I have always watched a lot of TV, and much of it has and continues to be genre/sci-fi fare. During the 80s, there were so many great short-lived shows that, unless you were a diehard TV watcher, you may not even know existed. While many of these shows are quite similar to current or recent shows, I wouldn’t go as far as to suggest that Small Wonder was a precursor to Caprica. 
Here are some of these shows I recall enjoying as a kid. (Can I just add how much I love the internet–I was able to find clips or promos for all of these shows on YouTube, and hyperlinked the photos to them!)
In Automan (ABC, 1983, Thurs 8pm, 13 eps), Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz, Jr.), a cop by day/computer programmer by night, develops an artificial intelligence program to help him fight crime. However, he discovers that, with enough power, the program can take the form of a hologram, named Automan (Chuck Wagner), and is able to leave the computer. So Automan and Walter hit the streets at night to fight crime, joined by a sidekick caller Cursor (think Tinkerbell) who is able to draw vehicles or other objects constructed of lines of light. Sometimes, Automan needed to interact with the physical world himself, and so he was able to jump into Walter’s body and control him (Not unlike Sally in Being Human). Being a computer nerd myself, I absolutely loved this show. Sadly, it never even aired all 13 of its episodes before it was cancelled. However, it was rerun in its entirety a while back on the Sci-Fi channel.
With recent shows like Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Merlin and Camelot, there is no shortage of Medieval and Fairy Tale drama on TV. However the 80s had it fair share as well. There was the tongue-in-cheek fantasy Wizards and Warriors (CBS, 1983, Sat 8pm, 8 eps). The series followed Prince Erik Greystone (Jeff Conway), the air-headed Princess Ariel (Julia Duffy) and the evil Prince Dirk Blackpool (Duncan Regehr). I remember this series was always great at setting up a cliffhanger just before the commercial break. I remember in one episode, Prince Erik was hanging by a chain over a pit, and you could see the chain getting hotter and redder and cut to commercial. It was like a live-action version of the Dragon’s Lair game.
The 80s also brought us a sitcom version of this world with The Charmings (ABC, 1987, Fri/Thurs, 21 eps). The premise was that the evil stepmother put a spell on Prince Charming and Snow White, causing them (as well as herself) to sleep for 1000 years. When they wake up in modern times, they must deal with the problems of California Suburbia, with the wicked stepmother and her magic mirror living in the attic. (You are probably thinking “this sounds horrible”–but I have watched these episodes so many times over in reruns!)
Before Terra Nova took a family on an adventure through a portal, there was Otherworld (CBS, 1985, Sat 8pm, 8 eps), which followed the Sterling family who, while on vacation to Egypt, get sucked into a vortex and find themselves on another planet. This planet is divided up into “zones”, each with its own unique civilization, atmosphere and culture. Each week, the Sterlings travelled to another zone in a search for the way home. Meanwhile, the family was being hunted by the planetary police, called Zone Troopers, led by Commander Nuveen Kroll (Jonathan Banks). (To this day, whenever I see Jonathan Banks on Breaking Bad, I always think “Nuveen Kroll!”) Episode topics included the children becoming rock stars, the family getting caught by a drug-running motorcycle gang (though not the Sons of Anarchy), a community where women rule and men go to Tupperware parties, and the son getting drafted into the Zone Troopers due to poor grades. I loved this show–each week it was a brand new adventure.
Before Alphas and Heroes, there was Misfits of Science, (NBC, 1985, Fri 9pm, 16 eps). Dr. Billy Hayes, a research scientist at the Humanidyne Institute, brings together a group of misfits with odd abilities to stop crimes or help people in need (like an A-Team of sorts). Courtney Cox stars as troubled teen Gloria “Glo” Dinallo who has telekinetic abilities. Also in the group are 7’4″ Dr. Elvin “El” Lincoln who can shrink to 11 inches tall, rock musician Johnny “Johnny B” Bukowski who can run fast and shoot lightning bolts, and ice cream truck driver Arnold “Ice Man” Beifneiter who can freeze anything he touches.
Before shows like Chuck and Jake 2.0, there were a couple series that covered this ground for a slightly younger demographic. The Canadian series My Secret Identity (CTV, 1988, 72 episodes) aired in syndication here in the US. Jerry O’Connell played 14-year-old Andrew Clements, who accidentally gets hit by a photon beam and is given superpowers, which he uses to help stop crime. I remember thinking it was so cool that this kid my age had all these awesome powers. Though, Andrew may have single-handedly depleted the Ozone layer as he used a lot of aerosol cans to help himself fly!
There was a show that was part of the inaugural FOX primetime summer lineup called The New Adventures of Beans Baxter (FOX, 1987, Sat 8:30pm, 17 eps). In this series, teenager Benjamin “Beans” Baxter Jr. is recruited by a secret spy agency called The Network after his father (also a spy) is kidnapped. He must help thwart the evil plans of the UGLI organization. I don’t remember too much about this show as I haven’t seen the series since it originally aired. However, it was very campy (much like The Middleman) and I recall them having an excellent Halloween episode.
This post has grown way longer than I originally expected–I keep thinking of more cool shows I used to watch. So I will rapid-fire a few more, but maybe I need to do a part 2 and/or cover the 90s.
Nowadays we are flooded with supernatural dramas like The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, Teen Wolf and Being Human. But in the 80s it was all about the sitcoms. Nearly Departed (NBC, 1989, Mon 8:30pm, 4/6 eps aired) starred Eric Idle as deceased English Professor, who, along with his dead wife, haunted the new inhabitants of their home.
Free Spirit (ABC, 1989, Sun 8pm, 14 eps) was a Who’s The Boss? style sitcom starring Corrine Bohrer as Winnie Goodwin. Winnie is hired by lawyer Robb Harper to work as a live-in housekeeper/nanny to his three children. What Mr. Harper doesn’t know (and the children soon find out) is that Winnie is a witch. A pre-Buffy Alyson Hannigan starred as the daughter, Jessie Harper.
The People Next Door (CBS, 1989, Mon 8:30pm, 5/10 eps aired) starred 80′s icons Jeffrey Jones and Mary Gross as cartoonist Walter Kellogg and his wife Abigail. Whatever Kellogg’s imagination came up with, if he drew it, it came to life. All that I can really remember about this show was that there was a talking moose head on the office wall. The series was created by Wes Craven!
Finally (I think I need to stop–this list could go on forever!), there was 
Hard Time on Planet Earth (CBS, 1989, Wed 8pm, 13 eps), which followed a Terminator-like alien military officer (Martin Kove), who is exiled to Earth in human form to learn more about compassion and restraint. A floating mechanical eyeball named Control is sent with him to monitor his progress. The series was a fish-out-of-water type drama mixed with that signature 70s/80s help-the-person-in-trouble of the week, and a dash of need-to-find-my-way-home.
Anyone else remember or watch any of these shows? Do you have any of your own favorite obscure shows that didn’t last long?
