Very special episode

"Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television promos to refer to an episode of a sitcom or drama series which deals with a difficult or controversial social issue.[1] The usage of the term peaked in the 1980s.[2][3]

This article is about television series episodes dealing with social issues. For one-off television programs in general, see television special.

Overview

History

Traditionally, very special episodes contained either a brief message from the cast or a title card reading either "Viewer Discretion Advised" or "Parental Discretion Advised", alerting viewers to the potentially confronting or disturbing nature of the episode and giving them time to decide if they wanted to watch it.

Topics

Popular topics covered in very special episodes include abortion, birth control, sex education, racism, sexism, death, narcotics, pregnancy (particularly teenage pregnancy and unintended pregnancy), asthma, sexual abuse, child abuse, and HIV/AIDS.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Portrayals

How a topic is portrayed can vary drastically from show to show, and its portrayal is influenced by a number of factors, including the personal beliefs of those involved in the show, advertising concerns, cultural attitudes, and the show's format, genre, and broadcasting company.[5][6][7] The Atlantic summarises the core values of a very special episode as thus: "The main characters beloved by viewers would inevitably avoid serious harm. The dangers posed by story lines were more threats than actual occurrences, and on the occasion that bad things did happen, they usually happened to ancillary characters whom audiences cared less about. This selective meting of moral justice kept lessons from becoming too morbid, while still allowing episodes to serve as cautionary tales."[6]

Public reception

The purpose of a very special episode is generally to raise awareness of an issue and encourage those affected to seek help if necessary. For example, the Diff'rent Strokes episode The Bicycle Man, in the same year it was released, influenced a child in La Porte, Indiana to inform his mother of a pedophile in the area, and the LaPorte police department credited the episode for the man's arrest.[10] The Washington Post called the episode "a calm, careful and intelligent treatment of a difficult and potentially traumatizing subject. There seems little possibility that watching this program would do children harm, and considerable likelihood it could do them good."[11]

Opposition

The producers of Seinfeld were reportedly strongly opposed to having a very special episode in the series, the motto of writers and cast being "No hugging, no learning".[12]

