Explore TV Series

This VPRO's ‘summer classic’ is based on an equally simple and refreshing idea that originated in 1988: When during the summer most of the channels are showing reruns, ask interesting people people to curate their ‘favorite television evening’ and let them clarify the fragments in a long-form interview/conversation. The programme was first aired in 1988. Each episode takes up an entire Sunday evening, lasting typically three hours. It consists of an in-depth studio interview with a notable Dutch, Belgian or other Dutch-speaking foreigner, interspersed with cinema or television footage selected by the guest, which is subsequently discussed. Guests include writers, scientists, television personalities, politicians or business people.

Wheel of Fortune is an Australian television game show produced by Grundy Television. The program aired on the Seven Network from 1981 to 2004 and November 2005 to July 2006 and is mostly based on the same general format as the original American version of the program. After Wheel of Fortune ended, the format was revived by the Nine Network in 2008 as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, until it was cancelled in June 2008 due to low ratings following arguments from long-time host John Burgess concerning why he did not like the show. An earlier unrelated show also titled Wheel of Fortune had been broadcast on the Nine Network. That version had been developed by Reg Grundy as a radio game show before it transferred to television in 1959.

Popular rap music videos showcased along with live performances and interviews with notable rap artists.

The chronicles of  teacher Ralph Hinkley's adventures after a group of aliens gives him a red suit that gives him superhuman abilities. Unfortunately, Ralph, who hates wearing the suit, immediately loses its instruction booklet, and thus has to learn how to use its powers by trial and error, often with comical results.

The Bund is a Hong Kong period drama television series first broadcast on TVB in 1980. It is praised as the Godfather of the east and spawned several sequels, remakes and film adaptations. The theme song of the series, performed by Frances Yip, also became a memorable Cantopop hit.

The Wizard is a live-action, family friendly, action/adventure series created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Paul B. Radin. The series included lessons in diversity, friendship, imagination, respect, and never giving up.

Five puppies living at a dog pound help other canines find good homes while posing as normal dogs.

Food and Drink is a long-running British television series on BBC Two. First broadcast between 1982 and 2002, it was the first national television programme in the UK to cover the subject of food and drink without cookery and recipe demonstrations. Created in 1982 by BBC producer Henry Murray from an original idea by Jancis Robinson, Fay Maschler and Paul Levy, the first series was presented by Simon Bates and Gillian Miles, and introduced Jilly Goolden in her first regular television appearances as the programme's wine expert. Russell Harty presented filmed location reports from exceptional restaurants around Britain. This series featured the innovative idea of a small contributing audience of 20 people who were called "tasters and testers". The first series broadcast in the summer months but was instantly successful, drawing an average audience of 1.5 million a week, a high rating for BBC Two in the summer in the 80s. Later series were presented by Chris Kelly and chef Michael Barry with wine experts Jilly Goolden and Oz Clarke. A spin-off panel game, Food and Drink Summer Quiz, aired during the main show's summer break in 1987. The theme music was by Simon May. Food and Drink returned to BBC Two on 4 February 2013 co-hosted by Michel Roux Jr and Kate Goodman.

After getting lost on a sea excursion, Jô Penteado and Fábio Coutinho develop mutual feelings during the two months they spend stranded on a deserted island.

Worlds Beyond is a British television anthology broadcast on ITV from 1986 to 1988, based on real-life supernatural experiences described in archival documents from the Society for Psychical Research. A book was also released to accompany the series.

The world's favorite chicken-hearted canine, as a puppy? That's right! And the old gang is back with him. Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, and Freddy are all here as gangly kids — goofing off, solving kid-size mysteries, and having run-ins with ghouls, ghosts, and goblins.

The Clothes Show is a British television show about fashion that can currently be seen weeknights on Really. It was formerly broadcast on BBC One from 1986 to 2000.

E/R is an American television sitcom that aired in 1984 and 1985. Developed from the long running play of the same name created and produced by the Organic Theater Company under the direction of Stuart Gordon and conceived by Dr. Ronald Berman, the series was produced by Norman Lear and Embassy Television and lasted a single season. Shuko Akune and Bruce A. Young reprised their roles from the original Organic Theater Company production of the play. Steven Spielberg and Michael Crichton borrowed heavily from this show in the creation of their television drama similarly entitled ER.George Clooney, a regular on this show, would later appeared in the NBC's drama.

