When Television Was Fun To Watch Quiz

Answer: 3 Seasons

"The Greatest American Hero" ran for three seasons between 1981 and 1983 and starred William Katt as the titular hero. The premise of the show was that teacher Ralph Hinkley (Katt) encountered aliens who gifted him with a suit that granted him amazing abilities, including the power of flight, invulnerability, super speed, invisibility, x-ray vision, and more.

But things didn't go smoothly for him, since he lost the instructions on how all the powers worked.

Answer: 3 Seasons

Running for just three seasons from 1983 to 1986, "Hardcastle and McCormick" was an action crime show that had a judge (Milton C. "Hardcase" Hardcastle) team up with a car thief (Mark "Skid" McCormick) to bring to justice the ones that 'got away' with their crimes due to legal technicalities.

In exchange for working out a conditional parole, McCormick (played by Daniel Hugh Kelly) uses his skills to help the Lone Ranger-inspired Judge Hardcastle (portrayed by Brian Keith) catch the bad guys with the help of a prototype sportscar dubbed 'Coyote X.'

Answer: 3 Seasons

"My Two Dads" was a sitcom that ran from 1987 to 1990, starring Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan as the two dads to Staci Keanan's 12-year-old character Nicole Bradford. The situation arose after young Nicole is left orphaned, and the two men who had vied for the affections of her mother Marcy were both given joint custody (as either could have been the father).

In a third-season episode, a DNA test is done to determine who the father is, but the results are never revealed as Nicole destroys the envelope unopened.

Answer: 5 Seasons

"Charlie's Angels" was an action crime drama that aired from 1976 to 1981, starring three leading ladies in a private detective agency in Los Angeles. The original lineup included Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Jaclyn Smith, although in later seasons, Cheryl Ladd would replace Farrah Fawcett, and Kate Jackson was replaced by Shelley Hack, who would herself later be replaced by Tanya Roberts.

One 'gimmick' of the show was that the Angels were directed by an unseen boss, through a speakerphone. The boss's name was Charlie Townsend (voiced by John Forsythe).

Answer: 5 Seasons

Four soldiers of fortune - former US military special forces - were wrongfully convicted of a crime and escaped incarceration in a bid to clear their name. "The A-Team" stayed one step ahead of the law while using their skills to help people over five seasons from 1983 until 1987. Led by Lt-Col John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard), the team included Lt Templeton "Faceman" Peck (Dirk Benedict), Capt H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), and Sgt First Class Bosco "B.A.", or "Bad Attitude", Baracus (Mr. T).

Answer: 5 Seasons

"21 Jump Street" ran for five seasons from 1987 to 1991, featuring a cast of young actors playing young, rookie police officers that worked out of a decommissioned church at the address noted in the title. Their job was to portray teenagers or college-aged students in undercover operations.

It famously featured Johnny Depp in one of his earliest roles, that helped launch his career into a wider stardom. Also featured in the show were Holly Robinson, Peter DeLuise, and Richard Greico, amongst others. Greico's character 'Detective Dennis Booker' received his own spinoff show, "Booker," that only lasted one season (1989-90).

Answer: 7 Seasons

In 147 episodes over 7 seasons between 1979 and 1985, the "Good ol' boys" Bo and Luke Duke (John Schneider and Tom Wopat) pushed the limits of their probation (for running moonshine) in their iconic 1969 Dodge Charger, nicknamed "The General Lee." Most often, they came up against local law enforcement, who followed the cues of the corrupt county commissioner "Boss" Hog.

The action series was extremely popular during its run, perhaps due in no small part to the inclusion of cousin Daisy Duke, portrayed by the beautiful Catherine Bach.

Answer: 7 Seasons

"Cagney & Lacey" began life as a made-for-television movie in 1981, with Loretta Swit (of "M*A*S*H" fame) in the role of Cagney. As the pilot, it counted as part of the first season, which continued on in the spring of 1982 with Meg Foster taking over Swit's role. Beginning in season two, Sharon Gless took on the mantle of Cagney to Tyne Daly's Lacey for the remainder of the show's run, which lasted until 1988.