Notable examples
  • All in the Family (1971–1979)
  • Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
    • "The Bicycle Man" (Season 5, Episode 16/17, aired 5 Feb 1983 and 12 Feb 1983 in two separate parts), Arnold, along with a friend, are targeted by a pedophile who owns a local bike shop and has sexually abused children in the past. Arnold's would-be abuser is arrested after he confides in his father.[4][3][8][15][9]
  • Full House (1987–1995)
    • "Shape Up" (Season 4, Episode 8, aired 9 Nov 1990), DJ, in preparation for an upcoming pool party, stops eating and start exercising vigorously, both common symptoms of anorexia nervosa.[16]
    • "Silence Is Not Golden" (Season 6, Episode 17, aired 16 Feb 1993), Stephanie learns that her classmate is a victim of child abuse and feels conflicted as to whether she should tell an adult.
  • Family Matters (1989–1998)
    • "Fight the Good Fight" (Season 2, Episode 20, aired 1 Mar 1991), Steve Urkel and Laura Winslow push for their school to hold Black History classes, which is met with opposition from some of their racist classmates. Laura's grandmother, Estelle, tapping into her own experience with racism, encourages her to keep fighting for what she believes in.
    • "Good Cop, Bad Cop" (Season 5, Episode 15, aired 21 Jan 1994), Eddie Winslow tells his father, Carl, that he was pulled over and arrested by two policemen on a failure to signal charge and that he was harassed because he was a "black kid in a white neighborhood". Carl, also a police officer, talks with the two policemen who pulled over Eddie, and discovers that was indeed the case, as the senior police officer proved to be racist. Carl and Eddie file a complaint against the policemen, and urge the junior police officer to reflect on his reasoning for why he became a cop.
    • "The Gun" (Season 6, Episode 15, aired 10 Feb 1995), After Laura Winslow gets mugged, she thinks about buying a gun, despite Steve Urkel's pleas. Before she can make the purchase, one of her friends gets shot. Laura then decides to organize a gun turn-in program. The episode ends with a PSA from the Family Matters cast about preventing gun violence.
  • Maude (1972–1978)
    • "Maude's Dilemma: Part 1" (Season 1, Episode 9, aired 14 Nov 1972), Maude, who is 47 years old and a grandmother, learns she's pregnant and contemplates having an abortion.[17][3][9]
    • "Maude's Dilemma: Part 2" (Season 1, Episode 10, aired 21 Nov 1972), a continuation of Maude's Dilemma: Part 1, Maude decides to terminate her pregnancy.[17][9]
  • Mr. Belvedere (1985–1990)
    • "Wesley's Friend" (Season 2, Episode 16, aired 31 Jan 1986), Wesley, due to misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, avoids his friend and classmate, Danny, who contracted the disease as the result of a blood transfusion.[18][19]
    • "The Counselor" (Season 4, Episode 20, aired May 6, 1988), A male camp counselor touches Wesley inappropriately, encouraging him to keep it a "secret". Wesley calls him out in order to protect a fellow camper.[19][8]
  • Roseanne (1988–1997, 2018)
    • "Crime And Punishment" (Season 5, Episode 13, aired 5 January 1993), Roseanne learns her sister, Jackie, is being physically abused by her boyfriend, Fisher, prompting her husband, Dan, to assault Fisher.[20]
    • "White Men Can't Kiss" (Season 7, Episode 9, aired 16 November 1994), D.J. refuses to kiss a girl in his school play because she's black, leading both Roseanne and Dan to question their own bigotry.[21][22][23][24][25][26]
  • Sanford and Son (1972–1977)
    • "My Brother-In-Law's Keeper" (Season 4, Episode 20, aired 14 February 1975), Fred, much to his shock, learns that his sister plans to marry a man of a different race, forcing him to confront his own racism.
  • Saved by the Bell (1989–1992)
    • "Jessie's Song" (Season 2, Episode 9, aired 3 Nov 1990), Jessie, struggling to find the time and energy to rehearse for her friends' music video and study for school, begins to rely on caffeine pills to function, a form of substance abuse.[3][8][14][9] The episode was originally written with Jessie becoming addicted to speed, but this was scrapped due to standards and practices.[27][28][29][30]
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)
    • "Mistaken Identity" (Season 1, Episode 6, aired 15 October 1990), While driving to Palm Springs in a Mercedes-Benz that belongs to Phillip Banks, Will and Carlton are picked up by two white police officers that accuse the two of being car thieves.[31][32][33][34][35]
    • "Just Say Yo" (Season 3, Episode 19, aired 15 February 1993), Will is given speed to stay up. At the senior prom, Carlton, mistaking them for vitamins, takes them, and collapses on the dance floor. He covers for Will, who comes clean to Phillip and Vivian, breaking down.[35]
    • "Bullets Over Bel-Air" (Season 5, Episode 15, aired 6 February 1995), Will and Carlton, while withdrawing money from an ATM, are robbed at gunpoint and Will is shot as a result, causing Carlton to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder.[35]
  • The Golden Girls (1985–1992)
    • "Isn't It Romantic?" (Season 2, Episode 5, aired 8 November 1986), Dorothy's friend Jean, a lesbian, comes to visit after her longtime partner dies. Rose and Jean have a lot in common and they strike up a fast friendship, but Jean starts falling in love with Rose, who is unaware of her new friend's sexuality.[36][37][38][39][40]
    • "Scared Straight" (Season 4, Episode 9, aired 10 December 1988), When Blanche's newly divorced brother Clayton comes to town he confides to Rose that he is gay; scared to tell Blanche the truth, he pretends to have slept with Rose. With Blanche furious at her roommate, Clayton is eventually forced to reveal the truth, sending Blanche into angry and confused denial.[36][41][42][37][43][39][40]
    • "72 Hours" (Season 5, Episode 19, aired 17 February 1990), Rose finds she may have been exposed to HIV, after having undergone a blood transfusion following gallbladder surgery.[44][45][46][36][37][39][40]
    • "Sister of the Bride" (Season 6, Episode 14, aired 12 January 1991), Blanche's gay brother Clayton visits to announce his engagement to his husband and asks for Blanche's blessing; Blanche is again conflicted about her brother's sexuality.[36][41][42][37][43][39]
    • "Sick and Tired" (Season 5, Episodes 1 & 2, aired 23 September 1989 & 30 September 1989), Dorothy suffers from a mysterious illness and goes to a doctor, but he dismisses her concerns & symptoms, saying that nothing's wrong with her. She goes to another specialist, who diagnoses her with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After encountering him in a restaurant, Dorothy confronts the doctor that dismissed her, advising him to listen to his patients, as he will one day be in their situation.[47][48][49][50]
gollark: It's probably more annoying on paper without interweb tools.
gollark: I'm pretty sure the idea of zettelkasten is that you can *quickly* write down a small note for things and connect it to other things.
gollark: You mean *your* system is hard or zettelkasten is?
gollark: I... see.
gollark: Specify || minoteaur (which is vaguely zettelkastenous also).

