1981 TV Series Premieres

Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the Californian wine industry. Jane Wyman starred as Angela Channing, the tyrannical matriarch of the Falcon Crest Winery, alongside Robert Foxworth as Chase Gioberti, Angela's nephew who returns to Falcon Crest following the death of his father. The series was set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley northeast of San Francisco.

This sitcom series premiered in 1981 and changed its name every year, from "Hong Kong 81" to "Hong Kong 86." It was eventually replaced by a new sitcom called "City Stories." A total of 1330 episodes were produced, making it the second-longest-running series in Hong Kong, after "Come Home Love: Lo and Behold". Each episode of this series is inspired by current social issues, with early storylines often satirizing society's flaws. The characters, such as "Chen Ji," "Mrs. Shun," "Uncle Mao," "Jue Wu Yin," "Miss Su," "A Wei," and "Ah Kang," mostly hail from the grassroots, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. For example, "Mrs. Shun," portrayed by Lydia Shum, later became a term to describe uneducated women who follow trends blindly. "Chen Ji," played by Lawrence Ng, is a stockbroker who loves to show off his wealth, and his behavior typified that of many Hong Kongers, becoming a byword for the city's nouveau riche.

The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.

Classic Saturday-morning cartoon series featuring magical blue elf-like creatures called Smurfs. The Smurfs, named for their personalities, inhabit a village of mushroom houses in an enchanted forest. These loveable creatures are led by Papa Smurf and live carefree... except for one major threat to their existance: Gargamel, an evil but inept wizard who lives in a stone-built house in the forest; and his feline companion, the equally nasty Azrael.

Ein Fall für zwei is a German television series, which premiered on September 11, 1981 on ZDF. The series, located in Frankfurt am Main, features two main characters who solve crimes: a defense attorney and a private investigator. Josef Matula, a former German police officer, has gone into private business. His method of investigation is very effective and direct, and he sometimes even resorts to dirty tricks. Claus Theo Gärtner has portrayed the role since the start of the series.

Senbei Norimaki, known by his nickname Dr. Slump, a genius yet under-respected inventor and roboticist, creates an android by the name of Arale, and poses her as his little sister. What starts as an experiment in robotics turns into an adventure every day for the residents of Penguin Village, a wacky rural community with several colorful characters interacting with Arale and her creator.

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

11-year-old Kenichi Mitsuba is an average kid who goes to secondary school and struggles with his studies, he is very stubborn and is very lazy and therefore always ends up frustrating his parents and teacher. He loves to find an easy way of things. He befriends Hattori Kanzo, a ninja from the Iga Clan, and he becomes part of the Mitsuba family along with his brother, Shinzo and his ninja dog, Shishimaru. Hattori helps Kenichi with his problems, and constantly keeps an eye on him, as a good friend. The main antagonist Kemumaki, a Koga ninja and his ninja cat, Kagechiyo always troubles Kenichi, mainly because of their feud over one girl, Yumeko. Kenichi asks Hattori to take revenge as a recurring storyline in many episodes. Although Hattori is a good friend, Kenichi sometimes fights with Hattori due to misunderstandings created by Kemumaki. Sometimes Jippou, Togejirou and Tsubame help him.

The invasion of an alien race known as the Oni begins a new life for Ataru Moroboshi, a lecherous trouble-making tenth grader in the small town of Tomobiki. After unwittingly proposing to the Oni princess Lum Invader instead of his sweetheart Shinobu, Ataru becomes a conduit for aliens arriving on Earth, causing all sorts of havoc for him and his companions, not to mention his own reputation!

Mid-South Wrestling was one of the most successful wrestling territories in the 1981s; featuring future WWE Hall of Famers.

A Country Practice was an Australian television drama series. At its inception, one of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, who had wrote the pilot episode and entered a script contest for the network in 1979, coming third and winning a merit award. It ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping, Sydney. After its lengthy run on the seven network it was picked up by network ten with a mainly new cast from April to November 1994 for 30 episodes, although the ten series was not as successful as its predecessor . The Channel Seven series was also filmed on location in Pitt Town, while, the Channel Ten series was filmed on location in Emerald, Victoria.

The series is about a cruise ship that travels to places around the world.

A long-running German-language entertainment television show based on the format of the British show You Bet! and the American show Wanna Bet?.

A.J. Simon is a polished fellow with a taste for classic cars and tailored suits. Rick Simon is his less refined (but still pleasant) older brother who has a taste for cowboy boots and four-wheel drive pickups. The two of them live in San Diego, where they own a private detective agency.

In Europe, at the end of the 19th century, social policies sent thousands of immigrants out of their countries. A Spaniard, a Portuguese, and an Italian seek new opportunities in the new country, without imagining the difficulties along the way.

Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way. While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.

Hollywood stuntman Colt Seavers picks up some extra pocket money by using his rough-and-tumble skills to track and capture bail jumpers.

Teenage Billy Stanyon faces the loss of his parents in a sailing accident, only to discover that he was adopted. Billy then sets off on a journey to find his biological parents that takes him across Europe.

A Fine Romance is a British situation comedy starring husband-and-wife team Judi Dench and Michael Williams. Dench's sister was played by Susan Penhaligon. It was produced by London Weekend Television and written by Bob Larbey. It was first broadcast on 8 November 1981. It lasted for 26 episodes over four series; the final episode being broadcast on 17 February 1984. The series takes its name from a song in the 1936 film Swing Time, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, which Dench recorded as the theme music. The series was nominated for nine BAFTA British Academy Television Awards and a winner of two, both for Dench's performance in 1982 and 1985.

Each 30 minute episode is dedicated to a separate issue or theme and consists mainly of related short featurettes, which explain, explore and educate how things of everyday life and even complex systems work. It spans a wide variety of topics from technology and industry to something as mundane as how the postal service works.