1980s anthology shows
A comprehensive (read: not completely complete) list of episodes of 1980s Anthology shows. Exceptions: TV Plays, feature-length stuff that functions as TV Movies (including two-part presentations) failed pilots, specials, etc. No rules are stiff; The entirety of CBS Summer Playhouse is excised because it's explicit that they are failed pilots. Mr. Boogedy, an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney, is included because it aired as part of an anthology series despite also being a failed pilot. This list is more meant to reflect Amazing Stories/Twilight Zone style shows than anything else.
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- DirectorBruce MalmuthStarsMelissa ShermanChris HaganTammy TaylorTeenage figure skater learns to true value of winning when she meets a paraplegic youngster.
- 1972–19971h7.8 (15)TV EpisodeDirectorLarry ElikannStarsLendon H. SmithRachel LongakerShane Sinutko12-year-old girl wonders about all of the changes that's happening to her body. Sequel to My Mom's Having a Baby.
- DirectorStephen GyllenhaalStarsMelora HardinDana HillSusan AdamsTwo 12-year-old girls going through a divorce make a pact never to divorce their friendship.
- DirectorArthur Allan SeidelmanStarsRob LoweDana PlatoSharon SpelmanHigh school senior discovers his summer girlfriend has given birth to his child, and decides to fight for custody.
- DirectorRobert FuestStarsDanny AielloMaria TucciLauri HendlerA widower with two daughters marries a divorcee with one daughter, creating a blended family. Will they all get along?
- DirectorLarry ElikannStarsHolly GagnierZina BethuneJack Knight16-year-old gymnast is determined to become a world-class athlete.
- DirectorJohn HerzfeldStarsScott BaioVincent BufanoLargo WoodruffJack is a motivated high school student who smokes cannabis for the first time, and falls in with a fast crowd. Will he wake up and realize what he's doing with his future before it's too late?
- DirectorArthur Allan SeidelmanStarsKarlene CrockettRosemary ForsythKate ZentallTeen Lisl Gilbert (Karlene Crockett) finds inner strength when she learns her mother (Rosemary Forsyth) is dying of cancer.
- DirectorJohn HerzfeldStarsScott BaioDee WallaceHal WilliamsTeenage girl is in denial about being in a wheelchair when an accident leaves her paralyzed. She begins to change when she becomes friends with a boy in the same situation.
- DirectorRobert FuestStarsRachel LongakerMary-Beth ManningHolland TaylorIn 1981, a teenage girl named Victoria Martin is convinced that her mother doesn't understand the younger generation. After she bangs her head, Victoria is sent back in time to 1944 and meets her mother as a teenager.
- DirectorAlexander GrasshoffStarsMelinda CuleaPatricia ElliottRuth WarrickAfter the death of her father, a teenage girl struggles with her mother's total dependency on her.
- DirectorJeff BlecknerStarsMallie JacksonTrey WilsonBetty Beaird12-year-old girl assumes responsibility for her two little brothers, after the passing of their mother.
- DirectorAlexander GrasshoffStarsBarbara FeldonAmanda PlummerDanny Aiello15-year-old girl is stunned when she discovers her deceased father is very much alive.
- DirectorStan LathanStarsJames Bond IIIChris BarnesMary AliceTwo teenagers, one black and one white, begin a friendship.
- DirectorRobert C. ThompsonStarsKarin ArgoudAnne SeymourBibi BeschStreetwise teenager is sent to live in the suburbs with her father new family.
- DirectorClaude KervenStarsTrini AlvaradoJoanna MerlinLee CurreriAspiring teen folk singer is torn whether to continue her singing or to accept an educational scholarship.
- DirectorArthur Allan SeidelmanStarsAmanda WyssBonnie BartlettMichael LeClair16-year-old girl is in denial about her mother's drinking problem and refuses to join Ala-Teen.
- High School teacher decides to conduct a social experiment, asking his students to take part. But what they don't know is that the experiment is on mind control.
- DirectorVictor LoblStarsBilly WarlockJay VarelaRay Anthony WilliamsA 16-year-old boy (Warlock) ends up in juvenile hall after trying to "prove" himself to his peers.
