What some people might call ‘misunderstood’ others in this day and age might call something very different since the truth is that we live in a very sensitive era in which saying anything that people don’t like is often met with a great deal of scorn and shame that anyone would dare to stand up and defend people they think are wrong for whatever reason. But let’s look at this from a realistic standpoint, the 80s TV shows were still quite a bit different than the shows of today, as one could say certain things, have certain content show up, and create certain situations without anyone batting an eye. Not all of it was politically correct in any way but it was understood that it was still funny, and as a result it was either allowed to stay because it made people laugh or because it wasn’t raising any objections with a large number of people. Thanks to Ranker it’s a known fact that there are a bunch of characters from the 80s that were our absolute favorites for a number of reasons, many of which include the idea that they could say and do things that some people might be heavily criticized for in this day and age. And yet, if one looks at the TV shows that are currently on the air, things aren’t all that different, they’ve just been updated and are now being carefully watched to make sure they don’t cross the line with some folks.
Here are just a few of the more misunderstood characters from the 80s.
5. Thomas Magnum – Magnum P.I.
A lot of male characters from the 80s are seen as misogynist pigs at this point by a lot of people for their attitude and their general ‘manly’ bearing that makes them come off as toxic. The funny thing is that Magnum, for all of his faults, was still a very well-known private investigator and was a guy that could get the job done. Was he a womanizer? Yeah, pretty much, but he was also an action star that was a lot of fun to watch and on top of that was a veteran who created a few very strong relationships with other veterans, including Higgins, that weren’t perfect but were definitely important for each of them.
4. Alex Keaton – Family Ties
The oldest kid in the series, Alex is kind of an uptight and very easy to dislike individual since he feels as though he’s just a little too serious for his own good. But the thing about Alex is that he’s kind of the odd duck of the family given that his parents were both hippies that turned into successful professionals while he’s been a professional most of his life and is interested in things that a lot of people find absolutely mind-numbing, such as economics. Despite that however he’s actually the most level-headed individual on the show even if he’s not always the easiest to get along with.
3. Sophia Petrillo – Golden Girls
One could easily argue that Betty White has become more and more like this character, whom she had the pleasure of working with, as she’s grown older. Sophia was that sarcastic grandmother character that didn’t hold back when she had something to say and yet had a heart of gold beneath all that sarcasm. There are those of us that have had grandmother’s like her and have likely had to tell people that such women have offended that this is just her way, that she has a strong opinion, and isn’t going to be told any different. That’s what made her a cool character in her day, she was going to have her say no matter what.
2. Al Bundy – Married With Children
Okay, so Al is definitely a misogynist pig and a slob and many other things, but he did have redeeming qualities as in several episodes it was seen that he really did value his family no matter how often they didn’t get along. Kelly was his little girl, Peg was his beloved wife, and Bud was his son despite all the times they quarreled. Misery and depression, as well as poverty, held this family together, and of course it was in a big part due to Al’s inability to change that he was often seen as something of a rude and very crude individual. But despite all his faults, and there were plenty of them, Al was still the kind of guy that would stand up for just about anyone if he had a reason, or was being paid five bucks.
1. Sam Malone – Cheers
Sam is another guy that was thought of as a male pig since he really didn’t have a lot of scruples when it came to just about anything and thought he was God’s gift to women most days. He did have a few redeeming qualities since he did believe in love when it came right down to it, even if he was something of a ladies man, which many people find toxic today. There were plenty of times though when Sam was seen to be a genuine person, even it took a bit of looking.
It’s kind of difficult to judge people from decades ago when plenty of characters today still have similar issues.
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