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Where to watch "The '80s: The Decade That Made Us"
6. Super Power
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As the 1980s draw to a close, the Cold War might be thawing, but the Berlin Wall still stands. America deploys a powerful "weapon" to hasten its fall: pop culture. In the U.S., an unlikely cartoon family taps into the heart of American rebellion with the launch of The Simpsons. This adolescent angst also defined a series of unforgettable films in the '80s and introduced the world to the "Brat Pack." In 1989, a new spirit of youthful defiance becomes a symbol of freedom when the courage of one man standing against an army resonates around the globe. For six weeks, students occupied China's Tiananmen Square, protesting for political reforms. The Chinese army issues an ultimatum: leave or be forcibly removed by any means necessary. Protesters remain defiant even as troops open fire. But, the protests have an impact on Chinese leadership who implement economic reforms to improve living standards in the nation.
5. Tear Down These Walls
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The '80s was not only the decade when greed was good, but it also marked the beginning of a potent alliance between charity and celebrity. For the first time, huge, star-studded events are staged to deal with the crisis of poverty around the world. And, in the UK, the AIDS campaign gets some very high profile support from Princess Diana. Through her work with AIDS patients, she raises awareness about the disease, and helps clear up important misconceptions. On the political front, as U.S. and Soviet Union Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev take steps to end the Cold War between two great superpowers, a 19-year-old from West Germany risks his life to spread his own message of peace between West and East. Mathias Rust manages to slip through the largest air defense system in the world and lands a small plane in Moscow's Red Square. Sentenced to four years in prison, he is released after 14 months.
4. Masters of the Universe
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With the motto “greed... is good,” Gordon Gekko encapsulates the 1980s drive for excess and ruthless ambition in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, while big traders mirror his notoriously bad behavior with insider trading and drug use in real life. Cocaine has become the drug of choice for those celebrating success; Miami’s status as a drug-dealing haven inspires the launch of one of the decade’s most famous television series: Miami Vice. In the ’80s, CEOs see their salaries skyrocket while women struggle to overcome office boys’ clubs. Hollywood superstar Jane Fonda shatters the glass ceiling in the movie 9 to 5, exposing sexism in the workplace. Offices may be changing slowly but pulpits are transforming fast — and turning faith into fortunes. In the ’80s, televangelists like Jim and Tammy Bakker are masters of the cable universe. But the Bakkers go bust in 1987 amid accusations of adultery, hush money and using donations to fill their own pockets. And the quest to climb higher also leads to one of the ’80s biggest tragedies, as NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger explodes during lift-off, claiming the lives of all on board.
3. Shop 'til You Drop
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Nonstop glamour and excess find a new poster girl in the 1980s, when a hot young singer sees her chance to create her own brand. Catapulted to superstardom with a shocking performance of “Like a Virgin” at the first MTV Music Video Awards, Madonna inspires countless girls across the globe to hit the nearest shopping mall to match her distinctive style. But, it’s not just teen girls who are putting their credit cards to work; successful young men with money to burn are buying into the young professional (or “yuppie”) lifestyle and scooping up the latest expensive gadget: the cell phone. For $4,000, U.S. consumers can pick up their own portable phone, weighing more than one kilogram. Television execs are eager to cash in on this new spending trend, and iconic ’80s soap Dynasty becomes the first show to license products for adults. And, marketers learn an important lesson about the power of these new consumers in 1985 when Coca Cola’s disastrous launch of New Coke threatens its position against Pepsi.
2. The Revolutionaries
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In 1981, Ronald Reagan is propelled into the U.S. presidency, but his much-scrutinized administration is shaken to its core a mere 70 days in when an assassin’s bullet pierces his lung. Vivid accounts from newsman Sam Donaldson, on the ground that day, and Dr. David Adelberg, the medical intern who cradled Reagan’s heart in his hands during surgery, describe a country in panic. After a full recovery, and an ensuing upswing in popularity, Reagan’s business mandate leads to a new breed of entrepreneurs, including Steve Jobs, whose “1984” commercial helped launch the Super Bowl commercial phenomenon; Ted Turner, who reinvented the news business with the creation of 24-hour news; and Ben & Jerry, who successfully combined the hippie vibe of the 1960s with the entrepreneurial spirit of the 1980s.
1. Lift Off
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This landmark new six-part miniseries takes viewers back in time to see how the ’80s created our modern world. The first episode explores the revolution in personal entertainment brought on by Pac-Man, the Sony Walkman, and Jane Fonda’s ground-breaking workout video. Apple’s Steve Wozniak helps explain how Bill Gates saw the future by selling IBM the rights to use MS-DOS software for a relatively small one-time fee, only to clean up when IBM competitors entered the market and all wanted the same software. The assassination of John Lennon heralded the end of one music era, while a bratty new kid on the block defined a new one — spelled “MTV.” Follow the musical reverberations of the birth of MTV and the music video’s role in taking hip-hop mainstream, and hear how the television series Dallas reinvigorated the notion that money and greed were good. Sharing their firsthand stories are Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Steven Tyler, Jane Fonda, Steve Wozniak and Dallas star Larry Hagman, in one of his last televised interviews