The popular police procedural actually struggled out of the gate, receiving low ratings for its first season to the point that it was canceled. But there was enough of an outcry that it was brought back, and it became a landmark series, earning 11 Emmy wins (of 23 nominations), and one Golden Globe (of 13 nominations).

Answer: 7 Seasons

"Family Ties" is famous for being the launching platform of a young Michael J. Fox, who portrayed the conservative Alex P. Keaton to great comedic effect during the show's seven-season run from 1982 to 1989. Timed perfectly to reflect the change in American culture from the '60s generation (ex-hippie parents) moving into the era of Reaganomics in the '80s, "Family Ties" became one of the greatest family sitcoms of all time.

Answer: 9 Seasons

"The Facts of Life" ran for nine seasons, beginning in 1979 and lasting until 1988. The show centered around Mrs. Edna Garrett (portrayed by Charlotte Rae), who started out as the housekeeper for the Drummonds in the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes"), before moving on to the role of housemother for a group of girls at the fictional Eastland School, and all-girls boarding school.

While some of the girls at the school were present for all of the seasons (Blair, Tootie, and Natalie), others had shorter runs as different students came and went. The show was popular for its exploration of many social issues, including sexuality, drug use, eating disorders, and peer pressure, amongst other typical problems that teenagers face.

Answer: 9 Seasons

"Night Court" was a fun comedy show that took place in the Manhattan Criminal Court's night shift, and featured comedian Harry Anderson as the unorthodox Judge Harry T. Stone. The show ran for nine seasons from 1984 to 1992, amassing 193 episodes. Also prominent in their roles during the show were John Laroquette (prosecutor Dan Fielding), Markie Post (public defender Christine Sullivan), and Richard Moll (bailiff "Bull" Shannon).

Answer: 9 Seasons

"Family Matters" was a spinoff of "Perfect Strangers," with the character of Harriette Winslow (Jo Marie Payton) who worked in the same building as Larry and Balki. Surrounding the African-American Winslow family, the show ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998, amassing a whopping 215 episodes. Perhaps most memorable from the show was the character of Steve Urkel (portrayed by Jaleel White) - the geeky neighbour who disrupted the Winslow family life regularly.

Answer: 11 Seasons

The iconic show "Happy Days," featuring the conservative Cunningham family and the supporting cast of characters that hung out at 'Arnold's' restaurant. While there were many memorable characters, the show's protagonist Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and Arthur 'the Fonz' Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler) were the most popular over its 11-season run (1974-84).

Amazingly, the sitcom spawned SEVEN spinoffs, including "Laverne & Shirley," "Blanksy's Beauties," "Mork & Mindy," "Out of the Blue," "The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang" (animated), "Joanie Loves Chachi," and "Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour" (animated).

Answer: 11 Seasons

"The Jeffersons" began its life as a spinoff of "All in the Family," where the Jeffersons were the neighbours to Archie and Edith Bunker. In the show, which ran for 11 seasons from 1975 to 1985, George and Louise Jefferson (portrayed by Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford) move into a luxury apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, due to George's successful dry-cleaning chain.

As a successful situational comedy, it explored issues of race and class throughout its run, earning 14 Emmys amongst its many awards and nominations.

Answer: 11 Seasons

Running from 1982 to 1993, the show "Cheers" centered almost wholly around the Boston-based bar of the same name, and its quirky cast of characters. Smooth-talking bar owner and former baseball player Sam Malone (Ted Danson) led the cast, which included notable actors and actresses such as Shelley Long (Diane), Kirstie Alley (Rebecca), Rhea Perlman (Carla), George Wendt (Norm), John Ratzenberger (Cliff), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), and Woody Harrleson (whose character was also named Woody).