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Published Jan 30, 2026, 5:18 PM EST
Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada.
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The word "cheesy" is used to describe media that is generally considered kitschy, contrived, and cliché. It generally means that the medium in question lacks originality and is so overdone that it's more likely to get an eye-roll than the intended emotional response. Still, cheesy media can have its perks, as sometimes this over reliance on tried and true formulas can result in something that is so bad it's good.
One of the best decades for cheesy TV shows was the 1980s. The decade was very focused on creating fun, escapist shows through sitcoms, over-the-top action shows, and cartoons that acted as glorified toy commercials. Thus, there are a number of shows full of cheesy writing, but they're just as lovable now as they were when they came out.
1 'Manimal' (1983)
Image via NBCDr Jonathan Chase (Simon MacCorkindale) is a young, handsome university professor who can transform into any animal at will. He shares this knowledge with only two people: his best friend Tyrone C. Earl (Glynn Turman and Michael D. Roberts), and Brooke Mackenzie (Melody Anderson), a police detective. Johnathan would use his powers to help Brooke with her cases, transforming into various animals based on the situation, though his reliable fallbacks are a hawk and panther.
Manimal only lasted eight episodes during its initial run, but has developed a cult following over the decades thanks to how goofy it is. The premise does have some potential, but it's let down by the laughably bad effects for the time, and the hilarious inconsistency of Jonathan's clothing always miraculously reforming when he becomes human despite ripping during his transformation. Still, this ineptitude adds to the show's enjoyability if you're a fan of so-bad-it's-good shlock, and the actors can still turn in decent performances with what they're given.
2 'Small Wonder' (1985–1989)
Image via Metroland Video ProductionsTed Lawson (Dick Christie) is a robotics engineer living with his wife Joan (Marla Pennington) and son Jamie (Jerry Supiran). One day, he invents the Voice Input Child Identicant, nicknamed Vickie (Tiffany Brissette), an android that looks and acts like a young girl, and integrates her into the family so she can learn human behavior. Unfortunately, the Lawsons are neighbored by Brandon Brindle (William Bogert), Ted's boss who is always trying to steal his inventions, and his nosy daughter Harriet (Emily Schulman), so Ted has his hands full keeping Vickie's identity a secret.
Small Wonder doesn't do much to innovate either science-fiction or sitcom writing, but that was never its goal. It's a light-hearted and fun affair that proved to be a major hit with young children around the world, even if its derivative writing and questionable child acting earned it plenty of scorn from critics at the time. Nowadays, it's one of those forgotten shows from the 1980s, but it does deserve some recognition for lasting as long as it did, and for making the most of its silly premise and shoestring budget.
3 'The Greatest American Hero' (1981–1983)
Image via ABCRalph Hinkley (William Katt) is a kind-hearted school teacher who is given a power suit by aliens. The aliens point him towards FBI Special Agent Bill Maxwell (Robert Culp), who intends to use Ralph to help fight crime with the powers granted to him by the suit. Unfortunately, Ralph loses the instruction manual, meaning that he has to unlock the suit's numerous powers via trial and error.
The primary legacy of The Greatest American Hero is its theme song—"Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)"—which managed to reach 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. As for the show itself, it's still a lot of fun, thanks in large part to Katt's performance as Ralph. He's just so lovable as a protagonist, thanks to his upbeat attitude, his bumbling antics as he tries to unlock his suit's powers, and for being an everyman-type character that audiences could relate to.
4 'Voyagers!' (1982–1983)
Image via NBCPhineas Bogg (Jon-Erik Hexum) is a member of the Voyagers, a secret group of time travelers who correct changes to the timeline to ensure history plays out as intended. When his time-travel device, called the Omni, malfunctions, Phineas finds himself in 1982, where he loses his guidebook and picks up a young boy named Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce). Fortunately for Phineas, Jeffrey is a history buff, and tells Phineas how history is supposed to play out so they can correct any anomalies.
Voyagers! was another short-lived NBC sci-fi show, but its premise and the strength of its main actors makes up for its shortcomings. Phineas and Jeffrey have a very fun relationship, especially with Jeffrey being the more knowledgeable and focused one who often has to keep Phineas on track. Each episode also ended with Meeno Peluce encouraging kids to follow-up on the history they saw in the episode, which gets in the mandatory PSA that was common in kid's shows at the time.
5 'ALF' (1986–1990)
Image via NBCFollowing a nuclear war that destroyed the planet Melmec, Orbital Guardsman Gordon Shumway (Paul Fusco) crash lands on Earth. He is taken in by the Tanners, a Californian suburban family led by their social-worker father, Willie (Max Wright), who nickname him ALF for "alien life form." They keep ALF hidden from the government while he tries to get his spaceship fixed, during which time they come to care for their new extraterrestrial house guest, even if he causes problems from time to time.
