The Eighties

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Season 17 of 8 Episodes
  • VCRs, remote controls, family sitcoms, adult dramas and prime-time soaps all changed TV enjoyment.
  • Exploring the two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan; highlighting his triumphs and controversies.
  • A historic chain of events that puts an end to the decades-long Cold War, culminating in the eradication of the Berlin Wall.
  • Greed and excess ran wild with Wall Street corruption, junk bonds, bailouts and Reaganomics.
  • Music videos and the digital revolution dominated the music industry, as CDs replaced records; the charts were dominated by artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Prince.
  • The rise of a mysterious and deadly illness develops into a pandemic, affecting primarily the gay community and killing millions of people to date called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
  • The technology boom that brought us the innovations that define our life today, the personal computer and the Internet.
The Eighties

More about The Eighties

The third installment from executive producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, following in the footsteps of critically-acclaimed series "The Sixties" and "The Seventies," tackles 10 years shaped by exceptionalism and excess. Like its predecessors, "The Eighties" intersperses rare archival newsreel footage, interviews, and comments by historians, journalists, politicians, celebrities and others, painting a perspective-rich picture of a vibrant decade. Episodes examine the age of Reagan, the AIDS crisis, the end of the Cold War, Wall Street corruption, the evolving TV and music scene, and everything in between.

Starring

H.W. Brands, Chris Connelly, Gil Troy, James Baker, Douglas Brinkley, Pat Buchanan, Tom Hanks

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