Quiz about TV Decade  The 1980s
Quiz about TV Decade  The 1980s

TV Decade - The 1980s Trivia Quiz


The 1980s marked a major boomtime for American television. See how much you know about the shows and the people who helped grow the medium in that time.

A multiple-choice quiz by cag1970. Estimated time: 6 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. TV Trivia
  6. »
  7. TV By Year
  8. »
  9. 1980s TV

Author
cag1970
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
104,659
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
7 / 15
Plays
7849
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (6/15), clevercatz (4/15), Guest 97 (7/15).
This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.
1. True or False: Steven Kampmann, who played compulsive liar Kirk Devane on the CBS series "Newhart", was a writer on "WKRP in Cincinnati".

True
False

2. When the series "Roseanne" debuted in 1988, where was the title character, Roseanne Conner, working? Hint

A plastics factory
A department store
A textile mill
A truck stop

3. What was the name of the prime-time series that ran intermittently from 1988 to 1990 and featured the Peanuts gang? Hint

"This is Your World, Charlie Brown"
"This is All Your Fault, Charlie Brown"
"This is History, Charlie Brown"
"This is America, Charlie Brown"

4. In what year did Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal) realize that her husband, Bobby (Patrick Duffy), was not dead? Hint

1985
1986
1984
1987

5. Who served as host of the 1986-89 syndicated incarnation of "The Hollywood Squares"? Hint

John Davidson
Bill Rafferty
Peter Tomarken
Bill Cullen

6. The Primetime Emmy Awards telecast on ABC in 1985 was interrupted by what unusual event? Hint

A 6.0 earthquake
A celebrity imposter
A bomb threat
A power outage

7. In what city was the CBS medical drama "Trapper John, M.D." set? Hint

Denver
Phoenix
San Francisco
Las Vegas

8. What are the names of the two central families on the daytime soap "The Bold and the Beautiful"? Hint

Forrester and Lawrence
Forrester and Lancaster
Forrester and Long
Forrester and Logan

9. In what year did "The Golden Girls" premiere on NBC? Hint

1986
1985
1987
1988

10. True or False: Before going on to fame as Kelly Bundy on the Fox series "Married...With Children", Christina Applegate was a regular on the short-lived CBS series "Houston Knights".

True
False

11. If Bill Cosby had had his way, the character Clair Huxtable wouldn't have been a lawyer. When "The Cosby Show" was originally pitched to ABC in the 1980s, what job would Clair have held? Hint

Plumber
Nurse
Taxi driver
School teacher

12. The all-female hotel in which Kip Wilson (Tom Hanks) and Henry Desmond (Peter Scolari) lived in on the ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies" was named after what famous woman? Hint

Clara Barton
Nellie Bly
Susan B. Anthony
Coretta Scott King

13. Which 80s-vintage Fox sitcom featured Ellen DeGeneres in the role of a receptionist? Hint

"Mr. President"
"Married...With Children"
"Open House"
"Duet"

14. True or False: Comedian Jim Carrey was a regular on the short-lived NBC series "The Duck Factory".

True
False

15. Which of the following Super Bowls played in the 1980s garnered the highest ratings for any sports program in the 20th Century? Hint

Super Bowl XVI (San Francisco squeaks past Cincinnati)
Super Bowl XX (Chicago dominates New England)
Super Bowl XIV (Pittsburgh survives the Rams)
Super Bowl XXII (Washington makes history against Denver)


(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. True or False: Steven Kampmann, who played compulsive liar Kirk Devane on the CBS series "Newhart", was a writer on "WKRP in Cincinnati".

Answer: True

Besides being a writer on "WKRP", Kampmann also helped write the feature films "Back to School" (1986) and "The Couch Trip" (1988). He was on "Newhart" during that show's first two seasons (1982-84).
2. When the series "Roseanne" debuted in 1988, where was the title character, Roseanne Conner, working?

Answer: A plastics factory

"The Cosby Show's" executive producers, Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, were also responsible for "Roseanne", and the two shows couldn't have been more opposite. Unlike Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad), who raked in big bucks as an attorney, Roseanne Conner worked a number of blue-collar jobs during the show's run.
3. What was the name of the prime-time series that ran intermittently from 1988 to 1990 and featured the Peanuts gang?

Answer: "This is America, Charlie Brown"

The Peanuts gang--Charlie Brown, Snoopy, et al--had been featured in a number of prime-time specials through the years. But it wasn't until the 80s that they had their own prime-time series. "This is America, Charlie Brown" featured the Peanuts re-enacting various events in American history.
4. In what year did Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal) realize that her husband, Bobby (Patrick Duffy), was not dead?

Answer: 1986

"Dallas" benefitted tremendously from the cliffhanger technique, as evidenced by the infamous "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger that bridged the 1979 and 1980 seasons. But this also proved to be the show's undoing, as Bobby's death in the 1985 season turned out to be Pamela's dream. The series, already suffering from falling ratings, would never recover from this debacle.
5. Who served as host of the 1986-89 syndicated incarnation of "The Hollywood Squares"?

