they’re the moments that had adults
glued to their screens and children
asking their parents a few very
important questions welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 most
controversial things on 1980s TV I don’t
believe they’re making people
uncomfortable but I also don’t believe
in lying for this list we’re ranking
those infamous moments on TV in the
1980s that led to some intense
water-cooler conversations talk shows
movies and very special sitcom episodes
will all be considered for this list so
get ready to travel back to a decade
that may have been totally awesome but
also encountered its fair share of
controversy okay fellas here we go
number 10 the mold avian massacre
dynasty hit him oh nothing can stop us
tomorrow
audiences came to expect outrageous
twists on the popular primetime soap
opera dynasty but how would they react
to a bit of real-world conflict mixed in
with all the cheesy drama what are you
after
I shall put it in one word mr. Dexter
destiny well on May 15 1985 that’s
exactly what they got in the fifth
season finale that episode ended in a
cliffhanger as terrorists interrupted a
wedding taking place in the Moldavian
region of Europe
the lives of nearly the entire cast of
characters were in jeopardy as bullets
rained down upon everyone in attendance
everything did work out come season six
however as it was revealed that only two
supporting characters actually suffered
fatal wounds I’m gonna die Steve I don’t
want to hear that you understand number
nine
Andrew Dice Clay the 1989 MTV Video
Music Awards come a long way to make
your smile I’m gonna do it different
gonna do it die style
stand-up comedy enjoyed a lucrative and
successful boom in the 1980s thanks in
part to the rise of comedy nightclubs
and cable television specials raising
the profile of up-and-coming comics
one such performer was Andrew
silverstein also known as Andrew Dice
Clay who made a career out of his
abrasive and off-color bad-boy character
modeled largely after Jerry Lewis’s
buddy love character from the Nutty
Professor not everyone took to Clay’s
offensive and often sexist material
however with one particularly raunchy
performance at the 1989 MTV Video Music
Awards earning him a lifetime ban from
the network rock-a-bye baby on the tree
top your mother’s alright yup pop this
band was eventually repealed in 2011 I
like to know I’m banging a chicken you
know a chick is good to bang when she’s
bigger than the bed you’re on number
eight Geraldo Rivera punched in the nose
Geraldo the Holocaust did it happened
Bob Mike hey does it matter does it
matter
tabloid talk shows were a dime a dozen
in the 1980s but the genre was starting
to change due in large part to former
ABC reporter Geraldo Rivera who entered
the ring with his own show in 1987
Geraldo often invited guests onto a show
like Satanists or members of the KKK
strictly to stir up controversy
the delicate governmentís one
particularly memorable episode on
November 3rd 1988 saw a brawl break out
between Roy Innes of the Congress of
racial equality and John Metzger
director of the white Aryan resistance
Youth the host received a chair shot to
the face and a broken nose during the
melee but refused to press charges after
the incident the show’s ratings
skyrocketed
number seven it was all a dream
Dallas what does a writer do when one of
the most popular characters has killed
off at the end of one season but it’s
hired to come back a year later simple
make the entire previous season a dream
no it’s true he died because of me he
was trying to save me if that sounds too
incredible to be true then ya haven’t
watched the ninth season of Dallas which
fans refer to as the dream season I like
the way that sells yes
turns out Bobby Ewing’s death and the
events of the entire night season were
all dreamed up by Bobby’s wife Pamela
and how did Pamela and viewers find this
out she discovers her thought to be
deceased husband Bobby in the shower
washing up as if nothing had ever
happened number six the counselor mr.
