The Most WTF Very Special Episodes That Gen X Will NEVER Forget

[@alyzu4755]

"Big Bird, when people die, they dont come back". "Ever?" That still gets me. 😔

[@alyzu4755]

@MonicaGibson-r3g ❤️

[@jonathanhibberd9983]

Nothing gets the tears flowing faster than a child who doesn't understand faced with the death of a loved one. Lion King, Bridge to Terabithia, My Girl, Land Before Time.

[@pissedgrrl]

It was my first memory of not knowing how to describe my feelings and telling my mom “I feel like big bird” to say I was sad

[@davidpumpkinsjr.5108]

The exchange that get me is this- "Give me one good reason why it has to be this way." "Big Bird, it has to be this way... because." "Just because?" "Yes."

[@ninademci1500]

@alyzu4755, me too.😢

[@tonyplaysthemambo]

The fact that Sesame Street still calls it Mr. Hooper's Store is, I think, a fitting tribute to the man.

[@COMPFUNK2]

I never understood why Big Bird always said Mr. Looper, yet he was still able to say Hooper’s Store.

[@MsStealYourDadAndMom]

​@@COMPFUNK2millennial here, who is looper bc I'm confused. Idk how I ended up on this old timey (no offense) rabbit hole but I did

[@angelamack5300]

When Mr.Hooper passed away that really messed me up.

[@williethomas5116]

I remember being destroyed when the Challenger exploded. I never watched the episode it hurt too much.

[@hilariecalijo4643]

@@angelamack5300 me too. I remember that very well as a child.

[@D-Fens_1632]

Sometimes I think I died a long time ago, and memories of that time when people would gather around televisions to watch these shows in prime time was just part of some past life I remember. These shows are so surreal to watch today.

[@M_SC]

Dear person, please take care. This is on the edge of disassociation, an emotional /mental situation that can be bad for you. Knowledge is helpful

[@ginaheller333]

I feel the same! To quote another Gen X staple, The Breakfast Club: "It's inevitable. When you grow old, your heart dies."

[@whatever8243]

@@M_SCWTAF? I’m from this time and I completely agree with him. Look around you. Things have accelerated. In 1950 tv was black and white tubed and used rabbit ears. Fast forward 74 years and we carry are tvs around with us in our pocket and it’s also a phone and web searcher. It IS surreal to live 8n this day and age having touched the past only dreaming of what we hav3 today. Nothing disassociate about it. It’s reality.

[@toriagiro9519]

It’s funny that we see it as “gathering around the tv together” when at the time it was the boob-tube it was hypnotizing people it was the people on the walls in Fahrenheit 451 that was the enemy of books. But sitting around with your family kids on the carpet, parents on the couch, all laughing together feels way more social now.

[@homer7504]

This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever read

[@kellydavis1837]

Just the image of Big Bird looking at the drawing of Mr. Hooper is enough to being me to tears. This was my introduction to death as a child, looking back it is so well done.

[@acewickhamyoshi8330]

Oh me too.. its always a "too sick to go to school,, headache too.. mr Hooper episode aired 9am & 2^pm, so some schools had a special class after we saw it ,, but i still get a fever feeling that causes me to cry all week.. still to thsc day..

[@danadoozer9990]

I remember this now.. I must have blocked it out. How incredibly sad.

[@thembi125]

Fun fact: Chip Fields, who plays Penny's abusive mother on good Times, is the real life mother of Kim Fields (aka Tootie on Facts of Life).

[@Iggystar71]

I was here to post this!!

[@danavixen6274]

It's cool Kim Fields and Janet are friends to this day! ❤

[@tmill462]

fun

[@therealDJG]

I never made that connection but damn they look very similar lol

[@Chuck_EL]

Also the woman Gloria who sings the facts of life theme is Robin Thicke's mother and the late great Alan Thicke's wife

[@KZ-np8fz]

I can't tell you how much it annoys me that we can't speak correctly and like adults instead have to use other words to avoid being censored on this platform.

[@mysocalledgenxlife]

Agreed. It’s frustrating.

[@beatsventura8813]

If you understand the reason for this is because many predators use specific phrases in their searches. We could be discussing child abuse while predators actually search this term for their perverted enjoyment. The algorithm only searches for specific words, without knowing the context or content. So those who are only sharing thoughts will also get banned. So although it sounds childish, it is done to protect children and ensure those monsters who are uploading graphic pictures and posts of abuse will be banned.

[@vintagecapgunsatyourmomshouse]

​@@beatsventura8813it's still censorship and I hate it

[@vintagecapgunsatyourmomshouse]

​@@beatsventura8813no. It still censorship and it's way more about AdSense.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@mysocalledgenxlife Sams Missing was a 2 part episode and the first for season 8 and the first to air on ABC📺after NBC🦚dropped the show the season before! Plus an updated version of the shows theme song which was sung by Alan Thicke who co-wrote the theme with exwife Gloria Loring who sang the Facts Of Life theme also co written by Thicke. 📼👦🙏👍

[@elizabethp2395]

That Good Times episode with the iron haunted me. The image of Penny against the door begging was burned into my brain.

[@EffinGuy]

SAME

[@themaggattack]

Yes. Janet Jackson was an excellent actress as a little girl.

Janet Jackson..Yes, That Janet Jackson played Penny

[@pignutpignut771]

Yes

[@dragonbaitX]

She was great in that scene. But it was even sadder to think she was so good because she lived in an abusive home. Her brothers were being physically, emotionally, financially and mentally abused by their father Joe Jackson. It is amazing to me that so much talent came from such a horrible environment.

[@stingrey1571]

@17:10 ted knight has said he hated that episode as he felt sexual assault wasnt funny.

[@thembi125]

I think a lot of the laughter is just from weird homophobia

[@dewainalexander6615]

The laughter was disturbing. I kept yelling it wasn't funny.😢

[@cityhawk]

He wasn’t wrong. That was completely tone deaf and just incredibly uncomfortably. I had no idea why the writers for Too Close for Comfort thought it would make for a good comedic episode. It’s not even cringe, it was well beyond it.

[@claireglcohen]

This is exactly where I am now and the laughter track is exceptionally disturbing. Not sure if I want to keep watching.

[@madamefluffy4788]

@@thembi125 Or the ridiculous mindset that men can't be SAed.

[@JoeCool7835]

One very special episode that stuck out for me was the Designing Women AIDS episode "Killing All The Right People" which tackled the prejudice tied to the disease head-on, complete with one of Julia's greatest rants in the whole series.

[@MinervaVictrix]

Julia's rants were iconic, and that's one of the best!

[@ddmaul]

That was indeed a great episode, even though it wasn't presented as "very special." There was another episode that has - for me - a remarkable AIDS connection. Mary Jo had been mugged, and in response, the women learned self-defense techniques, a big part of which was to yell "NINE ONE ONE!!!" My coworkers partner (Terry) had AIDS, and this was before there was much to be done about it. In a holistic approach, Terry's doctor encouraged him to pick a goal number for his T-Cells, and use it as a mantra of sorts. In homage to Mary Jo, he decided his number would be 911, because he so loved "Designing Women." My co-worker wrote to Annie Potts, explained the situation, and asked her if she would send Terry an autographed picture, mentioning something about 911. She sent the requested picture, and she also sent a cassette tape of herself leading a guided meditation on the number 911 for Terry to focus on. Talk about class.

[@Empress-Mimi]

​@ddmaul awwww bless, that was lovely of her.

[@Orxbane]

Thank goodness we had those small hat writers and producers telling us how we should feel about degenerates, we might not have 5 year olds transitioning today and the normalizing of PDF files just around the corner. Thanks small hats!

[@ddmaul]

@@Orxbane Do you rely on sitcoms to tell you how to feel? Did this episode tell you to call people degenerates? Someone else expressing what they think in no way obligates you to agree with them. TV - all show business, actually - is profit-driven. They air what sells. That what sells doesn't align with your world view matters not to them, because pandering to your point of view isn't profitable, because your point of view is not popular. That doesn't mean you shouldn't hold your point of view, it only means your point of view doesn't sell. Because it's not popular. Yet you remain 100% free to try to convince others to hold your point of view. It's just that most people don't like your point of view.

[@edgarmuniz8331]

Malloy's reaction was powerful. How she registered disgust spoke volumes & highlighted that sometimes saying nothing, says everything.

[@madisonrocca7100]

The Rosanne episode: I like the part after when Dan says "No, I bought the chicken first."

[@bamatireman33]

@@madisonrocca7100 Roseanne: "Well what did Fischer say? Dan: "Um ouch, ouch, my head!"

