«« Mini-Rewind ««

• On September 20, 1984, The Cosby Show debuted on NBC. It became a cultural phenomenon, topping the TV ratings for 5 straight seasons.

• The Thompson Twins released their album “Here’s to Future Days” on September 20, 1985. It featured their single “King for a Day” and was the final album for the band as a trio.

• September 21, 1985, George Clooney made his first appearance as George Burnett on the t.v. show The Fats of Life.

• Building off the success of their first venture into music, the WWF released their second album “Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II”.

• Full House debuted on t.v. on September 22, 1987. The hit series ran for eight seasons and aired 192 episodes.

• Nerdy Steve Urkel and the gang from “Family Matters” were welcomed onto our screens on September 22, 1989.

• Babes, sand & slow-mo rescues - Baywatch debuted Sept. 22, 1989, starring David Hasselhoff and (later) Pamela Anderson.

• On Sept 22, 1985, the first Farm Aid concert took place in Champaign, IL before 80,000 fans, with a lineup that included Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty..

• Sledgehammer debuted on ABC September 23, 1986.

• INXS released one of their biggest hits, “I Need You Tonight” on September 23, 1987. The single was the lead from the album Kick.

• A Different World, the spin-off from The Cosby Show debuted September 24, 1987. The sitcom aired for six seasons.

• On September 24, 1985, the Seavers joined the ABC primetime lineup as Growing Pains, starring Kirk Cameron and Alan Thicke made its debut.

• On September 24, 1982, Prince dropped “1999” - an anthem for a millennium that was still 18 years away.

• Trains through the living room. Arcade games in the house. Silver Spoons gave us the ultimate childhood fantasy when it debuted Sept. 25, 1982 on NBC.

• On Sept. 26, 1983, Mötley Crüe unleashed Shout at the Devil. The album gave us classics like the title track, Looks That Kill and Too Young to Fall in Love.

Okay, so ALF was one of the most wonderfully weird sitcoms to come out of the ’80s. It aired from 1986 to 1990 and centered around this furry, wisecracking alien named ALF (short for Alien Life Form) who crash-lands in the garage of a suburban family, the Tanners. Instead of turning him over to the government, the family decides to hide him in their home, which kicks off all sorts of hilarious situations.

ALF, whose real name is Gordon Shumway, comes from the planet Melmac, and he’s got a sarcastic sense of humor, a love of junk food, and a not-so-secret craving for cats (which freaks out the Tanner family since they have one). Most of the comedy comes from ALF trying to adjust to life on Earth while constantly getting the Tanners into trouble—whether it’s almost being discovered by nosy neighbors or wrecking the house with his crazy schemes.

But the show wasn’t just about gags. It actually had a lot of heart, showing how this oddball alien becomes part of the family. For anyone who watched it, ALF wasn’t just a puppet - he felt like a real character. It’s quirky, funny, and pure ’80s nostalgia.

Alright, so Crocodile Dundee is one of those movies from the ’80s that just oozes charm and adventure. It came out in 1986 and stars Paul Hogan as Mick “Crocodile” Dundee, this rugged, larger-than-life bushman from the Australian outback. The story kicks off when an American journalist, Sue Charlton, travels to Australia to do a piece on him after hearing about his wild survival stories - like how he supposedly wrestled with a crocodile and lived to tell the tale.

At first, it’s all about Sue exploring his world: wide open landscapes, dangerous wildlife, and Mick showing off his survival skills with this easygoing, confident swagger. But then the movie flips things around when Mick comes back to New York City with her. That’s where the real fun begins, because you’ve got this outback guy who’s totally unfamiliar with city life, trying to navigate skyscrapers, subways, and social etiquette with hilarious results.

What makes the movie work is Mick himself - he’s tough but kind, funny without trying, and just so laid back that you can’t help but like him. It’s a fish-out-of-water comedy mixed with romance and adventure, and it became such a hit that it turned “Crocodile Dundee” into an international icon.

So, Who’s the Boss? was one of those classic ’80s sitcoms that flipped the usual family setup on its head. It aired from 1984 to 1992 and starred Tony Danza as Tony Micelli, a former pro baseball player who takes a job as a live-in housekeeper for Angela Bower, a successful advertising executive played by Judith Light. Right away you’ve got this fun role reversal - tough, working-class guy running the household while the polished, career-focused woman provides the financial stability.

Tony moves in with his daughter, Samantha (Alyssa Milano), and together they blend into Angela’s world, which also includes her son Jonathan and Angela’s sharp-tongued mother, Mona. The dynamic between everyone is what gave the show its charm. You had Mona constantly stirring the pot with her humor, Tony trying to balance being both a father and a housekeeper, and Angela juggling her professional life with the growing chemistry between her and Tony.

At its heart, the show was about family and the unconventional ways people can come together. It wasn’t just funny - it was warm, relatable, and had a lot of heart. Plus, the “will-they-or-won’t-they” between Tony and Angela kept fans hooked for years. It’s pure ’80s comfort TV.

🎧 Retro Picks of the Week

📺 T.V. Show: Knight Rider (1982) was the ultimate ’80s thrill ride, starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight and his talking, turbo-boosting car KITT. It had everything—high-speed chases, futuristic gadgets, and plenty of over-the-top adventure that made you believe one man and one car could make a difference.

📼 Movie: Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) is a rock ’n’ roll mystery about a band whose music was ahead of its time and a frontman who vanished at the height of fame. Part drama, part musical journey, it’s got that moody ’80s vibe that makes you want to crank up the soundtrack and wonder what really happened to Eddie.

🎵 Song: Blue Jean (1984) is David Bowie at his playful, stylish best, blending catchy pop hooks with his trademark cool. The hit single, paired with an artsy short film-style music video, became one of Bowie’s standout moments of the mid-’80s.

🕹️ Video Game: Missile Command (1980) put you in charge of defending cities from relentless waves of incoming missiles, testing both your reflexes and nerves. With its simple controls but intense gameplay, it quickly became one of the most addictive arcade classics of the ’80s.

👾 Cartoon: Pac-Man (1982) took the arcade legend off the joystick and into Saturday morning, following Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and their pals in a colorful, zany world. Packed with slapstick humor and ghostly shenanigans, it was pure ’80s cartoon fun.