The Most Popular TV Episodes of the 1980s

This British sci-fi sitcom, which trails a mining ship into deep space, retains a loyal cult following. Its second-ever episode sends ‘echoes’ (i.e. events) back from the future after the spaceship breaks the light barrier. The show’s creators credit the episode with saving the series itself.

This two-part pilot episode follows mystery writer Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) to New York to celebrate the publication of her first novel. When she attends a lavish costume ball, one of the guests is murdered. Then and for many episodes to come, Fletcher must put her amateur sleuthing skills to the test.

The Federation starship Enterprise-D partakes in an officer exchange program in this highly rated episode of the hit sci-fi series. Now serving aboard a Klingon vessel, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) must grapple with an unexpected showdown against his own crew. The episode received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Series.

The 29th episode of this Japanese anime series pits the protagonist Goku against the elite warrior Nappa in an explosive battle. Its kinetic animation style and thrilling visuals would characterize the entire series run. A loose translation of the episode’s title is “Father is Awesome! Kaio-ken, the Ultimate Finishing Technique.”

This feature-length episode aired after the 20th season finale and doubled as a 20th anniversary special of the beloved sci-fi series. It lifts all the respective incarnations (i.e. actors) of The Doctor from their concurrent time streams and puts them in the same place. The Marvel blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home” would employ a similar plot device about 30 years later.

Goku and ultimate rival Vegeta square off over the fate of the Earth in this classic episode, the 30th of the series. Its title roughly translates to “A Hot, Unbounded Battle! Goku versus Vegeta.”

In the penultimate episode of the first season, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew must ward off a deadly alien invasion. It won an Emmy for Best Makeup and featured scenes so graphic that they were cut from certain international broadcasts.

One of the show’s most iconic episodes follows sentient android Data into the holodeck, where he takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes. When a holographic Professor Moriarty becomes self-aware, the virtual role-playing is no longer a game.

A series of animated shorts on “The Tracey Ullman Show” gave way to this holiday-themed pilot episode and the legacy that followed. Introducing the Simpson family to a much wider audience, it finds Bart getting a tattoo and Homer working as Santa at the local mall. This was the show’s only episode to premiere in the 1980s.

One of the decade’s most popular sitcoms kicked things off with this acclaimed pilot episode. Former baseball player Sam Malone (Ted Danson) opens the Cheers bar in Boston and welcomes a host of recurring characters. Among them is Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), who takes a waitress job at the bar by the end of the episode.

This highly-rated episode continues the fight between noble warrior Goku and the powerful Saiyan nemesis Vegeta. The title roughly translates to “Now, Goku! A Final Technique with Everything on the Line” / “Goku vs. Vegeta…A Saiyan Duel!” It was the 31st episode of the first season, which consisted of 39 episodes in total.

This feature-length pilot episode set the stage and tone for one of the decade’s most iconic crime dramas. Miami detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and New York cop Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) begrudgingly join forces as they hunt for a ruthless drug dealer. The episode won Emmy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing.

Season two of this British sitcom takes place during the Elizabethan era, with Rowan Atkinson portraying Edmund, Lord Blackadder. Its top-rated opener finds Blackadder grappling with feelings of attraction toward his manservant, who’s actually a woman in disguise.

The only season of “Dragon Ball Z” to air in the 1980s yielded no shortage of beloved episodes, including this one. Alternately known as ​​”Goku’s Arrival,” it delivers epic showdowns between key characters such as Goku and Nappa.

The third season of “Red Dwarf” opened with this classic episode. After traveling through a hole in space, Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie) and Kryten (Robert Llewellyn) land on an alternate Earth where time runs in reverse. Introducing new cast members and better production values, the episode was a turning point for the series.

The fourth season of the “Blackadder” sitcom takes place against the backdrop of WWI and stars Atkinson as a British soldier. In the fourth episode, the title character enlists in the Flying Corps only to get shot down by Germans more or less immediately.

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” made up the first two seasons of a broader series adaptation in the UK. This highly-rated episode puts the world-famous detective (Jeremy Brett) in the deadly crosshairs of arch-nemesis Moriarity. It was the last episode to star actor David Burke as Dr. Watson.

In the second episode of the fourth season, Captain Blackadder (Atkinson) ignores an important order and then eats the pigeon that delivered it. A violation of military law, the impulsive act lands the comic character in all kinds of hot water.

Rock star Ted Nugent plays dangerous criminal Charlie Basset in this gripping season two episode. Detective Crockett is hot on Basset’s tail as the story builds toward a violent conclusion. The final six minutes are considered to be one of the show’s most quintessential sequences.

Over a decade after its premiere, the dramedy series “M*A*S*H” concluded with this feature-length finale. It takes place during the last days of the Korean War and shows how each character was forever changed by the experience. A record-breaking TV event, it was reportedly seen by over 120 million viewers.

Powerful being Q (John de Lancie) flings the Federation starship Enterprise-D into deep space just to prove a point in this second season episode. Light years away from home, the Starfleet crew encounters the Borg race for the first time.

Alternately known as “Northwest Passage,” the pilot episode of this surreal mystery drama basically doubles as a David Lynch film. What begins with the murder of high schooler Laura Palmer becomes something far more sinister and even supernatural as the story unfolds. A phenomenon in its own right, the series helped blaze a trail for later shows like “The X-Files.”

This seminal episode explores themes that have only become more prescient in the time since. When Data refuses to undergo a dangerous procedure, it gives way to a fierce debate on the nature of man vs machine. Is Data a piece of property or is he a sentient being with individual rights?

The beloved British comedy series concluded with this final episode, in which Captain Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) feigns insanity to avoid a death sentence. It was widely considered a darker and more dramatic episode than its predecessors. Atkinson would reprise the role a decade later for the 1999 short film “Blackadder: Back & Forth.”

This acclaimed British sitcom,, which ran primarily in the 1980s, followed two working class brothers through various get-rich-quick schemes. Its top-rated episode was one among many Christmas specials and it centers on an annual trip to the seaside town of Margate. Chaos ensues, naturally.