Richie Rich is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired on ABC from 1980 to 1984 and again in 1988 as part of the weekend/weekday programming block The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, Based upon Harvey Comics' popular Richie Rich comic book characters, the series shared time slots with Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The Little Rascals, and Pac-Man over its original broadcast run. The other most visible character was Richie's dog, the appropriately named Dollar. The show airs occasionally on Boomerang; Boomerang's reruns feature the theme from The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show and Scrappy Too! over the closing credits.

Compass is an Australian weekly news-documentary program screened on ABC Television on Sunday nights. Originally presented by Geraldine Doogue, the program is devoted to providing information about faith, values, ethics, and religion from across the globe.

The main character is a scientific genius boy named Kiteretsu, who has built a companion robot named Korosuke. He frequently travels in time with his friends and Korosuke in the time machine he built. Miyoko is a girl in his neighborhood who is basically his girlfriend. Tongari is his rival, who happen to share some similar traits of Honekawa Suneo. Buta Gorilla is a typical neighborhood bully, who also share similar traits of Gian except that he often antagonizes Korosuke (though they are in grade school).

Twilight of a Nation is a Hong Kong television series based on the events of the Taiping Rebellion and the rise and fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the late Qing Dynasty. The 45 episodes long series was produced by Siu Sang and was first aired on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in November 1988. It was broadcast again on TVB in 1996. The theme songs and insert songs in the series were performed by Roman Tam.

AfterMASH is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983, to December 11, 1984. A spin-off of the series M*A*S*H, the show takes place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicles the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel Potter, Klinger and Father Mulcahy. M*A*S*H supporting cast-member Kellye Nakahara joined them, albeit off-camera, as the voice of the hospital's public address system. Rosalind Chao rounded out the starring cast as Soon-Lee Klinger, a Korean refugee whom Klinger met, fell in love with and married in the M*A*S*H series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen." AfterMASH premiered in the fall of 1983 in the same Monday night 9:00 P.M. EST. time slot as its predecessor M*A*S*H. It finished 10th out of all network shows for the 1983-1984 season according to Nielsen Media Research television ratings. For its second season CBS moved the show to Tuesday nights at 8:00 EST., opposite NBC's top ten hit The A-Team, and launched a marketing campaign featuring illustrations by Sanford Kossin of Max Klinger in a nurse's uniform, shaving off Mr. T's signature mohawk, theorizing that AfterMASH would take a large portion of The A-Team's audience. The theory, however, was proven wrong. In fact, the exact opposite occurred, as AfterMASH's ratings plummeted to near the bottom of the television rankings and the show was canceled nine episodes into its second season, while The A-Team continued until 1987, with 97 episodes.

Rescue 911 is an informational reality-based television series that premiered on April 18, 1989 and ended on August 27, 1996. The series was hosted by William Shatner and featured reenactments of emergency situations that often involved calls to 911. Though never intended as a teaching tool, various viewers used the knowledge they obtained watching the show. Two specials, titled "100 Lives Saved" and "200 Lives Saved," were dedicated to viewers who had written to CBS with their stories on how the knowledge they obtained watching the show allowed them to save the life of someone else. At least 350 lives have been saved as a result of what viewers learned from watching it. The show's popularity coincided with the widespread adoption of the 911 emergency system, replacing standalone police and fire numbers that would vary from municipality to municipality. The number is now universally understood in the United States and Canada to be the number dialed for emergency assistance nationwide.

Shotaro Kaneda is a young boy whose dead scientist father created the giant robot Tetsujin 28 after realizing the chances of attacks from outer galaxies. Shotaro has possession of the only controller, kept in an attached case, which enables him to have direct command of the all mighty Tetsujin 28. If the controller goes into the hands of the enemy, this could lead Tetsujin 28 to fight for villains who want to destroy The Earth. Whenever peace in this world is threaten, Shotaro together with his friends, Dr. Shikishima, Detective Otsuka, must unleash the power of our metallic super hero.

