S01E01 Miracle on Ice
The 1980s begins with an Olympic Hockey game that lifts America's spirits; Ronald Reagan battles Bruce Springsteen; and a sitcom helps invent the yuppie.
The '80s Greatest
S01E05: America Gets Wired
In the '80s, networks like CNN help drive the stratospheric rise of cable. The 24-hour news channel's coverage of John Lennon's death at the start of the 80s and the rescue of baby Jessica McClure near the end cemented its place in viewers' homes. Niche channels are spawned, including MTV, QVC and many televangelism networks. The downfall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker becomes must-see TV.
Overview
A challenging and stimulating view of one of history's most enigmatic periods, shining a light on the people and events that shaped the decade while illuminating the trends that helped design our future.
Episodes
S01E02 Passion for Profit
In the '80s, doing what you love can turn your passion into profit; new technology creates new opportunities; and capitalism gets a conscience.
S01E03 Family Values
In the '80s, family values undergo a huge makeover, as depicted in films and sitcoms, despite President Reagan's best attempts to stop it.
S01E04 The Culture Clash
A generation of kids express themselves by breaking all the rules, takes on '80s conservative America in the ultimate pop culture clash.
S01E05 America Gets Wired
In the '80s, networks like CNN help drive the stratospheric rise of cable. The 24-hour news channel's coverage of John Lennon's death at the start of the 80s and the rescue of baby Jessica McClure...
S01E06 I Want It All
In the early 1980s America emerges from a recession and goes straight into an era of conspicuous consumption. Widely available credit cards spark a spending frenzy and competing brands battle to make a sale. Sex,...
S01E07 New Dynasty
For American women in the 1980s, life is not easy. Bullied by their bosses or stuck at home, they find unlikely inspiration and support from stars of the stage and screen. Eighties icons like Madonna,...
S01E08 Greed Is Good
The '80s, when nothing succeeds like excess. In Texas, a fictional oil millionaire's lifestyle captures the world's imagination and even changes the world. On Wall Street, a new philosophy breeds a new kind of capitalist,...
S01E09 It's a Small World
In the '80s, shrinking gadgets and new technology bring the world together in unexpected ways but also trigger fears of Japanese economic might.
S01E10 Walls Come Down
In the late '80s, the Berlin Wall embodies the Cold War, but change is in the air and (with some unexpected help from popular culture) it come crashing down.
Cast
Huey Morgan
Narrator
