Can You Identify These '80s TV Shows From Just One Screenshot?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Shayna

6 Min Quiz

Image: ABC / Spiderstock / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

"Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

You might instantly think of Gary Coleman and "Diff'rent Strokes," but he wasn't the only one lighting up the TV screen in the '80s. Can you match the most popular '80s TV show to just one image?

The '80s was a huge decade for TV. Cable networks had an enormous variety of TV shows to pick from. If you came to knock on ABC's door, you'd find "Three's Company" with John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers. CBS brought the classics of "Magnum P.I." and "The Jeffersons." You were tuning in to "Saturday Night Live" and "Cheers" on NBC, while Fox started their sitcom history with "Married... with Children." 

It was the decade of the family with the Cosbys, the Arnolds and the Tanners. You might've been fighting crime with the stars of "Miami Vice" and "Hill Street Blues." After the 1982 film "E.T.," you were probably hoping for an extra-terrestrial in your house like "ALF."

With these shows, you were introduced to the iconic characters of the time. How could you forget the cool Fonzie, jokester Al Bundy or adorable Kevin Arnold? What about the ditzy Rose Nylund or opinionated George Jefferson?

These characters made their '80s TV shows iconic, and we're looking for someone even more iconic, but you have to pass this quiz first! Were you the ultimate '80s TV fan? Can you pick out these popular shows from just one image? Most people can't, but prove that you can!

Can you name this classic sitcom?

The famous kitchen where much of the action takes place in "The Golden Girls" was actually a hand-me-down set from the show "It Takes Two." This set is missing one thing, however: a fourth kitchen chair. There were four women living in the house and this discrepancy has been recognized by observant viewers. This was simply due to the limitations of filming so no one would have their back to the camera.

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Which action-adventure TV series is shown here?

Only 26 of the 98 episodes of "The A-Team" were run in Germany due to the excessive violence. German broadcasters made the decision not to air all 98 episodes because many were simply too violent and controversial.

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What's the name of this Tony Danza sitcom?

Angela and Tony were originally supposed to get married at the end of the series. ABC executives, along with star Tony Danza, were against this proposed ending, so they ended up breaking up instead.

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Can you name this '80s police drama?

The iconic theme song to "Hill Street Blues" was written by Mike Post in two hours. The composer also wrote theme songs for "The Greatest American Hero," "Magnum, P.I.," "The A-Team," "NYPD Blue" and "Law & Order."

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Can you identify this sitcom set in San Francisco?

Despite the exterior of the Tanner house on a famous San Francisco street, "Full House" was actually filmed in Los Angeles. Only one episode, "Comet's Excellent Adventure" was taped in San Francisco. All the exterior and scenery shots of San Francisco were shot in a single day.

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What's the name of this classic '80s crime drama?

"Magnum P.I." was based in Oahu, Hawaii. In the eight years the show aired on CBS, there were 50 special guest stars. Throughout the eight years the show spanned, there were only two crossovers with other CBS crime dramas.

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Can you name this '80s comedy?

The catchphrase "Ooooooo-kay" was always fit somewhere in each episode. Ratings lagged in the first couple of seasons of the show, then it became a top 10 show on NBC.

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This TV show featuring the Connor family is called:

The Conners' home on "Roseanne" actually exists! The house was built in 1925 and has four bedrooms. Although the show was filmed on a studio lot, the exterior was shot in a real neighborhood.

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What is this popular teen sitcom set at Bayside High School?

Star Mark-Paul Gosselaar, a natural brunette, had to dye his hair biweekly during filming to keep up his character's blond locks. Kelly must have liked blonds.

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Can you identify this coming-of-age '80s show?

After only six episodes, "The Wonder Years" received its first Emmy in 1988 for "Outstanding Comedy Series." The next year, Fred Savage became the youngest actor to be nominated for the "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" Emmy category. He was only 13!

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Which sitcom featured this cast?

The theme song to “Three’s Company” was composed by Joe Raposo. Raposo also wrote the theme song for “Sesame Street” and “Electric Company”!

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Can you name this long-running show?

All of the characters on "The Simpsons" have just four fingers on each hand. The only exception is God, who has five. The long-running cartoon aired its first episode in 1989.

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What is this '80s sitcom?

Gary Wayne Coleman, who played Arnold Jackson in "Diff'rent Strokes," was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars." In addition to acting, he was a voice artist and comedian.

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Can you name this science-fiction series?

Jennifer Aniston appeared in an episode of "Quantum Leap" two years prior to the debut of "Friends." She played a volunteer at a hospital that aids Vietnam veterans.

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What's this sitcom starring Henry Winkler and Ron Howard?

When "Happy Days" creator Garry Marshall first developed the series, it was initially called "Cool." The original title did not go over very well when presented to focus groups, so he had to change the name.

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Can you name this '80s action series?