[@Lynn17]

@@bamatireman33 I loved that scene. Dan got to be a badass and spout off some good quips.

[@Are_You_Sure_Bro]

That is a great episode of TV. When Dan goes out the door you can feel exactly what's about to happen. He was such a great TV dad.

[@TTrigg]

@@Are_You_Sure_Bro Loved the audience reaction when Dan grabbed his coat

[@GeeZeeX3]

When he grabs his jacket.. that always got me.. 💯

[@bamatireman33]

Born in 78, I saw about half of these first time in reruns. The other ones the first time they aired. Another great episode, keep it up!

[@Spiderlash97]

‘78 club! 😊

[@FourteenWords-n4l]

Yep! July '78!!

[@RemoWilliams1227]

January 79 here and same same.

[@CT-nb5lm]

Our 1980's was fire, our 90's was evolved & 2000's was the end of a great run.

[@spitfire0781]

78/8/25

[@jeffm9770]

I was 13 in 1983 but the goodbye Mr. Hooper still hit hard because I had loved Sesame Street when I was little

[@lightsalt8530]

I hated Sesame Street when I was little. Apparently Big Bird freaked me out big time. I don't remember this but apparently it was hilarious for my parents to torture me with it. 🤷

[@martinwakefield8138]

I was 11, and yet it hit hard. I rememeber ot and other media outlets talking about it.

[@brendamoon2660]

My problem with very special episodes was a character would go through something incredibly traumatic but next episode they would be fine and funny again with no residual issues.

[@cubemissy]

That’s what bothered me the most for some of the darker ones. By the next episode, I hadn’t finished processing the episode.and in the show, it’s as if it never happened.

[@the-NightStar]

My problem is that so many of them soft-ball the issue, and bend the issue around network censorship restrictions, or just aren't prepared to put the serious dramatic weight necessary into it. Like the supposed camp counselor rubbing the kids shoulder was incredibly bad. Who thought that would work? There are so many problems with it. The actors are awkward and even the counselor's actor clearly doesn't want to do the scene, and a shoulder rub is so sanitized and pathetic that it just comes off as goofy and weird. Not weird in the way that was intended, just weird in that it was so badly acted, unrealistic, and not effective at all. What was anyone even supposed to get from that? It felt less like a "very special episode" and more like a weird actual fetish that a director was trying to get unwilling actors to do for 5 seconds.

[@magayakimade]

That’s why I appreciated Degrassi. It shows the after effects, like real life.

[@Arsewell-Foundation]

People were more resilient then. They dealt with trauma by not focusing on it and making it their entire identity.

[@DavidWatt-h9z]

Born in 72. Thank you very much for both your very special episodes videos, they were excellent. They really took me back, bravo to you 😊

[@cmaden78]

There was also a very popular movie out at the same time as punky Brewster and the Challenger explosion called Space Camp

[@hschwartz9277]

Born in 71. Also, Bravo!

[@BruceWalther-s2l]

@@cmaden78 Yes, the release of Space Camp was delayed. Space Camp did not really get noticed until going to cable a good year or so after the Challenger explosion.

[@LadyLeeBird]

74 baby here, same. What a blast to the past! I remember a LOT of these.. And I always looked forward to those rare "after school specials" that my parents always made sure my sister and I knew about, so we could watch them. The 80s.. the best time in the history of the world, to have been alive! ❤

[@leslienold7719]

​@@cmaden78Space Camp was a great movie!! ❤

[@Se7enBeatleofDoom]

People give the IT mini-series for making clowns scary to a generation. But they don’t give Little House on the Prairie credit for making clowns scary in the episode Sylvia.

[@the-NightStar]

I wasn't aware the IT miniseries was ever scary. It was goofy, over the top, and had Tim Curry goofing around as a very silly pennywise, hilarious attempts to make balloons scary and sanitizing the original novels down to the point of being low-budget comedy shlock.

[@fslayer1290]

That Little House episode scared the mess outta me! So did Tim Curry as it.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

Clowns have always been scary!

[@lilliedoubleyou3865]

but did they even have clowns in the 19th century?

[@lazyhomebody1356]

@lilliedoubleyou3865 Probably. The Egyptians had clowns in 2400 BC, google says

[@jeng2336]

I was so mad they killed off Sylvia. The actress's chemistry with Albert's character was unmatched. So genuine, innocent, and raw at the same time. I was rooting for them. 😢❤

[@Vanipollonia1]

Ikr. And Sylvia's dad was a (insert worst insult here). He gaslit that girl damn near the entire time.

[@WaiferThyme]

​@Vanipollonia1 sadly, it's only been the past 20 years or so that women and girls weren't blamed for being the victim of SA. Court, if the case made it that far, was often a nightmare of her having to defend herself , her clothes, her activities. Anything to make her seem slutty and , therefore, an evil temptress who lead the poor monster who attacked her down the garden path. It finally started to change when courts and police woke up and realized they were trying to criminalize little tiny girls and elderly women.

[@StefferKatz]

No one is creeped out by the fact that it would have been two 14-year-olds getting married?

[@jeng2336]

@@StefferKatz But back in those days it was not that abnormal. Even Charles and Caroline expressed concern but gave Albert their blessing and willingness to help out.

[@WaiferThyme]

@StefferKatz the show depicted life in the 1880s. People in small farming villages married as young as 13 back then and by the time a girl hit 20, she would have had 5 kids. In fact, in most rural areas, a girl was called an old maid if she didn't marry before she was 18!

[@madamefluffy4788]

A Facts of Life episode that stuck out for me was when Natalie was almost SAed on her way home from a costume/Halloween party (she lucked out because a couple of folks happened upon the attempt, scaring the attacker away and saving Natalie from the assault). I really liked this one, as the episode ends with a self defense instructor coming to the school to teach the girls some lessons in self defense - but he doesn't sugar coat things. He shows them how easy it is for someone to overpower them if they let their guards down, shows them how every day items they carry in their purses/bags can double as weapons in a pinch but - most importantly - he gives them some basic advice on how not to make themselves victims in the first place (like avoiding dark areas or not traveling alone, especially at night, etc).

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@madamefluffy4788 Yes this episode was originally written for Blair aka Lisa Whelchel's character and I think also the episode were Natalie loses her virginity but due to Lisa's christian faith didn't want to be in that episode! 🤔🙄🧐🙆

[@madamefluffy4788]

@@SuperMarioBrosIII You're thinking of an episode where the girls are much older (Blaire and Jo are in college by that point). And in that particular episode, it was with Natalie and her steady boyfriend, Snake - 100% consensual. Blaire's actress got so much unnecessary/unwarranted grief for not wanting to have her character in such a situation. Not everyone agrees with pre-marital sex and if the actress was uncomfortable seeing her character (one she had played for years at that point, so was very much part of her) making such a decision, how would it have looked if she was forced into performing it? I'm glad she stood her ground; and really, the whole thing worked much better with Natalie, anyway (her exchange with Tootie after she got home and confided in her felt very real. I don't think it would have worked as well with Jo and Blaire).

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@madamefluffy4788 Yes Snake🐍aka Mike Domane aka Robert Romanus from Fast Times At Ridgemont High. 🏫📚📺👍

[@M_SC]

@@SuperMarioBrosIIIthere was an episode in the first season where Blair was SA’d and it was glossed over 70s style in a way that makes me feel nauseated and outraged. The 80s had progressed a lot by the time the Natalie episode happened

[@lazyhomebody1356]

I think by that time, Lisa identified very much with Blair. I think it was her right to have a say in what her character did! ​@@SuperMarioBrosIII

[@positivelysimful1283]

I remember seeing the Too Close for Comfort episode. Having been an abused kid, it rattled me. I was in shock that they were laughing and joking about it so much.

[@somethingclever8916]

Thing that gets me is what the women didn't do was that bad until they discover the women are not very attractive.

[@Wednesdaywoe1975]

The irony of that is Monroe was clearly gay. The belief that their attractiveness mitigated the assault is gross, but he wasn't going to be attracted, anyway.

[@trixluck]

That must have made you feel so hopeless and alone, like you couldn't talk to anyone 😢

[@HuntingViolets]

@@somethingclever8916 A bit of fatphobia going on there.

[@LadyGreyBlack]

I adored Monroe before I understood what being gay was, so the idea of anyone doing anything to him was pretty horrific.

[@aubriehicks8373]

I was holding strong as I watched the beginning of your compilation; but when you got to Mr. Hooper, I broke down in tears. I was 10 when that happened, the same year that my Grandfather died of cancer, and it has been embedded into my soul. Deep Memories. Thank you?