See also

Notes
  1. Tropiano, Michael and Stephanie Tropiano. The Prime Time Closet. Hal Leonard, 2002. 232. ISBN 1-55783-557-8.
  2. Nussbaum, Emily. (13 April 2003). "When episodes could still be very special", The New York Times. Retrieved on 13 January 2009.
  3. Silverman, Ben. "A very special episode of... When sitcoms get serious". MSN TV. Microsoft. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009.
  4. Dyess-Nugent, Phil. "A 'very special' Diff'rent Strokes that's terrifying for all the wrong reasons". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  5. Betancourt, Manuel (February 21, 2019). "A Very Special Episode, but Maybe Not So Precious". New York Times. The New York Times Company.
  6. Moss, Tyler (July 20, 2015). "The Evolution of TV's 'Very Special Episode'". The Atlantic. Emerson Collective.
  7. Adams, Erik (February 3, 2017). "Very special episodes were a joke—now they're the whole sitcom". The A.V. Club. G/O Media.
  8. Kovalchik, Kara (March 18, 2013). "12 Very Special 'Very Special Episodes'". Mental Floss. Minute Media.
  9. Fowler, Matt (June 14, 2012). "The Top 10 Very Special Episodes". IGN. Ziff Davis.
  10. Hastings, Julianne (September 20, 1983). "TV World;NEWLN:Networks target shows to fight child abuse". United Press International. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  11. Shales, Tom (February 12, 1983). "A Bold Show Treated with Care". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  12. McWilliams, Amy. "Genre Expectation and Narrative Innovation in Seinfeld". In Seinfeld: Master of Its Domain: Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom. David Lavery with Sara Lewis Dunne, eds. New York: Continuum, 2006. p. 82. ISBN 0-8264-1803-1.
  13. Tom Shales (October 16, 1977). "Tonight: Edith Bunker's Ordeal". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. ISSN 0190-8286.
  14. Beard, Lanford (February 16, 2013). "10 'Very Special Episodes' That Make You Wonder 'Did That Really Air?!'". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation.
  15. MeTV Staff (August 9, 2018). "Diff'rent Strokes was the king of the 'very special episode'". MeTV. Weigel Broadcasting.
  16. Heller, Corinne (May 4, 2016). "Candace Cameron Bure Opens Up About Past Eating Disorder". E! News. NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group.
  17. Beale, Lewis (November 13, 1992). "MAUDE`S ABORTION FADES INTO HISTORY". Chicago Tribune.
  18. Delahaye, Gabe (December 8, 2011). "The Long Lost Mr. Belvedere AIDS Episode". Stereogum.
  19. Mackie, Drew (March 15, 2015). "Mr. Belvedere Turns 30, but He May Be Even Older Than You Think". People. Meredith Corporation.
  20. TV Week team (May 18, 2017). "10 most controversial episodes of Roseanne". Now to Love. Bauer Media Group.
  21. Venable, Malcolm (May 24, 2018). "Breaking Down Roseanne's Complicated Racial Politics". TV Guide. CBS Interactive Inc.
  22. Venable, Nick (March 29, 2018). "The Crazy Way Roseanne's Revival May Have Called Back To The Original". Cinemablend. Gateway Blend.
  23. Potts, Kimberly (March 20, 2018). "The 25 Most Essential Roseanne Episodes". Vulture. Vox Media.
  24. Bradley, Laura (March 28, 2018). "The Sneaky Roseanne Premiere Easter Egg You Might Have Missed". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast.
  25. Friedman, Megan (May 9, 2018). "Gina, D.J.'s Wife on "Roseanne," Is a Blast From the Past". Good Housekeeping. Hearst Digital Media.
  26. Berman, Judy (March 24, 2018). "How Should I Rewatch the Original 'Roseanne'?". The New York Times. The New York Times Company.
  27. Quinn, Dave (May 22, 2018). "Saved by the Bell's Jessie Spano Was Originally 'So Excited' on Speed, Not Caffeine Pills". People. Meredith Corporation.
