The '80s Greatest

As the ’80s begin, change is in the air. America’s “Miracle on Ice” hockey team take Olympic gold after defeating the Soviet Union in the semifinals. Ronald Reagan becomes president but, eager for street cred, hijacks Bruce Springsteen’s song “Born in the USA,” much to the singer’s dismay. Reagan goes on to get the largest slice of the youth vote since the ’60s — a demographic perfectly represented in the Republican-loving Alex of “Family Ties.”

The ’80s, when doing what you love can turn your passion into profit. With the help of new technology, Jane Fonda’s exercise videos take the world by storm and change the way women work out. Teenager Tony Hawk brings a rebel sport into the mainstream and Ben and Jerry give ice cream a makeover and capitalism a conscience — changing for good the way we live, play and eat.

In the ’80s, family values undergo a huge makeover, as depicted in films and sitcoms. At the start of the decade some, including President Reagan, yearn to go back to traditional ’50s family values, as seen in the hit movie “Back to the Future.” But by the end of the decade, with confidence growing and the help of the cartoon family “The Simpsons,” American families can finally express themselves and get real.

It’s the 1980s and a generation of rebellious youngsters wages war on Reagan’s conservative America, determined to express itself by breaking all the rules. In the culture clash of the century that will come to define modern America, graffiti art is born, hip-hop music goes mainstream, and a nation of teen rockers refuses to be gagged by Washington’s own “Stepford wives.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

This episode delves into how shrinking technology in the ’80s helped bring the world together. From the Walkman to the PC and the Rubik’s Cube, new small gadgets become global talking points, but it isn’t all fun and games. Getting the people’s hands on games from behind the Iron Curtain is not easy, and Japan’s looming economic might strikes fear into Americans.

In the ’80s, the Berlin Wall symbolizes the divisions of the Cold War. President Reagan demands Gorbachev tear down the wall. East German youth hunger for anything American — from jeans to classic ’80s TV, but most of all freedom — and some risk death to escape. At the end, the push for change is unstoppable, and with an unlikely assist from David Hasselhoff the Berlin Wall comes crashing down.