- 1972–199745m6.6 (41)TV EpisodeDirectorHarry HarrisStarsMarion RossJennifer Jason LeighCarol LawrenceTwo teenage girls, one rich and one middle-class, become best friends over the summer.
- 1972–199745m8.8 (66)TV EpisodeDirectorSharron MillerStarsCloris LeachmanM. Emmet WalshLeif GreenA blind, mentally retarded infant with cerebral palsy is left in the care of an elderly English woman who refuses to let him die.
- DirectorGwen ArnerStarsNancy McKeonToni SawyerTeenager stumbles upon a case of child abuse. She discovers a child she baby-sits is regular beaten by the mother.
- DirectorClaude KervenStarsLori-Nan EnglerZach GalliganMarta KoberTeenage girl is shocked when a former boyfriend tells her he has gonorrhea. Not only does she get tested, she must tell her current boyfriend to get tested as well.
- DirectorRobert C. ThompsonStarsKarlene CrockettLance GuestBarbara TarbuckTeen violinist is torn between her musical career and her boyfriend.
- DirectorRalph RosenblumStarsHelen SlaterAlbert MacklinJames Earl JonesAmy, a depressed seventeen year old high school girl, is visited by her guardian angel Oliver after wishing she had never been born. Oliver shows Amy how important she is to the people in her life.
- DirectorRobert ChenaultStarsClarence Williams IIILynn HamiltonEric D. WallaceTeacher discovers that the star basketball player is illiterate, and makes it his mission to teach him how to read.
- 1972–19971h8.2 (97)TV EpisodeDirectorAlexander GrasshoffStarsMadge SinclairRiver PhoenixJudy Farrell13-year-old boy has problems reading, which his teachers attribute to laziness. It is later discovered that he has Dyslexia.
- DirectorClaudia WeillStarsTracy PollanKelly WolfPeter KowankoTeenagers lure a timid girl into a made-up experiment that gets her involved in affectionate ways.
- 1972–199730m6.1 (52)TV EpisodeDirectorRobert MandelStarsMichele GreeneMoosie DrierRobert DoQuiA teenage girl is traumatized after being assaulted by a stranger from whom she hitched a ride.
- DirectorFern FieldStarsDarnell WilliamsShelley FabaresRoxie RokerVideo-arcade whiz and teen movie star discover they are exact doubles and decide to switch identities.
- DirectorRobert MandelStarsTracey GoldCheryl AruttElizabeth WardTired of receiving hand me downs from her sister, an 11-year-old girl borrows her bike. When the bike gets stolen, she tries to find it before her sister finds out.
- DirectorMark CullinghamStarsCynthia NixonMark La MuraJulie CohenA high school girl has a crush on a soap-opera star but she thinks she is in love with him. At school she meets her new English teacher who looks closely like the soap-opera star. Partly filmed at Lyndhurst Library
- DirectorKen KwapisStarsRobert KleinScott SchwartzMargo SkinnerFather and son magically switch personalities with comical results.
- DirectorPeter HortonStarsMichelle PfeifferVal KilmerMare WinninghamFour high school friends find their lives changed forever when one of the friends drives drunk with devastating results.
- DirectorRobert C. ThompsonStarsJustine BatemanJimmy McNicholChris HebertA group of high school students take part in a parenting class where their first assignment is to 'parent' an egg.
- DirectorAlexander GrasshoffStarsLindsay CrouseMaddie CormanSeth GreenBrother and sister go on the run with their divorced mom, not realizing until later that their mom has kidnapped them from their dad.
- DirectorJoan DarlingStarsMary Kay PlaceStephen Keep MillsYeardley SmithAn ABC (American Broadcasting Company) Afterschool Special, about an overworked housewife, who, as the title suggests, goes on strike, in order to persuade the rest of her family to share household chores.
- DirectorClaude KervenStarsSarah Jessica ParkerChristine LangnerJohn FemiaFamily inherits a house on a tiny island between Canada and the US, and is not the jurisdiction of either country.
