Broadcast network · 1980–1989

PBS in the 1980s

31 shows premiered on PBS in the 1980s, in order of premiere.

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s

Premiere	Show	Years	Seasons	Episodes	Genre	Created by
—	Mystery!	1980–2006	27	648	Anthology
Jan 14	3-2-1 Contact	1980–1988	7	225	—
Sep 28	Cosmos	1980	1	13	Popularisation of science	Carl Sagan, Steven Soter
Oct 2	From Jump Street: The Story of Black Music	1980	—	13	Documentary
Oct 5	Up and Coming	1980–1981	1	2	—
—	Wild America	1982–1994	12	120	Nature documentary
Jan 12	American Playhouse	1982–1993	13	182	Anthology
Oct 10	Nature	1982	36	521	Documentary	Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Page
Dec 12	Powerhouse	1982–1983	1	16	—
—	Computer Chronicles	1983–2002	—	—	Current affairs	Stewart Cheifet
Jan 11	The Joy of Painting	1983–1994	31	403	—	Bob Ross
Jan 17	FrontlineWeb series	1983	42	775	Documentary	David Fanning
Jun 6	Reading Rainbow	1983–2006	15	150	—
Oct 2	Don't Look Now	1983	1	5	—
—	The Voyage of the Mimi	1984	—	13	Educational	Bank Street College of Education
—	The Mechanical Universe	1985–1986	1	52	Documentary
Jun 22	American Masters	1986	35	—	Biography
Nov 1	Hometime	1986–2016	29	—	—	Dean Johnson
—	French in Action	1987	—	52	—	Pierre Capretz
—	Trying Times	1987–1989	—	—	Comedy
Jan 21	Eyes on the Prize	1987–1990	2	14	Documentary
Jan 26	Mathnet	1987–1992	5	30	Police procedural
Jan 26	Square One Television	1987–1992	—	230	—
Aug 31	Learn to Read	1987	1	30	—
—	Project Mathematics!	1988–2000	1	9	Documentary
Feb 15	Gerbert	1988–1991	3	50	—
Jun 21	The Power of Myth	1988	—	6	Documentary
Jul 5	Point of View	1988	34	224	Documentary
Oct 4	American Experience	1988	30	313	Documentary
Jan 7	The New Yankee Workshop	1989	—	284	—	Russell Morash
Jan 29	Shining Time Station	1989–1993	3	75	Anthology	Britt Allcroft