That '80s Show

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
That '80s Show
Format Comedy (sitcom), Spinoff
Created by Mark Brazill
Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner
Starring Glenn Howerton
Tinsley Grimes
Eddie Shin
Chyler Leigh
Brittany Daniel
Geoff Pierson
Margaret Smith
Opening theme Eighties by Killing Joke
Country of origin USA
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Running time 22 minutes (approximate)
Broadcast
Original channel FOX
Original run January 23, 2002 – May 29, 2002
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

That '80s Show was a television situation comedy that aired in half-hour long episodes from January through May of 2002. Despite having a similar name, show structure, and many of the same writers and production staff, it is not considered a direct spin-off of the more successful That '70s Show, as the characters and storylines from both shows never crossed paths. It was a separate decade-based show created because of That '70s Show's massive popularity at the time. That '80s Show failed to gain a wide audience and was cancelled by Fox after 13 episodes, due to low ratings.

The show was set in 1984 and revolved around the lives of a group of friends living in San Diego, California. It debuted January 23, 2002, and the final episode aired May 29, 2002. Its regular timeslot was on Wednesday nights at 8:00/7:00 Central on the FOX Network, although a few shows were aired on different nights (see below). Its main timeslot competitors were ABC's My Wife and Kids, CBS's 60 Minutes II, and NBC's Ed. All 13 filmed episodes aired at least once.

The show was filmed in Los Angeles, California, at CBS Studio Center.

The theme song was a 15 second snippet of the song "Eighties" by Killing Joke:

“ Eighties/I'm living in the eighties/Eighties/I have to push, I have to struggle/Ohhhh! ”

The opening credit sequence (and screens used to transition from scene to scene) consisted of a hand flipping through a row of vinyl records, each with artwork of a cast member's face and name.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The show follows the lives of struggling musician Corey Howard and his associates, friends, and family. His working (and eventual romantic) relationship with Tuesday is also a focal point, and becomes the main anchor of the show after a few episodes. Later episodes focused on the culture clash between Corey and Tuesday's lifestyles. Various tidbits of '80s culture and music are sprinkled in throughout each episode. As with That '70s Show, many celebrities from the decade guest starred in several episodes (see below).

Episodes took place at different locations throughout the day. Scenes would take place at Club Berlin, a dance club, Permanent Record, the record store where Corey and Tuesday worked, Videx, an office owned by R.T., and the family home, along with the occasional car trip.

[edit] Cast

Role Actor Description
Corey Howard Glenn Howerton A struggling musician who still lives at home with his sister Katie and his father, R.T. Works at Permanent Record, a record store. Is constantly trying to rebel against the ever growing mainstream culture around him, unlike his best friend, Roger. Dated Sophia before the start of the series, as they are recently broken up in the pilot. Tries working for his father, but fails miserably and goes back to the record store (and Tuesday).
June Tuesday Chyler Leigh A punk-rocker who also works at Permanent Record. She wears her hair straight up, in punk rock spikes (she is seen with it down exactly 3 times). She eventually becomes Corey's girlfriend halfway through the series, after much tension and love/hate arguing between the two. She grew up in Las Vegas, as the daughter of a minister, but the show ended before any additional information about her family could be revealed. She goes simply by "Tuesday" for most of the series, which is her last name. Her first name, "June" was brought up only once, as a plot device in the episode "My Dead Friend".
Roger Eddie Shin Corey's best friend, a struggling used-car dealer. He rents a room above the Howard family garage, admires Ronald Reagan and is dance-a-holic (who installed a dance square in the middle of his living room carpet). He is constantly perfecting his appearance, and listens to motivational self-help cassette tapes. Meets Patty through Tuesday near the end of the series, and the two begin a relationship.
Katie Howard Tinsley Grimes Corey's sister. A Valley Girl and college dropout turned environmentalist. She later returned to college to major in Environmental Science. She tries to get the family to adopt environment-friendly methods, such as buying toilet paper made from old dictionaries. Dates Owen, who is in the Navy.
Sophia Brittany Daniel Corey's bisexual ex-girlfriend who has an unreturned crush on Corey's sister Katie. She later will become the power-hungry director of marketing at Videx, the company owned by R.T., and will move into the family home near the end of the series. Has a twin sister named Bianca. Sophia's character is allegedly based on a San Francisco socialite of the same name.
R.T. Howard Geoff Pierson Corey and Katie's divorced father. Owner of "Videx", a small company that produces and sells personal fitness equipment such as the Butt Luge and the Gut Wacker. He heavily relies on Katie to keep things running around the house, and lavishes himself with expensive items, such as a hot tub and a video camera, symbolizing the "excess" aspect of the 1980s.
Margaret Margaret Smith Ex-Hippie/Rock Groupie. Owner of Permanent Record, the record store where Corey and Tuesday work. She usually has a "long story short" tale regarding her past with various musicians and rock bands in each episode. She frequently insults customers looking for/buying music she feels is inadequate.