[@peaceknot]

Not gonna lie, that Good Times episode scarred me.

[@shannon_w.]

Omg I'm 50, and I don't look ANYWHERE near as old as Edith! It's funny it never occurred to me that these laugh tracks were so inappropriate!

[@axnyslie]

That was my first thought too. Both Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton were 50 going on 75. I think part was the show trying to make them look much older to give a broader generation gap between them and Mike and Gloria.

[@eddiebranden1]

Wilferd Brimley was 48 in Cocoon. Mind blown.

[@hazeleyees]

@@eddiebranden1come again! 👀👀

[@Paranitis]

At the same time though, it's based off of what's normal for that time period. You ever look at pictures of your parents and they look older than other people in a current time? It can be based off what clothing is popular or the hair styles, or even shitty cameras. I work in a grocery store and I see people in my generation (Elder Millenials) that are 40 going on 25, and some that are 50 going on 75. And it has to do with lifestyles and genetics and clothing styles and everything in between.

[@FlintIronstag23]

Jean Stapleton was 54 when she made that episode, but even still, she did look a lot older than most modern day 50-year-olds.

[@CrystalPalmisano-Dillard]

The laugh track behind these is surreal

[@thevoxofreason8468]

I remember a darn Garfield cartoon prime time special that made me get tears in my eyes. All I can recall now, some 40 years later, is that Odie was in a pound and was going to be put to sleep.

[@WaiferThyme]

@@thevoxofreason8468 garfield broke him out at the end though 😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmrGh6CGeNGAracfeature=shared

[@sallyskellington3383]

Same! It's called Here Comes Garfield. There was another Garfield special called "His Nine Lives", and one of the lives STILL makes me bawl!

[@thevoxofreason8468]

@sallyskellington3383 Thank you for the info. Now I know I wasn't alone.

[@happylittleunderling8698]

What made that scene even worse was the song that played as Odie was carried off. It didn't matter that I already knew there was no way Odie would die, I was in tears at the idea of it.

[@Jose-se9pu]

It was called something along the line of "Nine Lives", it basically showed Garfield's previous 8 lives...I remember crying like a baby with one of them, and getting scared shitless by another.

[@Lispylisperson]

Those episodes of Roseanne are 2 of my favorites. Especially the scene where Darlene goes to bail out Dan and the humor in it that lightens the mood

[@aq6590]

They Sylvia episode of Little House still makes me cry to this day when I watch reruns

[@chasemumford9811]

They REALLY put my boy Albert through hell. He accidentally burns down the blind school. That same fire kills his sister's BABY and his best friend's MOM. He falls in love with a girl who is raped and accidentally dies trying to escape her rapist. He gets addicted to morphine and in the end gets diagnosed with a fatal disease. I mean, wow...

[@Spiderlash97]

@@chasemumford9811that show frightened me as a child! Especially the Halloween episode!

[@BryanEisenhart-yr4qd]

The Punky Brewster episode really hit home for me. My grandmother on my dad’s side worked for Rockwell building the space shuttles. Grammy told us that they noticed ice on the shuttle before the launch on January 28th. They tried to contact Mission Control but were ignored because they didn’t want to scrub an expensive launch.

[@moon230686]

Omg, that's awful!!

[@pika23]

Yes my husband's professor at college, knew Robert Bollsjozzy(not sure if spelling) who got locked into a janitor closet during the launch bc he threatened to go live and tell about the o rings.

[@mickys411]

My uncle worked at Kennedy Space Center and saw the Challenger from his office window

[@ambermchugh9381]

I remember my class watched the challenger explosion too. The teachers were all in the hall crying

[@mmmpotstickers8684]

I wasn't aware of this episode since I didn't watch the show. A very nice way to deal with the tragedy. Like any morning, watched Good Morning America and then went to high school. Some students who had a longer commute weren't aware of what happened until the teacher explained what had happened. I finally got a lot of closure when I picked up a book by Richard Feynman and read his findings that were written in such a way that a non-science person could understand.

[@sandrajewitt6050]

I'm an OG Sesame Street kid. Even though I was too old for Sesame Street when Mr. Hooper died, I was still devastated. It was like losing a family member.

[@nw1750]

Same. I had JUST turned 13 when that aired, so I didn't see it happen. But it still hits damn hard.

[@clumsyzombie3144]

@@nw1750 Same, I had siblings 10 years younger than me so I was older too, but I missed Mr. Hooper so much. It really sank in and hit home when Bob took over Hooper's store a couple weeks later and Big Bird asked him to make him a birdseed milkshake just like Mr. Hooper used to make. And throughout the episode, Bob would try and fail with each attempt, with Big Bird saying, "No, it's just not the same as Mr. Hooper used to make it." Bob tried like three times, and finally Big Bird said, "You know what, it's not the same like Mr. Hooper used to make, but it's still pretty good. Maybe I can call it a Bob's milkshake." And that's when I knew Mr. Hooper was really gone. 😢🥲 How did Sesame Street not win Emmy's for this kind of writing, I will never know.

[@lifewithlee6298]

I only remember the other guy who took over the store ( than the store collapsed and it took a whole season for them to rebuild it 😢 one muppet kept A waiting for his milkshake from 😢

[@phakeAccount]

On Saved by the Bell Jesse gets addicted to drugs then runs off to Vegas to become a showgirl

[@PutXi_Whipped]

@@phakeAccount Saved By The Bell: The Paying For College Years

[@BruceWalther-s2l]

Ha Ha. "Showgirls" indeed.

[@Osvie01-uc8go]

She got high on folger pills.

[@leslienold7719]

LOL

[@bakermateo]

And was in the greatest movie of the 90s. Lol

[@cpdreyer]

Grateful every day for having a childhood where I only experienced these things through television. Diff'rent Strokes really went out of its way to talk about stranger danger.

[@clumsyzombie3144]

We really were a blessed generation even with all our ups and down.

[@MaxPower-k7d]

Kids today have access to hard-core pornography. No wonder why 12 year olds act like 18 years olds. Very disturbing.

[@L_o_c_a_l_G_u_y]

Talk about and/or exploit...

[@MorrigansRaven3944]

I would add that growing up during the initial damage brought about by Reagan's Trickle Down Economics made GenX grow up and mature fast, almost overnight. We went from being just regular kids, riding our bikes outside all day until the streetlights came on, to heavy responsibility; helping our younger sibs with their homework, cooking our supper, and getting ourselves to bed. Our parents counted on us. These programs taught and/or reinforced life lessons and topics we needed to survive. Tho in 2024, it looks like many either forgot or simply missed those lessons.

[@kellidinit3725]

I was molested as a child by my aunts husband. Not just me. I cannot begin to tell you the many negative ways this has affected my life. I was very young, but I remember feeling like everything was my fault. It didn’t help that it never even occurred to my parents to get me counseling. It was just never spoken about.

[@amyoppenheim2711]

I remembered almost every episode from this video. These were so impactful. Thank you for sharing

[@jessart6988]

I was 9 when Mr. Hooper died … me crying real tears right now watching your video. 😢 loved Sesame Street. Great video. Thanks the bringing back so much nostalgia for us 80’s kids.

[@Draxxdemsklounst]

I was only 5, but it still makes me cry too!

[@therealmikebrown]

I remember watching the Challlenger explosion in school, 1st grade. The teacher slowly turned off the TV and said something about that ending early, and we needed to change things up a little. I raised my hand and asked, "Those people dead, right?" "Most likely." Was her response.

[@the-NightStar]

Wow. Who hurt your teacher? That's someone not qualified to be around kids.

[@therealmikebrown]

@the-NightStar when I said, change things up, she was referring to the lesson plan, which revolved around the shuttle. There wasn't much more talk about it.

[@Spiderlash97]

Wow! Absolutely same 😢

[@mameeocean6194]

@@the-NightStar that was just the 80's

[@tawanaellsworth8534]

Yeah I remember that too I was in 5th grade. We cried in school the next day.

[@ClarenceEwing]

I'm around Janet Jackson's age. When I first saw that episode of Good Times, I was terrified. This is a great video, but it makes me think of all the real-life abuse and neglect that doesn't get wrapped up in a tidy 30 minutes. At least our generation got a few clues how to handle situations like those. The kids growing up today are so much more on their own.

[@homelesshannah50]

Yup even today that part really bothers me when she comes at Penny with a hot iron. The episode where she tried to get her back and Wilona stopped her also sticks in my mind cause she finally had a protector.

[@nilawarriorprincess]

That's my takeaway, too. I grew up in hospitals & experienced a lot of death amongst my family & childhood friends. Some special episodes were comforting cause I knew I wasn't alone. I really hope they empowered & comforted kids & adults who whose lives were 'very special episodes'.

