If David Letterman can have his Top 10 lists, why can't I?
The following are 16 such lists chronicling the ups and downs of television during the 1980s, including my personal picks for the very best miniseries, made-for-TV movies and drama and comedy series of the decade. Maybe you'll agree with my perspective; more likely, you'll have some views of your own. But let's compare notes and see how we've seen what we've seen on TV.10 SERIES THAT SHAPED TELEVISION
1. The Cosby Show (NBC): They were saying that situation comedy was dead - and then the Cos came along and single-handedly resurrected it.
2. Hill Street Blues (NBC): Never a big ratings winner, the Blues started NBC on its rise to network prominence as the home of "quality" television.
3. Dallas (CBS): This may have been the decade's most talked-about series, with controversies ranging from "Who Shot J.R.?" to the infamous "dream" season.
4. Nightline (ABC): Born during the Iranian hostage crisis, this became the thinking person's newscast - an opinion leader if ever there was one.
5. Entertainment Tonight (Syndicated): The first of the "infotainment" series, TV news divisions began emulating its flashy, high-gloss style.
6. Miami Vice (NBC): Sure, it was a classic case of style over substance. But what style it had, influencing fashion and form from socks to shaving.
7. Family Ties (NBC): The first "yuppie" series, the Keatons brought the traditional family back to prime time and made a mega-star of Michael J. Fox.
8. Roseanne (ABC): Not since Archie Bunker has America so lovingly embraced a TV character who wears a blue collar.
9. Moonlighting (ABC): It didn't have much staying power, but it was hot long enough to convince the creative community that form-breaking could be fun.
10. Married . . . With Children (Fox): Going into the 1990s, no series is hotter or more likely to be emulated. Frightening, isn't it?
10 STARS WHO SHONE BRIGHTEST
1. Bill Cosby: In 10 short years he moved from the Prince of Pudding Pops to the King of Prime Time. No one on television is richer or more powerful.
2. Oprah Winfrey: More than just a popular talk show host, she is now an influential producer, star, role model and Controller of Her Own Destiny.
3. Larry Hagman: While not packing the same punch these days, in the early 1980s he ruled prime time with a wink and a grin.
4. Roseanne Barr: Loud? Yep. Obnoxious? You bet. But has anyone commanded more attention during the past two years? No way.
5. Geraldo Rivera: The serious journalist has become the Sultan of Sleaze, the ringleader of an entire TV genre known as "tabloid television."
6. Joan Rivers: Her rise and fall was a big story in the '80s, and her comeback looks like a story worth watching going into the '90s.
7. Tom Selleck: Matinee idol handsome with more charm than the law should allow, the star of "Magnum, P.I." was adored by fans and TV critics alike.
8. Farrah Fawcett: Charlie's favorite "Angel" and the poster girl of the early '80s became a serious and respected actress by decade's end.
9. Peter Jennings: The rise of Jennings has meant the rise of ABC's "World News Tonight" from third place to the top of the heap.
10. Vanna White: With no more talent than it takes to smile, point and turn letters, the "Wheel of Fortune" spun out big numbers for Vanna.
10 STARS BEHIND-THE-SCENES
1. Ted Turner: You may not like the man's bodacious audaciousness, but you can't deny his role as Moses leading the Children of Cable to television's Promised Land.
2. Brandon Tartikoff: His creative and energetic programming approach is the reason so many people associated with NBC are naming their sons Brandon.
3. Grant Tinker: The former MTM boss may have been the real genius behind NBC's rise to power, with his emphasis on "quality" TV and his patience with late-bloomers like "Family Ties" and "Hill Street Blues."
4. Steven Bochco: Take away Bochco-produced series like "Hill Street Blues," "L.A. Law" and "Doogie Howser" and '80s TV looks less interesting.
5. Marcy Carsey-Tom Werner: The producers of "Cosby," "Roseanne" and "Different World" are dominating prime time in the late '80s.
6. Joan Ganz Cooney: Her Children's Television Workshop continues to inform and entertain with "Square One TV" joining the "Sesame Street" family.
7. Dan Curtis: He spent most of the decade producing "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance," a remarkable achievement logistically and artistically.
8. Stephen J. Cannell: TV's most prolific producer gave us "The A-Team," "Riptide," "Wiseguy," "Hunter" and "21 Jump Street," among others.