- DirectorJeffrey HornadayStarsTerry DonahoeJohann CarloLaura DeanTeenage girl wants to be a successful dancer, and has a chance to try out for a dance troupe. But fear of failure may keep her from auditioning.
- 1972–199746m6.6 (15)TV EpisodeDirectorJames ScottStarsAdolph CaesarJon RothsteinMichael StormTired of being bullied at school, a boy start drawing a master scientist. He begins to imagine what it would be like, as the scientist, standing-up to the bullies at school.
- DirectorJoseph MandukeStarsMichael YorkBeth MillerBelinda BalaskiTeenage girl is stunned to discover that her mother is not deceased, but mentally ill living in an institution.
- DirectorThomas SchlammeStarsSteve AntinHeather LangenkampChrista DentonA 17-year-old boy finds that looks can be deceiving when he becomes friends with the prettiest girl in school; despite her beauty, she's very unhappy and has low self-esteem.
- DirectorClaude KervenStarsMichael E. KnightNancy TravisGreg Germann22-year-old police officer poses as a student to find the identity of a drug supplier at an inner-city high school.
- DirectorBeau BridgesStarsKelly WolfNiki ScaleraBlair BrownA teenager babysitting a young girl discovers that she is being molested by a family friend when harrowing memories of her own past molestation by her uncle come to the surface.
- 1972–199744m7.4 (36)TV EpisodeDirectorLee GrantStarsPearl BaileyKyra SedgwickJennifer GreyA contemporary remake of "Cinderella" aimed at a pre-teen audience, for an ABC (American Broadcasting Company) Afterschool Special.
- DirectorAnson WilliamsStarsAjay NaiduZero HubbardReni SantoniTwo terminally ill boys strike up a friendship in a hospital ward. One of the boys decides to make the ultimate sacrifice to the other so he can have a chance at life.
- DirectorMartin TahseStarsMalcolm-Jamal WarnerRob StoneNadia DeLeyeTeenager is stunned when his best friend commits suicide, and is left with one unanswered question - Why?
- DirectorCatlin AdamsStarsBen AffleckMadeline KahnPam PotilloSensing his mom is lonely and looking for companionship, a 13-year-old places a personal ad for 'The Perfect Guy'
- DirectorKevin HooksStarsCorey ParkerChristine LangnerDon AuspitzCollege bound 18-year-old has his life turned upside down when his 16-year-old girlfriend announce she is pregnant.
- DirectorNell CoxStarsPhilip BoscoJordan MarderDana DawsonWhen an illiterate toy maker has the right to his invention stolen, his grandson and the Harlem Globetrotters team up to get them back.
- 1972–19971h7.2 (10)TV EpisodeDirectorKevin HooksStarsRon LeibmanLisa VidalThomas Davis Jr.Rich businessman decides to return to teaching after working in the stock market. He inherits a class of under-achievers and sets out to make them winners.
- DirectorArt WolffStarsLauri HendlerRonee BlakleyKen SylkA 15-year-old struggles through the politics of divorce as his parents split up.
- DirectorJoan DarlingStarsMarisa TomeiBarbara BossonCynthia MaceCareer driven mother and her daughter don't see eye to eye when it comes to the daughter's future plans.
- DirectorThomas SchlammeStarsTempestt BledsoeDella ReeseSamuel E. WrightTeenage girl is frustrated about her lack of singing ability in her gospel singing family. She writes a song about her problem, and soon finds where her musical talent lies.
- DirectorHelen WhitneyStarsKeith CooganElizabeth FranzBrian SmiarA teenager who tries to convince his town to farm without using pesticides finds many of the residents resistant to change.
- DirectorNeal BaerStarsKerri GreenKay LenzDean ButlerA departure from most ABC Afterschool Specials, this one focuses on Madeline Green, a teenage girl who discovers her father's affair with a friend of her mother, and struggles to keep it from tearing her family apart.
- 1972–19971h6.4 (23)TV EpisodeDirectorJoanna LeeStarsDon MurrayLoretta SwitWil WheatonTeenage boy is unable to deal with his schizophrenic father.