Answer: John Davidson

Davidson had frequently appeared as a panelist on "The Hollywood Squares" when Peter Marshall hosted. After "Squares", he went on to host "The $100,000 Pyramid" in syndication.
6. The Primetime Emmy Awards telecast on ABC in 1985 was interrupted by what unusual event?

Answer: A celebrity imposter

Barry Bremen, a man known for being able to sneak onto the field and blend in with professional athletes, attempted to do the same thing at the Emmy Awards. Dressed in a tuxedo, Bremen stepped up to accept the Emmy for Betty Thomas, who was being honored for her work on "Hill Street Blues". Bremen may have gotten away with the switch, had he not given thanks to sportswriter Dick Schaap. Bremen was arrested and charged with grand theft.
7. In what city was the CBS medical drama "Trapper John, M.D." set?

Answer: San Francisco

Pernell Roberts, better known for playing Adam Cartwright on the popular western "Bonanza", assumed the role of the former Korean War veteran working in a San Francisco hospital. The show was a staple of CBS's Sunday night lineup in the 1980s.
8. What are the names of the two central families on the daytime soap "The Bold and the Beautiful"?

Answer: Forrester and Logan

Created by William and Lee Phillip Bell, "The Bold and the Beautiful" debuted on CBS's daytime schedule on March 23, 1987. The show, revolving around the fashion industry, is set in Los Angeles. Both "Bold" and "The Young and the Restless" are taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles.
9. In what year did "The Golden Girls" premiere on NBC?

Answer: 1985

Susan Harris, who created the 1970s vintage sitcom "Soap", scored big with "The Golden Girls", a series about four older women actively enjoying their golden years. Each of the girls--Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan and Betty White--won Emmys for their work on the series.
10. True or False: Before going on to fame as Kelly Bundy on the Fox series "Married...With Children", Christina Applegate was a regular on the short-lived CBS series "Houston Knights".

Answer: False

Applegate played teenage daughter Robin Kennedy, opposite Robert Desiderio, on the short-lived ABC crime series "Heart of the City" (1986-87).
11. If Bill Cosby had had his way, the character Clair Huxtable wouldn't have been a lawyer. When "The Cosby Show" was originally pitched to ABC in the 1980s, what job would Clair have held?

Answer: Plumber

Cosby's original intention had been for the Huxtables to be a blue-collar family, with Cliff being a limousine driver and Clair being a plumber. Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, former programming executives at ABC, weren't successful pitching the concept to their old network.

By the time NBC grabbed the show, the blue-collar Huxtables became the wholesome, sweater-loving family that would make television history.
12. The all-female hotel in which Kip Wilson (Tom Hanks) and Henry Desmond (Peter Scolari) lived in on the ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies" was named after what famous woman?

Answer: Susan B. Anthony

Running on ABC from 1980 to 1982, "Bosom Buddies" gives a perfect glimpse of two actors before they became stars. Hanks, of course, went on to win Academy Awards for his roles in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump". Scolari would make his mark as television producer Michael Harris on the CBS series "Newhart" (1984-92).

They would reunite in 1998 on HBO's blockbuster mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon". Hanks served as executive producer, while Scolari was one of two actors to play astronaut Pete Conrad.
13. Which 80s-vintage Fox sitcom featured Ellen DeGeneres in the role of a receptionist?

Answer: "Open House"

"Open House" was a reworked version of another Fox sitcom, "Duet", about two 30-somethings (played by Mary Page Keller and Matthew Laurance) who fall in love, get married, and start a life together. On "Open House", Keller's character quits her catering business and goes into the real estate game, where she has to cope with the dry wit of DeGeneres.
14. True or False: Comedian Jim Carrey was a regular on the short-lived NBC series "The Duck Factory".

Answer: True

Before hitting it big in the movies, Jim Carrey labored on the small screen in this obscure and very brief series (it was on NBC's schedule for only four months in 1984). He played Skip Tarkenton, an animator at the fictious Buddy Winkler Productions. Joining him on the series were veteran actor Jack Gilford, voice impresario Don Messick, and actor Clarence Gilyard, Jr. (Texas Ranger James Trivette on "Walker, Texas Ranger").
15. Which of the following Super Bowls played in the 1980s garnered the highest ratings for any sports program in the 20th Century?

Answer: Super Bowl XVI (San Francisco squeaks past Cincinnati)

In the 1980's, the Cincinnati Bengals lost two Super Bowls to the San Francisco 49ers by a combined margin of 8 points. Their first meeting, on January 24, 1982, at Pontiac, Michigan, earned CBS a rating of 49.1. It proved to be the highest-rated single sporting event on television in the 20th Century, and the fourth highest-rated single program in that time frame.
Source: Author cag1970

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Most Recent Scores
Today : Guest 174: 6/15
Today : clevercatz: 4/15
Mar 30 2023 : Guest 97: 7/15
Mar 29 2023 : Guest 75: 7/15
Mar 29 2023 : Guest 73: 9/15
Mar 28 2023 : Guest 4: 7/15
Mar 28 2023 : Guest 4: 10/15
Mar 25 2023 : Guest 98: 7/15
Mar 24 2023 : Guest 71: 9/15

Score Distribution

quiz
3/31/2023, Copyright 2023 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us