I Love the '80s (American TV series)

I Love the '80s is a decade nostalgia television program and the first installment of the I Love the... series that was produced by VH1, based on the BBC series of the same name.^[1] The first episode, "I Love 1980", premiered on December 16, 2002, and the final episode, "I Love 1989", premiered on December 20, 2002.

I Love the '80s
Genre	Documentary
Written by	James Eatock
Narrated by	Doug Jeffers
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Running time	41 min.
Release
Original network	VH1
Original release	December 16 (2002-12-16) – December 20, 2002 (2002-12-20)
Related
I Love the '70s I Love the '80s Strikes Back I Love the '90s I Love the '90s: Part Deux I Love the '80s 3-D I Love the Holidays I Love Toys I Love the '70s: Volume 2 I Love the New Millennium Best of I Love the... I Love the 2000s

Commentators

• Sasha Alexander
• Anastacia
• Apollonia
• India.Arie
• Tom Arnold
• Christopher Atkins
• Sebastian Bach
• Jillian Barberie
• Barenaked Ladies (Steven Page, Tyler Stewart and Ed Robertson)
• Toni Basil
• Bill Bellamy and Peter Facinelli
• Richard Belzer
• Beyoncé
• Michael Ian Black
• Jack Blades
• Brian Boitano
• Brian Bonsall
• Meredith Brooks
• David Bryan
• Candace Cameron Bure
• Jere Burns and Suzanne Pleshette
• Timothy Busfield
• Dean Cain
• Carrot Top
• Tom Cavanagh
• Andrew Dice Clay
• Clarence Clemons
• Gary Cole
• Mo Collins
• Alice Cooper
• Anderson Cooper
• David Copperfield
• Creed (Scott Phillips, Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti) (*)
• Tommy Davidson
• Dana Delany
• Mark Derwin
• Dustin Diamond
• Brooke Dillman and Constance Zimmer
• Simon Doonan
• Karen Duffy
• Rich Eisen
• Joe Elliott
• Melissa Etheridge
• Mark Feuerstein and Ashley Williams
• Kim Fields
• Greg Fitzsimmons
• Heidi Fleiss
• Dann Florek
• Larry Flynt
• Ben Folds
• Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins) (*)
• Matthew Fox
• Doug E. Fresh
• Soleil Moon Frye
• Daisy Fuentes
• Peter Gabriel
• Willie Garson
• Marla Gibbs
• Judy Gold
• Cuba Gooding, Jr.
• David Gray
• Kathy Griffin
• Sammy Hagar
• Ken Hakuta
• Rob Halford
• Mariska Hargitay
• Dennis Haskins
• Tommy Heath
• Sherman Hemsley
• Marilu Henner
• Natasha Henstridge
• Jason Hervey
• Faith Hill
• Cheryl Hines
• Mark Hoppus
• Finola Hughes
• Bonnie Hunt
• Alan Hunter
• Ice-T
• Chris Isaak
• Rick James
• Ron Jeremy
• Betsey Johnson
• Cherie Johnson
• Greg Kihn
• Kool & the Gang (Ronald Bell and Robert "Kool" Bell)
• Uncle Kracker
• Brian Krause
• Wallace Langham
• Sharon Lawrence
• Juliette Lewis
• Lisa Ling
• Lisa Lisa
• Lisa Loeb
• Kenny Loggins
• Donal Logue
• Justin Long
• George Lopez and Constance Marie
• Mario Lopez
• Traci Lords
• Virginia Madsen
• A Martinez
• John Mayer
• Walta McCarthy
• Mark McGrath
• A.J. McLean
• Julian McMahon
• Chris Meloni
• Bret Michaels
• Daryl "Chill" Mitchell
• Monica
• Eddie Money
• Paul Mooney
• Michael Moore
• Marianne Muellerleile
• Dave Mustaine
• Mya
• Nickelback (Ryan Peake and Chad Kroeger)
• Terri Nunn
• Patton Oswalt
• Erik Palladino
• Ray Parker Jr.
• Nia Peeples
• Tom Petty
• Anita Pointer
• Brian Posehn
• Scott Poulson-Bryant
• Rain Pryor
• Josh Randall
• Quiet Riot (Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali)
• Leah Remini
• Mary Lou Retton
• Alfonso Ribeiro
• Christina Ricci (*)
• Lionel Richie
• LeAnn Rimes
• Mo Rocca
• Nile Rodgers
• Freddy Rodriguez
• Henry Rollins
• Jeffrey Ross
• Kelly Rowland
• Kevin Rowland
• Darius Rucker
• John Rzeznik
• Richie Sambora
• Tessie Santiago and Matt Letscher
• Mia Sara
• Dan Savage
• Ricky Schroder
• Stuart Scott
• Jason Sehorn
• Tommy Shaw
• Michael Showalter
• Molly Sims (*)
• Dee Snider
• Kevin Sorbo
• Hal Sparks
• Joel Stein
• Kristy Swanson
• Raven-Symoné
• Robby Takac
• Rob Thomas
• Lea Thompson
• Tiffany
• Christopher Titus
• John Travolta (*)
• Aisha Tyler
• Victor Webster
• Kevin Weisman
• JoBeth Williams
• Debra Wilson
• Nancy and Ann Wilson
• Peter Wolf
• B.D. Wong
• Tom Wopat
• Wyclef
• Weird Al
• Jacklyn Zeman