- DirectorRichard MasurStarsElizabeth BlissRichard KendallCarl WeintraubThe daughter of a divorced couple wages her own custody battle. After her natural mother dies in an accident, a teenager sues her natural father for the right to live with her disabled step-dad.
- DirectorRobert C. ThompsonStarsJoanna PettetEllie CornellLyman WardTeenage girl is in total denial about her mother's drinking problem.
- DirectorFred BarzykStarsDaphne ReidHeather McAdamChristine LangnerThree girls steal the answers to their final exam. When the headmistress finds out, she gives those responsible one-day to confess. After that anyone participating in the cover-up will be expelled.
- DirectorSandy SmolanStarsBetty BuckleyTim GriffinDan LauriaNeighborhood starts examining their feelings of racism when one of the neighbors is caught vandalizing the home of a black family, and people start taking sides.
- 1972–19971h7.9 (30)TV EpisodeDirectorGabrielle BeaumontStarsAllison SmithKatharine RossTammy LaurenThe tale of four friends who are members of a high school swimming team, and the threat to those bonds when two of them experiment with cocaine.
- DirectorCamille ThomassonStarsJill EikenberryMichael TuckerTonya CroweA family comes to grips with their own grief after the eldest daughter is killed.
- DirectorJesús Salvador TreviñoStarsDanielle von ZerneckReed DiamondJohn KarlenTeenage girl is raped after accepting a date from the most popular boy in school.
- DirectorGilbert MosesStarsEdward AlbertCheryl AruttMarcia StrassmanTeenage girl doesn't understand why her father is against her campaign to promote literacy at his factory. Until she discovers that her father can't read.
- 1972–19976.6 (40)TV EpisodeDirectorSusan RohrerStarsBeth HowlandKatherine KamhiIan Ziering16-year-old girl doesn't realize that her mother emotionally and verbally abusive to her.
- DirectorTom G. RobertsonStarsMegan FollowsTimothy Owen WaldripUta HagenThe separation of church and state is examined when a Christmas Nativity scene, being displayed at a high school, sparks debate and protest from the student body.
- DirectorFern FieldStarsJay UnderwoodChristine BelfordBernie KopellA teen decides to become a punk rocker in order to stand out from the crowd.
- 1972–19975.9 (13)TV EpisodeDirectorJoanna LeeStarsShelley BermanK.C. MartelCarl StevenTrue story about a teen with Down's Syndrome who begins attending college classes.
- 1972–19971h7.8 (19)TV EpisodeDirectorVictoria HochbergStarsChristian HoffFlorence HendersonRonny CoxTeenaged boy discovers he has been afflicted with AIDS after a blood transfusion.
- DirectorRobert FuestStarsRoberts BlossomGeoffrey HolderAnthony Michael HallShortly after the Civil War, while exploring the long deserted and reputedly haunted Sullivan's Island off Charleston S.C., a boy encounters two obsessed eccentrics living there. These men chase him away and warn him never to return or to tell anyone about them. Soon, however, they locate him and summon him back, because he has unknowingly given them a clue vital to their quest and they need his help to unravel the rest of the mystery. If he can do so, they will find buried pirate treasure and all become rich. But in joining the search, he falls under the same obsession and curse-- an ominous fate suggested by the unearthly electronic music which contributes to the film's atmosphere.
- 1977–19951hTV-Y7.4 (129)TV EpisodeDirectorCharles NicholsStarsJanet WaldoEric TaslitzNancy McKeonWhen Rupert and his friend Amelia find the new substitute teacher doing odd things, they discover that she is actually a witch with a magical talking cat who sought them out in order to stop an evil coven of witches from destroying her.
- DirectorCharles NicholsStarsNancy McKeonHans ConriedMichael BellScruffy is a puppy you'll definitely fall in love with. In the tradition of Bambi, Scruffy is an orphan, alone and frightened. Rather than the freedom of the forest, Scruffy must wander the streets of the big city before she makes friends. First there's Joe Tibbles, a street performer who adopts her. Then when Joe suddenly dies, she meets Butch, an unwanted stray with a heart of gold. Scruffy's tale will tug at your heartstrings as you experience with her the hardships of life as a stray.