9. Roone Arledge: The man who re-invented TV sports coverage tried his hand with news, leading ABC News to the top by the end of 1989.
10. David Wolper: The King of the Miniseries has fallen on hard times lately, but early in the decade his name was absolute magic.
10 TRENDS THAT ChANGED TV
1. Prime time soap operas: In the early '80s, "Dallas" and "Dynasty" ruled prime time with passion, power and lots of steamy sex.
2. Family comedy: "Family Ties" and "The Cosby Show" made gentle family comedy respectable - even desirable - again.
3. Docudramas: The prime time documentary may have died, but it was replaced with the made-for-TV movie based on real-life events. Some questioned the way they sometimes played loosey-goosey with the facts, but no one doubted their appeal to the masses.
4. Miniseries: The form took a beating during the '80s, starting out as the future of television and ending up as something of a dinosaur. Still, there were some highlights, starting out with "Shogun" and "The Thorn Birds" and ending up with "Lonesome Dove" and "War and Remembrance."
5. Reality programming: Tired of fantasy, the American public responded to programs like "Unsolved Mysteries" and "America's Most Wanted" that brought real-life into their living rooms.
6. Trash TV: The boundaries of acceptability - and good taste - were challenged by the likes of Geraldo Rivera, Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey with shows that brought everything out of the closet for enquiring minds, who wanted to know.
7. Prime time sleaze: Movies, miniseries and series all got into the act when it came to challenging television's taboos.
8. Infotainment: Is it news or entertainment? No one seemed to know, as shows like "Entertainment Tonight" and "USA Today" popped up to make TV news take a hard look at its ability to dazzle.
9. Dramadies: The trend of half-hour film series that were part drama, part comedy didn't last long, unfortunately. But it did have some wonderful moments with "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," "Frank's Place," "Hooperman" and "Slap Maxwell."
10. News dramatizations: Network and local news departments continue to struggle with a new trend toward dramatic recreations of news events, a device that further blurs the thin line that separates TV news from entertainment.
10 TECHNOLOGIES THAT REVOLUTIONIZED TV
1. Cable television: The rise of cable changed viewing patterns and the business of television. For viewers it meant more options than ever before. For the networks, it mean tough competition for viewers - and advertising dollars.
2. Remote control: Much to the horror of advertisers, the remote control made it easier for viewers to channel-hop during commercial breaks, or to follow two or three programs at the same time.
3. The VCR: For the first time, viewers could program their own television watching. By time taping programs they couldn't watch over the air, VCR owners could watch what they wanted to watch, when they wanted to watch it. And they could fast-forward through commercials, or eliminate them altogether.
4. Portable satellite uplinks: Satellite trucks made it possible for local television news operations to cover breaking events just like the big boys on the networks - no matter where it was happening.
5. First-run syndication: Suddenly local stations and cable services weren't reliant on off-network re-runs for their programming. First-run programs like "Wheel of Fortune" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" gave stations real clout with viewers and advertisers.
6. Stereo television: While never the technological breakthrough its developers promised, stereo nonetheless made home video viewing more satisfying and entertaining.
7. Closed-captioning: This boon to the hearing-impaired makes the wonders of television more accessible to millions of viewers.
8. Big-screen TV: Larger screens with better pictures are prompting thousands of American families to design theaters for their own homes that are almost as big and certainly more comfortable than those cracker box mall movie theaters.
9. High-definition TV: Actually, this is an innovation for the '90s. But the clearer, sharper picture it promises is the technological talk of the late '80s.
10. Microwave popcorn: OK, so maybe it doesn't have anything to do with TV. But it's sure a hit around the Walker house when it's time to fire up the ol' Motorola.
10 IMAGES WE'LL NEVER FORGET
1. The Challenger explosion.
2. The Iranian hostages coming home.
3. The Berlin Wall being torn down by jubilant citizens.
4. Bobby Ewing emerging from the shower.
5. A single Chinese student facing down oncoming tanks.
6. Geraldo Rivera being hit in the nose with a chair.
7. Ronald Reagan ducking into his car after being shot.
8. Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone's vault - and finding it empty.
9. Ronald Reagan holding his hand to his ear as helicopter engines drown out the sound of Sam Donaldson's shouted questions.
