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1980-1981 Television Season

The fall of 1980 included the TV miniseries Shogun, but the top five series of 1980-81 were Jeffersons, Love Boat, M*A*S*H, Dukes of Hazzard, with the most popular being Dallas. (See below for the list of the top 30 programs.)

There was a actors' strike in 1980 called by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists that prevented many of these shows from starting in September as they annually have. Some did not get started until January of 1981.

Shows that started before 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and therefore not on our grid below include 60 Minutes, The Wonderful World of Disney, and Those Amazing Animals. Select a show below to read all about it and to share your memories!

Prime Time TV Schedule for 1980-1981
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
	That's Incredible!		Monday Night Football
	Flo	Ladies' Man	MAS*H	House Calls	Lou Grant
	Little House on the Prairie		NBC Monday Night Movie
	Happy Days	Laverne & Shirley	Three's Company	Too Close for Comfort	Hart to Hart
	White Shadow		CBS Tuesday Night Movie
	Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo		B.J. and the Bear		Steve Allen Comedy Hour
	Eight is Enough		Taxi	Soap	Vega$
	Enos		CBS Wednesday Night Movie
	Real People		Diff'rent Strokes	Facts of Life	Quincy, M.E.
	Mork & Mindy	Bosom Buddies	Barney Miller	It's A Living	20-20
	Waltons		Magnum P.I.		Knots Landing
	Games People Play		NBC Thursday Night Movie
	Benson	I'm a Big Girl Now	ABC Friday Night Movie
	Incredible Hulk		Dukes of Hazzard		Dallas
	Marie		Speak Up America		NBC Magazine with David Brinkley
	Breaking Away		Love Boat		Fantasy Island
	WKRP in Cincinnati	Tim Conway Show	Freebie and the Bean		Secrets of Midland Heights
	Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters		Walking Tall		Hill Street Blues
	Charlie's Angels		ABC Sunday Night Movie
	Archie Bunker's Place	One Day at a Time	Alice	Jeffersons	Trapper John, M.D.
	CHiPS		Big Event
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30

Note: Television seasons have generally begun in September of each year. And new shows often do not last the entire season. The shows below began the new season but did not necessarily run all the way through to summer reruns.
Continued - Indicates show began before the time period indicated.

1980-81 Ratings

Rank	Show	Network	Estimated viewers
1.	Dallas	CBS	27,565,500
2.	Dukes of Hazzard	CBS	21,812,700
3.	60 Minutes	CBS	21,573,000
4.	MAS*H	CBS	20,534,300
5.	Love Boat	ABC	19,415,700
6.	Jeffersons	CBS	18,776,500
7.	Alice	CBS	18,297,100
8.	House Calls	CBS	17,897,600
9.	Three's Company	ABC	17,897,600
10.	Little House on the Prairie	NBC	17,657,900
11.	One Day at a Time	CBS	17,578,000
12.	Real People	NBC	17,178,500
13.	Archie Bunker's Place	CBS	17,098,600
14.	Magnum P.I.	CBS	16,779,000
15.	Happy Days	ABC	16,619,200
16.	Too Close for Comfort	ABC	16,619,200
17.	Fantasy Island	ABC	16,539,300
18.	Trapper John, M.D.	CBS	16,539,300
19.	Diff'rent Strokes	NBC	16,539,300
20.	Monday Night Football	ABC	16,459,400
21.	Laverne & Shirley	ABC	16,459,400
22.	That's Incredible!	ABC	16,379,500
23.	Hart to Hart	ABC	15,900,100
24.	ABC Sunday Night Movie	ABC	15,500,600
25.	CHiPS	NBC	15,500,600
26.	Facts of Life	NBC	15,420,700
27.	Lou Grant	CBS	15,260,900
28.	Knots Landing	CBS	15,181,000
29.	NBC Monday Night Movie	NBC	15,021,200
30.	Waltons	CBS	14,861,400

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