"Very special episodes" of sitcoms

[Fambo Number Mive]

Did this practice of using an episode of a sitcom to raise awareness of an issue ever happen much in the UK? It feels like more of a 1970s and 1980s US thing.

I watched the Diff'rent Strokes Bicycle Man episode yesterday, never seen the show before and I doubt I will watch it again but I was curious to see what a very special episode was like. It's interesting in the second half how they balance the serious message about child molestation and how to support a child with the jokes. Sometimes you'll have  several minutes of drama and then a sudden joke to lighten things a bit. It was good how they didnt make the paedo stereotypical, he came across like an ordinary person and a pillar of the community until his grooming ways were revealed.

Are there any UK very special episodes? I can't think of any. I might watch some more very special episodes.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

as a kid i always thought the message of 1976 Christmas Special of Dad's Army was overtly "shut up, stop griping - your parents had a lot worse christmases than this" what with the plot around rationed goods and raising money for charity

i had no idea of the significance of 1976 until later so i think this probably counts, even if its unconscious on croft & perry's part.

[Mr Vegetables]

Parallel Universe from Red Dwarf might qualify if it had been written significantly more badly? And that episode of Peep Show about racism?

That's kind of the thing; lots of sitcoms do have important messages, but they don't always go "today we are looking at a very important message." The last episode of Blackadder does that; it's the closest I can think of

[Twilkes]

"Tonight, on a very special League Of Gentlemen..."

[Video Game Fan 2000]

del boy thinking he's got aids off the hairdresser

foggy dewhurst loses his pension on bitcoins

[Ignatius_S]

It is an American thing - essentially, the term was created by advertisers and was used as part of a disclaimer at the start of episodes to alert viewers.

It was used for drama programmes, not just sitcoms. Although it really took off in the 1970s, there were earlier examples. For instance, the radio version of Dragnet (which dealt with some very serious themes and crimes) would sometimes have an announcement reminding that it was a show aimed at adults (it was also hugely popular with kids) when there was a particularly serious storyline. Pretty sure that the episode of .22 Rifle for Christmas, where a young child was given as a gift, a... well, you can fill in the blanks (ah, if only the gun had blanks, tragedy would have been averted) - the NRA was furious about the episode for having the temerity to suggest 'you know maybe a real gun ain't the smartest thing to give a child at Christmas) - and it was quite a harrowing episode.

There are earlier examples I can think where there wasn't a warning, but something quite serious was discussed. There's a touching episode of Dennis The Menace where the titular troublemaker discovers neighbour, Mr Wilson has made a will and Dennis is upset, thinking he's going to die. Mr Wilson explains he hasn't but why there's a need to and death comes to us all etc. All rather well done. Slight tangent, but soon after the actor who played Mr Wilson died and the show decided to introduce his brother as the new neighbour whilst Mr Wilson was on a (bloody) long holiday, got referred to less and less....

[dissolute ocelot]

American children's programming seems much more focused on comedy compared to the UK, where dramas with comic elements like Grange Hill, Byker Grove, Children's Ward, Press Gang, Doctor Who, etc, did tackle serious issues more regularly.

There have been British sitcoms aimed at children, and a few family sitcoms (although not as many as in the USA). But whether you're talking Rentaghost or Outnumbered, I think there's a feeling that if you want to tackle social issues, do it in Eastenders or Grange Hill. (Was there ever a US equivalent of the Degrassi universe, which did issues from a Canadian perspective in much more of a British model, and was quite popular in the US?)

[Imperator Helvetica]

Wasn't there a thing for Networks to do 'Very Special Episodes' because it qualified them for federal funding or something in the US?

I have vague memories of it being mentioned on the commentary for Buffy: The Vampire Slayer's Beer Bad! episode about underage drinking and the Futurama episode where Bender gets addicted to electricity.

Those are from the 90's/2000s. Otherwise I just remember them cropping up on random episodes of Blossom or My Two Dads and other American imports.

[Shaxberd]

In addition to the points raised above, UK sitcoms usually only have a handful of episodes per series as opposed to the 26-episode seasons required in the pre-streaming era. Taking up 1/6th of an entire run is considerably more disruptive than one episode out of a season that goes for half a year, so it's a harder sell.

I also think it doesn't fit well historically with the tone of a lot of UK sitcoms compared to US ones - would anyone take it seriously if Richie and Eddie stopped to talk to us for a minute about how drugs are bad?