10. Jimmy Swaggart's tearful television confession.
10 PHRASES THAT'LL TAKE US BACK TO THE '80s
1. Where's the beef?
2. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!
3. You look mah-velous, dahling. Simply mah-velous.
4. Courage.
5. Let's be careful out there.
6. Which one of you (expletive deleted) is my mother?
7. Noo-oorm!
8. This is my brother Darryl and my other brother Darryl.
9. Can we talk?
10. As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
10 CHARACTERS WHO HELPED DEFINE THE AMERICAN MALE OF THE '80s
1. J.R. Ewing
2. Cliff Huxtable
3. Thomas Magnum
4. Remington Steele
5. David Addison
6. Max Headroom
7. Hulk Hogan
8. Mr. T
9. Pee-wee Herman
10. ALF
10 CHARACTERS WHO HELPED DEFINE THE AMERICAN FEMALE OF THE '80s
1. Alexis Carrington Colby, etc.
2. Christine Cagney
3. Marybeth Lacey
4. Molly Dodd
5. Jennifer Marlowe
6. Roseanne Conner
7. Elyse Keaton
8. Jill Munroe
9. Peg Bundy
10. Murphy Brown
10 NEWSCASTERS WHO USED TO WORK HERE, AND ARE MISSED
1. Kathleen Sullivan (KTVX)
2. Jim Nantz (KSL)
3. Randall Carlisle (KUTV)
4. Karen Carns (KTVX)
5. Charlene Brown (KUTV)
6. Janice Waibel (KSL)
7. Carl Arky (KUTV)
8. Rebecca Reheis (KTVX)
9. Mike Watkiss (KTVX)
10. Richard Bingham (KSL)
10 SHOWS THAT DESERVED BETTER THAN THEY GOT
1. Frank's Place: By continually moving this dramady in an attempt to help it find an audience, CBS admittedly killed it with kindness.
2. A Year in the Life: Stunning writing and Emmy-winning performances weren't enough to save this brilliant NBC series.
3. WKRP in Cincinnati: See "Frank's Place," above.
4. Call to Glory: See "A Year in the Life," above (only substitute ABC for NBC).
5. The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd: Tartikoff acknowledged that he never understood this program. Maybe those enjoying it now on Lifetime do.
6. Our World: Linda Ellerbee performed admirably in an impossible time period (opposite "Cosby"). But obviously, not admirably enough.
7. The Ellen Burstyn Show: This quirky, funny series was anchored to the ill-conceived "Life With Lucy." And unfortunately, it went down with it.
8. Lou Grant: Ed Asner's outspoken political stands prompted CBS to kill the best newspaper series ever in its prime.
9. Starman: Not a great show, but a loyal following continues to mourn its passing.
10. Melba: Yeah, this probably deserved cancellation. But after only one week?
10 SHOWS THAT GOT BETTER THAN THEY DESERVED
1. The A-Team: NBC says this show started its rise to the top. I say it ended its stay on the bottom.
2. Dukes of Hazzard: What can you say about a series in which the cars are better actors than their drivers?
3. Falcon Crest: Does anybody really watch this show? If it weren't for its pairing with "Dallas," this turkey wouldn't have lasted as long as "Melba."
4. A Different World: Take this simple-minded sitcom out of the "Cosby" shadow it has thrived in and it shrivels up and dies.
5. Dynasty: Any show that can make stars out of non-talents like Linda Evans and Joan Collins can't be all bad. Or can it?
6. Growing Pains: I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. Why is this show so popular?
7. The Facts of Life: The fact is, this show had no life.
8. The Jeffersons: A monument to bad writing and overacting.
9. Alice: I'll say this for it: It was the best show ever set in an Arizona diner.
10. Who's The Boss?: Please see "Growing Pains," above.
The 10 BEST MINISERIES OF THE DECADE
1. Lonesome Dove: Not only did this magnificent miniseries help revive interest in the Western, it may have saved the bacon of the entire miniseries genre.
2. Shogun: Richard Chamberlain established himself as major miniseries star in this 12-hour, six-part adaptation of James Clavell's best seller set in feudal Japan.
3. The Thorn Birds: The Chamberlain magic continued with this 10-hour dramatization of Colleen McCullough's romantic novel about a charismatic Australian priest.