Belvedere no Wes I think you enjoyed
doing anything as long as you’re not
supposed to be doing it sure does
everybody the late 80s sitcom known as
mr. Belvedere was one of the few
primetime comedy programs based on a
novel in this case the Gwen Davenport
penned Belvedere from 1947 I think I’m
gonna be in miss Pritchard group from
now on the show wasn’t afraid to tackle
social issues as evidenced by a couple
of controversial episodes from the
series five year run including one
entitled Wesley’s friend which deals
with misinformation about the AIDS virus
I heard you can get it just by playing
tag or swingin on the same swings even
more controversial was the episode
called the counselor which deals with
the fallout after a counselor attempts
to sexually molest the owns family’s
youngest son Wesley while he’s at summer
camp Oh
getting goose bumps the counselor ends
with a PSA telling children what to do
if they ever find themselves in an
uncomfortable situation if you have to
keep a secret that makes you feel bad
it’s not worth keeping number five
trash TV the Morton Downey jr. show let
me tell ya Hitler and Mussolini were
probably nice people the only thing they
did wrong was kill people we mentioned
earlier how the 1980s assured in a new
decade of daytime talk shows that
weren’t afraid of pushing the envelope
when it came to
sensational content the Morton Downey
jr. show might be the most
unapologetically abrasive of them all
thanks to its host and his hyper
confrontational style no Saints did
something approved they were safe sorry
I prayed I prayed for years and years
that’s good that’s good
Morton Downey jr. yelled finger pointed
and Shane smoked on his show and thought
nothing of blowing smoke into the faces
of his guests at a moment’s notice this
chaotic carnival atmosphere made Downey
very successful in the ratings
department however as his talk show
enjoyed success and infamous notoriety
during its two-year run tell you what
everyone who agrees with the judge turn
off your television set now for the next
15 minutes
number 4 nuclear war the day after
unless you’re seriously injured could
you please go to one of the other campus
buildings the 1970s and 80s were a
fruitful time for made-for-tv movies
with many television films of the era
enjoying classic status even today it’s
only been 5 days and I can’t remember
what Bruce looks like one of these was
the day after which received a record
100 million viewers for its debut on
November 20th 1983 the film looked at
the possibility of a full-scale nuclear
war between the United States and the
Soviet Union with startling realism
according to some sources mr. Rogers
neighborhoods controversial conflict
episodes were produced in direct
response to the film explaining issues
of violence and the possibility of
nuclear war to children who might have
caught the film with their parents so
please get a grown-up that you love to
watch this program with you because
we’re going to talk about some sad and
scary things whether or not that’s true
this film put people on edge it’s going
through you like an x-ray right into
yourself
what if they killed all these animals
number three Madonna’s like a virgin
live the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards the
idea of an award show for the
then-fledgling cable channel known as
MTV was a gamble at the time but music
televisions roll of the dice proved
lucrative credit the performance of a
similarly fresh-faced artist known as
Madonna who made TV history right out of
the gate parents and older viewers lost
their minds as the singer rolled around
on the floor during her rendition of
like a virgin while kids soon began
mimicking the material girls classically
outlandish fashion sense
the spectacle would cement both MTV and
Madonna as two of the most influential
forces in popular culture and no one
would forget the performance even
decades later number 2 the bicycle man
Diff’rent Strokes
we urge families children and parents to
watch the special episode together
because some of the material presented
might be disturbing to younger children
sitcoms of the 1980s loved to include a
number of very special episodes during
their runs Diff’rent Strokes was no
stranger to this trend and handled
difficult issues with a surprising
amount of drama tension and poignancy
did mr. Horton give unity Dudley top
hill he said it make me feel good
the hitch-hiker episode focused on the
kidnapping of Arnold and Kimberly
Drummond for example and the bicycle man
took on child molestation I’m only 11
years old should I be hearing all of
this in this two-part episode Arnold and
his friend Dudley are lured to the
apartment of their local cycle store
owner and are convinced to let him take
shirtless Polaroids of them it’s a lot
of fun it is Evan yeah fortunately they
eventually alert adults to what’s going
on creepy and powerful the bicycle man
remains an infamous 80’s television
moment to this day this is an x-rated
cartoon it’s dirty
yeah I know
before we reveal our most controversial
moment on ATS television here are a few
shocking honorable mentions I know
someone else like that
number one goodbye farewell and amen
