10 Stars From the 80s Who Should Be Back On TV

By Tom Rose
Fancast.com

I was practically drooling the other day when I read that Justine Bateman is returning to TV. I spent many an hour daydreaming back in the ’80s about what it would be like to make some “Family Ties” of my own with sweet Mallory Keaton…if only I could just get past Alex… Reading on it turns out she’s coming back as a WRITER…ugh! Aren’t there enough of those? But it did get me thinking about other yummy stars of yesteryear who have been missing from my screen for awhile. You know: Fred Savage, Joey Lawrence, Jaleel White…yeah right…if you’re like me you’d much rather catch a few of these ladies popping out of the old boob tube again:

10. Stockard Channing: If she was good enough to be First Lady on “The West Wing,” she’s good enough to be First Lady on my list. But there’s no escaping the fact that an entire series should be scripted chronicling the later years of Grease’s Betty “Ratzo” Rizzo.

9. Mare Winningham: She got her big break singing on “The Gong Show” which led to a supporting role as an ’80s Brat Packer. More recently she’s made acclaimed appearances on “ER” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” but she should seriously consider reestablishing her stardom as the woman who finally tames Charlie Sheen on “Two and a Half Men.”

8. Mayim Bialik: She started out as a knockout child actress in the perennial tear-jerker “Beaches” but she’s much better known as the title character on “Blossom.” Since then she’s earned a PHD from UCLA and disappeared off the acting radar. Now is the perfect time for her to revive her career as the nerdy, but brilliant administrator on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

7. Sarah Michelle Gellar: Best known as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” she has since become a primal scream queen in such classics as “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Naturally then, she should be considering making a splash as say, Hugh Laurie’s long suffering, long-lost ex-wife on “House?”

6. Ally Sheedy: Matthew Broderick’s love interest in ‘War Games’ she was also the bone of contention between Judd Nelson and Andrew McCarthy in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire.’ Nowadays she’s showing up on ‘CSI’ but she’d be much better utilized as an alternate dead voice-over on “Desperate Housewives.”

5. Yasmine Bleeth: She started her career on Daytime TV in “Ryan’s Hope” and “One Life to Live,” but she soon became the pin-up girl for millions of out-of-control hormones starring as Caroline on “Baywatch.” By the ’90s her career slipped after widely reported bouts with drug addiction. So, naturally she’s a prime candidate as a celebrity judge on “She’s Got the Look.”

4. Jasmine Guy: She became a household name in 1987 as Whitley, the most popular college student on “A Different World.” That paved the way to starring roles on “Melrose Place” and “Touched by an Angel.” Can’t you just see her now as that receptionist babe on “The Apprentice?”

3. Robin Givens: She made her mark on “The Cosby Show,” “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Head of the Class,” but her career really took off as the wife of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. That alone qualifies her for a breakthrough role as the voice of reason on “Dog: The Bounty Hunter.”

2. Kristy McNichol: She shot straight to stardom in the acclaimed ’70s drama “Family,” then floated along until her return on “Empty Nest” in the late ’80s. I say she should consider a recurring role as a calorie counter on “The Biggest Loser.”

1. Molly Ringwald: Ultimate fantasy girlfriend from ‘Sixteen Candles,’ ‘Breakfast Club,’ and ‘Pretty in Pink’ - was there a guy in the world who didn’t lust for her in the ’80s? Let’s bring her back on “Celebrity Rehab” as a urine sample collector.