- DirectorArthur LubinStarsDennis DimsterMarvin KaplanGraham JarvisThree inept crooks, endeavoring to become big-name Western outlaws, advertise for a gang leader. The newspaper squib only attracts the interest of a young boy who nevertheless manages to make them famous.
- DirectorRobert ChenaultStarsBrad SavageHeather McAdamDon FenwickMayday! Mayday! is the distress call given by pilot Lou Parker just before the small plane carrying Lou and his family is forced to make a crash landing in the high Sierras. With Lou trapped in the wreckage and his wife, Janice immobilized by a broken leg, young Allison and Mark Parker set out alone to find help. Unknown to the children or the airborne searchers, back at the crash site their injured mother is waging a desperate battle against a stream of fuel flowing from the wreckage toward her signal fire. The prospects of rescue become increasingly dim as Allison and Mark struggle to elude a pack of wild dogs and encounter a rattlesnake ready to strike.
- DirectorRudy LarrivaStarsSparky MarcusTony O'DellNancy McKeon
- 1977–199523mTV-Y7.3 (27)TV Episode
- 1977–199523mTV-Y6.6 (141)TV EpisodeDirectorCharles NicholsStarsWillie TylerJack CarterHoward MorrisWhen strange accidents happen at the factory where Mr. Monroe works, and vegetables are drained of their juices, the neighbors as well as Harold the dog and Chester the cat suspect that the new-found family bunny is really a vampire.
- DirectorCharles NicholsStarsJanet WaldoEric TaslitzNancy McKeonA dark and stormy night sees Rupert and Amelia studying about energy when a mysterious stranger gives Rupert a package. He unknowingly frees the pirate wizard, Mordo, who kidnaps Amelia. Rupert calls on Miss Switch for help in this new adventure.
- DirectorHarvey S. LaidmanStarsRichard SandersK.C. MartelGeorg OldenMayor episode.
- DirectorLarry ElikannStarsTristine SkylerChristian SlaterCheryl GianniniWhen Angel Wilson and her family move into a spooky old house, their new neighbour Billy informs her the place is haunted by an old miser -- who is rumored to have disappeared with a million dollars in cash. Learning of a secret room in the mansion's basement, the two sleuths make an astonishing discovery -- only to be trapped by a near-fatal cave-in. Now, they'll have to solve the mansion's baffling mystery, or end up missing...just like the miser and his legendary loot!
- DirectorRobert ChenaultStarsBilly JayneNicholas GilbertChristian HoffThis episode was hosted by the ventriloquist Willie Tyler,& his dummy "Lester".Two young boys, Todd & Bill, go snooping into an alleged haunted house as a club initiation.One of the upstairs rooms was supposedly inhabiting a ghost by the name of Jamie Bly, who was a young boy who burned in the room years before.He had a dog, as well.The entire mansion was filled with ghosts, from Bly, to his old caretaker, to the maid, to everything.This episode featured the misadventures of the two boys as they entered the property & wandered inside the mansion.
- 1977–1995TV-Y7.1 (11)TV EpisodeDirectorStephen H. ForemanStarsThor FieldsBlake BrocksmithDenise FergussonA boy must outwit a group of kidnappers to rescue a young boy in order to regain his family heritage.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsRobert CarnegieKim HamiltonNyles HarrisA young boy gets a wish from a leprechaun, and wishes for all the money in the world. He then learns about the real-life ramifications of such a wish.
- DirectorSteve LumleyStarsFred TravalenaJanet WaldoNoelle NorthFive siblings named Penny, Pamela, Peter, Patsy, and Pollywog have one thing in common: They like to spend their free time getting lost in their imaginations. One day, several items in their house mysteriously go missing and the kids' perplexed mother asks about their whereabouts. Then while the siblings play a game, the baby, Pollywog, and their pet cat, Earless, go missing too. The remaining foursome and their dog, Yukie, discover that there's a trap door in their playhouse. The kids and Yukie believe that Pollywog, and Earless, were kidnapped through there. So they enter it as well and search for the two. But what they find, they never would've expected: An underground city where several green goblin-like creatures live, who also like to get lost in their imaginations, and, at first, seem to have their own language they speak which consists of nothing but the word "og". The kids must find away to retrieve Pollywog and Earless, and return home before their mother finds out they've all disappeared. Based on the book by Pierre Berton.
