Nineteen eighty-four was a great year for guy-friendly movies and an even better year for guy-friendly television broadcasts. Twenty-five years ago, much changed on television, with networks offering more sports programming, more sitcoms centering around guys, and more shows appealing to a guy's visual and auditory senses. The shows that began 25 years ago paved the way for the shows of today and left a lasting impact on bro pop culture.

1. The Re-Invention of College Football/Flutie's Hail Mary



1984 was the year that invigorated and changed the broadcast of college football games. For all the legal bros and scholars out there, the change in college football broadcasting came about after a June 1984 Supreme Court ruling in NCAA v. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma, which stated that the NCAA's television plan violated anti-trust rules and allowed for individual schools to negotiate their own broadcast contracts. Although the results were not immediate, in 1984, ESPN started broadcasting its "College Football Saturday Primetime." To make it an even better year for college football, on November 23, 1984, in one of its bigger and initial college football broadcasts, CBS aired the B.C.-Miami game that ended with Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass.

How it changed Bro-gramming: The Supreme Court ruling had a strong impact on college sports. The decision, along with the growth of cable networks like ESPN and TBS resulted in an explosion of college sports broadcast options. Although most schools continued to negotiate broadcast contracts through the now defunct CFA, after Notre Dame broke with the CFA and signed an exclusive contract with NBC, more and more schools started negotiating individual broadcast deals, which led to more sports programming options on more channels in more local markets. As a result of the 1984 Supreme Court ruling, there has been a decrease in the number of independent schools and a repositioning of athletic conferences, as schools attempted to increase their bargaining power. Of course, aside from the ruling, ESPN's "College Football Saturday Primetime" has brought us many great football moments and many great sports commentators. And lastly, the win that Flutie clinched for B.C. against the U was not only some great football, but also led to a 16% rise in applications to B.C. and the birth of the "Flutie Effect," where schools experience an increase in applications after their sports teams are victorious.

2. The Debut of "Who's the Boss?"



On September 20, 1984, Tony Micelli, played by Tony Danza, and his daughter Samantha, played by pre-babe Alyssa Milano, boarded their van from Brooklyn and moved into the upscale Connecticut neighborhood of advertising executive, Angela Bower, played by Judith Light. The show, which lasted on ABC for 8 seasons, led to such sitcom gold as Angela and Mona trying to teach Tony's daughter how to be a little more feminine, with ex-pro baseball player Tony trying to teach Angela's son, Jonathan, to be a little less geeky. Additionally, much of the plot revolved around the blurry line between Angela and Tony's relationship.

How it changed Bro-gramming: First of all, MONA! MONA! MONA! Angela's sexually forward and promiscuous mother, played by Katherine Helmond, dated guys young and old, introducing the idea of the cougar to television. "Who's the Boss?" also bended traditional sitcom gender roles by showing a stay-at-home dad running the daily family operations, while the woman of the house went out and made money. The development of the Tony-Angela relationship led to some very awkward moments, and taught bros every where the lessons of the old adage of not shitting where you eat.

3. Clara Peller asks "Where's the Beef?" in Wendy's Commercials?



On January 10, 1984, an impatient octagenerian interrupted two other old ladies content with their bun-dominated burger by demanding to know: "Where's the beef?" The tagline for Wendy's hamburgers became an instant sensation across the United States. In other 1984 sequels, Peller yelled her famous line in various scenes; she stormed though drive-thru counters and shouted the line to a fast-food executive attempting to relax on his yacht, the "S.S. Big Bun."

How it changed Bro-gramming: The "Where's the Beef?" tagline brought a third fast food option into the vernacular of guys across America and around the world. Sales at Wendy's jumped 31% to $945 million in 1985 worldwide. In fact, Wendy's senior vice president for communications, Denny Lynch, stated at the time that "with Clara, we accomplished as much in five weeks as we did in 14-and-a-half years." Perhaps most importantly, Clara echoed the sentiments of hungry guys, demanding larger sizes and bigger portions of the good stuff. Clara's commercial undoubtedly led to the Super Size revolution in fast food restaurants and in some ways sparked the recent healthy counter-revolution of calorie counting and salads at fast food restaurants. Save the apple slices; bring on the beef.

Postscript: After Wendy's fired Peller for doing a Prego pasta sauce commercial, Peller's responded: "I've made them millions, and they don't appreciate me." We appreciate you, Clara. Thanks for revolutionizing fast food and the fast food commercial!

4. Hulk Hogan wins his first WWF Championship by crushing the Iron Sheik, broadcast on MSG Network



On January 23, 1984, MSG Network broadcast all-American Hulk Hogan wreaking havoc against the Iron Sheik, a wrestler modeled after an Arabian sheik. Hulk Hogan, a last minute replacement for an injured Bob Backlund, challenged the Iron Sheik for the championship belt and dominated through the match, securing victory with what became known as one of Hogan's finishing moves, the atomic leg drop. The crowd went wild. After the win, WWF commentator, Gorilla Monsoon announced, "Hulkamania is here!"

