I Love the '80s is a decade nostalgia television program and the first installment of the I Love the... series that was produced by VH1, based on the BBC series of the same name. The first episode, "I Love 1980", premiered on December 16, 2002, and the final episode, "I Love 1989", premiered on December 20, 2002.

Commentators

(*) = archive footage

Recurring segments

Topics covered by year

1980

Makeout Songs of 1980: "Every Woman in the World" by Air Supply, "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg and "Do That to Me One More Time" by Captain & Tennille Babes of 1980: Princess Leia, Bo Derek, Charlene Tilton, Victoria Principal and Suzanne Somers Hunks of 1980: Richard Gere, Jim Palmer, John Travolta, Erik Estrada and Greg Evigan PSA of 1980: Give a Kid a Book PSA Then and Now 1980: Sony Walkman with Cassette (Then: $169.00 / Now: $19.95), Ross Harris (Then: Movie star of Airplane! / Now: Video star of "Sad Caper" by Hootie and the Blowfish) and The Big Gulp (Then: 32 oz. / Now: 64 oz.) Mr. & Ms. 1980: Ronald Reagan and Daisy Duke Born in 1980: Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera, Post-it notes, ethnic Barbie dolls and Macaulay Culkin

1981

Makeout Songs of 1981: "Keep on Loving You" by REO Speedwagon, "Waiting For a Girl Like You" by Foreigner and "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross Babes of 1981: Olivia Newton-John, Donna Dixon, Valerie Bertinelli, Kathleen Turner and Sandra Day O'Connor Hunks of 1981: Patrick Duffy, Burt Reynolds, Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger and Richard Simmons PSA of 1981: Girl Scouts in Gymnastics Then and Now 1981: Tom Cruise (Then: Endless Love - $33 Million / Now: Endless Cash - $25 Million), Movie Tickets (Then: $3.00 / Now: $10.00) and Suntan Lotion (Then: Tanning oil / Now: Hawaiian Tropic Ozone SPF 70) Mr. & Ms. 1981: Tom Selleck and Sheena Easton Born in 1981: Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Beyoncé, the laptop computer, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, the thong, Serena Williams and Metallica

1982

Makeout Songs of 1982: "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes and "Truly" by Lionel Richie Babes of 1982: Kim Wilde, Rae Dawn Chong, Kirstie Alley, Pia Zadora and Tootsie Hunks of 1982: John Stamos, David Lee Roth, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and the Soloflex Guy PSA of 1982: Time for Timer's "Sunshine on a Stick" PSA Then and Now 1982: Cats (Then: On Broadway now and forever / Now: Gone), Scott Schwartz (Then: Child star of The Toy / Now: Porn star) and Concert Tickets for The Who (Then: Farewell tour - $25.00 / Now: Reunion tour - $250.00) Mr. & Ms. 1982: Eddie Murphy and Heather Locklear Born in 1982: Kirsten Dunst, Prince William, Diet Coke, Public Enemy and liposuction

1983

Makeout Songs of 1983: "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "True" by Spandau Ballet and "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye Babes of 1983: Maud Adams, Vanity, Joan Collins, Christie Brinkley and Rebecca De Mornay Hunks of 1983: Lee Horsley, Rob Lowe, Marvin Gaye, Bruce Boxleitner and Chewbacca PSA of 1983: Smokey Bear - Mask of Joanna Cassidy Then and Now 1983: Talent Shows (Then: Star Search / Now: American Idol), Cellular Phones (Then: $3,000 / Now: Given Away) and Home Video Cameras (Then: Sony Betamovie - 6.5 lbs. / Now: Sony MicroMV Handycam - 12 oz.) Mr. & Ms. 1983: Tom Cruise and Ms. Pac-Man Born in 1983: Michelle Branch, Bon Jovi, the Nintendo Entertainment System, Taylor Hanson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers

1984

Makeout Songs of 1984: "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno & Ann Wilson, "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins and "Missing You" by John Waite Babes of 1984: Paulina Porizkova, Daryl Hannah, Tina Turner, Heather Thomas and Geraldine Ferraro Hunks of 1984: Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Duran Duran and Tom Hulce PSA of 1984: "Don't let your lungs go to pot."

