That '80s Show was a short-lived Spin-Off of That '70s Show that aired on the Fox network, with a new batch of characters living in San Diego during the eponymous decade. It aired over 13 episodes from January to May 2002, and was cancelled after failing to gain a wide audience.
The show mainly centered around 22-year-old hopeful musician Corey Howard (Glenn Howerton), who puts off his career plans and works at the local Permanent Record store with the mercurial mohawk-coiffed clerk June Tuesday (Chyler Leigh) and sarcastic, sixties-in-the-mind owner Margaret (Margaret Smith). Living at home with his yuppie, hip, new-money dad RT (Geoff Pierson) and college drop-out, earth-hippie sister Katie (Tinsley Grimes) who mostly runs the house and puts together a string of enviormentally-conscious (or so she thinks) home-business ideas.
Rounding out the cast of characters is Roger (Eddie Shin), Corey's Ronald Reagan-and-self-help-tape loving best friend and wannabe-rich-guy, with an endless supply of hair gel and incredibly awkward (and random) dance moves, and Sophia (Brittany Daniel), Corey's openly bisexual ex-lover who becomes marketing director at Videx, leading to some unwelcome intrusions into the Howard Home and with a none-too-subtle crush on Katie. No doubt plenty of the usually wacky sitcom shenanigans, terrible hairstyles and jokes about giant cell-phones and Reagan-era material excesses in bunches.
Tropes in this series include:
- Actor Allusion: Tiffany's cameo has her saying "I think we're alone now".
- As Himself: Ed McMahon, Pat Benatar, and Neil Giraldo in the episode entitled "Road Trip".
- Attempted Homewrecker: Sophia constantly tries to seduce Katie despite the latter being both straight and in a long-distance relationship.
- Casting Gag:
Chyler Leigh's real life husband Nathan West appears as a suitor of Tuesday on "Spring Break '84". - Beautiful All Along: Arguably managed to do this right by taking the very attractive Chyler Leigh and putting her in so much heavy goth punk rocker make up that she truly did become unrecognizable, allowing her natural beauty to shine more effectively for the rare occasions where she was seen without the punk make up.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Corey and Tuesday, of the Slap-Slap-Kiss trajectory
- Deadpan Snarker: Margaret, to everybody.
- Depraved Bisexual: Sophia, Corey's ex, has a crush on his sister Katie that is portrayed negatively due to Katie being much younger than Sophia.
- Drinking Game: Corey, Katie, and Roger play one while watching Dynasty, taking a shot every time someone gets slapped
- Embarrassing Nickname: Corey discovers that his nickname among bar staff is "One Beer".
- Even the Girls Want Her: Katie, who receives plenty of attention from men... and Sophia.
- Lives in a Van: There was an episode that revealed that Tuesday was living out of her car.
- Recycled In Space: Basically the same style and template of That '70s Show, only transported to a campier 80s setting.
- Shipper on Deck: Margaret seems to be one for Tuesday and Corey, frequently tricking them into spending more time with each other.
- That Nostalgia Show: With the jokes regarding The '80s being much more frequent than in the 70s predecessor.