  28. Engel, Peter (November 15, 2016). "Jessie Spano Originally Took Speed, Not Caffeine Pills, on Saved by the Bell". Vulture. Vox Media.
  29. Kenneally, Tim (November 15, 2016). "'Saved by the Bell' EP Reveals Jessie's Addiction Was Supposed to Be Speed, Not Caffeine Pills". TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc.
  30. Nededog, Jethro (November 2, 2015). "'Saved by the Bell' cast members thought Jessie's unforgettable caffeine-pill freakout was lame". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE.
  31. Bissoy, Jeffrey (2016). "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Carleton Admissions. Carleton College.
  32. Todd, Carolyn L. (May 19, 2016). "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Was Way Ahead Of Its Time". Refinery29. Vice Media Group.
  33. Arbeiter, Michael (March 10, 2015). "9 Times 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' Took A Serious Look At Important Issues The World Still Faces Today". Bustle. Bustle Media Group.
  34. Giwa-Osagie, Saidat (May 24, 2016). "Finding My Identity Via The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". The Atlantic. Emerson Collective.
  35. Hays, Julia (November 19, 2015). "10 Times The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Got Real". E! News. NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group.
  36. White, Brett (February 14, 2017). "What 'The Golden Girls' Got Right About Gay Issues In The '80s". Decider. New York Post.
  37. Gallegos, Jose (July 10, 2014). "Friends of Dorothy: Was 'The Golden Girls' Really As Queer-Friendly As Its Reputation Suggests?". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation.
  38. Saraiya, Sonia (March 26, 2014). "The Golden Girls made aging fabulous". The A.V. Club. G/O Media.
  39. Peitzman, Louis (January 16, 2013). "The Most Memorable Queer Characters Of "The Golden Girls"". BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed.
  40. Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (August 30, 2019). "Can We Talk About…? "The Golden Girls" vs. "Designing Women"—Who Queer'd It Better?". NewNowNext. Logo TV.
  41. White, Brett (August 9, 2017). "That Gay Episode: A Brave 'Golden Girls' Forces Blanche To Deal With Her Homophobia". Decider. New York Post.
  42. LGBTQ Nation (February 14, 2018). "How the Golden Girls taught America about coming out & marriage equality". LGBTQ Nation. Q.Digital.
  43. Wong, Curtis M. (February 16, 2018). "Here's What 'The Golden Girls' Taught Us About LGBTQ Equality". HuffPost. Verizon Media.
  44. Colucci, Jim (February 17, 2017). "The Golden Girls Proved Its Fearlessness Yet Again When It Tackled the AIDS Epidemic". Vulture. Vox Media.
  45. Fletcher, Barbara (July 22, 2014). "What 'The Golden Girls' Taught Us About AIDS". NPR. National Public Radio, Inc.
  46. Sewell, Claire (December 4, 2018). "Deconstructing HIV and AIDS on The Golden Girls". Nursing Clio.
  47. Stayton, Amanda; Keown, Bridget (September 25, 2018). "Golden Girls, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and the Legacies of Hysteria". Nursing Clio. Nursing Clio.
  48. David Michael Conner (September 19, 2017). "What 1989 And The Golden Girls Tell Us About Medicine Today". HuffPost. Verizon Media.
  49. McCain, Heather (October 30, 2017). "Chronic Fatigue and The Golden Girls". Living with Disability and Chronic Pain. Citizens for Accessible Neighbourhoods.
  50. Shipley, Diane (September 23, 2019). "30 Years Ago, "The Golden Girls" Treated Sick Women like We Matter". Bitch Media. Bitch Media.
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