10 'Very Special Episodes' That Traumatized 80s Kids

In the 80s, family sitcoms decided to pivot to more serious content once or twice a season -- usually during sweeps. And these became known as "very special" episodes.

These episodes became an opportunity to teach valuable life lessons to Gen X kids through relatable characters. But sometimes, they managed to traumatize us in the process. And they did it with a laugh track.

These are 10 of the most well-known very special episodes from our most favorite sitcoms that traumatized 80s kids.

The Facts of Life and Full House segments have been removed due to copyright claims.

[mysocalledgenxlife]

Hey you guys! Super late copyright claims days after publishing the video are forcing me to cut the Full House and the Facts of Life segments from the video. It's a bummer, but this is how we learn. Short clips are fine, but no using music for the background of a voice over! I won't do that again!

[rrmond]

You knew sh*t was about to get real when it started with an actor giving a speech beforehand

[greerphillips]

These shows tried to parent us in case our own parents weren’t doing it. I wish I knew who to thank.

[coreyledin-bristol]

It wasn't a sitcom, but the episode of Little House on the Prairie where Albert is addicted to morphine and had to endure withdrawal scared the crap out of me. I seriously believe it kept me away from drugs.

[lerryperry]

The content was traumatizing for us as children, but the lessons were absolutely necessary. Thanks from a grateful Gen-Xer born 1978.

[esmewvimes]

Remember when Mr. Hooper died on Sesame Street? I remember how upset Big Bird was, and thought they handled it very well. My nana died and was buried on my 5th birthday, and my mom was out of her mind with grief. I was forgotten, which was fine, but I had no one to talk to. I wasn't taken to the funeral, it was this loss no one helped me with. I was 10 when this episode of SS aired (1982), and it helped me process my loss from years before.

[AdrianneMachina]

We were also reading books like “Flowers in the Attic” 🥴

[lilylily]

What is really traumatizing for 80s kids was learning later in life how many of these young 80s sitcom child actors were being molested right there on those sets. Even while these episodes were being released.

[joeyb.]

Being 56, I saw pretty much all of these when they first aired. You did a great job putting all these clips together.

[ephvvonlyway]

I remember the episode where Alex loses his friend because it aired the day of my father's funeral when I was 24. I came home from the wake and the neighbour across the hall offered her condolences. I ended up going in for a visit and her son was watching the episode, which had just begun. As Alex was dealing with his emotions over his friend, I was able to face my emotions over my dad. It was a very healing experience for me.

[nicolegarrett]

I think the moment that stayed with me was on ‘Good Times’, when Janet Jackson’s character, Penny, was burned by her mother with an iron. The live audience started screaming and it just added to the horror of the scene.

[eb]

To this day when I see a refrigerator outside by the curb with the doors off I think of that episode of Punky Brewster ❤

[meganhash]

Over quarantine, my mom and dad decided to show my brother and I Family Ties. We binged it, and it's been one of my favorite shows ever since. I stand by my opinion that the "My Name is Alex" saga is some of the best TV ever made

[mothealien]

As a 49 y/o Genx'er I remember everyone of these episodes. TV was my babysitter and best friend back then

[EagleFang]

To this day Gen-Xers are prepared for ANYTHING. A lot of us were the latchkey kids who had to let ourselves in, do our homework and get dinner started while our parents worked. All the while making sure we didn’t get caught up in a real life special episode. Man sitcoms really did help raise us. It’s crazy.

[krisbonaventure]

You briefly mentioned the one that got me the most, the Growing Pains when Matthew Perry's character died in the car wreck. It was just so unexpected because they made it seem like he was going to be okay, just a typical every problem solved in 30 minutes, and then at the very end, bam! When Mike tells the family the hospital called and said he died, and Carol denying it at first, that was a master class in acting by her. Then it ended so you were just left in disbelief, because unlike most of these "special episodes" this one didn't end with everything being okay. No outgoing jokes or anything, and you were just left there to work it out in your kid brain. That was a lesson I'll never forget.

[cristalhenson]

1977 Gen X here!! I remember all of these Special Episodes. They don't make TV Shows the way they used to. You just got yourself a New Subscriber❤🎉

[axnyslie]

One of the most touching moments in TV history was a special episode of Sesame Street that aired on Thanksgiving November 24, 1983. Episode 1839 known as "Farewell, Mr. Hooper". The actor who played Mr. Hooper, Will Lee, died December 7, 1982. Rather than simply write the character out of the show, Sesame Workshop saw it as a good teaching opportunity for children and discussed it openly in the episode. Big Bird was struggling with the concept of death and the cast consoled him and explained why Mr Hooper was never coming back. Big Bird asks, "Why does it have to be this way? Give me one good reason!" and after a long silence Gordon answers, "Big Bird, it has to be this way... because. Just because" Looking at Mr. Hooper's picture, Big Bird says, mispronouncing his name as he had done many times in the past, "I'm going to miss you, Mr. Looper." Maria tearfully corrects Big Bird and everyone gathers around him, hugging him in support.

"Gimme a Break!" Took a similar approach when the actor who played the father Dolph Sweet died. The 5th season premiere episode in 1985 "Joey's Train" had the family struggling to move on trying to repress the trauma and keeping his old room locked up. The grandfather eventually puts the family in their place saying it was not right not to talk about him and the Chief would have been happy that the family is still together.

[mclark]

I'm in my late 50's. T.V in thé 70's and 80's were made to teach us valuable lessons. As latch key kids, they had our full attention. ABC after school specials were deep. Thank you to all of those writers back in the day. We are better people because of all of those shows😊😊

[JohnThomas-yysx]

The "To be continued" was the vessel for much pre-pubescent anxiety for me in the 80's