(*) = archive footage

Recurring segments

• Makeout Songs: Lionel Richie presents the love songs from each year.
• Babes: Bret Michaels presents the attractive female celebrities or fictional characters from each year.
• Hunks: Traci Lords presents the attractive male celebrities from each year.
• Public Service Announcement: A public service announcement (PSA) from each year is presented.
• Then and Now: "Weird Al" Yankovic compares trends of the given year and the present day.
• Mr. & Ms.: Andrew Dice Clay presents a male celebrity and a female celebrity of each year.
• Born In: Soleil Moon Frye presents the people, bands, and products that were born in each year.
• During the credits of every episode, a clip from a popular music video was played without any type of commentary. These were usually replaced with a show promo by Vh1.

Topics covered by year

1980

• The Love Boat
• Caddyshack
• "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors
• Punk and preppy fashion
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Brooke Shields
• Designer jeans
• "All Out of Love" by Air Supply
• Pat Benatar and Deborah Harry
• Who shot J.R.?
• 9 to 5
• Urban Cowboy
• "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen
• Kenny Rogers
• Xanadu
• Airplane!
• "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang
• "Brass in Pocket" by The Pretenders
• Mattel Electronic Football
• Miracle on Ice
• That's Incredible!
• The Empire Strikes Back

Makeout Songs of 1980: "Every Woman in the World" by Air Supply, "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg and "Do That to Me One More Time" by Captain & Tennille

Babes of 1980: Princess Leia, Bo Derek, Charlene Tilton, Victoria Principal and Suzanne Somers

Hunks of 1980: Richard Gere, Jim Palmer, John Travolta, Erik Estrada and Greg Evigan

PSA of 1980: Give a Kid a Book PSA

Then and Now 1980: Sony Walkman with Cassette (Then: $169.00 / Now: $19.95), Ross Harris (Then: Movie star of Airplane! / Now: Video star of "Sad Caper" by Hootie and the Blowfish) and The Big Gulp (Then: 32 oz. / Now: 64 oz.)

Mr. & Ms. 1980: Ronald Reagan and Daisy Duke

Born in 1980: Christina Aguilera, Post-it notes, ethnic Barbie dolls and Macaulay Culkin

1981

• Cable television, MTV, and scrambled pornography
• Porky's
• Reagan assassination attempt
• Pope John Paul II assassination attempt
• The Royal Wedding
• Luke and Laura SpencerGeneral Hospital
• Rick Springfield
• Arthur
• The Greatest American Hero
• DMC DeLorean
• Rubik's Cube
• "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang
• Fridays
• Stripes
• Bosom Buddies
• John McEnroe
• "Private Eyes" by Hall & Oates
• Members Only jackets
• Atari 2600
• The Jeffersons
• Raiders of the Lost Ark

Makeout Songs of 1981: "Keep on Loving You" by REO Speedwagon, "Waiting For a Girl Like You" by Foreigner and "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

