My response is somewhat different, but, by now, entirely predictable. The favorite time didn't span a range of years or even months.... but a span of hours on days carrying on for years.
yes... between midnight and 4 am Friday through sunday, one could turn the TV to HBO, Showtime, or Skinemax and watch the pr0n through the wavy lines.
Admit it. You did not too (unless your familywas wealthy enough to actually subscribe to those channels) .
My parents went to bed early, so I would sneak downstairs around 11:00-12:00 and watch the Late Movie (or the Late Late Movie). I watched so many awesome films in the 11:00-3:00 am time slot. Usually I fell asleep at some point. It didn't matter. Alone, with the warm glow of the TV, and some bizarre film unfolding before me—holy crap, it was awesome.
I didn't have cable, so this was WPIX, PBS, ABC...
The Third Man
Squirm (?)
Night of the Scarecrow (Australian film, IIRC, love it to death)
Black Orpheus
A Cold Night's Death (another great made-for-TV film)
Beat Street
The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Elephant Man
The Little Girl Who Lives At the end of the Road
David and Lisa
Night of the Bomber (?)
Etc. etc.
My favorite time as a kid would be 1986 (6th grade) - 1991 (10th grade) because (duh!) I was basically forging my own identity and becoming who I am today.
It also was when I had much more freedom to do things—I became more serious about college at the start of Junior year in high school. It marked the "end" of my pure, simple childhood.
NOTE: I loved the early 80's but felt constrained and lusted for many things. I had no computer, no video game system, no modern stereos, no TV, I had a BANANA SEAT SCHWINN when everyone else had BMX or 10-speed, etc. Etc.