TV: Would You Like Extra Cheese With That? Cheesiest 80's TV Shows

Compiled By Noah Mallin

The 80s were an innocent time -- a time of arms-for-hostages, junk bond scams, and Pac- Man. It was also the last great age of cheesy television before programmers discovered a new innovation the world would come to call ironic distance. Here are a few of the best 80's cheesy Television series for your perusal. Not for those with high cholesterol. As always, if the vids show up as not available, reload Planet of Sound (and Sight) in your browser.


1) B.A.D. Cats
This Starsky and Hutch knockoff starred two guys who are decidedly neither Starsky or Hutch, LaWanda Page as someone who is definitely not Huggy Bear, Jimmie "J.J." Walker as someone who is most assuredly not Chief Dobie, and Vic Morrow pre-decapitation (duh!) and is not to be confused with Internet scourge LOLcats. Oh yeah, there's also some unknown named Michelle Pfeiffer in it too. The important thing is that B.A.D. stands for Burglary Auto Detail which means way more car chases than Starsky and Hutch had.








2) Automan

Seeing a title like Automan might naturally lead one to say, "Hey, another show about Burglary Auto Details?" To which I would reply "Shhh! Don't speak..." That would be a patently ridiculous premise -- Automan in fact was a show that dared to grapple with the emerging world of computer technology. Nebbishy police computer nerd Walter er...Nebicher, creates a virtual superhero who can actually interact with objects and stuff in the outside world even though he's computer generated. Their pal Cursor floats along with them creating vehicles and such on demand.

3) The Powers of Matthew Star
Ever wonder what Academy Award Winner Lou Gossett Jr. did between An Officer and a Gentleman and the Iron Eagle series of recruitment films? Wonder no more! Here he played another military guy -- but from space! He's protecting alien Prince and total hunk Peter Barton (with Joyce DeWitt's hair from Season One of Three's Company).

4) Street Hawk

This show imagined a world in which lone-ish crimefighters choose superfast black motorcycles as their steeds rather than superfast black Trans Ams that talk. Our hero is played by pornishly named Rex Smith, joined by a pre - Murphy Brown Joe Regalbuto.