Babes of 1981: Olivia Newton-John, Donna Dixon, Valerie Bertinelli, Kathleen Turner and Sandra Day O'Connor

Hunks of 1981: Patrick Duffy, Burt Reynolds, Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger and Richard Simmons

PSA of 1981: Girl Scouts in Gymnastics

Then and Now 1981: Tom Cruise (Then: Endless Love - $33 Million / Now: Endless Cash - $25 Million), Movie Tickets (Then: $3.00 / Now: $10.00) and Suntan Lotion (Then: Tanning oil / Now: Hawaiian Tropic Ozone SPF 70)

Mr. & Ms. 1981: Tom Selleck and Sheena Easton

Born in 1981: Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, the laptop computer, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, the thong, Serena Williams and Metallica

1982

• Mullets
• VJs
• "Mickey" by Toni Basil
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High
• "Centerfold" by The J. Geils Band
• Square Pegs
• Rocky III
• Ozzy Osbourne
• "I Love Rock 'N Roll" by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
• The Dukes of Hazzard
• The Go-Go's
• Aerobics
• "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls
• Trivial Pursuit
• Keytar
• Joanie Loves Chachi
• Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man
• "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Poltergeist
• "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
• Silver Spoons
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Makeout Songs of 1982: "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes and "Truly" by Lionel Richie

Babes of 1982: Kim Wilde, Rae Dawn Chong, Kirstie Alley, Pia Zadora and Tootsie

Hunks of 1982: John Stamos, David Lee Roth, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and the Soloflex Guy

PSA of 1982: Time for Timer's "Sunshine on a Stick" PSA

Then and Now 1982: Cats (Then: On Broadway now and forever / Now: Gone), Scott Schwartz (Then: Child star of The Toy / Now: Porn star) and Concert Tickets for The Who (Then: Farewell tour - $25.00 / Now: Reunion tour - $250.00)

Mr. & Ms. 1982: Eddie Murphy and Heather Locklear

Born in 1982: Kirsten Dunst, Prince William, Diet Coke, Public Enemy and liposuction

1983

• National Lampoon's Vacation
• Family Ties
• Nancy Reagan guest stars on Diff'rent Strokes
• Cabbage Patch Kids
• Michael Jackson's Thriller album
• Flashdance
• Duran Duran
• Valley girl
• "Love Is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
• Scarface
• The A-Team
• Def Leppard's Pyromania album
• Eddie Murphy Delirious
• "Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners
• Jerry Falwell vs. Larry Flynt
• Knight Rider
• WarGames
• Wacky WallWalker
• "Mr. Roboto" by Styx
• He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
• Return of the Jedi

Makeout Songs of 1983: "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "True" by Spandau Ballet and "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye

Babes of 1983: Maud Adams, Vanity, Joan Collins, Christie Brinkley and Rebecca De Mornay

Hunks of 1983: Lee Horsley, Rob Lowe, Marvin Gaye, Bruce Boxleitner and Chewbacca

PSA of 1983: Smokey Bear - Mask of Joanna Cassidy

Then and Now 1983: Talent Shows (Then: Star Search / Now: American Idol), Cellular Phones (Then: $3,000 / Now: Given Away) and Home Video Cameras (Then: Sony Betamovie - 6.5 lbs. / Now: Sony MicroMV Handycam - 12 oz.)

Mr. & Ms. 1983: Tom Cruise and Ms. Pac-Man

Born in 1983: Michelle Branch, Bon Jovi, the Nintendo Entertainment System, Taylor Hanson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers

1984

• Breakdancing and Breakin'
• Footloose
• Madonna
• "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart
• "Where's the beef?"
• Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. album
• Mary Lou Retton
• Webster and Punky Brewster
• Huey Lewis and the News
• Miami Vice
• The Terminator
• Transformers and Care Bears
• Wham!
• Prince
• Sixteen Candles
• Cyndi Lauper
• Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercial disaster
• "Hello" by Lionel Richie
• This Is Spinal Tap

Makeout Songs of 1984: "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno & Ann Wilson, "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins and "Missing You" by John Waite

Babes of 1984: Paulina Porizkova, Daryl Hannah, Tina Turner, Heather Thomas and Geraldine Ferraro

