What ever happened to the “very special episodes” of sitcoms? I kind of miss them. Many 80s and 90s family sitcoms had these episodes. These episodes usually taught a lesson to kids and teens. Many network TV shows which were appropriate for parents and kids to watch together would air these types of episodes. Some of these programs included: Blossom, Diff'rent Strokes, Family Matters and Growing Pains.
These “very special episodes” were more serious than usual episodes and touched on the then very taboo topics of rape, drug use, anorexia, underage drinking, racism and more. The shows explained these topics in ways which kids could understand. The hope was to teach kids the right thing to do if they found themselves in bad situations. Many times at the end of the episode, some of the stars would talk out of character using their real names to promote a charity or help line that was related to the topic of the episode. Parents and kids would sit down and talk about the shows together.
Although these episodes now seem cheesy to some, they were very morally beneficial to children and teens of the time. Honestly, I would be uncomfortable letting a child under 13 watch many of the sitcoms on TV today. There are many shows that are funny, buy many of them flat out talk about or make obvious references to sex, drugs and drinking. These shows are awesome for adults, but there are not many shows left that parents and kids can both enjoy.
Parents who want to take the moral high ground must watch all children’s networks on cable with their children. Many of the shows would put an adult to sleep in minutes. It was nice to have TV shows that both parents and children could truly love. I have fond memories of watching these shows with my mom. While some people like to mock “the very special episodes” of years past, to me they will always represent a very special time.