[@clumsyzombie3144]

It was so triggering then and still so triggering now.

[@tiffprendergast]

That happened in real life to her

[@nicolehall694]

Omigod! The Sylvia episodes!!!! I can't tell you how obsessed my 12 year old self and my friends were with these episodes.

[@bluevol1976]

Those were replayed on Cozi recently. Still heartbreaking. Great performances from everyone.

[@brenthays6539]

I had to hitchhike once when my car broke down on my way home from college. I remember thinking about the “Different Strokes” episode at the time.

[@ravenpoe7093]

Same during the LA riots the metro busses suddenly stopped running and we were dropped off 2 stops before my stop most of the others it was their regular stop ended up being another young woman and myself she ended up getting us a ride from these guys nobody knew i was in the backseat in this furry lined seat with one of the men i was frozen the whole time thinking of these hitchhiking stories. I had them drop me off where i knew could walk to someone i knew Bad things really happen to hitchhikers it these “very special” episodes and movies drive it home even if u didn’t mean to hitch a ride (pay phones were tied up or not working either)

[@samanthab1923]

Not my proudest moment but in college we hitched a ride up the hill from town with a case of beer. It was Feb. in NY & a van stopped. We got in & as I’m telling him what dorm to drop us by, I feel my roommate stiffen up. For some reason I looked down & saw he wasn’t wearing shoes, I see leg, shorts? In winter? Wrong again, No fricken pants! I screamed stop & let us out here! Now!

[@Rockhound6165]

I think the episode when Arnold was being molested by the bike shop owner was worse.

[@ravenpoe7093]

@@Rockhound6165 it was but people were relating their own hitchhiking experiences not being lured and almost SAed by creepy shop owners even tho im sure people have those real life stories as well, creepy pedo neighbor, relative, worker in business they went to

[@bluejedi723]

Will getting shot at the ATM while his cousin cartlon helplessly watched on Fresh Prince is the one I remember the most

[@kristenefox7001]

I remember watching the Roseanne episode with Jackie where she was abused. It was kind of crucial, because Jackie was "tough", she'd been a cop, like you know, the "type of woman that doesn't 'let' abuse happen". As a kid it was an important lesson that abuse can happen to you no matter who you are or what position you are in. That abuse isn't about you, it's about the abuser, and only the abuser.

[@daniellecolbeck1983]

We just pay to hitchhike now....*coughs in Uber*

[@lizdickerson7038]

Dang, that perspective just hit me like a ton of bricks!

[@CT-nb5lm]

Uber is a lil extreme. But nowhere near as weird as having an absolute stranger independent contractor w/ -0- accountability to restaurant deliver food.. My Kids friend got the soda with alot missing & wife & i winked at Daughter because we told her how SUS it is... ow shes terrified of it. And for good reason....

[@pamelajaye]

I have been picked up at airports in cities I have never been to by people I have never met that I didn't pay any money to. They were just people I met on the internet. It was before Uber I think. The lady said her name was Sally and I was concerned and then she told me that her parents just like the old names and actually she was really close to my age. I honestly do not remember how I got to the airport on my way home. Maybe it was Janice. Another girl that I had never met before but she was one of the two people remaining who read my website. I hope she wasn't too upset when I stopped writing it. It was hard to do it on a tablet in an app and my favorite actor listen to TV show where people ran around with guns and I wasn't interested. I almost held on for 20 years though. But I guess I figure if you have a hit show on CBS then people know who you are and I don't have to explain anymore. There aren't any more people going around saying Scott who? And by then I was too busy with my ducks

[@pamelajaye]

I guess it's a really good thing that parents were all at work in the '80s and didn't watch their kids watching little girls get menaced with a hot iron. I wonder what my mother would have done if she had seen something like that. I remember when I was watch three's company and she would say You know, it really doesn't work like that. Implying that there would be sex if men and women lived together. Now I'm 65 and I have two male roommates. Okay one of them's my brother but the other one isn't. And we were roommates for a lot longer before my brother moved in. And I suppose if I had wanted to do anything my brother wasn't going to stop me no matter where he lived. But I wasn't interested. The point I meant to get to was that 20 or something years later when I moved in with my mother She was watching three's company. And she was also watching the Golden girls - weren't they always having sex with random people? It didn't seem like the kind of show that she would have been interested in. There was one other show she was watching. Leave it to Beaver. Oh well. I wasn't interested in any of that. And she was Not interested in Buffy or medical drama.

[@eringate]

A bit of trivia: The actress who played Janet Jackson's abusive mother on Good Times is actually Kim Fields' real life mother Chip Fields!

[@ERASEREPLACEPLACE]

I remember Kim Fields telling a story about how Chip kept her grounded in Hollywood. "One day I dropped my coat on the carpet after coming in from a party ... my mom told me to pick it up and put it in the closet. I off-handedly told my mom. 'That's what we have a maid for' .... I don't remember much after that. But do I know that, when I got up off the floor, I picked up that coat and put it in the closet!"

[@BruceWalther-s2l]

I love a good tidbit. I feel like I should have known that! I first saw Lisa Welchel in The New Mickey Mouse Club. I was immediately smitten in "Lisa". A few years later I'm watching Facts of Life because of a teenage Lisa Welchel. One of the other early Facts of Life cast members was Julie Piekarski who was also an ex "Mouseketeer". Molly Ringwald was part of the earlier (larger) Facts of Life cast, too, before it was pretty much trimmed down to the main Blair, Jo, Mindy, Tootie and Mrs Garrett cast. I almost can't believe how much I watched Facts of Life but the girls surrounded my age with Tootie being 2 years younger than I am. It turned out to be fun watching Tootie grow into a teenager.

[@ERASEREPLACEPLACE]

@@BruceWalther-s2l it was fun watching Tootie grow

[@KenAdams426]

I will never forget January 1986. both of our 3rd grade teachers brought in the TV. She was so proud of what was going to happen. And then it was devastating to see what happened, and then see her cry. We just didnt know what happened and it was so hard for us to see her so sad. I still keep in touch with one of the teachers and see her every year.

[@amyprince600]

I was in 8th grade. I was in my third period language arts class when the announcement came over the PA. We were supposed to have watched some of the news coverage in my fourth period class which was earth science. I'll never forget how bad that felt.

[@stephgreen3070]

I was home sick from school that day and watched it at home with my mom. We were both devastated but I can always be grateful I wasn’t at school that day.

[@jmarlened]

Yep. I was in 10th grade. Earth Science. Remember watching it in our science lab room. What a rough and solumn day.

[@danielllleX]

Having grown up in Brevard county, Florida, we didn’t watch the event on TV. We watched it from the commons in our schools. That’s the moment I will never forget. I had forgotten about this episode, thanks for the reminder. As a Gen Xer, naturally I Love your content Edit - as a parent and mental health professional, some part of me wonders if these episodes actually were important in forming who many of us became .. Gen X is resilient if nothing else, I’m pretty sure we could be called resilient.

[@spirosmith1389]

Latch key kids got most of our lessons from these sitcoms.

[@kristinwood8884]

I am from the east coast of Florida about an hour south of NASA,l.We all watched live from the basketball court at school, I was in 3rd grade, every launch I watched after made me think of the explosion. There was no therapy or counseling back then. I still remember the look on the teachers faces and how I knew something was very wrong, it looked so different. My fellow classmates looked a little confused. When we went back inside our principal began speaking and crying which triggered our teacher to cry and then we all cried, just now I realize we should have had counseling at least. I will never forget that day.😢

[@bamatireman33]

I was in second grade in Florida that day. I was home for some reason, and we were watching it from our front yard. Where we were at, we could see the launches when they made it way in the air. I can remember my dad saying something happened, and we went inside and started watching the news.

[@LisaBowers]

I watched the Challenger explosion from my 11th grade homeroom class. We were old enough to understand what we had witnessed. We all sat there in stunned silence. I don't really remember what the teacher said or did, but I'm pretty sure he just turned the TV off and we went about our day. RIP Christa McAuliffe 💔

[@Arsewell-Foundation]

NASA is in Houston Texas though?

[@LisaBowers]

@@Arsewell-Foundation Rockets are launched from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center Mission Control is in Houston, Texas. Its radio callsign is "Houston." So, Rockets launch from Florida, but Houston manages the flight control. (They also manage the ISS and crew training.)

[@slow-mo_moonbuggy]

These episodes are just like the Challenger story. They're trauma rituals. I don't buy the Challenger story for one second.

[@BushcraftingBogan]

Hollywood issuing warnings of child SA and abuse is the ultimate irony.