Hunks of 1984: Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Duran Duran and Tom Hulce

PSA of 1984: "Don't let your lungs go to pot." - Cast of Fame

Then and Now 1984: Recreational Family Vehicles (Then: Chrysler Caravan - $8,669 / Now: Ford Explorer - $24,620), Super Bowl Tickets (Then: $60.00 / Now: $325.00) and The Mac (Then: 131,000 bytes of memory / Now: 500,000,000 bytes of memory)

Mr. & Ms. 1984: Boy George

Born in 1984: Mandy Moore, Freddy Krueger, Kelly Osbourne, hair mousse and Punky Brewster

1985

• WrestleMania
• MacGyver
• Back to the Future
• "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe
• The Goonies
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure
• Small Wonder
• "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams
• Big hair
• Fletch
• "The Super Bowl Shuffle"
• Bartles & Jaymes
• Cocoon
• "Voices Carry" by Til Tuesday
• Live Aid
• The Facts of Life
• "Party All the Time" by Eddie Murphy
• The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire
• Day-Glo and oversized message T-shirts
• Pound Puppies
• "We Are the World" by USA for Africa and heavy metal musicians form Hear 'n Aid

Makeout Songs of 1985: "Careless Whisper" by Wham!, "Smooth Operator" by Sade and "Crazy for You" by Madonna

Babes of 1985: Kelly LeBrock, Kelly McGillis, Rosanna Arquette, Grace Slick and Tipper Gore

Hunks of 1985: Sylvester Stallone, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Robert Redford, Jim McMahon and Pee-wee Herman

PSA of 1985: Contract for Life

Then and Now 1985: Hit Soft Drinks (Then: New Coke / Now: Vanilla Coke) and Pro Wrestling (Then: Hulk Hogan / Now: The Rock)

Mr. & Ms. 1985: Dolph Lundgren and Brigitte Nielsen

Born in 1985: Zac Hanson, Air Jordans, Frankie Muniz, Lee Press-On Nails and VH1

1986

• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Wheel of Fortune
• Hands Across America
• Teddy Ruxpin
• ALF
• Pretty in Pink
• "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna
• Swatch
• 1986 World Series and the Bill Buckner fielding error
• The Cosby Show
• Baby On Board
• "Crocodile" Dundee
• Celebrity marriages (specifically Tommy Lee & Heather Locklear, Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver and Tatum O'Neal & John McEnroe)
• Whitney Houston
• Comic Relief
• Janet Jackson's Control album
• Stand by Me
• "Walk This Way" by Run-DMC and Aerosmith
• Top Gun

Makeout Songs of 1986: "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin, "The Next Time I Fall" by Peter Cetera & Amy Grant and "Secret Lovers" by Atlantic Starr

Babes of 1986: Susanna Hoffs, Kim Basinger, Stevie Nicks, Bette Midler and the Statue of Liberty

Hunks of 1986: Tom Cruise, Walter Payton, Paul Hogan, Keith Hernandez and Howard the Duck

PSA of 1986: "Vote With A Friend. Make It Count More" with Quincy Jones and James Ingram

Then and Now 1986: Highest Baseball Salary (Then: Gary Carter - $2 Million / Now: Alex Rodriguez - $22 Million), David Lee Roth & Sammy Hagar (Then: Rivals / Now: Together) and Ted Danson & Kelsey Grammer (Then: Ted Danson making $45,000 an episode on Cheers / Now: Kelsey Grammer making $1,600,000 an episode on Frasier)

Mr. & Ms. 1986: Mike Tyson and Oprah Winfrey

Born in 1986: The Olsen twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley), the Goo Goo Dolls, Jolt Cola, the Pixies and the disposable camera

1987

• Dirty Dancing
• Tiffany and Debbie Gibson
• Hair crimping
• Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
• Fatal Attraction
• Hair metal (specifically Poison, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe)
• FOX (specifically The Tracey Ullman Show, Married... with Children and 21 Jump Street)
• "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
• Controversial extra-marital affairs (specifically Oliver North and Fawn Hall, Gary Hart and Donna Rice, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and Jessica Hahn)
• Wall Street
• "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" by Beastie Boys
• Acid wash and Converse
• Cheers
• "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa
• Hollywood Shuffle
• "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer
• The Two Coreys (Corey Feldman and Corey Haim)
• U2's The Joshua Tree album

Makeout Songs of 1987: "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & The Beaters, "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House and "I Need Love" by LL Cool J

Babes of 1987: Lisa Bonet, Sheena Easton, Jody Watley, Tawny Kitaen and the Church Lady

Hunks of 1987: LL Cool J, RoboCop, Dennis Quaid, Harry Hamlin and Harry from Harry and the Hendersons

PSA of 1987: Anti-Drug (Marijuana): "I learned it by watching you!"