ALF did very little to differentiate itself from other shows about families caring for aliens, and is often talked about today due to how miserable its production was. However, it still managed to capture the hearts of a generation due to the strength of ALF as a character. His sarcastic quips and love-hate relationship with Willie gave the show plenty of great laughs and sentimental moments, while Fusco's puppet work made the character feel alive and added heart and soul to what could have easily been a silly visual.
6 'The A-Team' (1983–1987)
Image via NBCAfter being sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit, Lieutenant Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard), Lieutenant Templeton "Face" Peck (Tim Dunigan and Dirk Benedict), Captain H. M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), and Sergeant First Class Bosco "B.A." Baracus (Mr. T), break out and go on the run. Operating out of their GMC Vandura van, they turn to the life of mercenaries. When not taking contracts, the team tried to find ways to clear their name.
The A-Team is one of those action shows that doesn't even try for an ounce of realism and instead encourages the audience to kick back, have fun, and don't think too hard about it. Be it a hail of bullets, car crashes, or explosions, nobody ever dies or gets seriously wounded, and the team is able to cobble together powerful makeshift weapons that overpower professional military equipment. Yet when you combine this over-the-top violence with fantastic camaraderie between the four main characters, the end result is nothing short of one of the most iconic action shows ever made, even if it's beyond silly.
7 'MacGyver' (1985–1992)
Image via ABCAngus MacGiver (Richard Dean Anderson) is an agent working for the U.S. government, often traveling the world to recover sensitive information, deal with enemy spies, or help out old friends. Due to watching his childhood friend's death via firearms, MacGyver refuses to handle any guns, instead using his intelligence to find nonlethal solutions to his missions. Thanks to his vast knowledge of the physical sciences, MacGyver can also produce anything he needs by combining basic household items.
MacGyver delighted audiences with its ingenious protagonist, and everyone was eager to see what he'd create each episode. Of course, many of his solutions weren't scientifically possible, but they were pulled off with such conviction that audiences were encouraged to just go with the flow. Today, the name MacGyver is used to describe achieving the impossible.
8 'The Transformers' (1984–1987)
On the planet Cybertron, two factions of sentient robots called the Autobots and Decepticons have waged an eons-long war with no clear victor in sight. One battle sees two of their ships crash-land on ancient Earth, where they remain in stasis until re-awakening in the 1980s. Using their powers to transform into earth vehicles, the Autobots and Decepticons continue the war, with the Autobots making human allies while the Decepticons try to conquer the planet and drain Earth of its resources.
The Transformers began life as a show designed to sell toys, but morphed into one of the most recognizable franchises in the world. The original show, now called G1, still holds up beautifully thanks to the simple yet stylistic designs of the Transformers, the strong voice acting, and solid character work that has turned individuals like Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Megatron (Frank Welker) and Starscream (Chris Latta) into pop-culture icons. It does show its age in a few places, such as the corny dialogue, repetitive plots, and bloated cast as new characters were added to increase toy sales.
9 'Full House' (1987–1995)
Image via ABCSports anchor Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) is the proud father of three daughters—young girls Donna Jo aka D.J. (Candace Cameron) and Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and baby Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). After his wife is killed by a drunk driver, Danny turns to his music-loving brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and his best friend and stand-up comedian Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier), for help. The two men move in with Danny to help look after the girls, leading to years of wacky hijinks that get more complex as the girls grow up.
Full House is the perfect comfort show: it was never very well-written, but there's a certain sincerity to it that kept audiences coming back for more. It had all the staples of a cheesy sitcom, from Danny always having the perfect speech to give to his daughters to Michelle growing into a catchphrase spouting little kid. And yet, as cheesy as it is, it's also hard not to feel a tug on the heartstrings whenever the cast comes together as a family, and many of its best episodes still hold up today.
10 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' (1983–1984)
Image via Filmation AssociatesOn the planet Eternia, where science and magic blend together, lives Price Adam (John Erwin), son of King Randor (Erik Gunden) and Queen Marlena (Linda Gary), who rule Eternia from Castle Grayskull. They are constantly under attack by the evil mage Skeletor (Alan Oppenheimer), who seeks to conquer Grayskull and enhance his magic to the point where he can rule all of Eternia uncontested. Fortunately, Adam was gifted the Sword of Power by Grayskull's Sorceress (Linda Gary), allowing him to transform into the superpowered He-Man.
Is there any show that better summed up 1980s cheese than He-Man and the Masters of the Universe? It had it all: corny one-liners, mandatory PSAs, tie-in toys, formulaic plots, and a cheap budget that resulted in stiff, minimal animation. And yet it all comes together perfectly in an iconic source of clean, fun entertainment that spawned a franchise still going strong today, and remains the pinnacle of 1980s cartoons.
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