The 100 Greatest Moments In Television/1980s

THE BARBARA WALTERS SPECIAL: PATRICK SWAYZE CRIES
May 11, 1988
She'd already chatted up everyone from Richard Pryor to the Shah of Iran, but Walters' emotionally charged interview with Swayze — then at the peak of his Dirty Dancing fame — got to the heart of what makes her phenomenally popular ABC specials tick. When the unabashedly earnest Walters coaxed Swayze into opening up about his deceased dad, the actor couldn't hold back the tears (''I made it my passion that I was going to make that man proud of me 'til I died.''), marking the first of many celeb bawl-fests to come. ''It wasn't just sniff-sniff,'' says Walters. ''He really broke down. That led to years of people saying to me 'Please, don't make me cry.''' Rank 39

GERALDO'S NOSE IS BROKEN
Nov. 3, 1988
Today's topic: How Geraldo Rivera's bloodied appendage rocked the TV world! When the ever-brash talker hosted white supremacists and black activist Roy Innis, the result was unprecedented bedlam: Guests exchanged punches, audience members stormed the set, and Rivera took a flying chair in the schnozz. ''It was absolutely horrifying,'' shidders former Geraldo senior producer Delia Fine, now and A&E programming VP. ''I was yelling at the director to go to a wide shot, because I wanted to have a record for legal purposes, and dialing 911 at the same time.'' The stepchild of Rivera's row? Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Rank 96

THE ENERGIZER BUNNY BREAKS OUT
October 1989
Drummer aren't known for their longevity (see Spi¨al Tap), but this one's been going for nine years. The most memorable commercial mascot of our time caught America's eye when he said ta-da to his own ad and rudely drummed through three others — dead-on parodies of coffee, sinus-remedy, and wine spots. The bunny has not only become an op-ed cliché (everyone from Bill Clinton to Saddam Hussein is compared to the durable pink guy) but has spawned an era of postmodern, self-aware advertising. As Bob Kuperman, the spots' first creative director, says, ''he thumbed his nose at commercials people love to hate.'' Rank 87

No. 1 Shows
1980 60 Minutes*
1981 Dallas
1982 Dallas
1983 60 Minutes
1984 Dallas
1985 Dynasty
1986 The Cosby Show
1987 The Cosby Show
1988 The Cosby Show
1989 Roseanne
*Seasons began the previous year