[@amystit]

Not really. More abuse in the military and in the office. Just more publicity when it happens.

[@RasheedGazzi]

"It's ten o'clock, do you know where your child is?" Remember that?

[@lazyhomebody1356]

If only they hadn't killed Anne Heche we'd know alot more!

[@lazyhomebody1356]

​@@RasheedGazziI remember it from last night! Those are still played before the ten o'clock news in NYC. And I bet the answer is, "Nope, no idea where they are!"

[@MelodyAnnT]

💯 kind of like how foundations and agencies that are supposed to help children are really the ones harming them 😔

[@danakscully64]

I'm an older Millennial and love your videos. I love watching them while baking and cleaning in the morning. Thanks for posting!

[@MarkoH01]

I guess I am not the only one who would love to see a part 3?

[@ambermchugh9381]

A whole video could be made from little house. The one where Albert was hooked on morphine was a crazy one

[@PutXi_Whipped]

Still haven’t scene the Tom Hanks Alcoholic Family Ties episode

[@COMPFUNK2]

Believe me, OP, you are _not_ the only one. 🍿

[@Iggystar71]

Nope!!!

[@ambermchugh9381]

@PutXi_Whipped I want to say the show is streaming somewhere. Maybe tubi. I also have prime and Netflix so could be there too

[@bluejedi723]

A hunting we will go=- this is such and important message to Parents- Parents- your kids have feelings. It doesn't matter if you agree with how they feel or not. They have every right to feel the way they do. Your job is to hug them tight. LISTEN to them (and give advice in a non preachy in a non judgmental manner) and teach them to work through these feelings in a healthily manner. Support them and don't force them to do something they don't feel is right.

[@ChrisBakerauthor]

_Gimme a Break_ had a good episode in which the Chief wrestles with guilt after having shot and killed a criminal in action.

[@Rockhound6165]

The episode where his oldest daughter ends up in the hospital from complications of an IUD was another good one as was the episode when Joey was playing with his father's gun and accidentally shot Nell.

[@chasemumford9811]

I remember that. The young robber, scared to death after he'd been shot, died in his arms.

[@mikeweber3685]

I remember an ep in which the little boy performed blackface (the real kind) in front of the black maid and her (black?) friends, for some reason.

[@chedebnam6025]

​@mikeweber3685 Sam was jealous of bot being the baby of the family anymore, so to get back at Nell for always having to help Joey she told Joey to perform in black face.

[@chasemumford9811]

@@mikeweber3685 Samantha (no longer the youngest child in the house) was jealous of the attention nell was paying to Joey (the new youngest child in the house). So when the time came for Joey to perforfm ast Nell's predominantly African-American church, spiteful Samantha convinced him that he could improve his act by doing it in blackface... the kid had no idea that it was wrong and/or offensive. He was out in front of the congregation singing, "TOO-TOO-TOOTSIE GOOOOD BYEEEEEE.....!" in full Al Jolson make-up!

[@PutXi_Whipped]

I remember watching Good Times in syndication as a kid and Penny getting abused by her mother always stuck with me, especially the iron and the cut away to Penny’s reaction.

[@clumsyzombie3144]

Re-watching it now, makes me wonder just how real Janet Jackson's reactions to that iron were, given how abusive Joseph Jackson was with his kids. Even me watching it now gives me triggers like seeing my mom approach me with the switch.

[@lisaann915]

I cried the first time I saw it as a kid and I cried now.

[@TTrigg]

I kept expecting JJ to charge in at the last minute and save her..

[@wraith1701]

Man. The memory of EACH of these episodes is slamming back to the surface like a long-repressed ptsd trauma. Seriously, it’s like peeling the scab off of an old wound. I guess we had a weird childhood. 😅

[@isirlasplace91]

Oh my gosh!!! You included the episode about Mr. Hooper!! I'm 50 and haven't seen this in ages🥹Thank you!!!

[@JayZed-tl5bc]

“Sylvia” fuhhhhked me up when I saw the two episodes for the first time in 5th grade. It made some kind of impact on an 11 year old boy like…I was sad and acutely emotional at times, and really didn’t realize why. Of course, I had a crush on Olivia Barash the moment she first appeared on screen, and was gripped with admiration for the Albert character for the friendship, devotion and love he gave to Sylvia. The clown abductor was creepy and disturbing as anything I’ve seen in forty-plus years since. Of course, the ending of the second episode was unexpected and crushed me…more than I think NBC executives estimated it could do to young viewers. Nonetheless, the two episodes were beyond brilliant…a real high mark in the episode library of the entertaining and consistently good history of Little House.

[@TeriMC77]

To face the facts (of life)...Our parents didn't want to tell us about these issues, so it was up to our usual babysitters (TV shows) to inform us. Even though they could have been done in a better way, with less laugh tracks to "lighten the mood", we needed to know these things. They certainly made an impression, and left us remembering the lessons.

[@kellidinit3725]

Our parents needed to be reminded they had kids. “It’s 10 O’Clock, do you know where your children are?”

[@lazyhomebody1356]

😂​@@kellidinit3725

[@UncomfortableShoes]

Yep, never had a drug talk or a sex talk with my parents growing up. I learned more watching these shows or shows like them tackling these issues, sadly.

[@curtbousquet3215]

Damn, watching all these 'special' monents, back-to-back, is emotionally draining 😰

[@myquemoeller9522]

I absolutely remember being so confused by the laughter in that Too Close for Comfort episode. I'm really glad I saw it so young because no one else brought it up for decades.

[@darrenbent7601]

It wasn't just millions of American children who witnessed the tragedy of the space shuttle disaster, but millions globally. That is why, here in little New Zealand, I also remember that Punky Brewster episode too.

[@homelesshannah50]

It was capitalizing on it though, there was really no reason for her to even be upset about that when she's a damn orphan. She should be more worried about her next meal.

[@darrenbent7601]

@@homelesshannah50 She was that at the start, but by the stage of where she was in this episode she had a loving family with Henry, Sherri and her mother. Being an orphan was not an issue.

[@homelesshannah50]

@@darrenbent7601 Oh ok but id did seem like they were trying to make themselves a part of the tragedy

[@theresaduffy8222]

@@homelesshannah50- since it was glossed over in a lot of schools and homes, the show opened the floor for discussion. A lot of these special episodes were the only time heavy topics were brought up in households.

[@dinosaurwoman]

Thank you for reminding me about The Hogan Family. I was actually trying to remember the name of the show last week and was too lazy to look it up! Overall, I remember these episodes scaring the crap out of me. I was terrified of doing drugs, getting attacked, hitchhiking, and getting kidnapped, but I don't think it was a bad thing. I learned a lot from these episodes, and sometimes I think we need to bring these strong, in-your-face VSEs back.

[@reeeech9245]

Man, we need these episodes back. Without them, kids these days are doing Tidepod Challenges SMH lol

[@pettykittyfam]

Seriously these shows really helped me as a child ❤

[@the-NightStar]

They still exist. You just don't know about any of it because it's for today's kids, in NEW shows that you likely don't watch or don't even know the names of. You got older and stopped paying attention. That doesn't mean it went away just because it isn't in your direct line of sight, anymore. And Tidepod? Really? You do know that wasn't nearly as well known or popular as you think it was, right? There's always going to be dumb kids that do self-destructive crap. There were just as many dumb kids doing stupid things in the 70's and 80's as there are now. Hell, kids in the 80's ate paint chips and nobody knew asbestos was harmful.

[@johnnygizmo4733]

Read about the mother in Georgia?

[@gloriabos2381]

I'm still traumatized by the tv movies"Something about Amelia" with Ted Danson and Glenn Close.

[@spit316]

That one was NUTS! Why did that movie have to happen?

[@mscoop8361]

Remember I Know My Name Is Steven?

[@gloriabos2381]

@@mscoop8361 Such a sad story, that family has been through so much.

[@MelodyAnnT]

I remember that movie! After that, I couldn’t forgive Ted Danson and never wanted to see him in anything. It stuck with me. Just wait till the Diddy and Epstein lists are public knowledge, people will be shocked how so many of their favorite stars were pedos 🤢

[@Myers369]

A couple years back, I binged a bunch of those "very special episodes." I was so surprised how much audience laughter was in that "All in the Family" episode.

[@HuntingViolets]

Some of that is nervousness. Also, people were expecting that their "job" there is to laugh, so the story probably came as a bit of a shock. And some of the lines were funny, so it made for a mix of emotions for the audience.