How it changed Bro-gramming: Hulkamania and the WWF became a phenomenon in the 1980s and remains so to this day. All those crazy finishing moves and grandstanding in the wrestling ring began with Hulk Hogan tearing off his red and yellow shirt and listening to the crowds cheer. Hogan became the face of the World Wrestling Federation during 1984 and millions of American boys grew up with the Hulkster as a role model and his "demandments" of "training, saying your prayers, eating your vitamins, and believing in yourself." Throughout the rest of the 1980s, the Hulkster's red and yellow colors became ubiquitous in magazines, on television, in action figures, and in mock wrestling rings made up of living room pillows. Hulk Hogan would go on to win 6 more championship titles with the WWF.

5. Debut of "Miami Vice"



On September 28, 1984, NBC launched Miami Vice, a police drama that combined music and visual effects into its storyline. The show starred Don Johnson and Phililp Michael Thomas as two Miami-Dade police detectives working undercover to catch drug dealers, leaders of prostitution rings, and other Miami underlings. Due to a law that allowed police officers to use items seized from drug dealers for official use, the plot lines (often ripped from the Miami crime headlines at the time) featured the two detectives in glamorous cars, boats, and homes.

How it changed Bro-gramming: "Miami Vice" was one of the first television series to focus on the commingling and integration of visual effects and music in order to bring out the storyline. People Magazine opined that "Miami Vice" "was the first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented." "Miami Vice" was a break from the previous, standard police dramas and redefined the television genre for the MTV generation. "Miami Vice" helped lead to the evolution of shows like "NYPD Blue," "Homicide," and "Law & Order" -- Dick Wolf, creator and producer of "Law & Order," was executive producer of "Miami Vice" -- not to mention the current ilk of "CSI"-type shows. All this can't hold a candle to the real life effect that "Miami Vice" had on guys across America. Most notably, "Miami Vice" had a major role in revitalizing the South Beach area of Miami and turned the city into a winter playpen for pasty Northern bros looking for hot Floridian ladies. Not only did bros everywhere hop flights to Miami, but they also tried to bring a little of Miami to them. "Miami Vice" inspired style changes in men's fashion for nearly half a decade and still shows its influences today with men wearing Rayban sunglasses, T-shirts under their suits, and rolled up sleeves.

6. Debut of "The Cosby Show"



On the same night that "Who's the Boss?" debuted on ABC, "The Cosby Show" began its eight-year run on NBC. "The Cosby Show," starring Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad, followed the lives of Cliff and Claire Huxtable, two upper-class professionals living in Brooklyn, and their children. The show dealt with serious and comical issues: dyslexia, deciding on a college, broken engagements, deaths of pets, and of course Cliff's famous 1989 fantasy of what would happen if men every where became pregnant and gave birth to footballs and hoagie sandwiches.

How it changed Bro-gramming: From a historical/TV perspective, "The Cosby Show" was a forerunner to many important shows on television. Time Magazine and TV Guide both ranked "The Cosby Show" as one of the most influential and best shows of all time. TV Guide called the show "TV's biggest hit in the 1980s" that "almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre." In fact "The Cosby Show" is one of only three American program that has been #1 in the Neilson ratings for five consecutive seasons (the others being "American Idol" and "All in the Family.") The show, one of the first successful comedies based on the work of a stand-up comedian, blazed the trail for other family sitcoms and guy favorites based on stand-up material, such as "Home Improvement," "Roseanne," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," and "Seinfeld." Additionally, according to Entertainment Weekly, "The Cosby Show" paved the way for other sitcoms based on African Americans, including "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Cosby" spin-off "A Different World." Ironically, although the Cosby Show was important in the portrayal of African Americans on television, the show did not focus on racial issues. Instead, in its serious moments, "The Cosby Show" focused on the important role that a father has in the family, in working with his wife and caring for his children, thus providing an important role model for the grown-up bro, no matter what his race.

7. The Debut of "Jeopardy" with Alex Trebek



We treated college football in a scholarly fashion, so why not treat "Jeopardy" like a sport? On September 10, 1984, "Jeopardy" with Alex Trebek began its syndicated run on television and quiz show enthusiasts haven't looked back.

