The '80s Greatest
A look back at a memorable decade; the historical moments and trends that shaped the world.
- 2018-2018
- 1 season
- National Geographic Channel
- Documentary
- TV-PG
A look back at a memorable decade; the historical moments and trends that shaped the world.
Season 1 Episode Guide
10 Episodes 2018
Episode 1
Miracle on Ice
Mon, Aug 13, 2018 22 mins
The 1980s begins with an Olympic Hockey game that lifts America's spirits; Ronald Reagan battles Bruce Springsteen; and a sitcom helps invent the yuppie.
Episode 2
Passion for Profit
Mon, Aug 13, 2018 22 mins
In the '80s, doing what you love can turn your passion into profit; new technology creates new opportunities; and capitalism gets a conscience.
Episode 3
Family Values
Mon, Aug 20, 2018 22 mins
In the '80s, family values undergo a huge makeover, as depicted in films and sitcoms, despite President Reagan's best attempts to stop it.
Episode 4
The Culture Clash
Mon, Aug 20, 2018 22 mins
A generation of kids express themselves by breaking all the rules, takes on '80s conservative America in the ultimate pop culture clash.
Episode 5
America Gets Wired
Mon, Aug 27, 2018 22 mins
In the '80s, networks like CNN help drive the stratospheric rise of cable. The 24-hour news channel's coverage of John Lennon's death at the start of the 80s and the rescue of baby Jessica McClure near the end cemented its place in viewers' homes. Niche channels are spawned, including MTV, QVC and many televangelism networks. The downfall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker becomes must-see TV.
Episode 6
I Want It All
Mon, Aug 27, 2018 22 mins
In the early 1980s America emerges from a recession and goes straight into an era of conspicuous consumption. Widely available credit cards spark a spending frenzy and competing brands battle to make a sale. Sex, and controversy, enter the advertiser's toolkit - but one iconic brand is almost brought to its knees when it takes rebranding too far.
Episode 7
New Dynasty
Mon, Aug 27, 2018 22 mins
For American women in the 1980s, life is not easy. Bullied by their bosses or stuck at home, they find unlikely inspiration and support from stars of the stage and screen. Eighties icons like Madonna, Jane Fonda and Joan Collins encourage them to speak up and break out of traditional gender roles, and by the end of the decade, the difference between men and women is no longer so clearly defined.
Episode 8
Greed Is Good
Mon, Aug 27, 2018 22 mins
The '80s, when nothing succeeds like excess. In Texas, a fictional oil millionaire's lifestyle captures the world's imagination and even changes the world. On Wall Street, a new philosophy breeds a new kind of capitalist, and for yuppies "Greed is Good." In Los Angeles, music and fashion take new heights. But in this era of big hair, big bonuses and even bigger phones, what goes up must come down.
Episode 9
It's a Small World
Mon, Sep 10, 2018 22 mins
In the '80s, shrinking gadgets and new technology bring the world together in unexpected ways but also trigger fears of Japanese economic might.
Episode 10
Walls Come Down
Mon, Sep 10, 2018 22 mins
In the late '80s, the Berlin Wall embodies the Cold War, but change is in the air and (with some unexpected help from popular culture) it come crashing down.