[@tinapea0824]

That’s how we dealt with uncomfortableness back in the day. Inappropriate laughter 😢

[@mcgalen]

Its not the audience! It’s called “canned laughter” or a “laugh track” - even if sitcom was filmed in front of an audience, the studio would insert the laugh track anyway during script “beats” to create the feeling of engagement in the viewer. This was extremely common and we all just got used to it But after many of these specific episodes, viewers started complaining about inappropriate laughter, and the TV Guide published a bunch of these complaints and called for a reassessment of when to use canned laughter

[@TTrigg]

Audience went crazy when Edith fought back

[@beatsventura8813]

The episode of Facts of Life with the prostitute....I really don't like how Tootie shunned her at the end, the girl was a victim of childhood trafficking and was forced to recruit her by her pimp. Unfortunately she lacked the knowledge and friends like Tootie had to know any better. Tootie could have easily became a victim herself, if it wasn't for the girls and Mrs. G. So rewatching that episode now , I see how poorly women judged other women back then. Today we have a better understanding of how these young girls become victims. We rightfully call them victims, not whores or sluts. Its nice to see how far we came as a society in such a short time. Kids are more sheltered and better protected nowadays. We gen X parents raised them knowing these evils exist and had open dialogue about it with them. This makes all the difference, your kids feeling safe to speak to you about everything. I never had that growing up and learned everything I knew from TV and friends,who didn't know much themselves.

[@ERASEREPLACEPLACE]

Yeah, I think the girl was looking helplessly at Tootie through the diner window. When Mrs. Garrett asks, "Who is that girl?" Tootie says something like, "Nobody. just some girl I was talking to." But to be fair, Tootie wasn't old enough to handle that situation with maturity after she'd been rescued. All she saw was a girl who had made an almost successful attempt to place her in the same position.

[@beatsventura8813]

@@ERASEREPLACEPLACE maybe so, Tootie was too young and naive to know an6 better. But Mrs G was old enough , I wish she at least made a comment like" Tootie don't be so hard on her, cause she is a victim, just like you could have easily been". But that's me with the current mindset type of thinking of how this should have been explained.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

I didn't blame Kristy but I didn't blame Tootie for her harsh reply either!

[@samhainnc9416]

23:36. Fairwell to Mr hooper. I remember watching this episode and it helped me a lot as a couple weeks after it aired before Christmas I lost my grandmother. A couple months after that a close cousin I looked up too like an older brother died on a motorcycle. Both were really hard on me, but I think it would have been worse without seeing that episode as my family were not great with talking about things like that.

[@anovemberstar]

The hunting episode 1) awesome to see a father sensitive to his son's feelings and not tell him to "harden up"; 2) ironic the reassurance to the audience the deer was not hurt - yet Disney movies such as Bambi - zero warning, and as a 6 year old i couldn't stop crying for hours!

[@katiebanks7460]

I cried so much in the theater watching Bambi. It was so horrific.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

My mother told me the mommy deer got "hit by lightning"

[@spit316]

Great video. This one taught me something that explained a lot. I knew the Challenger was carrying a teacher and that teachers were excited about that, but I didn't know that they were planning to have her teach from space and that there was a program set up to broadcast it in schools. I have so many friends who said they had memories of seeing the explosion live at school. Our school had a conference day, but even without, we never had live TV in classrooms. There wasn't, as far as I know, cables, satellites or antennas for TVs. We had film strips, movie projectors and tape players on carts that weren't necessarily VHS. So, I'd been thinking that all my friends who said they watched it live at school had just developed a false memory after watching Punky Brewster, but now I realize I might owe them apologies.

[@spirosmith1389]

our teachers rolled in TVs on carts specifically to watch the launch. Most of us didn't realize what had just happened but my science teacher kept the TV on . we all went home and tuned into the news that night

[@jawjagrrl]

Not every school was set up for TV then. Mine was but as an old Xer I was in college for the challenger explosion. People my age remember President Reagan getting shot during school hours and teachers turning on the TV so we could find out what happened and if he was OK. We weren't alive for Kennedy's assassination, but our teachers sure were and I can't imagine the stress of that plus keeping all the kids calm. Later Reagan was speaking somewhere in Germany to a large crowd when someone popped a balloon, which sounded slightly like a gunshot. Without missing a beat in his prepared remarks, he equipped, "you missed" and continued with his speech. The crowd roared... because it was the 80s and we could.

[@BeSimplySusan]

I'm having visceral feelings watching this! The iron scene from that Good Times episode ---that will never leave me!

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@BeSimplySusan Ditto for me. 👼♥🙏🕊

[@Nicole4771]

Little House on the Prairie is responsible for most of my emotional damage in the 80’s. I was in single digits. Idk why I was watching it. I remember Sylvia and I remember Albert vomiting what I thought was milk ( detox) because I was waaay to young g or naive to watch. Thanks for reminding me 😂

[@Spiderlash97]

I’m with you 💯

[@Spiderlash97]

I actually had nightmares after the episode where the blind girl paints her mother as she “sees” her, the wild dogs, the Halloween episode with the Oleson family, and the one with the little boy whose father is beating him. Good lord! 😂❤😊

[@L_o_c_a_l_G_u_y]

I don't remember Sylvia. I just remember the blind school going up in flames.

[@Nicole4771]

Let’s not forget when Nancy locked the girl in the icehouse

[@lazyhomebody1356]

And yet my parents thought it was a wholesome show for me to safely watch!

[@Myselph-move]

This is a fantastic series and I realized I saw most of these episodes when they first aired. Kudos to you for doing this.

[@DaddyOfTheSugarVariety]

Prostitution should be a crime if it involves anyone underage or if it's against anyone's will.

[@JimmyMon666]

I'm pretty sure it's already a crime. At least where I live.

[@stephgreen3070]

Human trafficking IS a crime. That applies to sexual and forced labor. In my state for example, there is a safe harbor law so victims of human trafficking can come forward without being charged with a crime. It makes it easier to ask for help. The sentencing guides are 15 yrs for trafficking adults, 20yrs for children, and 25 for trafficking children and physically harming them (which is a given, considering they are forced.) That’s for each count of trafficking.

[@misswendyjane4992]

It shouldn't be a crime if it's willing adults - if they decrimalized it then it could be regulated and people being victimized could be helped.

[@PutXi_Whipped]

Cool.

[@the-NightStar]

uh.... it IS a crime. Pimps just commit these crimes because they don't care about the law they just care about money. When did you ever get the idea that it's not a crime?

[@ZetaReticuli_]

That was the episode of Rosanne that really proved Laurie Metcalf's acting capabilities.

[@cataway777]

You finally showed the Silver Spoons episode! That episode tore my little heart apart, I was devastated. My dad had to convince me the deer was alright. Omg it still brings a tear to my eye. Thanks for the sad nostalgia 😢 Sad or happy it's nostalgia either way and I'll take it.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

Ironically, the actor is a BIG hunter

[@elizabetha2601]

I live in a wooded area and saw an injured deer. I called non emergency and someone was like “call a hunter! Free meat” I should hunt in Michigan but refuse as I see this episode every time so nope

[@claireful]

8:12 I’ll never forget Sylvie. It comes up as a formative moment for a lot of women this age. I think I end up talking about it every couple of years.

[@empresskrissy1527]

I remember the Sylvia episode on Little House on the Prairie. When we were little my sister and I were not allowed to watch that episode because our parents felt it wasn't an appropriate subject for kids. If that episode was on, we had to turn the channel to something else. When I was in my twenties the episode was on and I was going to switch the channel but I decided to watch it. I actually felt guilty during the whole show while I watched it. I kept expecting my parents to yell at me. Lol.

[@nv4699]

Same with our house. My dad worked nights and my mom would let us watch that show but that episode we were not allowed to watch. Also took me years to see it.

[@PutXi_Whipped]

I play the “I’m so excited” meme every time I watch my team build a 20 point lead before eventually blowing it.

[@caric7949]

Justine Bateman has an awesome X account! Also, Mary hanging on to the dead baby in Little House was a thing of nightmares!

[@lazyhomebody1356]

The religious and family channels which rerun Little House episodes skip many, many episides ! Little House is not for the faint hearted

[@AmySparkman-xh4ei]

Justine Bateman has lost my respect, because she now likes trump.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

@AmySparkman-xh4ei She disowned her brother Jason because he drank, so...yeah, conventional and republican!

[@elizabetha2601]

@@AmySparkman-xh4eiok..

[@sarahsusantube7039]

I watched the first part a couple weeks ago, I'm so glad to see you do a part 2! Super serious episodes that should still be made today, especially in todays times

[@the-NightStar]

Still are. You just have to know where to look.