[edit] Episodes

Title Original air date Synopsis Production code #
"Eighties" (aka "That '80s Pilot") January 23, 2002 Corey meets Tuesday and doesn't get along with her, quitting the record store to work for his father, but not before getting the best of her in an insult war. Sophia reveals her crush on Katie. Corey returns to Permanent Record by episode's end, taking Tuesday (who takes her hair down after Corey's insult) out for coffee. 101 1
"Corey's Remix" February 13, 2002 Corey records a song about his breakup from Sophia, and Katie mixes it into a dance song and plays it at the club, much to Corey's chagrin. Roger gets fired from his job at the car dealership. Corey flirts with Tuesday, inviting her to Club Berlin. She blows him off, but feels bad, and shows up at the club anyway at the end of the episode. 102 4
"Tuesday Comes Over" February 6, 2002 Tuesday takes a shower at Corey's (without his knowledge) after Katie discovers she is sleeping in her car. In the process, she discovers that Corey lied to her about living on his own. Roger struggles with work at the car dealership. R.T. buys a hot tub. Katie tries to make everyone more environmentally friendly. 103 3
"Valentines Day" January 30, 2002 A box of chocolates shows up at Permanent Record, and Margaret tricks both Corey and Tuesday into believing the other bought them as a gift, freaking both of them out in their "non-relationship". Owen comes home from the Navy to visit Katie. R.T. is depressed that he is alone, and the gang takes him to Club Berlin to find him a date. 104 2
"My Dead Friend" February 20, 2002 A regular at the club drops dead, and his father mistakenly thinks Corey was his friend, and asks him to give a eulogy at his funeral. Corey finds out that "Tuesday" is actually Tuesday's LAST name, and her first initial is "J". Roger is obsessed with finding the dead guy's cousin, who owns a lucrative car dealership in Chula Vista. Corey doesn't know what to say, so Tuesday helps him, finally telling him her first name in the process (June) in an effort to get him to trust her. Sophia continues to pursue her crush on Katie, and tries to set up a threesome with the two of them and Owen. A drunk who frequently sells records to Permanent Record unknowningly gives Margaret a copy of the "butcher cover" version of The Beatles' Yesterday and Today album. She doesn't know whether to keep it or do the right thing and give it back. 105 5
"Spring Break '84" March 6, 2002 Katie gets into credit card debt, so she plans a fake trip to "Mexico" for Spring Break, which turns out to just be Roger's apartment. R.T. falls apart without Katie's daily guidance. A former high school classmate of Corey's (played by Chyler Leigh's real life husband Nathan West) is now a big pop star, and asks Tuesday to come to his show (and backstage). Corey is depressed at the thought of Tuesday seeing someone else, but in the end Tuesday can't stand the guy's music. Roger buys a new pair of parachute pants that make it impossible for him to sit down. 106 6
"Katie's Birthday" March 27, 2002 Sophia plans a birthday party for Katie, where Owen proposes, much to Katie's embarrassment. R.T. buys a new video camera, but doesn't know how to operate it. Roger hurts his ankle dancing. Corey and Tuesday finally kiss, after much tension (and arguing), yet still argue at the end of the episode (but almost kiss AGAIN). R.T. hires Sophia to be director of sales for Videx. 107 7
"After The Kiss" April 10, 2002 Things heat up between Corey and Tuesday, but she runs away at the thought of a labeled "relationship". Katie invites Roger to her aerobics class, and he shows her up with his dancing. Sophia starts at R.T's company, and becomes a power hungry control freak. Tuesday finally comes around, and agrees to date Corey after talking with Margaret. 108 8
"Double Date" April 17, 2002 Corey and Tuesday go on a date, Roger wants it to be a double date, so Tuesday picks up a random girl that works at the local bank (played by Tammy Lynn Michaels, real life girlfriend of Melissa Etheridge) for him. R.T. decides to become the spokesperson for his own company, but keeps getting distracted by the women in his commercial. Katie decides to drop out of college, but is afraid to tell her father (she changes her major instead, after running into an old professor). Tuesday becomes frustrated with Corey's uniform lifestyle, but accepts it in the end. 109 9
"Punk Club" April 24, 2002 A new punk club opens up in town, and Tuesday secretly goes without informing Corey. Roger burns part of his hair off in the car with a portable crimping iron. Sophia convinces Katie to stop cleaning up the house, which causes R.T to be unable to take care of himself. Margaret becomes obsessed with Footloose. Corey believes that Tuesday is embarrassed to be seen with him, so Tuesday takes Corey back to the club, defending his "normal" image to everyone. 80's teen star "Tiffany" guest stars as a punk club employee. 110 10
"Road Trip" May 6, 2002 After the two of them perform at a wedding, Katie signs herself and Corey up to be on Star Search. Corey has second thoughts about appearing on a "mainstream" talent show, especially after being through makeup. R.T takes Sophia to the wedding to show off to his ex-wife, and she moves in, temporarily. Roger meets (and dances for) Ed McMahon, who guest stars. Margaret is scared of seeing Pat Benatar (who guest stars with Neil Giraldo), due to a pryo accident she was responsible for years eariler. 111 11
"Sophia's Depressed" May 29, 2002 Sophia is depressed because her twin sister, Bianca, is getting married. R.T. thinks he once slept with Patty, Roger's girlfriend. The record store is damaged due to an electrical fire, and Margaret's friend Zeke (played by Duran Duran's John Taylor) remodels. Owen incorrectly tells everyone on his ship that he and Katie got married, and also is despondent over M*A*S*H ending. Corey, fed up with Tuesday's "pit" of an apartment, asks her to stay at his house, but she is afraid of his family's "happy" lifestyle. 113 13
"Beach Party" May 7, 2002 Katie invites the gang to a beach barbecue, but it's just a trick to clean up the beach. Corey's decision to move in with Tuesday freaks her out, and angers Roger. Debbie Gibson guest stars as a record store customer who drives Margaret nuts. R.T. is thinking of selling his company to a competitor, played by guest star Morgan Fairchild. She and Sophia have a Dynasty-like slapping session. Tuesday, in her own way, tells Corey that she loves him, and the series ends with the two of them kissing on the beach. 112 12

