Ah, the Eighties! A harrowing decade of rockin' hair metal bands, Reaganomics, aerobicizing, Walkmans, Cabbage Patch Kids, and video arcades. It was also an era when science fiction on television was still trying to find a solid footing.

Uncertain times breed unpredictable outcomes, and so it is with Hollywood and its uneasy relationship with the genre. Special effects were progressing with varying results, but intelligent storytelling was leading the charge as viewers became more discriminating.

Following our tough-to-beat lists of the best sci-fi TV shows of the 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1970s, let's delve into the next ten-year segment of provocative speculative fiction fare to see what enticing series sparkled!

10. Alien Nation • Original air date: 1989

Buddy-cop movies in the '8

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