The Eighties poster
Seen it?

The Eighties

TV·2016–2016·1 season, 7 episodes·CNN·Documentary·1h

Streaming on (US) HBO Max Amazon ChannelYouTube TVSee all

The third installment from executive producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, following in the footsteps of critically-acclaimed series THE SIXTIES and THE SEVENTIES, tackles 10 years shaped by exceptionalism and excess. Like its predecessors, THE EIGHTIES intersperses rare archival newsreel footage, interviews, and comments by historians, journalists, politicians, celebrities and others, painting a perspective-rich picture of a vibrant decade. Episodes examine the age of Reagan, the AIDS crisis, the end of the Cold War, Wall Street corruption, the evolving TV and music scene, and everything in between.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01The Eighties S01E01Raised on TelevisionS01E01 · 6.0VCRs, remote controls, family sitcoms, adult dramas, and prime-time soaps all changed TV enjoyment.

Cast

H.W. BrandsH.W. BrandsSelf

Episodes by season

Season017Episodes2016Aired 6.0Season avg
  1. S01E01The Eighties S01E01Raised on TelevisionMarch 31, 2016 6.0VCRs, remote controls, family sitcoms, adult dramas, and prime-time soaps all changed TV enjoyment.
  2. S01E02The Eighties S01E02The Reagan RevolutionApril 7, 2016—Exploring the two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan; highlighting his triumphs and controversies.
  3. S01E03The Eighties S01E03Tear Down This WallApril 28, 2016—The ever-present Cold War between the United States and Russia finally comes to an end thanks to a chain of events that had once been unthin
  4. S01E04The Eighties S01E04Greed Is GoodMay 12, 2016—Junk bonds, bailouts and Wall Street corruption set the tone for a decade of greed and excess.
  5. S01E05The Eighties S01E05Video Killed the Radio StarMay 26, 2016—Music videos and the digital revolution dominated the music industry, as CDs replaced records; the charts were dominated by artists like Mad
  6. S01E06The Eighties S01E06The Tech BoomJune 30, 2016—A look at the innovations and inventions of the Digital Revolution, including the personal computer and the Internet, which have defined lif
  7. S01E07The Eighties S01E07The Fight Against AIDSJune 9, 2016—The rise of a mysterious and deadly illness developed into a pandemic, affecting primarily the gay community and killing millions of people

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Keep exploring top shows

ShortcutThe essential episodes

Short on time? The pilot-to-finale shortcut, only the episodes that matter.

MatchupCompare with another show

Two shows' episode ratings on one chart — settle it.

NetworkBest CNN shows

More from the same network, ranked by rating.

GenreBest documentary shows & films

The top of the documentary pile, across both mediums.