How it changed Bro-gramming: Guys everywhere love competing over the 30 minute-long answer-question game show. Anyone who tells you they don't shout out the answer when they know it is lying to you. Today, "Jeopardy" is the third longest-running syndicated program, behind Merv Griffin's other baby, "Wheel of Fortune," and "Soul Train." True, the "Jeopardy" format has been widely duplicated; it even had an earlier run with Art Flemming. And there are definitely shows that offer more prize money. So why did "Jeopardy" with Alex Trebek change Bro-gramming? Clearly, it has something to do with all those great SNL "Celebrity Jeopardy" parodies:

Alex Trebek: Let's just go with FOREIGN FLICKS for 800.
Sean Connery: [buzzes in] Ursula Andress, Catherine Deneuve, and Charo twice.
Alex Trebek: That's foreign FLICKS, Mr. Connery.

8. The First VMA Awards



In the summer of 1984, the MTV "Video Music Awards" were conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards. The first VMA show featured Diana Ross dressed as a Moonman, the centerpiece of the VMA trophy. More notably, the show featured Madonna performing "Like a Virgin" in a combination of a bustier/wedding gown, including a belt with the word "Boy Toy" emblazoned across it. During the performance, Madonna, in all her 1980s glory, wriggled around on the floor and made a number of sexual moves, which allowed the VMAs to gain the attention, gratitude, and respect of guys everywhere.

How it changed Bro-gramming: What an alternative to the Grammys the VMAs provided! Madonna's performance at the first VMAs was child's play compared to Diana Ross playing with Lil' Kim's exposed breast in '99; Madonna making out with Britney and Christina Aguilera in '03; and of course, Kanye's recent interruption. The VMAs have become an important pop culture award show, to say the least, and are viewed each year by millions of teens and twentysomethings, guy and girl alike.

9. "The George Michael Sports Machine" Goes National



In 1984, the "George Michael Sports Machine" went from being a Washington, D.C.-based television show to a nationally syndicated sports wrap-up show that became a hallmark of Sunday nights for over two decades. Every Sunday, host George Michael, a former radio DJ, presented clips from the weekend's sporting events from across the United States and the world. Aside from the clips, the show often featured in-depth coverage of a particular athlete, including high school talent. In this respect, "The Sports Machine" was somewhat unique, as the show occasionally covered extraordinary high school sports and other sports that were not usually covered at the time, such as NASCAR, hockey, and equestrian events.

How it changed Bro-gramming: O.K., so there still isn't too much equestrian coverage on television these days, but "The George Michael Sports Machine" was important in sports programming by giving relatively unknown sports, such as auto racing and hockey air time. Today, these lesser known sports merit huge amount of coverage on cable and network television stations. In the 1980s, when the show premiered, sports highlight reels were sparse and were usually only featured on local newscasts and neophyte networks like ESPN and CNN. The Sports Machine provided another alternative for sports fans looking for criticism-free clips and most certainly led the way to the never-ending domination of "Sportscenter" and its ilk.

10. Debut of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"



On March 31, 1984, British host Robin Leach first showed American men everywhere the "champagne wishes and caviar dreams" that hard work or inherited wealth could lead to. The 30-minute show followed celebrities, businessmen, and athletes around and showcased their lavish homes, extraordinary spending habits, and high-tech cars, yachts, and private jets. The show lasted over 10 years (until September 1995), but today the genre is stronger than ever.

How it changed Bro-gramming: This was the show that first showed that size (as in the size of your house, bank account, and plane) does matter. "Lifestyles" was the precursor to MTV's "Cribs," VH1's "The Fabulous Life of...," and other voyeuristic celebrity lifestyle shows. Not to mention the fact that the show set the bar higher for guys everywhere, as women thought they could snag one of the show's Lamborghini-diving eligible bachelors.

The End of "Happy Days" and "Three's Company"

The Circle of Life. Out of every beginning comes an end. Although the new shows of 1984 redefined "bro-gramming," we must acknowledge two shows that left the airwaves in 1984. For 10 years, from 1974-1984, Henry Winkler as Authur Fonzarelli defined what was "cool" for a guy. Fonzi should definitely be nominated for the BroBible Hall of Fame with his great style, amazing rapport with other bros, and his ability to get all the girls at Jefferson High. (Unfortunately, the Fonz is also remembered for "jumping the shark." During a late-series episode, the Fonz, while surfing, literally jumped over a shark. It was at that point that everyone knew the show needed to be put out to pasture. Today, the term "jumping the shark" is applied to anything that's well past its prime.) 1984 also marked the end of "Three's Company," a sitcom that featured John Ritter as Jack Tripper, living with two young, female roommates, including a thirty-something Suzanne Somers. This show represented every guy's fantasy with tons of hysterical comedy-of-errors moments revolving around Jack's pretending to be gay because of a prude landlord.

Honorable Mention: Debut of "Brothers," Debut of "NBA on TBS," Debut of "Punky Brewster" (brought Soleil Moon Frye on the scene in her pre-babe days), debut of "Scrabble" and "Press Your Luck," the return of "The Jetsons," debut of "Night Court," and the debut of "Muppet Babies."