- DirectorStephen H. ForemanStarsMatthew VipondKim HauserAngus MacInnesStranded on an island as a result of a flash flood, a boy and his sister gets saved by, among all things, a cougar--from kidnappers and a way of getting off the island.
- DirectorRobert C. ThompsonStarsRossie HarrisJohn Scott CloughLinda HenningAn unveiling of an ancient spell transforms Arthur Kane, a self-centered and inconsiderate boy, into a stray dog. Homeless and completely on his own, Arthur learns some hard life lessons about gratitude and selflessness.
- DirectorMark CullinghamStarsPeter GallagherAllison SmithBrian BloomWhen movie star Phil Grey does a production of "Oliver" with boys only, Christi disguises herself as a boy to get into the show.
- DirectorSteve LumleyStarsFrank WelkerNancy CartwrightRobbie LeeOriginally telecast on March 24 and 31, 1984, as a two-part animated episode of the Saturday morning ABC Weekend Special anthology, "The Amazing Bunjee Venture" juxtaposes the Stone Age with the Modern Age in time-honored Hanna-Barbera tradition. Two 20th century youngsters, Andy and Karen Winsborrow, are accidentally transported back to the year 100,000,000 B.C. While dodging dinosaurs and surly cavemen, the kids find a loyal friend in the form of Bunjee, a lovable, orange-haired creature who resembles a flying elephant with suction cups for feet. Returning the courtesy, Andy and Karen bring Bunjee with them when they return to the present. Alas, Bunjee is hardly ready for modern civilization, and vice versa. Nancy Cartwright, later famous as the voice of Bart Simpson, is heard as Karen.
- 1977–199545mTV-Y6.3 (14)TV EpisodeDirectorNoam PitlikStarsJohn LawlorBelinda BalaskiStu GilliamA ghost who just graduated from Spiritual Specter University gets his first haunting assignment.
- DirectorRick ReinertStarsMichael BellIlene LatterHal SmithBollo, a leopard brought to New York to be made into a fur coat, manages to escape to Washington to try to get Congress to declare him an endangered species.
- 1977–199541mTV-Y6.4 (30)TV EpisodeDirectorMark CullinghamStarsKnowl JohnsonJulia ReardonMelba MooreAdolescent werewolf Walt Cribbens finds himself transforming into a wolf-boy form for two minutes at a time. He has no idea why he is a werewolf, so he decides to seek answers with the help of his best friend Cindy, who witnessed his very first transformation. This quest is complicated by a series of local robberies that throw suspicion on Walt.
- StarsFrank WelkerNancy CartwrightRobbie LeeKaren, Andy and Bunjee are determined to find a mom for the little Bunjee babies. The time machine sends them to the Middle Ages, where they tangle with an evil sorceress, battle a three-headed dragon -- and have more fun than a barrel of Bunjees!
- StarsChub BaillyJodi CarlislePeter CullenRobert (voiced by Josh Rodine) is convinced that his toy rabbit is real. When he contracts scarlet fever, the rabbit is considered the cause of the illness and ordered to be burned. He is saved from "death" by a fairy, who turns him into a real rabbit.
- 1977–1995TV-Y7.1 (36)TV EpisodeDirectorJoan DarlingStarsDrew BarrymoreBrandy WardJames NaughtonTwo pre-teenaged girls attempted to thwart a robbery.
- 1977–1995TV-Y5.6 (10)TV EpisodeDirectorClaude KervenStarsKim HauserLily Nell WarrenSally Stark
- 1977–1995TV-Y6.3 (11)TV EpisodeDirectorRick ReinertStarsLucille BlissStan JonesIlene Latter