In many ways, the 80s were a golden age for sitcoms. Their popularity during that decade was unquestioned, and many shows and their characters have become an indelible part of television history.
However, what was once deemed entertaining, humorous, or appropriate in the 80s has changed drastically in the modern age. Some shows, although considered classics, may sport characters whose personalities and outlook may be considered dated or offensive by today’s standards. Conversely, there are some characters who have stood the test of time and retained their endearing and amusing qualities.
Aged Poorly: Charley Dietz – Empty Nest
A spin-off of The Golden Girls, Empty Nest focused on the life of Harry Weston, the girls’ next-door neighbor. Harry’s other next-door neighbor was Charley Dietz, a purser and cruise ship employee played by David Leisure, of “Joe Isuzu” fame.
Charley was a typical “mimbo” (to borrow a phrase from a popular ‘90s sitcom), whose good looks made him popular with the ladies. Unfortunately, his intellect was not that developed, nor were his attitudes towards women. His pursuit of women as simple pleasures and overtly sexist attitudes would not sail well through today’s television seascape.
Aged Well: Tony Micelli – Who’s The Boss?
When Tony Micelli’s shoulder injury forced him out of Major League baseball, he took a job as a live-in housekeeper to provide a better life for his daughter, Samantha. Living with his employer, advertising executive Angela Bower, almost immediately ignited the sparks of sexual tension that sustained Who’s the Boss for most of its run.
The series played with gender roles and presented Tony (played by Tony Danza) as a sensitive, caring and capable father who could be tough, rather than stereotypically having to be so. Such a character would be a welcome change from the well-meaning buffoons populating sitcom fatherhood roles these days.
Aged Poorly: ALF – ALF
ALF was one of the more eccentric offerings of NBC’s 80s primetime lineup, as well as one of the most successful and memorable. The series revolved around an alien who crash-landed in a suburban California garage and decided to stay with the family whose roof he ruined.
Nicknamed “ALF” (for Alien Life Form), he spent most of his days watching television, chasing the family cat, and making wry and sarcastic comments at various family members’ expense. As innovative as it once seemed, the effects and humor of the show do not stand the test of time, seeming forced and contrived from a contemporary standpoint. However, a reboot might successfully update the concept for a modern audience.
Aged Well: Mr. Belvedere – Mr. Belvedere
Mr. Belvedere was a show about a British butler of the same name who moved in with an American family as their live-in servant. Although Mr. Belvedere performed tasks such as cooking and housecleaning, his real value to the Owens family was as a source of wisdom and inspiration.
His vast experience living an eventful and colorful life allowed him to steer every member of the Owens family through whatever crisis they happened to be undergoing, especially the youngest and most incorrigible member, Wesley. Seeing the burgeoning friendship develop between these two is heartening, even after all these years.
Aged Poorly: Chrissy Snow – Three’s Company
If there’s one character who epitomized a stereotype to a tee, it’s Three’s Company’s Chrissy Snow. Played by Suzanne Somers, Chrissy was the queen of the “dumb blondes,” often requiring extensive explanations to demystify even the most elementary of concepts.
Catching reruns of Three’s Company reaffirms how far audiences have come in terms of what they find funny, as Chrissy’s sheer stupidity is grating more often than hilarious. Thankfully today, a talented and attractive actress does not necessarily have to play to cliched stereotypes to gain laughs or success.
Aged Well: Mr. Drummond – Diff’rent Strokes
The world doesn’t move to the beat of just one drum, and thankfully so, or audiences may never have been introduced to the family dynamics of the Jacksons and the Drummonds on Diff’rent Strokes. Rooted in the premise of two young Black boys being adopted by a wealthy white widower, following the death of their mother, Diff’rent Strokes broke boundaries and transcended racial barriers.
Modern-day viewings highlight the divide between what contemporary audiences and those of the 80s found funny, but the idea of a compassionate millionaire taking in two orphans is an exemplary pick-me-up the world sorely needs!
Aged Poorly: Sledge Hammer – Sledge Hammer!
Sledge Hammer! was a short-lived but memorable sitcom about a maverick police officer, his by-the-book partner, and his long-suffering captain. The character of Sledge Hammer himself was a caricature of the over-the-top, renegade police officers of 80s films like Eastwood’s “Dirty” Harry or Stallone’s Cobra, though dialed up to a million.
Sledge was so violent, he blew up a building to stop a sniper perched on top of it. He was also a misogynist, believing women to be incapable of police work, despite his female partner being the only competent element of their team. Suffice it to say, despite the series being pure satire, it’s doubtful Sledge Hammer! would be accepted by audiences today.
Aged Well: Mrs. Garrett – The Facts Of Life
80s sitcoms were chock-full of wise supporting characters who would steer the main characters in the right direction whenever they needed help. Perhaps the most well-known and beloved of these sagacious characters was Mrs. Garrett, the housemother of the girls of the Eastland Boarding School on The Facts of Life.
Mrs. Garrett always seemed to have the right advice for her girls for whatever problem they had and doled it out with patience, compassion, and the girls’ best interests at heart. Her calm sense of fortitude and rectitude is something today’s television audiences can still appreciate.
Aged Poorly: Dan Fielding – Night Court
The 80s were a decade focused on financial success, as typified by Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko, who famously remarked that “greed is good.” Perhaps no sitcom character exemplified that credo more than Night Court’s resident Assistant District Attorney, Dan Fielding.
Dan was never above stepping over anyone for his personal gain, as he did when trying to use some insider information to bamboozle a real estate developer out of some prime property. Aside from that, Dan was a sarcastic and caustic sex maniac who held little regard for women and who frequently crossed boundaries with his colleague, Christine Sullivan. For his smarmy self-centeredness and sexist behavior, Dan Fielding is best left a relic of the 80s.
Aged Well: Blanche, Sophia, Rose & Dorothy – The Golden Girls
If there’s one sitcom that’s stood the test of time, it’s The Golden Girls. Although some of the jokes and comedy may be dated, there’s no discounting that the observational humor and sarcasm spouted by the main characters hold up to this day.
The sitcom was risque with many of its one-liners and situational predicaments and was ahead of its time with its treatment of homosexuality and its depiction of life and sex after 50. There’s much to find funny and relevant in this series, from Sophia’s old-world and wry wisdom and Dorothy’s sarcastic observations to Blanche’s sexy and sultry self-confidence and Rose’s good-natured charm.