mash you don’t mind it like to exchange
my straitjacket for something in a 39 or
one episode of 80s television can claim
to be the most watched television
broadcast in American history a record
it held from 1983 until 2010 that
episode is the series finale of mash a
two and a half hours send-off for the
beloved dramedy entitled goodbye
farewell and amen
but the episode proved notable for
another reason as well controversially
it tackled series lead Hawkeye Pierce’s
battles with PTSD as he prepares to
return home from the Korean War dear dad
but the first time I understand what a
nervous disorder is because it seems
I’ve got one the episode pulls no
punches depicting Hawkeye struggle with
the demons in his mind with actor and
director Alan Alda performing
tremendously in the role simply stated
goodbye farewell and ahmen his classic
television storytelling at its best and
most challenging there it is that’s the
sound of peace do you agree with our
list which 80’s TV moment do you feel
was the most controversial here let me
give you a hand for more time-traveling
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com some hugs and
kisses are still ok
you
glued to their screens and children
asking their parents a few very
important questions welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 most
controversial things on 1980s TV I don’t
believe they’re making people
uncomfortable but I also don’t believe
in lying for this list we’re ranking
those infamous moments on TV in the
1980s that led to some intense
water-cooler conversations talk shows
movies and very special sitcom episodes
will all be considered for this list so
get ready to travel back to a decade
that may have been totally awesome but
also encountered its fair share of
controversy okay fellas here we go
number 10 the mold avian massacre
dynasty hit him oh nothing can stop us
tomorrow
audiences came to expect outrageous
twists on the popular primetime soap
opera dynasty but how would they react
to a bit of real-world conflict mixed in
with all the cheesy drama what are you
after
I shall put it in one word mr. Dexter
destiny well on May 15 1985 that’s
exactly what they got in the fifth
season finale that episode ended in a
cliffhanger as terrorists interrupted a
wedding taking place in the Moldavian
region of Europe
the lives of nearly the entire cast of
characters were in jeopardy as bullets
rained down upon everyone in attendance
everything did work out come season six
however as it was revealed that only two
supporting characters actually suffered
fatal wounds I’m gonna die Steve I don’t
want to hear that you understand number
nine
Andrew Dice Clay the 1989 MTV Video
Music Awards come a long way to make
your smile I’m gonna do it different
gonna do it die style
stand-up comedy enjoyed a lucrative and
successful boom in the 1980s thanks in
part to the rise of comedy nightclubs
and cable television specials raising
the profile of up-and-coming comics
one such performer was Andrew
silverstein also known as Andrew Dice
Clay who made a career out of his
abrasive and off-color bad-boy character
modeled largely after Jerry Lewis’s
buddy love character from the Nutty
Professor not everyone took to Clay’s
offensive and often sexist material
however with one particularly raunchy
performance at the 1989 MTV Video Music
Awards earning him a lifetime ban from
the network rock-a-bye baby on the tree
top your mother’s alright yup pop this
band was eventually repealed in 2011 I
like to know I’m banging a chicken you
know a chick is good to bang when she’s
bigger than the bed you’re on number
eight Geraldo Rivera punched in the nose
Geraldo the Holocaust did it happened
Bob Mike hey does it matter does it
matter
tabloid talk shows were a dime a dozen
in the 1980s but the genre was starting
to change due in large part to former
ABC reporter Geraldo Rivera who entered
the ring with his own show in 1987
Geraldo often invited guests onto a show
like Satanists or members of the KKK
strictly to stir up controversy
the delicate governmentís one
particularly memorable episode on
November 3rd 1988 saw a brawl break out
between Roy Innes of the Congress of
racial equality and John Metzger
director of the white Aryan resistance
Youth the host received a chair shot to
the face and a broken nose during the
melee but refused to press charges after
the incident the show’s ratings
skyrocketed
number seven it was all a dream
Dallas what does a writer do when one of
the most popular characters has killed
off at the end of one season but it’s
hired to come back a year later simple
make the entire previous season a dream
no it’s true he died because of me he
was trying to save me if that sounds too
incredible to be true then ya haven’t
watched the ninth season of Dallas which
fans refer to as the dream season I like
the way that sells yes
turns out Bobby Ewing’s death and the
events of the entire night season were
all dreamed up by Bobby’s wife Pamela
and how did Pamela and viewers find this
out she discovers her thought to be
deceased husband Bobby in the shower
washing up as if nothing had ever
happened number six the counselor mr.
