80s TV Show Stars: 30 of Our Favorite Actors and Actresses Then and Now

Hits like Miami Vice, Magnum P.I., The Dukes of Hazzard, Murphy Brown and more instantly transport us to a bygone era of big hair, neon and leg warmers. Our favorite 80s TV shows may no longer be on the air, but they certainly haven’t been forgotten! This decade of parachute pants and flashy pop stars spawned some iconic 80s fashion, like Catherine Bach’s famous Daisy Dukes or Tom Selleck’s bright colored Hawaiian shirts. Whether you enjoyed a good comedy like Night Court or a family sitcom like Who’s The Boss?, there was always something good on TV, and you could always be sure that your favorite 80s TV show stars would show up on the air week after week.

Our favorite 80s TV show stars today

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 40 years since shows like Miami Vice ran, but it’s a testament to their popularity that a lot of these hit shows, like Cheers (See the Cheers cast then and now!), launched spinoffs that ran into the next decade! And even if some much loved shows weren’t renewed for another season, the stars moved on to other popular roles.

In fact, some actors and actresses have found a place in the hearts of a brand new generation, like Married…with Children star Ed O’Neill, who’s known to younger audiences as the patriarch Jay Pritchett on ABC’s Modern Family.

Today, our favorite heartthrobs like Don Johnson and Harry Hamlin are happily married with kids of their own, and many of the 80s TV show stars that make the list have continued to have wildly successful careers after all this time. They may be a few decades older, but if you ask us, these 80s hunks are still swoon-worthy — even if they have a little (or a lot) less hair! And after all this time, we just might still get butterflies at the sight of Tom Selleck‘s signature ‘stache!

Scroll through to see what happened to your beloved 80s TV show stars!