Television series

SilverHawks

Name: SilverHawks
Genre: Action, Crime, Science Fiction
Released: 1986
Cast: Bob McFadden, Earl Hammond, Larry Kenney, Peter Newman, Maggie Wheeler

SilverHawks is a 1986 syndicated action cartoon about a ragtag team of cyborg heroes fighting cosmic crime in the Galaxy of Limbo. It's colorful, absurd, and unapologetically earnest—a Saturday morning show that swings for the fences with its premise and never looks back. For anyone who loves synth-scored sci-fi nonsense and characters who are exactly as cool as their names suggest.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you grew up on 1980s toy-driven cartoons and still get a kick out of a cheerfully overstuffed space opera, with half-metal heroes and a villain who relishes his own menace.

Skip it if you need restrained, grounded storytelling, since this is loud, broad and relentlessly bright, with little room for quiet character moments or slow-building dread.

What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes, sixty-five of them in one season, so the shape is a long run of brisk, colorful bursts rather than patient build-up.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

ThunderCats1985

Another Rankin/Bass action cartoon with the same commitment to elaborate worldbuilding, neon color palette, and corny-but-irresistible superhero dynamics. Hugely fun and shares SilverHawks' energy entirely.

But The animation is deliberately cheap, relying heavily on reused cells. It can feel slow if you're not in the mood for episodic monster-of-the-week storytelling.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe1983

The spiritual ancestor of syndicated action cartoons. Same era, same earnestness, same willingness to be gloriously weird. Excellent if you love '80s toy-commercial worldbuilding taken seriously.

But Episodes are formulaic—often literally the same structure repeated. If you need variety or character development, this will frustrate you.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe poster

Defenders of the Earth1986

Syndicated the same year as SilverHawks with a similar roster approach: classic adventure heroes' kids fighting evil in a high-tech future. Same spirit, same gloriously camp tone, same synth-heavy soundtrack.

But Less coherent than SilverHawks—it's trying to service too many franchises at once. The plot often gets lost.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from SilverHawks

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Moebius1996

Both are '80s/'90s action shows built on radical cybernetic redesign and chrome futures, but Moebius is what happens when the same aesthetic gets recontextualized for a completely different audience and sensibility.

A 2D animated French series about a future police force investigating crimes across dimensions. Same cyberpunk architecture and color sense as SilverHawks, but executed with European sci-fi sophistication. Darkly gorgeous and genuinely adult.

But It's moody and disorienting—almost the inverse of SilverHawks' colorful earnestness. Slow, atmospheric, sometimes hard to parse.

Inspector Gadget1983

A different flavor of '80s action cartoon: comedic, mechanical, endlessly inventive. Same commitment to ridiculous gadgetry and the same fundamental warmth about its heroes.

But It's comedy-first, which means it can feel slight if you're after genuine tension or stakes.

Blackstar1981

An earlier syndicated sci-fi cartoon with a similar setup: stranded hero, alien world, weekly threats. Scrappier and stranger than SilverHawks, with a genuinely weird tone.

But Much cheaper-looking production, and the plotting is sometimes genuinely baffling. Not as accessible as SilverHawks.

Exosquad1993

A later take on the militarized cyborg team fighting alien invaders. More serialized storytelling, better animation, same fundamental DNA. Shows how the format evolved.

But More serious in tone—less campfire fun, more grimness. Feels like a different show for a different decade.

Galaxy High School1986

Another '86 syndicated cartoon with a sci-fi setting and ensemble cast. Lighter and sillier than SilverHawks, but animated with the same care and enthusiasm.

But The comedy is very broad. If you want action and stakes, this will feel fluffy.

Techno Police 21C1982

Both imagine cyborg heroes as the only response to systematic villainy, but Techno Police treats it as tragedy and SilverHawks treats it as adventure. Different moral registers, same fundamental world.

A Japanese OVA anime about a cyborg cop team in the year 2100, taking down corporate crime. Brutal, stylish, gorgeously designed—the most serious possible version of what SilverHawks is playing with. Influential on everything that came after.

But It's violent and grim. Just 45 minutes long but packed dense. Very '80s anime (meaning some awkward sexual content). Almost no plot, just mood and design.