• Cast of Fame Then and Now 1984: Recreational Family Vehicles (Then: Chrysler Caravan - $8,669 / Now: Ford Explorer - $24,620), Super Bowl Tickets (Then: $60.00 / Now: $325.00) and The Mac (Then: 131,000 bytes of memory / Now: 500,000,000 bytes of memory) Mr. & Ms. 1984: Boy George Born in 1984: Mandy Moore, Freddy Krueger, Kelly Osbourne, hair mousse and Punky Brewster

1985

Makeout Songs of 1985: "Careless Whisper" by Wham!, "Smooth Operator" by Sade and "Crazy for You" by Madonna Babes of 1985: Kelly LeBrock, Kelly McGillis, Rosanna Arquette, Grace Slick and Tipper Gore Hunks of 1985: Sylvester Stallone, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Robert Redford, Jim McMahon and Pee-wee Herman PSA of 1985: Contract for Life Then and Now 1985: Hit Soft Drinks (Then: New Coke / Now: Vanilla Coke) and Pro Wrestling (Then: Hulk Hogan / Now: The Rock) Mr. & Ms. 1985: Dolph Lundgren and Brigitte Nielsen Born in 1985: Zac Hanson, Air Jordans, Frankie Muniz, Lee Press-On Nails and VH1

1986

Makeout Songs of 1986: "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin, "The Next Time I Fall" by Peter Cetera & Amy Grant and "Secret Lovers" by Atlantic Starr Babes of 1986: Susanna Hoffs, Kim Basinger, Stevie Nicks, Bette Midler and the Statue of Liberty Hunks of 1986: Tom Cruise, Walter Payton, Paul Hogan, Keith Hernandez and Howard the Duck PSA of 1986: "Vote With A Friend. Make It Count More" with Quincy Jones and James Ingram Then and Now 1986: Highest Baseball Salary (Then: Gary Carter - $2 Million / Now: Alex Rodriguez - $22 Million), David Lee Roth & Sammy Hagar (Then: Rivals / Now: Together) and Ted Danson & Kelsey Grammer (Then: Ted Danson making $45,000 an episode on Cheers / Now: Kelsey Grammer making $1,600,000 an episode on Frasier) Mr. & Ms. 1986: Mike Tyson and Oprah Winfrey Born in 1986: Amanda Bynes, The Olsen twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley), Lindsay Lohan, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jolt Cola, the Pixies and the disposable camera

1987

Makeout Songs of 1987: "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & The Beaters, "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House and "I Need Love" by LL Cool J Babes of 1987: Lisa Bonet, Sheena Easton, Jody Watley, Tawny Kitaen and the Church Lady Hunks of 1987: LL Cool J, RoboCop, Dennis Quaid, Harry Hamlin and Harry from Harry and the Hendersons PSA of 1987: Anti-Drug (Marijuana): "I learned it by watching you!" Then and Now 1987: Richest Person in America (Then: Sam Walton - $4,500,000,000 / Now: Bill Gates - $43,000,000,000), Baby Jessica (Then: Stuck in a well / Now: Well adjusted) and Axl Rose (Then: New face of rock 'n' roll / Now: New face) Mr. & Ms. 1987: Bruce Willis and Cher Born in 1987: Lil' Bow Wow, Hilary Duff, Aaron Carter, Nirvana and condom commercials

1988

Makeout Songs of 1988: "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze, "Hold On to the Nights" by Richard Marx and "The Flame" by Cheap Trick Babes of 1988: Jessica Rabbit, Kari Wuhrer, Samantha Fox, Julia Roberts and Divine Hunks of 1988: John F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, Kevin Costner, Joe Montana and Dan Quayle PSA of 1988: Buckle Up (Car Crash Test Dummies) Then and Now 1988: A Year of Tuition at Harvard (Then: $12,000 / Now: $35,000), Ricki Lake (Then: 250 lbs. / Now: 120 lbs.) and 100-Meter Sprint (Then: Ben Johnson - 9.79 seconds / Now: Tim Montgomery - 9.78 seconds) Mr. and Ms. 1988: ALF and Debbie Gibson Born in 1988: Haley Joel Osment, Mae Whitman, Alexa Vega, Teddy Grahams, Miami Heat, En Vogue and Prozac

1989

Makeout Songs of 1989: "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx, "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Simply Red and "Lovesong" by The Cure Babes of 1989: Winona Ryder, Paula Abdul, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Claudia Schiffer and Barbara Bush Hunks of 1989: Batman, The Joker, Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson and Leonardo PSA of 1989: Madonna on AIDS Prevention Then and Now 1989: Bushes (Then: George H. W. Bush / Now: George W. Bush), Justin Timberlake (Then: Mouseketeer / Now: Michael Jackson) and World Wide Web (Then: Dialing up / Now: Off the hook) Mr. and Ms. 1989: Fab Morvan and Meg Ryan Born in 1989: Daniel Radcliffe, Hole, Hootie & the Blowfish, Lil' Romeo and American Gladiators