonder" completely left the business and went on to live a normal life, and has avoided publicity.
      However, things did not go so well for the boy, the one who played the son and "brother". I think I read that he'd has financial problems, some gambling? or something.

  • @lizlittle1641
    @lizlittle1641 Год назад +1

    The only show that I watched from this list is Beauty and the Beast. I loved it! It was one of my favorites! I've never heard of any of the other shows in the list.

  • @baxter6504
    @baxter6504 Год назад +4

    No "War of the Worlds" and no "Max Headroom"?

    • @zanti4132
      @zanti4132 Год назад +3

      "Max Headroom" definitely needs to be on this list.

  • @shibolinemress8913
    @shibolinemress8913 25 дней назад

    These were fascinating shows! One I thought you might mention was Automan. That definitely goes in my "weird" category!

  • @christabandman6090
    @christabandman6090 Год назад +12

    I love small wonder
    Out of this world was a pretty weird show too. I believe it was from the 80s.

    • @mdkfuzz187
      @mdkfuzz187 Год назад +3

      Out of this world was a great show. Started in 87 I believe and ran 4 seasons not sure total eps numbers. Several episodes can be found on here

    • @yolandasamuels3213
      @yolandasamuels3213 Год назад +3

      I came here expecting to see Out Of This World!

    • @Vipre-
      @Vipre- Год назад

      That show is embedded into my memory because of the theme song.

  • @benadams3569
    @benadams3569 Год назад +1

    As you said at the end of the video, the early 90s definitely did have some weird concepts for television.

  • @mygeekdom4414
    @mygeekdom4414 Год назад +3

    The one I actually remember was Beauty and the Beast.

  • @marilynsnider8183
    @marilynsnider8183 Год назад +9

    In Beauty and the Beast, it wasn't weird, it was beautiful. My mom and I loved it.

    • @foxxknight8847
      @foxxknight8847 Год назад

      Loved Beauty and the Beast. Also might have planted the first seeds of furry-dom in me. XD

  • @mikerohlfs2836
    @mikerohlfs2836 Год назад +3

    I freakin hated that kid on small wonder, it was always on at like 5 or 6pm on the weekends, that little dude drove me crazy, and that ugly neighbor

  • @donniemorton162
    @donniemorton162 Год назад +2

    80's were my teenage years

  • @drewhenderson9932
    @drewhenderson9932 11 месяцев назад +1

    Classic the best ever

  • @sheilaholmes996
    @sheilaholmes996 Год назад +3

    Pee Wee’s Playhouse is the only one I watched. Awesome show.

  • @michaelmcdonald8452
    @michaelmcdonald8452 Год назад +1

    3:52 Whoa! Is that Tracy "Carol Seaver" Gold!!??

    • @TimCarter
      @TimCarter 8 месяцев назад

      Yep. It's her.

  • @jarrodschroeder
    @jarrodschroeder Год назад

    I watched slim Good body , learned alot

  • @clarajays
    @clarajays 11 месяцев назад +1

    So rags to riches is about a playboy who wants to improve his image so he adopts 5 orphans and surprise, only girls ?! It's a little weirder than we could think if we stop and think

  • @athieliagriffin7957
    @athieliagriffin7957 Месяц назад

    Thanks buddy! I laughed my head off! Unfortunately I also watched many of these shows. At least now I know why I am the way I am, lol.

  • @susannahleggatt939
    @susannahleggatt939 10 месяцев назад

    I really loved Minimal I was only 8 at the time. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

  • @Goldenbane
    @Goldenbane Год назад +2

    Man, we really did snort a LOT of cocaine in the 80's!!

  • @octowuss1118
    @octowuss1118 Год назад +2

    Not even a mention that “the beast” was played by Ron Perlman?

  • @itsmonday7450
    @itsmonday7450 Год назад +1

    The only shows from here that I didn't watch were Rags to Riches (never heard of it) and Jennifer Slept Here (because my family never missed It's a Living). But I have clearly watched a lot of tv regardless. Nice walk down memory lane.

  • @tomyoung9049
    @tomyoung9049 Год назад +1

    Small Wonder and Beauty & the beast. The only ones I really watched.