Explore TV Series

A one-off series of sixty minute shows where a band were given total control over the programme's content with no input from the production company or Channel 4.

The story of Nikos, a Greek immigrant who went to Germany, looking for a better life and after failing as a car mechanic, returns to Greece an alcoholic, and gets a job as a truck driver. He transports iron, bricks, vegetables throughout Greece. In each episode of the series, we have a different story of "wandering", experiencing situations typical of the society of the '80s.

Akina Nakamori’s first appearance in a TV drama. The special depicts the process by which an office lady who comes from a rural area grows as a person through the way of life of a man who intrudes into the communal life of women.

Opinions is a British talk programme broadcast on Channel 4 television in the 1980s and 1990s. According to Time magazine, Opinions gave "a public figure 30-minutes of airtime each week to expound on a controversial topic ". "A speaker could express his or her own views straight to camera for 30 minutes", "an earnest of Channel 4's faith and mission to bring edgy, alternative fare to the public and to excite reaction". "Individuals like the novelist Salman Rushdie and the historian EP Thompson each spoke to the camera for half an hour on a subject that interested them".

Bullseye is an American game show that aired in syndication from September 29, 1980 to September 24, 1982. Jim Lange was the host, and the program was produced by Jack Barry and Dan Enright. Jay Stewart was the announcer for the first season, and Charlie O'Donnell announced for the second season. The series' executive producer was Ron Greenberg.

Plafond over de vloer is a Dutch television show in nine episodes, aired in 1984 by the VPRO and written and directed by Wim T. Schippers. It derives from the radio show Ronflonflon, and its main character is that show's host, Jacques Plafond.

James Laxer, chairman of the political science department at Atkinson College, is the host for a five-part series examining Canada's role in the changing world economy. Produced by the NFB, the series explores free trade, the rise of the Japanese economy and the challenges posed by new technology.

Sharifa raises her daughters after the death of her husband, assumes their responsibility, helps solve their problems until they marry, and refuses to marry her cousin to please her daughters.

This action comedy drama stars Kyouhei Shibata and Toru Nakamura, who played the senior and junior relationship between Yuji and Toru in "Abunai Deka", and Chuujou Shizuo, who played Chief Kondo of the Minato Police Department, as their father. The "Abunai Deka" material and parodies by the actors themselves are also appealing. Kishida Hogen, a freelance writer, meets Norinori Kitamura, an aspiring lawyer, while tailing him for a dangerous interview. By chance, it turns out that Hogen and Noriki are actually half-brothers... Total 22 episodes.

Behind the Screen is an American late-night weekly serial which aired on CBS from October 9, 1981 to January 8, 1982. It was created by David Jacobs for CBS, which wanted to experiment with late night programming as a counterpoint to ABC and NBC's more successful efforts at that time of night. Drawing upon his experience with the prime-time serials, Behind the Screen was a dramatization of the goings-on at a fictional TV soap opera called Generations. This was not the first attempt to explore the concept of a "soap within a soap" as radio soaps had used the idea as far as back as the 1940s, and Ryan's Hope had used the idea for a story in the early 1980s.

This three part French TV serial for children (alternate versions exist as a feature, Manoel’s Destinies, and a 4 part Portuguese TV serial, Adventure in Madeira) is the favourite of many devotees of Raúl Ruiz. This is because it ties the enchantment and mystery of Lewis Carroll, Carlo Collodi and the Brothers Grimm to the filmmaker’s experiments with narrative strategies and what he calls the pentaludic model of storytelling (where characters are thrown dice-like into combinations and situations governed by the play of Chance and Destiny).

Quigley's Village was a long-running collection of Christian children's videos designed to teach children "sound Biblical values" in a fun and exciting way. A combination of live action and puppets, it was very similar in style to Sesame Street but with a biblically-based rather than humanistic approach to communicating values. Executive Producer Ed Carlstone first conceived of the idea of Quigley's Village when his three-year-old child told a lie. With many episodes translated into Spanish, and a spin-off series, Quigley's Village has been seen by millions of children worldwide.

Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way is a British television series presented by Barbara Woodhouse first shown by the BBC in 1980. It was taped in 10 episodes at Woodhouse's home in Hertfordshire, England. The show was also internationally syndicated. In the show she often used two commands: "walkies" and "sit"; the latter of which was parodied in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy where James Bond does a Woodhouse impersonation, puts his hand up in a command posture, repeats Woodhouse's catch-phrase to a tiger and the animal responds to it by obeying. Her ten-part series had been shown at over one hundred stations in the United States and in Britain it proved so popular it was run twice. In 1982, singer-songwriter Randy Edelman wrote a song about her and her show, "Barbara", which he released in a single 45 rpm record.

Pelle Parafin's Wave Band is threatened with eviction from the basement where they rehearse by the cynical businessman Audun Automat, who wants to turn the place into an arcade. The band must fight against Audun Automat, the municipality, and the automat ghosts to keep the basement, while Randi and Ronny must also find a new home.

Stan Brock, the jungle cowboy is an adventurer feeding his desire to accomplish what the other man talks about and is not capable of achieving. In this series, Stan travels around Brazilian jungles and swamplands and encounters adventure and peril in every location he arrives into.

Gamboa is a Peruvian television series broadcast by Panamericana Televisión between 1983 and 1987. The series takes place in the city of Lima in the Cercado de Lima district. It revolves around the experienced Major Gamboa, a policeman who is in charge of solving the most violent police cases, but very effective in resolving the events that arise.

A TV programme presented by Sergio Zavoli, broadcast by the Italian public TV channel Rai 2, about Italy during the Years of Lead, with movies, interviews with some protagonists of the period and final discussion.

Groundbreaking BBC series that follows transgender activist Julia Grant from her first year living as a woman to her experience of gender reassignment surgery and beyond.

KBS1 1988 Seoul Olympics Drama Special adaptation of the Legend of Chunhyang

Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, is a late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. It was hosted by Jools Holland and David Sanborn, and featured Marcus Miller as musical director. Guests included acts such as Sonny Rollins, Shinehead, Sister Carol, Sonic Youth, Joe Sample, Slim Gaillard, Elliott Sharp, Pere Ubu, Pharoah Sanders, and many others. In addition, vintage clips of jazz legends like Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, and Billie Holiday were also featured. The show also featured a house band of Omar Hakim, Marcus Miller, Philippe Saisse, David Sanborn, Hiram Bullock, and Jools Holland. The show often allowed its guests ample time to explain the origins of their sound, meaning of songs, etc. It also provided a national audience for lesser known acts. Hal Willner was the music coordinator, responsible for the interesting musical mix-and-matching that took place on the show.