Then and Now 1987: Richest Person in America (Then: Sam Walton - $4,500,000,000 / Now: Bill Gates - $43,000,000,000), Baby Jessica (Then: Stuck in a well / Now: Well adjusted) and Axl Rose (Then: New face of rock 'n' roll / Now: New face)

Mr. & Ms. 1987: Bruce Willis and Cher

Born in 1987: Lil' Bow Wow, Aaron Carter, Nirvana and condom commercials

1988

• Mike Tyson
• Child's Play
• Roseanne
• "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley
• Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction album
• The Wonder Years
• Modern Rock (specifically INXS, The Cure, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, and Erasure)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin
• The California Raisins
• Perfect Strangers
• George Michael's Faith album
• Pictionary and Win, Lose or Draw
• "Red Red Wine" by UB40
• Working woman's wardrobe and Color Me Beautiful
• Hip hop music (specifically Yo! MTV Raps, "Parents Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and the rise of gangsta rap (specifically N.W.A))
• Who's the Boss?
• Terence Trent D'Arby
• The neo-hippie movement
• "Touch of Grey" by Grateful Dead
• Rain Man

Makeout Songs of 1988: "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze, "Hold On to the Nights" by Richard Marx and "The Flame" by Cheap Trick

Babes of 1988: Jessica Rabbit, Kari Wuhrer, Samantha Fox, Julia Roberts and Divine

Hunks of 1988: John F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, Kevin Costner, Joe Montana and Dan Quayle

PSA of 1988: Buckle Up (Car Crash Test Dummies)

Then and Now 1988: A Year of Tuition at Harvard (Then: $12,000 / Now: $35,000), Ricki Lake (Then: 250 lbs. / Now: 120 lbs.) and 100-Meter Sprint (Then: Ben Johnson - 9.79 seconds / Now: Tim Montgomery - 9.78 seconds)

Mr. and Ms. 1988: ALF and Debbie Gibson

Born in 1988: Haley Joel Osment, Teddy Grahams, Miami Heat, En Vogue and Prozac

1989

• New Kids on the Block
• Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
• Milli Vanilli
• Game Boy and Tetris
• Cops
• Rob Lowe's sex video
• "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher
• Do the Right Thing
• "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, and the ensuing Pepsi controversy
• Say Anything...
• The Arsenio Hall Show
• "Love Shack" by The B-52's
• Bobby Brown
• Afrocentric clothing
• Baywatch
• "Love in an Elevator" by Aerosmith
• Heathers
• Saved by the Bell
• "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone Loc
• Fall of the Berlin Wall

Makeout Songs of 1989: "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx, "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Simply Red and "Lovesong" by The Cure

Babes of 1989: Winona Ryder, Paula Abdul, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Claudia Schiffer and Barbara Bush

Hunks of 1989: Batman, The Joker, Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson and Leonardo

PSA of 1989: Madonna on AIDS Prevention

Then and Now 1989: Bushes (Then: George H. W. Bush / Now: George W. Bush), Justin Timberlake (Then: Mouseketeer / Now: Michael Jackson) and World Wide Web (Then: Dialing up / Now: Off the hook)

Mr. and Ms. 1989: Fab Morvan and Meg Ryan

Born in 1989: Daniel Radcliffe, Hole, Hootie & the Blowfish, Lil' Romeo and American Gladiators

References

1. MacLeish, Jessica (September 30, 2019). "How VH1's 'I Love the…' Created a Generation of Culture Students". The Ringer.

External links

• I Love the '80s at IMDb
• I Love the 80's on Internet Archive

I Love the '80s

Next: I Love the '70s