[@kellylee4696]

The kidnapping episodes really got to me as a kid because I remember one of my good friend's little brother was kidnapped and unalived right around the same time a lot of these shows were doing episodes on the same topic. I used to have nightmares about it all the time. Thanks Gen-X TV for helping with my paranoia.

[@MondaiSenshi]

I'm not a big sitcom person, but that episode of Roseanne has always stuck woth me. I appreciate when shows cover domestic violence where the victim is not someone that most people would look at and see a victim. Jackie being a cop makes it all the more real that ANY woman (any person, to be honest) can be a victim of domestic violence. Glee's episode on domestic violence had a similar weight to it by putting Coach Beist into that role, and then forcing the students to confront their own prejudices and re-evaluate their preconceptions, and realize that just because someone is bigger or stronger doesn't mean they can't be attacked. We as a society need to stop thinking people can't be a victim just because they dont fit the "victim" mold. And yes, I agree: in that moment, Dan Connor may have been the greatest man on television. And the fact that he was ready and waiting when the cops came and put up no resistance was just the cherry on top of his hero's cake. He knew there would be repercussions. But he also knew that was a price he was willing to pay to protect his family.

[@Veelasiren]

The end of the episode really threw another gut punch at the whole family. They desperately needed money, and Dan was so happy that he had just interviewed successfully for a badly needed job. My heart just sank when Dan was in the back of the police car as it stopped at a red light. Dan looked out the window and staring back at him was the guy who'd interviewed him. You could see the misery on Dan's face as he realized he'd just lost the job.

[@_RedBean_]

⁠@@Veelasirenwasn’t a potential employer seeing Dan in the police cruiser. He was DJ’s school principal who spoke to Dan earlier in the episode about some disturbing reading material DJ brought to school. Expecting Dan to be the good father to guide DJ but instead seeing him in handcuffs in the police car was the bit of comedic levity to end a rather serious episode.

[@Veelasiren]

@@_RedBean_ Thanks for the correction, I must have mixed up two different episodes

[@michelewaddle4380]

After re-watching the seasons a few years back, I then was able to see the "red flags" that they laid out regarding this particular relationship. Roseanne and her even stopped talking for a period of time because of how "Jackie didn't want to spend any time with Roseanne", etc. I encourage everyone to rewatch the episodes that show this relationship so that we all can be better sisters and friends to our loved ones.

[@cinnamonsassafras6622]

It's interesting that so many of the episodes covered sexual assault, and how that was treated in the 80s. Notice that they still tended to take assault on girls seriously, but a grown man, Monroe, was assaulted, it was just a big joke. All the way into the 2010s it was still believed by law enforcement and in the medical professions that sexual assault and rap of males was unlikely, and sexual assault of men by women was absolutely impossible. No joke. I heard that and even got training on that for law enforcement. But we can see they knew that mindset was a problem 30 years prior, even if they still weren't willing to take violent crimes against men men seriously. That you noticed and included that one is proof we're really becoming more civilized. How do you do super likes on youtube? Good job on all of these.

[@winkle1983]

This is my new favorite channel! Born in ‘83, so I don’t remember all these things, but I enjoy a nostalgia trip 💜 Edit to add - in college, I would go to my dorm after lunch (1:30) to hit record on the vcr bc I wouldn’t be home until after 4, but General Hospital was on at 3! I don’t miss that

[@trekkiejunk]

The reason people laughed at the girl who jumped off the building was because it was set up like a joke. Jo opens with "did it like my friend." Tootie chimes in asking why, and Jo goes on to explain, in perfect comic timing and vocal inflections. She even adds the unnecessary "between home history and home ec." The set-up, pay-off, and delivery were all done like every sit-com joke is done. If you don't think it should be laughed at, you should ask the writers why they wrote it as a joke. Same with the Too Close for Comfort episode, although that whole episode was actually written AS a joke, which is obviously creepy today. The audience has the job to laugh at stuff, and in that environment, they often laugh at jokes that aren't even funny.

[@the-NightStar]

I actually kind of agree. I mean ok, yes, this still reflects very badly on the audience because who actually laughs at this.... but the writing IS at fault, too. It's a fail all the way around.

[@chasemumford9811]

And the joke continued. Jo later goes on to say, "One day we're splitting a sandwich, the next day she's splattered all over 3rd Street and Columbia."

[@lazyhomebody1356]

I laughed at Jo, it was funny

[@moondoggy02116]

This put me in the mood to watch these! I’m watching Family Ties now! Poor Mallory! She was immediately aware that he was a pervert.

[@jessicabelt3582]

Thank you. For highlighting compassion for animals, Silver Spoons

[@sharleen6309]

Absolutely! I remember this episode well and how it affected me as a kid being the same age as Rick Schroeder. He played the part so authentically and was sooo difficult to watch.

[@curtisplaxco1821]

When I watched that Roseanne episode. I knew after she told Dan, I could see it in his face he was gonna have to "HANDLE DAT BID-NESS!!!!

[@KevinPayton-fq8gd]

I think everyone watching knew. Dan grabbed his coat and it was on.

[@Account_Not_Applicable]

Hearing the audience laugh in regards to a man being graped by two women is so uncomfortable to hear. With female-on-male sėxual assault barely taken seriously today, I imagine it was taken even less seriously in the 80s. I doubt the audience would be laughing if it had been a young woman and two men. And what a stab in the chest to have the whole episode end with a "next time you're on your own pal" haha funny joke. Genuinely disturbing all around.

[@stingrey1571]

ted knight has said he hated the episode because rape isnt funny.

[@2degucitas]

There was a very good tv movie made in the 70's about a man who was raped by a woman and struggled to get taken seriously.

[@Account_Not_Applicable]

@@2degucitas do you remember what it was called?

[@beatsventura8813]

back in that time it was unheard of and many didn't beleive it was possible for a woman to grape a man. The laughter on sitcoms is fake, its pre recorded. I was watching different strokes with my 11 year old son and he heard the laughter and was confused why they were laughing at things that were not funny.

[@ravenpoe7093]

Three’s Company had a similar situation when Jack was harassed at work by his female boss. Only Janet took him seriously everyone else laughed and was like “aww poor thing” in a condescending way. At first the female judge laughed too but when it came down to Jack saying more Mr Furley was about to “out” Jack so Jack dropped the charges to avoid being “outed”. Later on he gets a job but is complaining about not being able to make passes at his female boss

[@reeeech9245]

Need to do a banned episode list. All those shows had that one episode that networks refused to air in syndication lol (yes there's even that one Sesame St episode)

[@beatsventura8813]

That would be interesting. I would love to see the ones that were too controversial for us innocent kids, who typically had one alcoholic parent, friends who got pregnant and we shared nothing with our parents cause they did not create the safe space to talk about these things.

[@FlintIronstag23]

It would be an interesting list. I can't think of too many shows from the 1970s and 80s that have banned episodes. There was a 1970 Hawaii Five-0 episode called "Bored She Hung Herself" that was never rebroadcast and never made available on home video. There was a 1989 episode of Married...With Children that was banned for a long time, but I've seen it broadcast in at least an edited version. The 1990s had more banned episodes. I can think of Beavis and Butt-Head, South Park, and The Simpsons that had some of their episodes banned.

[@madamefluffy4788]

I recently saw some snippets of a unaired episode on a MsMojo vid of what I think was from Elmo's World; and, given the context, it makes sense why it never aired. Katy Perry - who had to be in her mid to later 20s at that point - wearing a skimpy bridal dress/veil, begging Elmo - who is canonically only three and a half years old - to play with her. She chases him around town while singing her song 'Hot and Cold' (a song about an unhealthy/unstable romantic relationship involving a partner with mood swings). Turns out Elmo was playing tag with her - still, the significant age difference, her state of dress, the entire thing of an adult chasing a child around (and the child seemingly trying to get away from her) and the song choice combined just made the whole thing very unsettling and understandably inappropriate for a show meant for preschoolers . (who on Earth greenlit it in the first place?)

[@beatsventura8813]

@madamefluffy4788 wow. I'm glad they never aired that one. Talk about Hollywood pushing pedophilia.

[@grahamdamberger7130]

Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce? Heard about that one. One of the few episodes to reach completion of filming and editing only to be shelved at the 11th hour. They then made another episode years later about the topic of divorce, but took a different approach to the subject.

[@mochacappuccino4797]

I’m turning 51 next month and I remember all these episodes!!! I never realized how groundbreaking they really were!!

