"Roseanne" has been called "groundbreaking," "unflinching" and "among the 50 greatest TV shows of all time." From 1988-1997, Roseanne Barr and John Goodman led a cast of this ABC sitcom that took on difficult issues such as teen marriage, abortion, birth control, parental abuse and unemployment. Click through to see some other influential shows from the 1980s.
'The Love Boat': ABC's cruise-ship comedy series sailed from 1977 through 1986 with Gavin MacLeod, left, at the helm as Capt. Merrill Stubing. The show also starred Lauren Tewes, center, as cruise director Julie McCoy, and Fred Grandy, right, as lovable purser Gopher Smith. Here's a fun fact: After the series ended, Grandy served four terms as a Republican congressman from Iowa.
'Dallas': In March 1980, the season-ending cliffhanger of this CBS drama rocked the world with the question, "Who shot J.R.?" Actor Larry Hagman's delicious villain J.R. Ewing had so many enemies, the list of suspects was long. When the series returned eight months later and revealed Ewing's shooter, more than 83 million viewers tuned in, according to Adweek. That made it one of the highest-rated shows in American history at the time.
'The Dukes of Hazzard': A sitcom that gave birth to Daisy Duke shorts and colorful names such as Enos Strate, Boss Hogg and Cooter Davenport can't be all bad, right? From 1979-1985, CBS brought America the adventures of cousins Bo and Luke Duke, played by John Schneider and Tom Wopat. These guys liked to drive around in a car named the General Lee, a 1969 Dodge Charger painted with a Confederate flag on top. The Duke boys were joined by their cousin Daisy and Uncle Jesse (Catherine Bach and Denver Pyle).
'Fantasy Island': Every week, ABC's "Fantasy Island" began the same way: Tattoo, played by Herve Villechaize, left, would shout: "The plane! The plane!" Then, Mr. Roarke -- the mysterious island host played by Ricardo Montalban, right -- would remind his employees to welcome the guests with, "Smiles, everyone, smiles!" In a decade of excess, somehow it didn't seem far-fetched to believe in a place where wealthy people would pay huge amounts of money to play out their outlandish narcissistic fantasies.
'Diff'rent Strokes': In the 1970s, talented child actor Gary Coleman caught Hollywood's eye, and by 1978 he'd landed the sitcom that would make him a star. "Diff'rent Strokes" would run on two different networks -- first NBC, then ABC until 1986. Conrad Bain, left, played Philip Drummond, a wealthy widower who adopted orphans Arnold Jackson (played by Coleman, right) and his older brother, Willis. Coleman's catch phrase, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?" made him famous.
'The Facts of Life': This sitcom was a "Diff'rent Strokes" spinoff, taking its housekeeper character (played by Charlotte Rae, center) and making her the housemother at a school for girls. Who could forget the girls? From left are Mindy Cohn, who played Natalie Green; Kim Fields, who played Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey; Nancy McKeon, who played Joanna "Jo" Polniaczek; and Lisa Welchel, who played Blair Warner. Little-known fact: There were four extra girls in the first season of the show, including a then-unknown Molly Ringwald.
'Dynasty': This '80s prime-time soap opera detailed the scandalous lives of a Denver family that had become filthy rich in the oil business. The series starred veteran actors such as Linda Evans, left, and Joan Collins, right, who captured viewers with their dramatic catfights. By the 1984-85 season, "Dynasty" ranked No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings.
'The Fall Guy': Lee Majors, star of "The Six Million Dollar Man," reinvented himself in the '80s as "The Fall Guy." Majors played Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stunt man who moonlighted as a bounty hunter. The ABC show, which ran from 1981-1986, typically opened with a dazzling film stunt while Majors sang the theme song.
'Newhart': Bob Newhart, seated, also reinvented himself in the '80s with his second self-titled comedy series. The show, which ran from 1982-1990, featured an eclectic cast of characters, including Larry, Darryl and their other brother Darryl. In the series' final episode, Newhart wakes up next to Suzanne Pleshette, who played his wife on "The Bob Newhart Show," revealing that the entire "Newhart" series had been a dream.
'General Hospital': Before Demi Moore, John Stamos or Rick Springfield became famous, they first appeared on ABC's long-running soap opera "General Hospital." This daytime drama premiered in the 1960s but enjoyed some of its highest ratings in the '80s. Here, 20-year-old Moore plays Jackie Templeton, an investigative reporter who often got tangled up with dangerous people.
'Hill Street Blues': When this gritty, realistic police drama debuted on NBC in 1981, it was unlike anything else on American television. The creators of "The Sopranos," "Breaking Bad," and "Mad Men" all owe thank-you notes to "Hill Street" creator Steven Bochco, said Syracuse University pop culture professor Robert Thompson. The show, which ran until 1987, was a mix of drama and comedy with diverse, colorful three-dimensional characters.
'Knight Rider': If some fans had their way, NBC would have called it "The KITT Show," because, really, it was all about David Hasselhoff's intelligent, talking Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Hasselhoff and KITT, which stood for Knight Industries Two Thousand, hunted down criminals for a group called the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). The series ran from 1982-1986, A 21st-century reboot could be coming. Hasselhoff and a KITTish-looking car have surfaced in a mysterious YouTube "trailer" for something titled "Knight Rider Heroes."
'M*A*S*H': This CBS comedy centered on a mobile Army hospital during the Korean War, and fans held viewing parties to watch its final episode on February 28, 1983. In its 11 years, "M*A*S*H" had gained such a loyal following that about 106 million people watched the finale, making it the largest single TV audience before the domination of cable programming.
'Remington Steele': In this comedy/drama, Stephanie Zimbalist, left, played Laura Holt, a private detective who has trouble getting clients to take her seriously. Her solution: create a fictitious boss named Remington Steele as a way to gain clients' trust. A handsome thief, played by a pre-James Bond Pierce Brosnan, stumbles into Holt's life and assumes the Steele role. The two would go on to solve cases along with assistant Mildred Krebs (played by Doris Roberts, right).
'The A-Team': In this NBC action series about a former Army unit for hire, '80s icon Mr. T, right, played Sgt. Bosco "Bad Attitude" (B.A.) Baracus. The show, which aired from 1983-1987, also starred Dwight Schultz, left, who played the A-Team's skilled pilot, Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock. The show peaked in the Nielsen ratings at No. 4 during the 1983-1984 season. In 2010, series co-creator Stephen J. Cannell eventually produced an "A-Team" movie.
'Cheers': From 1982 to 1993, this sitcom -- set in a Boston bar -- offered viewers a community they could call their own. From left, Nicholas Colasanto played "Coach," Ted Danson played ex-baseball player Sam Malone, Shelley Long played Malone's romantic interest Diane Chambers, and George Wendt played lovable barfly Norm Peterson. Some "Cheers" characters -- like the know-it-all mailman, Cliff Clavin, unforgettably played by John Ratzenberger -- became so embraced by viewers that they entered almost mythical cultural status.