4. The Jewel in the Crown: PBS presented this smashing BBC epic about the end of British reign in India. This is the high-water mark for PBS in the '80s.
5. War and Remembrance: An epic in scope and accomplishment, this continuation of "Winds of War" showed us the Herman Wouk story at its best.
6. Masada: Peter O'Toole, Peter Strauss, David Warner and Anthony Quayle starred in this brilliant dramatization of the 1st century confrontation between 5,000 Roman soldiers and 900 Jewish Zealots.
7. Winds of War: Not as good as the sequel, but still worth watching as long as you can tolerate Ali McGraw and Jan-Michael Vincent.
8. Amerika: The quality of this production was lost in the midst of the controversy it generated. But if you don't count the lead performance by Kris Kristofferson, this supposition of life in Soviet-occupied America was superb.
9. North and South: I know - it set new world's records for cleavage. But John Jakes' story of friendship surviving in the midst of war was wonderful.
10. Fresno!: Am I the only one who thoroughly enjoyed this loving lampoon of soap operas and miniseries, set in the raisin capital of the world?
The 10 BEST TV-MOVIES OF THE DECADE
1. Murderer's Among Us: The Simon Weisenthal Story: Ben Kingsley's performance elevated this HBO docudrama beyond the standard made-for-TV fare.
2. Playing for Time: Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Alexander headed a first-rate cast in this moving story about musicians surviving in a Nazi death camp.
3. Amber Waves: Dennis Weaver and Kurt Russell starred in this superb 1980 film about the clash of values between a Midwestern farmer and an Eastern youth.
4. Gideon's Trumpet: Henry Fonda gave one of his finest performances as a Florida prisoner whose case changed the course of legal history.
5. Bill: Mickey Rooney won a much-deserved Emmy for his portrayal of a handicapped man coping with non-institutionalized life for the first time.
6. The Executioner's Song: The Gary Gilmore story was brought frighteningly to life by Tommy Lee Jones and Rosanna Arquette, with a little help from Norman Mailer and Lawrence Schiller.
7. Adam: This harrowing story of a kidnapped child triggered nationwide efforts to protect youngsters.
8. The Dollmaker: Jane Fonda delivered a bravura performance as a country woman who takes her talents with her to the big city.
9. The Day After: This gripping supposition of life in the Midwest after nuclear holocaust was controversial, thought-provoking and sobering.
10. Something About Amelia and The Burning Bed: Sorry, I couldn't pick just one of these fine docudramas that served as dramatic launching pads for Ted Danson and Farrah Fawcett, respectively.
The 10 BEST DRAMA SERIES OF THE DECADE
1. L.A. Law: Sure, it's just a dressed up soap opera. But it works.
2. Hill Street Blues: It was a trendsetter only because it was so good.
3. St. Elsewhere: This may have been the home of the decade's best writing.
4. Magnum, P.I.: Always a nice mix of action, drama and comedy (if you don't count the disappointing finale).
5. Life Goes On: This year's best new series is one of the decade's best.
6. A Year in the Life: This should still be on _ and probably would've been if Grant Tinker hadn't left NBC.
7. Murder, She Wrote: Week in and week out, Angela Lansbury delivers.
8. Cagney & Lacey: Memorable performances by Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless helped this show to a long and respected run.
9. Thirtysomething: Yeah, it wears on you. But it also grows on you - especially if you are thirtysomething.
10. Dallas: Without question the best of the soap opera genre. Even a decided non-soaper like me has enjoyed an episode or two.
The 10 BEST COMEDY SERIES OF THE DECADE
1. M*A*S*H: What did you expect? It's probably my all-time favorite series.
2. The Cosby Show: Although the show does suffer from sameness from time to time, Cosby alone makes this one of the all-time greats.
3. WKRP in Cincinnati: If only it had lasted long enough to make more than 96 episodes.
4. Taxi: A truly great ensemble comedy.
5. Cheers: Is it just me, or does this show seem to be getting better with age?
6. Barney Miller: Another great comedy ensemble.
7. The Wonder Years: Some of television's best and most imaginative writing goes into this series.
8. It's Garry Shandling's Show: Maybe you've got to be a television critic to appreciate how much fun this show is.
9. Family Ties: It's only been a few months, but we're already missing the Keatons.
10. Murphy Brown: See? There is hope for CBS's future.