28 Short-Lived and Easily Forgotten 1980s TV Series

Easily Forgotten 1980s TV Series

This is a brief look at 28 short-lived and easily forgotten television series from the 1980s with brief plot summaries, cast lists, photos, trivia, and more.

Some of these shows actually had potential. Why they never found their core audience is a bit of a mystery. For others shows, after watching an episode or two, you might wonder how these shows ever made it into production to begin with. Whether they are good or bad, they are all short-lived TV series from the 1980s.

How many do you remember?

1. Ace Crawford: Private Eye

This short-lived CBS comedy series aired from March 15, 1983, to April 12, 1983, with a total of five episodes.

Ace Crawford (Tim Conway) was a private detective who solved every case he worked on through a miracle of sorts, as he had no skills whatsoever. Assisting Ace with his cases was bumbling Toomey (Joe Regalbuto), an accountant by trade who idolized Ace and thought his bumbling personality was simply part of Ace's detective work.

His favorite hangout was The Shanty, a wharfside bar owned by Inch (Billy Barty) who employed Luana (Shera Danesand), a singer who was in love with Ace. Rounding out the cast was Dick Christie as Lt. Fanning, a police officer who was amazed at Ace's ability to solve crimes despite his bumbling.

While Ace was created to bring about memories of the classic Sam Spade style of detective, he was really more like Maxwell Smart. Even Conway admitted that the show probably needed canned laughter to help audiences know when to laugh.

Shout Factory TV, in August 2020, purchased the streaming rights to the show, so if you want to see it again, or watch it for the first time, fire up your Roku or other similar device and do a search.

2. Automan

Automan (short for Automatic Man) was a one-hour superhero comedy drama series that aired on ABC from December 15, 1983, to April 2, 1984.

It starred Desi Arnaz, Jr. as Walter Nebicher, a computer expert who worked for the police department as a programmer. However, he really wanted to be a street cop. His superiors, Lieutenant Jack Curtis (Robert Lansing) and Captain of Detectives E. G. Boyd (Gerald S. O'Loughlin), felt he wasn't suited for such work. Using his computer skills, Walter created a hologram that was able to come off of the computer screen and into the real world. He named his creation Otto J. Mann and gave him a backstory of being a government agent.

The show was expensive to produce, and it was scheduled up against the highly popular Scarecrow and Mrs. King on CBS and TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes on NBC. It did manage to survive for 13 episodes with a 14th never being aired. The complete series, with bonus material, is available on DVD.

3. B.A.D. Cats

B.A.D. Cats (Burglary Auto Detail, Commercial Auto Thefts) was a one-hour crime drama that aired on ABC from January 4 to February 8, 1980. It was cancelled after six episodes aired; four episodes were left unaired.

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It starred Asher Brauner as Nick Donovan and Steve Hanks as Ocee James, two former race car drivers hired by the LAPD because of their superior driving skills. They are to become members of the newly formed B.A.D. Cats division, a squad designed to investigate car thefts. Helping them in their work was Officer Samantha "Sunshine" Jensen, played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

Rounding out the cast was Vic Morrow as Captain Eugene Nathan, Jimmie Walker as Rodney Washington, LaWanda Page as Ma, and Penny Santon as Mrs. Bernardi.

The series is available on DVD.

4. Beyond Westworld

This sci-fi action show began its run on CBS March 5, 1980, and it lasted until March 19, 1980, with only three of the five episodes being aired before cancellation.

In the feature films West World and Future World, the Delos Corporation manufactured robots that ran amuck with a will of their own. In this small screen envisioning, a mad scientist by the name of Simon Quaid (James Wainwwright) took control on the robots and planned on taking over the world. Standing in his way was John Moore (Jim McMullan), the Security Chief for Delos. Helping him was Pamela Williams (Connie Selleca) and Joseph Oppenheimer (William Jordan).

The series is available on DVD.

5. Blacke's Magic

Blacke's Magic, a one-hour crime drama, aired on NBC for 13 episodes starting on January 5, 1986, and ending on May 7, 1986.

It starred Hal Linden as Alexander Blacke, a magician who decided to retire after having had a near-death experience. His life changed when his father, former con man named Leonard (played by Harry Morgan), moved in. Together the two of them discovered they had a knack for solving crimes, and with their combined backgrounds in sleight of hand and con games, they were able to solve even the most impossible of crimes.

6. Breaking Away

Shaun Cassidy, who gained teen idol status as Joe Hardy on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, took on the role of Dave Stohler, a guy who loved bicycle racing in the series Breaking Away, inspired by the 1979 feature film of the same name.

The series may have done a little better than it did if it hadn't been caught up in the 1980 Screen Actors Guild strike, which prevented it from going into production until late in the fall. While ABC had publicized it heavily, audiences didn't seem to notice it once it came on the air. It was pulled from the schedule after filming only eight episodes, only seven of which were shown. It ran from November 29, 1980, to January 10, 1981.

Cassidy didn't see the film before beginning to work on the series as he didn't want to allow his take on Dave Stohler to be influenced by the way Dennis Christopher portrayed the character in the film. Cassidy was proud of the show and how it dealt with real human issues and relationships. It had no gimmicks at all and was a welcome departure from The Hardy Boys.

By this time, Cassidy had given up touring in his musical career, although he had released the album WASP. It was speculated he should tour somewhat to promote it.

Barbara Barrie, Jackie Earle Haley, and John Ashton reprised their roles from the feature film.

7. Concrete Cowboys

The short-lived series Concrete Cowboys was inspired by a popular 1979 television movie of the same name that starred Jerry Reed as J.D. Reed and Tom Selleck (before his Magnum, P.I. days) as Will Eubanks.

The series began its life on February 7, 1981, and it lasted until March 21, 1981. The show featured Reed reprising his role, but in Selleck's place was actor Geoffry Scott as Will.