Everything 80s

Unsolved Mysteries was one of the scariest TV shows in the 80s, especially if you were a younger viewer... But it was also one of the most-watched shows of the decade. Its roots go back to the early 80s, and the show went through several iterations and hosts, including Perry Mason himself. But eventually came the host with one of the most distinctive voices in television history: Robert Stack. You'll hear why its intense theme music was deliberately created to scare you, how viewers became part of the story, and how it helped launch the true crime boom from America's Most Wanted to today's podcasts. And despite debuting nearly 40 years ago, Unsolved Mysteries is still with us to this day... Support the show and get bonus 1980s content: Patreon.com/80s

It's been called the "Spotify of the 80s," and if you grew up back then, you know The Columbia House Record and Tape Club was not only your access to a vast world of music, but it also seemed too good to be true... Twelve albums for a penny? Who could resist? It turns out, not a lot, but little did we know that by sending that penny in, we were committing to a years-long fulfillment obligation. Today we look back on the seven-decade history of Columbia House, a program that started as a simple record club in the 1950s, but grew into a massive powerhouse in the 1980s. Columbia House was a huge part of growing up in the 80s, and, amazingly, still existed right up to the time of this recording in 2026... Get early, ad-free access to new episodes: Patreon.com/80s

The early 1980s were a golden age for video games. From iconic arcade games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man to the growth of home consoles like the Atari 2600, it felt like a magical time for kids and video game lovers. But all of that almost came to an abrupt end... In the early 80s, video games — specifically arcade games—had caught on so quickly and spread so far that many wondered whether it was healthy for kids to play them for hours on end. It wasn't just physical concerns, but psychological ones, too. From the UK to North America, arcade games were soon under attack, and many cities were taking measures to restrict kids from playing them. It was an issue that went all the way to the Supreme Court, and a generation had no idea how close we came to losing them... Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie review: Patreon.com

Welcome to a free preview of the Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast that you can find at Patreon.com. This is a previous episode devoted to one of the defining movies of the entire 1980s: The Karate Kid. In this episode, we do a full plot recap, then look at what went into making this era-defining movie. That includes taking the direction of the original Rocky, but honing the themes to younger viewers. We then look at the release and phenomenal success of the Karate Kid, a film that came out during one of the most competitive summers of the 1980s. And we finish by looking at the lasting legacy of the movie that many describe as their all-time favorite. The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s

If you grew up watching TV in the 80s, you only knew the 'Big Three' networks: ABC, NBC, and CBS. But in 1986 came something we hadn't seen in thirty years: a legitimate fourth network. Welcome to the final episode of a three-part mini-series that looks back on the rapidly changing world of television in the 1980s. In part three, we look at the creation and launch of Fox, a network that started from scratch, but, in just a few short years, gave the big networks a run for their money. We'll look back at Fox's similarities with another fourth network from the 1950s -- The Dumont -- and how, thanks to shows like Married...With Children and The Simpsons, Fox managed to break through in a big way.

Welcome to Part 1 of a three-part miniseries that looks back on the rapidly changing world of television in the 1980s. In part one, we look back on the groundbreaking moment when Ted Turner -- via satellite -- took his local Atlanta TV station to a nationwide audience. The rise and success of WTBS in the 80s would forever change the way we consumed television. By combining Atlanta Braves baseball games, MGM movies, and classic reruns, Turner created a scheduling template that became the identity of a specialty cable station. And the success of TBS in the 1980s paved the way for ESPN, MTV, The Disney Channel, and all the other cable stations that helped transform our viewing habits in the 80s and beyond... Get the first look at new episodes early and ad-free: Patreon.com/80s

From small, smoky nightclubs to prime time TV and Hollywood, stand-up comedy has gone through many iterations over more than a century. But it was in the 1980s when a true comedy boom took place. In part one of this two-part episode, we look back at the origins of stand-up comedy, going back to the days of Vaudeville, and then into the 50s and 60s when people like Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball began to entertain millions. Then, through the 60s and into the 70s, comedians like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Richard Pryor took stand-up to the next level. But then, heading into the 80s, everything changes; the opening of some famous clubs, a comedy strike, and some of the most famous names of our time are about to take stand-up comedy to levels never seen before. Subscribe to the Everything 80s Podcast so you don't miss out on Part two, where we look at some of those specific comedians that helped shape the 80s, the rise of sitcoms based around stand-ups, and how the comedy explosion spread throughout North America