[@marksmorphs]

My thoughts on the points you made... Facts of Life: I think the laugh track during the Facts of Life episode was due to the woman not being dead yet and people watching were watching the show to laugh, so I think having the laugh actually makes the news of the woman's death, a lot more shocking. All in the Family: I have to wonder if the applause was meant for her amazing acting of the scene? Too Close for Comfort: Again, the show is trying to not go too dark with the situation and sprinkles in little bits of humor. I think the way Ted delivers the line, makes the audience laugh. And I would also argue that a lot of the laughter might come from the awkwardness of the situation and any sort of small bit of humor would make anyone laugh just to feel relieved of the continuing uncomfortable nature of the scene. Different Strokes: Hitchhiking was actually a thing people did in the 60's and it wasn't considered dangerous. I think it wasn't until the 80's when things got scary and we needed episodes like this to tell kids not to do it because our parents may not have taught us this lesson since they never had bad experiences with it as young adults. Roseanne: I believe this episode happened right before she went out with Fred and they had the kid together because Lauri Metcalf was actually pregnant, so I imagine they needed a way to get Fisher off the show. But man! How amazing is that little scene where he grabs his coat. So simple yet so impactful if you know the Dan character.

[@lillydee5978]

What bothered me the most with The Runaway ep on Facts of Life was that Kristy was portrayed as a villain rather than the victim she truly was. I still remember how young people that were being S traffic and clearly victims were often arrested and treated like criminals in the 80s rather than being helped, and the pimps never put in jail. I remember seeing situations like that on the show Cops. It always disturbed and confused me that people ignored that these troubled children needed help.

[@melissaflora8450]

Victims of trafficking are still regularly arrested and charged with crimes related to the criminalization of sex work. Additionally, it’s still not uncommon for trafficking victims and sex workers alike to be assaulted by police due to the threat of arrest.

[@madamefluffy4788]

While Kristy was initially a victim herself, she was still trying to recruit Tootie into her line of work, just to save her own skin. She stopped being a victim at that point.

[@mikeweber3685]

I don't remember Kristy being portrayed as a villain. Her pimp forced her to recruit Tootie, who was too naive or stupid to get the hints everyone (including Kristy) was dropping. I forgot how it ended, but if the others hadn't accidentally found her, she was on her way to working with Kristy.😱

[@madamefluffy4788]

@@mikeweber3685 And Kristy would have been partially to blame for that - as she knows what Tootie is about to get herself into, but doesn't make it clear to Tootie because she's scared about what her pimp will do to her if she doesn't convince Tootie to leave with them. By the end of the episode, Kristy isn't thinking of Tootie's well being/safety - she's thinking of saving her own skin and doing what her pimp told her to do. It took both the waitress to wake Tootie up to what was happening and Mrs. Garret's arrival to save Tootie from what was about to happen.

[@chedebnam6025]

I saw her as a victim

[@BritInvLvr]

You know. So many people want to go back to the good old days. During the 50s and 60s, subjects like in these episodes weren’t even mentioned at all. Even though the shows of the 70s and 80s were peppered with uncomfortable laughter, at least they were starting to get talked about. The good old days weren’t that great. Let’s not go there again.

[@pelleoh]

They were better than the world today so yes, let's go back there again!

[@DeathOfARockStar]

@@pelleohno they weren’t.

[@lazyhomebody1356]

We needed tv to tell us about bad stuff because typical suburban kids lived in a safe happy bubble...so, yes they WERE better times

[@PatrickRockwell24]

I remember the "Full House" episode when Jessie's Uncle came to visit and ended up dying in his sleep. There was a lot of crying during that episode.

[@lockedonlaw]

Why did they put all my childhood crushes in these "very special episodes?" I'm still traumatized!

[@markdaniels7174]

The two-part “Sylvia,” while atypical for Little House, was the best episode of its run. There’s a tender love story, terrible ignorance and misunderstandings, and a captivating mystery/thriller.

[@mikehunt4986]

Your research is very much appreciated! What a deep dive into sitcom darkness!

[@Rockhound6165]

Just to add to the Penny storyline on Good Times, in a later episode they touch on sexual assault as Willona, trying to protect Penny's innocence refuses to have "the talk" with her tween daughter much to the chagrin of Florida. Late in the episode, Penny went to a neighbor's house to borrow some clothes when her friend's brother tries to rape her to which Penny, being naive, doesn't understand why prompting Willona to finally explain these things to her daughter. As a father of an 11 year old daughter just talking about this gives me the chills. I mean if anyone tries to hurt my girls rest assured I will end up in prison.

[@RBS_]

.......THANK YOU!!! ....the Ep was called "Stomach Mumps", and some MORE info, that never got out.....there actually was a TAPING of Penny being ass-ulted by the Friend's Brother (in the hallway), and the audience got SO RILED UP, they DROWNED out the (audio) footage, with their screams! (cont.) ....the Young Man (who NEVER has been mentioned), had to be walked off the set, because the audience wanted to GET him! ....THAT'S why we got that footage of the 'aftermath', with Penny 'describing' the incident (which I always thought was weird)...... ....I found this out from Norman Lear HIMSELF, when he was asked to speak at a College Film School, in 2008 (he was asked if there was any 'last minute' changes to any Episodes in the midst of filming).....

[@Rockhound6165]

@@RBS_ I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing.

[@PlanetAmbiance]

❤LOVE THIS!❤ and love your channel girl!! My new favorite binge-worthy channel 🥰

[@mysocalledgenxlife]

Yay! Thank you!

[@JudisticaLoca3rdaccount]

I was born in 1976 so a lot of the 70s shows I saw via reruns. The other episode you had I definitely could relate to more as I actually watched all those in real time as a kid in the 80s. Speaking of kid of the 80s, Punky Brewster and I are the same age and when I watched her documentary Kid 90 It was like she was living my life! I've met her before and I look forward to telling her about my 90s experiences which mirror hers :)

[@EmmaAndEmmaAndEmma]

Millennial here but used to watch Little House on the Prairie reruns on TV Land. … I had completely blocked the Sylvia episode from my memory until now. Thanks a lot! 😅😢

[@DarkTribe1]

I'm so glad I found your channel. I'm beginning to unlock memories of what I ate and what I was wearing at the time of some of these episodes OMG! Please don't leave out after school specials, Holidays presentations, cartoons, and even toys GenXr's use to play with.

[@MarkDemeo]

I absolutely remember the Sesame Street episode about Mr Hooper. I'm pretty sure it was how I first discovered what death was,I was very sad, definitely affected me.

[@kristinwood8884]

OMG that hit me so hard.😢 I was around 5 or 6, It still hits me to this day.

[@ambermchugh9381]

Bob recently passed away and I cried watching the coverage of his friends eulogizing him

[@LusyPicker-sm6su]

My mother worked for the Children's Television Workshop. We lived in Soho near the studio. I met Mr. Lee several times. Honestly, I'm not sure how much acting really went into Mr. Hooper. Mr. Lee was absolutely just as sweet and kind as Mr. Hooper. He gave me a stuffed dog I took home where my actual dog proceeded to shred it. I'm 46 and seeing him again in these short clips has me both crying the same way I did when I was 4, and laughing at myself because ......I don't know why.

[@nilawarriorprincess]

Wow, you're lucky. My adopted brother lost both his parents (my aunt & uncle) before age 5. The Lion King was his favorite movie. I always thought special episodes were made for the kids who experienced those issues firsthand. I never considered how kids unaffected by death irl could benefit. Those episodes were a comfort for families like mine.

[@kristinwood8884]

@@LusyPicker-sm6su Wow, how wonderful too have known him, that must have been so hard, being that young as well.😥 I cried like a baby watching this episode and the Punky/ Challenger ep affected me personally after months of our teacher pumping Christa McCullough(sp.) and getting so excited to see her and see her space lessons we even went to NASA right before that day. I was 8 and watching from our BB courts, I lived an hour south of NASA on the beach, we could see very well. I truly think we should have been counseled.

[@WillmobilePlus]

My oldest sister (High School in the 80s) was actually assigned to watch a couple of these to be discussed in her class the next day. Even to this day just hearing "A very special episode" still puts a catch in my chest because I knew even as a little kid this wasnt going to be a "funny" show, and you were expected to learn something serious. Even watching this video has somehow elevated my heart rate!

[@bluejedi723]

I remember my 5th grade teacher showing us a VHS recording of family ties give your uncle a kiss as a way to start a talk about unwanted touching

[@SJReid82]

For the love of god don't watch Clone High. You might not make it through a season alive!

[@lawsonone6015]

Oh my gosh! I remember when teachers used to "assign" a couple of these for viewing. In at least one case, it got us past Mom's censor as she didn't like us to watch anything too dramatic; and she was uncomfortable about some of the things t.v. bought to kids as "special" or "for teaching".