Fifty spaceships, each three miles across, hover ominously above Earth's major cities. The Visitors that emerge are humanlike in appearance and extend the hand of friendship. Our planet's resources are just what these aliens need to survive. And for its future survival, unsuspecting humankind will need... a miracle!

The adventures of a group of German truckers on jobs all over the world.

Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel is a magical girl anime series by Studio Pierrot which aired from 1983 to 1984 on Nippon Television. It went on to have five OVA adaptions and featured in other Studio Pierrot special presentations. A three volume manga was released during the original TV run, with the story written by Kazunori Itō and art by Yuuko Kitagawa. This was the first of five magical girl anime to be produced by Studio Pierrot, and the first of these to feature the designs of Akemi Takada. In 2005, the web-poll for TV Asahi's top-100 anime of all time saw Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel poll 82nd. The series is currently streaming in North America via Yomiuri Group's planned Anime Sols video service, as of spring 2013. Thus far, a limited DVD release of the first thirteen episodes has been successfully crowd-funded at Anime Sols, with the second set of episodes currently in crowd-fund mode.

Following the fall of Gorgom, Kotaro Minami tries to live a normal life with the Sahara family. However, this brief moment of peace is soon shattered by the arrival of the Crisis Empire, an evil alien menace that aims to eradicate humanity and claim dominion over Earth. After refusing to aid them in their nefarious goals, Kotaro is thrown hurtling back towards the planet with his transformation belt shattered. However, when he awakens, Kotaro discovers that the sun’s rays have blessed him with new power, the power of Kamen Rider Black RX!

Created and starring the legendary Yasser Al Azmeh, Maraya ran for 20 seasons from 1982 to 2013 — making it one of the longest-running comedy series in Arab television history. Each episode presents standalone stories skewering the social, political and economic frustrations of everyday Arab life with sharp wit and biting satire. A mirror held up to an entire society, it entered homes across the Arab world for three decades and never stopped being relevant.

Out of the norm police officer Navarro and his team investigate the most troubling, serious and heart rendering cases in the city of Paris.

An un-scripted comedy show in which four guest performers improvise their way through a series of games, many of which rely on audience suggestions.

Reilly, Ace of Spies is a 1983 television miniseries dramatising the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian Jew who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the British. Among his exploits, in the early 20th-century, were the infiltration of the German General Staff in 1917 and a near-overthrow of the Bolsheviks in 1918. His reputation with women was as legendary as his genius for espionage.

Against the backdrop of world events that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Victor 'Pug' Henry is a career naval officer who, along with his family, learns to navigate the waters of his dangerous times in the late 1930s.

Set in the tumultuous 70s and 80s in Hong Kong, a group of young people from different backgrounds pursue their dreams amidst the rapidly changing city. Tian Yongtai accidentally kills someone and goes to prison, where he befriends Xu Weikang. After his release, Tian's complicated love triangle with his ex-girlfriend and a friend leads to unexpected challenges, with Weikang becoming a formidable foe. The drama explores themes of friendship, love, and justice as Tian faces a difficult choice.

The newspaper office, Tozai Shinbun, plans to publish the Ultimate Menu to commemorate their 100th anniversary. It would not only describe foods but also pass on dietary cultures for many generations to come. Despite its importance, Shirou Yamaoka, a lazy employee, and Yuuko Kurita, a company newcomer, are selected as the editors.

Join Pee-Wee Herman and his friends Chairry, Miss Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis, Jambi the Genie and others as they play around in Pee-Wee's magical Playhouse!

Spanning 1919 to 1982, in the fictional village of Schabbach, live Maria Simon and her family, whose lives and community are changed by historical events around them.

Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in syndication from September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. During its first season, the series was originally part of NBC's Prime Time Begins at 7:30 campaign, in which the network's owned-and-operated stations would run first-run sitcoms in the 7:30-8 pm time slot to counterprogram competing stations' game shows, sitcom reruns and other offerings. Out of This World was rotated with the original series Marblehead Manor and She's the Sheriff, a syndicated revival of the 1983 sitcom We Got It Made, and a television adaptation of the play You Can't Take It With You. NBC ended the experiment after the 1987-88 season due to the low ratings put up by three of the series, with Out of This World being one of the two that was renewed. After its first season the series was largely moved to weekend time slots, where it remained until its cancellation following the fourth season.