The nearest examples I can think of in the UK are very long running, character-focused sitcoms where serious issues are used to introduce pathos - eg. Cassandra's miscarriage in OFAH, the death of Nan in the Royle Family. But that's not quite the same as the "public information film" vibe of Very Special Episodes.

[Ignatius_S]

American children's programming seems much more focused on comedy compared to the UK, where dramas with comic elements like Grange Hill, Byker Grove, Children's Ward, Press Gang, Doctor Who, etc, did tackle serious issues more regularly.

There have been British sitcoms aimed at children, and a few family sitcoms (although not as many as in the USA). But whether you're talking Rentaghost or Outnumbered, I think there's a feeling that if you want to tackle social issues, do it in Eastenders or Grange Hill. (Was there ever a US equivalent of the Degrassi universe, which did issues from a Canadian perspective in much more of a British model, and was quite popular in the US?)

Saved by the Bell sometimes had serious points being made.

Re: Grange Hill - way before it ending, the audience had diminished considerably. In various research (partly, I know this as a sister company of one I worked at was approached by the Beeb) showed that secondary school age children didn't really watch the BBC and in various top 10 or 20 much-watched shows by that group, Eastenders tended to be the only BBC show to feature. To reach younger people, soaps were used as you say.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

it was already weird enough when UK sitcoms were topical

the whole del boy through the bar thing seems weird attached to a context of Del Boy watching Wall Street and deciding to be Gordon Gecko. from Hancock to Bottom there something timeless about UK stuff, very little "what if the gang got a website?" nonsense

[Tony Yeboah]

One Foot in the Grave has the episode with the care home abuse, that was edited for subsequent repeats.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

dragnet .22 Rifle For Christmas is interesting to read about. thanks for posting it.

i always assumed that (despite its sky-high quality for the time) Dragnet was "our show" for the repubs and the NRA. its weird to think of an episode going against the grain that much and show the consequences realistically. its different from the 60s dragnet "i smoked one joint now i'm holding up the bank" plots

[Video Game Fan 2000]

half remember an episode of You Rang M'Lord that went out of its way to show Cissy as a decent person and not a joke and my mother nearly kicked the coffee table over in rage

[Sebastian Cobb]

Six Feet Under was good for this what with it starting a bit like Casualty half the time.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Star Trek TNG had an episode about crack

maybe pushing things but Dr Who the Green Death was heavy handed with its messaging about automation and workers being disposable to the main computer

X-Files regularly made some good points about not having phone sex with a Dracula

[Ignatius_S]

Wasn't there a thing for Networks to do 'Very Special Episodes' because it qualified them for federal funding or something in the US?

I have vague memories of it being mentioned on the commentary for Buffy: The Vampire Slayer's Beer Bad! episode about underage drinking and the Futurama episode where Bender gets addicted to electricity.

Those are from the 90's/2000s. Otherwise I just remember them cropping up on random episodes of Blossom or My Two Dads and other American imports.

It's been suggested that the reason for the anti-drug messages were in part due to federal funding and think there's some evidence to support that. With the other stuff, I don't think there's been anything to suggest that.

In American media, there is a history of public-service messaging in entertainment. I listen to a lot of old-time radio and I was just surprised how much there was - for example, pro-immigration messaging - considering the private enterprise nature of it. I think there's something of a tradition at play and also, people actually wanting to have positive messages in their work.

Personally, I think one reason why special episodes started happening because networks played things very conservatively and so many shows were white bread - and this allowed creative teams to mix it up and do something more interesting. People working in television were able to experiment but as things got more standardised and executives took control (something that Nat Hiken suffered from) that changed.

With the OTR I've listened too, I was very surprised just how sophisticated American radio could be and the kind of progressive views being expressed. When I later read about how Galton and Simpson said how much more advanced American radio was to British comedy, I could really understand what they meant.

[Sebastian Cobb]

X-Files regularly made some good points about not having phone sex with a Dracula

It felt like ER had a sort of 'monster of the week' format sometimes but it was obviously an intangible health scare or moral panic with health impacts.

[Huxleys Babkins]

One Foot in the Grave has the episode with the care home abuse, that was edited for subsequent repeats.

Still can't quite get over the ending of that one. Victor and Mr. Swainey are psychopaths.

[Glebe]

X-Files regularly made some good points about not having phone sex with a draclea

FTFY.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Still can't quite get over the ending of that one. Victor and Mr. Swainey are psychopaths.