"Airwolf" was not the first television series about a helicopter. The first was "The Whirlybirds," which featured Bell 47 helicopters. "Airwolf" took a more futuristic approach to the original idea.

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What's the name of this '80s drama?

If you look closely, you can see the actor playing the corpse clearly blink his eyes in the last episode of "Cagney and Lacey." Um ... awkward.

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Can you name this show starring Neil Patrick Harris?

"Doogie Howser, M.D." premiered in 1989, and in the 1991-1992 season it had higher ratings than "Seinfeld," which aired at the same time each week. This only lasted a brief period before "Seinfeld" exploded into one of TV's greatest successes.

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Do you remember which series this character was in?

During its four seasons on CBS, the time slot of "WKRP in Cincinnati" was changed 11 times. The show was canceled in June 1982 but reruns continued and it did very well in syndication.

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Which sitcom about the Winslow family is pictured here?

"Family Matters" was actually a spinoff "Perfect Strangers." Jesse Frederick was responsible for the theme songs for both shows, as well as the themes from "Step by Step" and "Full House."

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Can you identify the series from this picture?

"Moonlighting" was the most expensive series on prime-time television during its time. It is estimated at $1.6 million per installment.

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What is this show featuring a robot child?

"Small Wonder" was a syndicated hit two years before "Star Trek: The Next Generation" premiered. Children and seniors alike were very fond of the show for the four seasons it aired.

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What is this crime drama starring Angela Lansbury?

The episode “Murder Among Friends” was a parody of the popular sitcom "Friends." In this episode, Jessica Fletcher solved a murder on the set of a fictitious sitcom called "Buds." Fletcher felt she could experiment with premises like this since she knew the show was phasing out.

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Which show introduced us to this family?

"My Two Dads" tied for a People's Choice Award in 1988 with the show "A Different World."

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What is this show featuring the Keaton clan?

Marc Price, who played the lovably annoying Irwin “Skippy” Handelman in "Family Ties," has kept his comedic tendencies going since the show ended. Price tours the country with his stand-up routines.

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Which '80s sitcom is shown in this screenshot?

In episode 22 of "Silver Spoons," in the scene between the three boys in Ricky's bedroom, you can see Rick Schroder mouthing the other actors' lines as they say them.

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Can you name this futuristic series?

Stephen Hawking is the only person in "Star Trek" history to play themselves.

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Can you identify this iconic sitcom?

The original concept for "Seinfeld" actually intended for a single 90-minute special titled "Stand Up" that was set to run for one night only on "Saturday Night Live." It wasn’t intended to be an ongoing series, but the writing was simply too good not to stick around.

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Which TV show starring David Hasselhoff is shown here?

Four to nine cars were typically ruined each season due to the extreme stunt work performed in "Knight Rider." Most of the cars required custom parts in order to be lightweight and powerful enough for the stunts.

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What is this long-running show called?

"The Jeffersons" reigns as the second longest-running American television series with a predominantly African-American cast. It first aired in 1975 and lasted 11 seasons.

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Can you name this show that was one of the longest-running sitcoms of the '80s?

"The Facts of Life" was a spinoff show for Mrs. Garrett from the hit TV show "Diff’rent Strokes." The show has been off the air for 25 years but remains a favorite for many '80s TV fans.

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What show did these colorful creatures star in?

You can find the original series "Fraggle Rock" on DVD and streaming. A new cast of Doozers were introduced to the "Fraggle Rock" universe in the Hulu Kids series that launched in 2014.

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Can you identify this sitcom about the Owens family?

Gum-chewing was not permitted on the set of "Mr. Belvedere" because star Christopher Hewett hated gum and declared this rule, which everyone followed.

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This comedy-drama series is called:

The classic symbol on the hero costume is either a needle or scissors. It also looks like the Chinese symbol which stands for "center," "middle," "in," "among" or "within." In Hong Kong, the show is called "Flying Red Center Hero."

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What is the name of this '80s family sitcom?

The oldest child in "The Cosby Show," Sondra, was not written into the original cast. Bill Cosby decided to add in Sondra's character to portray successful parenting as she was away at college. The role of Sondra was played by Whitney Houston when she was 21. Talk about a talented cast!

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What is the name of this primetime soap opera?

Little Blake Colby, Jeff and Fallon's eldest son, suffers from meningitis in the first season of "Dynasty." He was later cured, which brought Jeff and Fallon back together again.

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What's the name of this 1980s police procedural?

Johnny Depp, the undeniably hot young star of "21 Jump Street," earned $45,000 per episode! He took the role thinking it would not last very long. Little did he know the show would click with audiences immediately.

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Can you name this groundbreaking sitcom?

The breast cancer plot in the final season of "Murphy Brown" had a positive impact on viewers; it encouraged more women to get mammograms. In fact, stats showed that the number of American women who got mammograms increased by 30 percent after the show aired.

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