The tryst with the 1980’s: Why directors are looking to go back three decades

The 1980s was when the life happened.

All the 80’s and 90’s kids will swear by the amazing television shows they were witness to when they were growing up. Or, how life was different back then.

From Stranger Things, The Americans, to others like Freaks & Geeks – many of these modern shows today focus on life of the 1980’s. It shows how difficult life was then, or how different things were. In the digitized world of today, we forget how hard it was to accomplish even the simplest of things. Without the use of smartphones, for instance, you couldn’t reach out to your near and dear ones when you needed them. You communicated through traditional mails, rather than emails as today.

Directors realize that there is a mass appeal for the era even today, a reason they look at setting many of these series back then.

Here is a look at why the 1980’s is a great era to have stories in.

#1. Generation X

If you were born in the 1980s, consider yourself as part of Generation X. Not many had television sets during those days. Neither did they have the luxury of smartphones, computers, laptops, and Smart TV as we do today. Life had a ‘raw’ feeling than it does today.

Generation X will be able to identify with a film such as Stranger Things more than the older or younger generations. Also, since Generation X is part of the working class, they are likely to spend more than say students today.

The 1980’s Had Some Great TV Shows and Films

Stranger Things, for instance, has gone to become one of the most popular shows on TV right now. When it was first released as a TV show in 2016, no one thought that the teenagers would give us one of the most successful Netflix series of our time. The series is a mixture of horror, SciFi, suspense and friendship goals. The fact that all the episodes are released all at once makes it the ultimate show for binge-watching.

Will, Lucas, Eleven, Mike and Dustin take us back to the Reagan era. The show won the 2019  Golden Globe award for the best drama series, and perhaps it would not have been possible if it wasn’t set back in the 1980’s. You wouldn’t have that charm, for one.

Stranger Things isn’t the Only One

Other TV series that have been set in 1980 also have achieved some level of success. This article would not be complete without mentioning Everybody Hates Chris. I am guessing that people from across all generations have had a sneak peek into this comedy.

Also, the Americans could not have been set at a better time rather than the 80s. It depicts how both Reagan’s era and the  Soviet Union were crumbling. The show further infuses the fashion and sound of the ’80s, which has led to its success.