Belvedere no Wes I think you enjoyed
doing anything as long as you’re not
supposed to be doing it sure does
everybody the late 80s sitcom known as
mr. Belvedere was one of the few
primetime comedy programs based on a
novel in this case the Gwen Davenport
penned Belvedere from 1947 I think I’m
gonna be in miss Pritchard group from
now on the show wasn’t afraid to tackle
social issues as evidenced by a couple
of controversial episodes from the
series five year run including one
entitled Wesley’s friend which deals
with misinformation about the AIDS virus
I heard you can get it just by playing
tag or swingin on the same swings even
more controversial was the episode
called the counselor which deals with
the fallout after a counselor attempts
to sexually molest the owns family’s
youngest son Wesley while he’s at summer
camp Oh
getting goose bumps the counselor ends
with a PSA telling children what to do
if they ever find themselves in an
uncomfortable situation if you have to
keep a secret that makes you feel bad
it’s not worth keeping number five
trash TV the Morton Downey jr. show let
me tell ya Hitler and Mussolini were
probably nice people the only thing they
did wrong was kill people we mentioned
earlier how the 1980s assured in a new
decade of daytime talk shows that
weren’t afraid of pushing the envelope
when it came to
sensational content the Morton Downey
jr. show might be the most
unapologetically abrasive of them all
thanks to its host and his hyper
confrontational style no Saints did
something approved they were safe sorry
I prayed I prayed for years and years
that’s good that’s good
Morton Downey jr. yelled finger pointed
and Shane smoked on his show and thought
nothing of blowing smoke into the faces
of his guests at a moment’s notice this
chaotic carnival atmosphere made Downey
very successful in the ratings
department however as his talk show
enjoyed success and infamous notoriety
during its two-year run tell you what
everyone who agrees with the judge turn
off your television set now for the next
15 minutes
number 4 nuclear war the day after
unless you’re seriously injured could
you please go to one of the other campus
buildings the 1970s and 80s were a
fruitful time for made-for-tv movies
with many television films of the era
enjoying classic status even today it’s
only been 5 days and I can’t remember
what Bruce looks like one of these was
the day after which received a record
100 million viewers for its debut on
November 20th 1983 the film looked at
the possibility of a full-scale nuclear
war between the United States and the
Soviet Union with startling realism
according to some sources mr. Rogers
neighborhoods controversial conflict
episodes were produced in direct
response to the film explaining issues
of violence and the possibility of
nuclear war to children who might have
caught the film with their parents so
please get a grown-up that you love to
watch this program with you because
we’re going to talk about some sad and
scary things whether or not that’s true
this film put people on edge it’s going
through you like an x-ray right into
yourself
what if they killed all these animals
number three Madonna’s like a virgin
live the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards the
idea of an award show for the
then-fledgling cable channel known as
MTV was a gamble at the time but music
televisions roll of the dice proved
lucrative credit the performance of a
similarly fresh-faced artist known as
Madonna who made TV history right out of
the gate parents and older viewers lost
their minds as the singer rolled around
on the floor during her rendition of
like a virgin while kids soon began
mimicking the material girls classically
outlandish fashion sense
the spectacle would cement both MTV and
Madonna as two of the most influential
forces in popular culture and no one
would forget the performance even
decades later number 2 the bicycle man
Diff’rent Strokes
we urge families children and parents to
watch the special episode together
because some of the material presented
might be disturbing to younger children
sitcoms of the 1980s loved to include a
number of very special episodes during
their runs Diff’rent Strokes was no
stranger to this trend and handled
difficult issues with a surprising
amount of drama tension and poignancy
did mr. Horton give unity Dudley top
hill he said it make me feel good
the hitch-hiker episode focused on the
kidnapping of Arnold and Kimberly
Drummond for example and the bicycle man
took on child molestation I’m only 11
years old should I be hearing all of
this in this two-part episode Arnold and
his friend Dudley are lured to the
apartment of their local cycle store
owner and are convinced to let him take
shirtless Polaroids of them it’s a lot
of fun it is Evan yeah fortunately they
eventually alert adults to what’s going
on creepy and powerful the bicycle man
remains an infamous 80’s television
moment to this day this is an x-rated
cartoon it’s dirty
yeah I know
before we reveal our most controversial
moment on ATS television here are a few
shocking honorable mentions I know
someone else like that
number one goodbye farewell and amen
mash you don’t mind it like to exchange
my straitjacket for something in a 39 or
one episode of 80s television can claim
to be the most watched television
broadcast in American history a record
it held from 1983 until 2010 that
episode is the series finale of mash a
two and a half hours send-off for the
beloved dramedy entitled goodbye
farewell and amen
but the episode proved notable for
another reason as well controversially
it tackled series lead Hawkeye Pierce’s
battles with PTSD as he prepares to
return home from the Korean War dear dad
but the first time I understand what a
nervous disorder is because it seems
I’ve got one the episode pulls no
punches depicting Hawkeye struggle with
the demons in his mind with actor and
director Alan Alda performing
tremendously in the role simply stated
goodbye farewell and ahmen his classic
television storytelling at its best and
most challenging there it is that’s the
sound of peace do you agree with our
list which 80’s TV moment do you feel
was the most controversial here let me
give you a hand for more time-traveling
top 10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com some hugs and
kisses are still ok
you
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