A challenging and stimulating view of one of history's most enigmatic periods, shining a light on the people and events that shaped the decade while illuminating the trends that helped design our future.
Episodes Season Season 1 · 0/10 0/10 watched · 2018 S01E01 Miracle on Ice 2018-08-13 44m
The 1980s begins with an Olympic Hockey game that lifts America's spirits; Ronald Reagan battles Bruce Springsteen; and a sitcom helps invent the yuppie. more S01E02 Passion for Profit 2018-08-13 44m
In the '80s, doing what you love can turn your passion into profit; new technology creates new opportunities; and capitalism gets a conscience. more S01E03 Family Values 2018-08-20 44m
In the '80s, family values undergo a huge makeover, as depicted in films and sitcoms, despite President Reagan's best attempts to stop it. more S01E04 The Culture Clash 2018-08-20 44m
A generation of kids express themselves by breaking all the rules, takes on '80s conservative America in the ultimate pop culture clash. more S01E05 America Gets Wired 2018-08-27 44m
In the '80s, networks like CNN help drive the stratospheric rise of cable. The 24-hour news channel's coverage of John Lennon's death at the start of the 80s and the rescue of baby Jessica McClure near the end cemented its place in viewers' homes. Niche channels are spawned, including MTV, QVC and many televangelism networks. The downfall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker becomes must-see TV. more S01E06 I Want It All 2018-08-27 44m
In the early 1980s America emerges from a recession and goes straight into an era of conspicuous consumption. Widely available credit cards spark a spending frenzy and competing brands battle to make a sale. Sex, and controversy, enter the advertiser's toolkit - but one iconic brand is almost brought to its knees when it takes rebranding too far. more S01E07 New Dynasty 2018-08-27 44m
For American women in the 1980s, life is not easy. Bullied by their bosses or stuck at home, they find unlikely inspiration and support from stars of the stage and screen. Eighties icons like Madonna, Jane Fonda and Joan Collins encourage them to speak up and break out of traditional gender roles, and by the end of the decade, the difference between men and women is no longer so clearly defined. more S01E08 Greed Is Good 2018-08-27 44m
The '80s, when nothing succeeds like excess. In Texas, a fictional oil millionaire's lifestyle captures the world's imagination and even changes the world. On Wall Street, a new philosophy breeds a new kind of capitalist, and for yuppies "Greed is Good." In Los Angeles, music and fashion take new heights. But in this era of big hair, big bonuses and even bigger phones, what goes up must come down. more S01E09 It's a Small World 2018-09-10 44m
In the '80s, shrinking gadgets and new technology bring the world together in unexpected ways but also trigger fears of Japanese economic might. more S01E10 Walls Come Down 2018-09-10 44m
In the late '80s, the Berlin Wall embodies the Cold War, but change is in the air and (with some unexpected help from popular culture) it come crashing down. more 
