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Best Drama TV Series of the 1980s

Top 500 most popular Drama series that started in the 1980s

All Drama series All series from the 1980s
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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

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Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood
Pacing & structure
Humor style
Themes & subject matter
Characters & perspective
Emotional payoff
Craft & style
Format & audience
Viewing-culture clusters
Intensity & content character
500 series (top 500 shown)

The Shiralee

★ 7.5
493 2 1987–1987
Drama · Family

Lincoln

★ 7.0
491 2 1988–1988
Drama · History · War

SuperBook

★ 6.7
490 52 1981–1983
Adventure · Animation · Drama

The First Olympics: Athens 1896

★ 7.5
488 2 1984–1984
Drama · History · Sport

Rosa salvaje

★ 5.8
486 200 1987–1990
Drama · Romance

McGee and Me!

★ 7.0
483 12 1989–1992
Animation · Drama · Family

My Father's House

★ 7.0
482 7 1981–present
Drama

Scruples

★ 6.5
480 3 1980–1980
Drama · Romance

Nero Wolfe

★ 7.2
478 14 1981–1981
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Kapitan Petko Voyvoda

★ 8.8
478 12 1981–present
Drama · Western

Windmills of the Gods

★ 6.1
476 2 1988–1988
Drama · Thriller

Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House

★ 7.6
472 8 1985–1985
Crime · Drama

Ich heirate eine Familie...

★ 7.7
471 14 1983–1986
Comedy · Drama

Blitzkrieg Squadron Changeman

★ 8.2
467 55 1985–1986
Action · Adventure · Drama

Private Schulz

★ 8.0
466 6 1981–1981
Comedy · Crime · Drama

Protivostoyanie

★ 8.0
466 6 1985–1985
Crime · Drama · Mystery

Second Chance

★ 3.7
463 6 1981–1981
Drama

Sidekicks

★ 7.1
461 23 1986–1987
Crime · Drama · Family

Clementine's Enchanted Journey

★ 8.5
460 39 1985–1987
Adventure · Animation · Drama

Night Heat

★ 7.5
459 96 1985–1989
Crime · Drama

Chocky

★ 7.6
457 6 1984–1984
Drama · Sci-Fi

Hold the Dream

★ 6.4
454 4 1986–1987
Drama · Romance

Hooperman

★ 7.0
454 42 1987–1989
Comedy · Drama

Darkness

★ 8.9
448 7 1988–present
Drama
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