I wouldn't say that - they did it to punish the care home staff for abusing the patients, not for fun.

[Spudgun]

Press Gang is the first show to spring to mind. They had a two-parter in the first series about solvent abuse, and then outdid themselves in the second series with a harrowing two-parter about sexual abuse. I believe that latter one was made in association with the NSPCC.

I've never seen it, but apparently the 70s kids' show Pipkins did a special 'death' episode after the main actor died suddenly, rather than simply writing him out. If either of those count as sitcoms.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

the ending of that OFITG was effectively frightening to me as a child

the symbolic last shot is like something from a giallo

[gilbertharding]

I've never seen it, but apparently the 70s kids' show Pipkins did a special 'death' episode after the main actor died suddenly, rather than simply writing him out. If either of those count as sitcoms.

I remember 'Pipkins', but if I remember before the main guy died, it's only on a subliminal level. But:

...Woodbridge died suddenly from a heart attack in March 1973, while recording of the second series was still taking place. Inigo Pipkin was not recorded in the order it was transmitted, and Woodbridge had only completed taping of the latter episodes. The scripts for the episodes that would be broadcast first in the transmission run, i.e. those that Woodbridge had not managed to record, were thus hastily rewritten, with Inigo's absence explained by his being away on a fishing holiday.

In 1974, in a first for children's television, the death of Inigo was worked into the programme, predating the Mr Hooper episode on Sesame Street by nine years. From this episode onwards, the show was renamed Pipkins and Inigo's assistant, Johnny (Wayne Laryea), took over.

[Huxleys Babkins]

I wouldn't say that - they did it to punish the care home staff for abusing the patients, not for fun.

You punish people by handing them over to the police.

You don't drug them, place straw filled sacks over their heads to muffle their screams, bind their arms to crosses and set their feet in cement, before leaving them in a field to die.

It's like something out of Saw.

[gilbertharding]

Anyway, back in the day when 'Jump The Shark' had its own website, 'A Very Special Episode' was listed as one of the many ways in which a show could jump the shark.

Here it is on the Wayback Machine:  https://web.archive.org/web/20050205041149/http://www.jumptheshark.com/

As a British viewer, I understood 'jump the shark' as a phenomenon, even if the very specific Fonz-based misadventure was clearly a one-off. I understood better some of the other examples (such as 'They Did It', 'New Kid in Town', 'Special Guest Star') but the trope 'A Very Special Episode' didn't come across, because I don't think I'd ever seen one. 

[Toki]

You punish people by handing them over to the police.

You don't drug them, place straw filled sacks over their heads to muffle their screams, bind their arms to crosses and set their feet in cement, before leaving them in a field to die.

It's like something out of Saw.

Surely that's what the patients did? I may be remembering wrong, but I thought the punchline was 'these are crazy dangerous people', which is still in pretty poor taste. It turned out it was a psychiatric hospital, didn't it? I should probably investigate before hitting post but fuck it.

[The Bumlord]

You punish people by handing them over to the police.

You don't drug them, place straw filled sacks over their heads to muffle their screams, bind their arms to crosses and set their feet in cement, before leaving them in a field to die.

Speak for yourself.

[Ignatius_S]

Surely that's what the patients did? I may be remembering wrong, but I thought the punchline was 'these are crazy dangerous people', which is still in pretty poor taste. It turned out it was a psychiatric hospital, didn't it? I should probably investigate before hitting post but fuck it.

No, it's an old people's home - in the orginal broadcast, one of the residents is physically assaulted by staff but this was cut from repeats. The scene is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glv5UTHS_60

It is Victor and Mr Swainey, who put the staff in the field and then alert the authorities.

[Ignatius_S]

Anyway, back in the day when 'Jump The Shark' had its own website, 'A Very Special Episode' was listed as one of the many ways in which a show could jump the shark.

Here it is on the Wayback Machine:  https://web.archive.org/web/20050205041149/http://www.jumptheshark.com/

As a British viewer, I understood 'jump the shark' as a phenomenon, even if the very specific Fonz-based misadventure was clearly a one-off. I understood better some of the other examples (such as 'They Did It', 'New Kid in Town', 'Special Guest Star') but the trope 'A Very Special Episode' didn't come across, because I don't think I'd ever seen one. 

Although the concept is somewhat flawed and there's been some discussion here of that.