The episodes are listed in production order, although FOX made changes to the sequence in which they were aired.

  • "Valentines Day" aired as the 2nd episode, rather than "Corey's Remix", on January 30th. "Corey's Remix" aired as the 4th episode, on February 13th.
  • "Road Trip" was aired after That '70s Show on Tuesday, May 6th, as FOX aired a special "2 Decades of Laughs in One Night" format. It was rumored at the time that FOX was testing both shows back to back to see if it would work the following season. Ratings for this episode were higher (either due to That '70s Show's lead in or due to a different timeslot) than a usual Wednesday night episode, but the format was never tried again, and That '80s Show was cancelled 9 days later.
  • "Beach Party" was aired the night after "Road Trip" in the usual Wednesday timeslot (with "Sophia's Depressed" still unaired), despite being the last episode produced. This is noticeable when Corey and Tuesday notice the listening station at Permanent Record, something that was created in wake of a fire in "Sophia's Depressed", which wouldn't air until 3 weeks later.
  • "Sophia's Depressed" aired as scheduled on May 29th, nearly 2 weeks after the show was officially cancelled. However, the last scene that aired during the closing credits (where Sophia introduces the gang to her twin sister Bianca) was edited out on FOX in favor of promos for summer FOX shows, though it was seen during the Canadian airing on CTV.

No reason for any of these changes was ever explained.

[edit] DVD release information

The show has not been released on DVD, and neither FOX nor Carsey-Werner productions have revealed any information on a future release. It is generally considered a long shot to ever get a DVD release, due to the low ratings it got when it originally aired in addition to the potentially costly purchasing rights to the '80s music that was frequently used in the show.

[edit] Music

Each episode used several vintage 1980s hit songs, either playing in the background of a scene or sung by one or more of the cast members. They are listed below, by episode.:

  • "Tuesday Comes Over": "Who's Behind the Door?" by Zebra; "No Rest for the Wicked" by Helix
  • "Double Date": "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" by Culture Club; "Meeting in the Ladies Room" by Klymaxx; "She Talks in Stereo" by Gary Myrick and the Figures

[edit] Noted Guest Stars/Recurring characters

  • Ed McMahon (in "Road Trip", as himself)
  • Pat Benatar (in "Road Trip", as herself)
  • Neil Giraldo (in "Road Trip", as himself)
  • Tiffany (in "Punk Club", as "Candy", an employee of the "Chaos" punk club)
  • Debbie Gibson (in "Beach Party" as "Janice", an annoying show tunes-loving customer)
  • Morgan Fairchild (in "Beach Party" as "Cossima Blair", R.T.'s rival competitor)
  • John Taylor (in "Sophia's Depressed", as Margaret's personal decorator)
  • Nathan West (in "Spring Break '84, as "Wray Thorn", a former classmate of Corey's turned successful musician)
  • Tammy Lynn Michaels (in several episodes, as "Patty", Roger's girlfriend)
  • Josh Braaten (in several episodes, as "Owen", Katie's boyfriend)