Classic TV Themes: Sitcoms of the 80s

Delving back into the recesses of my mind for another frivolity break. All of these videos are openings to shows that were great at first. . .and then went on for far too long. In their heyday, they were immensely enjoyable, and full of talent.

#1 - It's a Living - This show was only a modest performer in the ratings, but had tons of potential. So, after it was cancelled by the network, it was picked up for syndication, and went on. And on. It was a lot of fun for the first couple of years, and then they rotated casts (and titles) to the point where the show just ran out of gas. It couldn't go on without Ann Jillian. Great theme song, though!

#2 - Perfect Strangers - This was the 80s, male version of Laverne & Shirley. Great physical comedy, outright hilarious sometimes. And then it got stale. Really stale. How long could Balki stay a fish out of water? When they brought in wives, and a (shared) house, and made it part of the childish "TGIF" lineup, it was finally put out to pasture.

#3 - Valerie - A case of a show that was killed by a contract dispute. Valerie Harper is one of the most underrated comedy performers of all time, willing to be the "straight man" to others' hijinks. After a tussle over salary or some such, she was killed off, and replaced by the (inferior for this show, but good otherwise) Sandy Duncan. The show went through three names before it was cancelled--years later. Bonus: Season 1 and 2, plus end credits.

#4 - Family Ties - Definitely the highest rated (by viewers and critics) of this list, Family Ties was one of my favorites at the time. But like most high-rated, long-running shows, the young kid got less cute. So, they brought in a baby and then miraculously aged him four years in a single season. The theme song was great though, and has some of the best editing, with images in time to the music.