The telenovela tells the story of Francisca Moura Imperial, a wealthy businesswoman, and her two sons: Jordão and Tiago, who show little interest in the family business. Jordão is the product of a whirlwind romance in Francisca's youth, while Tiago was born from her marriage to Roberto, a seductive man who moves in high society but is penniless. Francisca is preoccupied with her sons but cannot interfere in their lives as much as she would like. Eccentric and full of outlandish ideas, she decides to undergo plastic surgery, which makes her look 20 years younger, believing that this will bring her closer to Jordão and Tiago. Francisca's greatest concern is that at least one of her sons will marry and give her a grandchild, thus ensuring the continuation of the family name.

Bionic policemen fight an escaped alien mob boss and his gang in space.

London's Burning is a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall.

Robotech is an 85-episode adaptation of three different anime television series made between 1982-1984 in Japan; the adaptation was aired in 1985. Within the combined and edited story, Robotechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific island. With this technology, Earth developed giant robotic machines or mecha to fight three successive extraterrestrial invasions.

The land of dreams, Fenarinarsa, was once a kingdom on Earth, but the kingdom gradually drifted away as humanity's belief in dreams waned. To save the kingdom, the king sends his only daughter, Minky Momo, on a mission to restore humanity's dreams. After establishing herself as the daughter of a childless couple, Momo strives to transform Earth into a planet rich with dreams once more. Armed with the power to transform into an adult with the proper skills to handle any situation, and accompanied by her animal companions, Momo vows to succeed in her quest by any means necessary.

Juliet Bravo was a drama that focused on two female police inspectors, neither of whom were called Juliet Bravo! These two inspectors worked in the small fictional town of Hartley, Lancashire. Jean Darblay was on the scene first and had trouble with her sexist colleagues. However she soon managed to gain their trust and prove a woman could be a successful police officer and housewife. Jean's call sign was Juliet Bravo. When she was promoted and moved on she was replaced by Kate Longton who not only took over the patch but also the headaches that went with it.

Madame's Place is an American sitcom that featured the misadventures of Madame, a puppet in the form of a bawdy old movie star with a naughty sense of humor.

The web-slinging superhero battles crime in New York City.

Join Fred, Wilma, Dino, Barney and Betty in their formative years when they were precocious prehistoric preteens. Whether they’re riding to school on a brontosaurus’ back, skating down the street on wriggling dino boards or just rockin’ out, these kids are growing up the Bedrock way.

The spoiled and insensitive Estrella de Rossi comes across a humble girl, Virginia, who is her spitting image; almost immediately she comes up with a game and, as a bit of mischief, she pays the girl to impersonate her. When she pulls this off successfully and no one notices the change, Estrella goes further and decides to take a year off to go out and live her life. She forces her double to accept this pact and the young village girl is left to assume the role of a rich and married woman, with a husband who is not really hers but who she ends up falling in love with. She will also face an alcoholic mother-in-law, stepchildren in need of attention and love, a company teetering on bankruptcy and above all, the eminent danger of being discovered.

Katri is a young country girl who lives in Finland during the First World War. Her mother has gone off to Germany and Katri is left to live with her grandparents. The young but diligent girl manages daily tasks of her grandparents' property and, despite her young age, soon gets to work for a local farmer as a herd. There she makes friends with the two boys of the neighbourhood.

The semi-coherent adventures of two teenage intergalactic private eyes, Kei and Yuri. Members of Trouble Consultant team 234, their code name is 'Lovely Angels'. However, they're better known – universe-wide, in fact – as the 'Dirty Pair', a moniker they're not fond of. Their arrival at the scene is always a source of hope and dread, since they always solve the case, but wherever they go, something gets destroyed, up to and including entire planets. Luckily for them – but not so much for the universe – there's typically some extenuating circumstances that support their oft-uttered phrase, "It's not our fault".

Daily tabloid television news show on entertainment and celebrity news with unprecedented access to Hollywood's biggest stars, exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at upcoming film and television projects, as well as the real story behind Hollywood's latest news.

Dolly is a television variety show that ran on ABC during the 1987-1988 season featuring Dolly Parton.

Samuel Etienne hosts this emblematic game, which sees four candidates compete each evening around questions of general culture.