Hi. Can anyone recall if there are depictions of suicide (not brought to fruition of course) in any sitcoms from the 1950's to the present? (especially in the sitcoms of the 50's and 60's). I need the info for a project I am working on currently. Thanks so much.

I seriously doubt there were any sitcoms from the 50's & 60's that depicted suicide and mainly because it's not a laughing matter. There may have been references to suicides in later years but I can't think of any. Dramas I can see, probably many instances but not sitcoms.

Suicide is Painless is the title of the M*A*S*H theme song, although the words are just heard in the movie.

I'm not sure of the title but there is an episode of The Jeffersons where Florence was going to commit suicide.

EDIT: the episode name is "Florence's Problem" from season 2.

The season 6 episode "Wedding Bell Blues" of Family Matters deals with the suicide attempt of Mr. Looney.

In the 1980's, The Facts of Life had an episode early on called "Breaking Point." One of the girls at Eastland commits suicide.

In the 1990's, Seinfeld had an episode during season three called "The Suicide." One of Jerry's neighbors attempts to take his own life, and ends up in a coma.

One Day at a Time had a 2-part episode from Season 3. It was called Barbara's Friend. In it, Barbara Cooper's friend tries to kill herself by taking an overdose of pills. (1977)

The Golden Girls had a 5th season episode, Not Another Monday, where Sophia's friend wanted to kill herself. (1989)

Sorry, nothing from the 50s or 60s I can think of. ...Too serious!

It's been many years since I saw it but didn't Barney Rubble want to end his life when he thought he and Betty were not going to be able to adopt Bamm Bamm?

one on family ties were Alex works at this help center to get extra credit he works at this help center this one kid calls then he says he thought about suicide but he didn't kill him self Alex talk him out of it.

Vera made a suicide attempt in an episode of Alice.

Karl was suicidal in a Buffalo Bill episode.

There was a disgruntled guest star in a That's My Mama episode that was making suicide threats.

It's been many years since I saw it but didn't Barney Rubble want to end his life when he thought he and Betty were not going to be able to adopt Bamm Bamm?

He did. It was in the fourth season's "Little Bamm-Bamm" episode, in a scene where Barney was going to jump off a bridge.

M*A*S*H had two episodes about attempted suicide:
1)"The Smell of Music," in which a U.S. Army private suffers a serious facial disfigurement as a result of his rifle. He attempts suicide a few times, the last attempt beig interrupted by Col. Potter.
2) "Goodbye, Cruel World." Army Sgt. Yee slashes his wrists.

My memory is a little hazy, so somebody help me out, but...I seem to remember an episode of "All in the Family", where Edith Bunker helped assist in the suicide of a dying friend in the hospital? Did she pull the plug or am I just imagining this?

She may have and got fired for doing so.

one on family ties were Alex works at this help center to get extra credit he works at this help center this one kid calls then he says he thought about suicide but he didn't kill him self Alex talk him out of it.

Yeah- can't believe I forgot that one. That's a great episode of "Family Ties", by the way.

There's another from the 1960's: Gilligan's Island, Season 2, episode "Court-Martial". When the Skipper thinks he's totally at fault for the shipwreck, he makes a noose out of a vine to hang himself, and throw himself off a cliff. Also when Gilligan thinks it's his fault he also makes a noose.

Wow- it's hard for me to imagine "Gilligan's Island" and "The Flintstones" talking about suicide- I obviously must have missed those episodes....

It looks like Encore is airing a Night Court episode tonight that deals with suicide.

My memory is a little hazy, so somebody help me out, but...I seem to remember an episode of "All in the Family", where Edith Bunker helped assist in the suicide of a dying friend in the hospital? Did she pull the plug or am I just imagining this?

The "Edith Gets Fired" episode. Edith stands by as a patient at the nursing home pulls the plug on herself. This also covered the "death with dignity" theme.

There's another from the 1960's: Gilligan's Island, Season 2, episode "Court-Martial". When the Skipper thinks he's totally at fault for the shipwreck, he makes a noose out of a vine to hang himself, and throw himself off a cliff. Also when Gilligan thinks it's his fault he also makes a noose.

There was also "Agonized Labor." It's the one where Mr. Howell gets the false news report that he's suddenly poor and twice tries to jump from the cliff.

Friends/"TOw Rachel's Going-Away Party." Rachel says good-bye to Joey on the balcony, and Joey tries to jump from it. Rachel pulls him off it and brings him inside.

Maude/ "Walter's Crisis (part 2)": Walter ODs on sleeping pills, and Maude and Arthur rescue him.

WKRP in Cincinatti/"Les on a Ledge": A baseball player starts a rumor that Les is gay, and he responds by going out onto a ledge at the radio station's building.

In the 1980's, The Facts of Life had an episode early on called "Breaking Point." One of the girls at Eastland commits suicide.


I was going to mention this, but you beat me to it!

The girl was "Cynthia", a girl never seen before on the show. I've always wondered if "Cynthia" was meant to be Cindy, but the script was changed at some point.

There was also "Agonized Labor." It's the one where Mr. Howell gets the false news report that he's suddenly poor and twice tries to jump from the cliff.

Totally forgot that one!

A season 3 episode of "Seinfeld", appropriately titled 'The Suicide', has Jerry's neighbor Martin in the hospital after a suicide attempt.

The Facts of Life is the only show that I can think of where somebody actually does commit suicide.

In the final year of Welcome Back Kotter there was a female who threatened to jump off a ledge. A few episodes later she became Horseshack's wife.

In a Three's Company episode, the trio thought Furley was suicidal and tried to help. Furley wasn't, so I'm not sure this counts.

there's a Christmas episode of THE JACK BENNY SHOW (a remake of an episode of the radio show) where Jack is shopping in a department store and Mel Blanc plays a sales clerk who Jack drives crazy. He goes in the back of the store and you hear a gun go off.

There's an episode of GOMER PYLE: U.S.M.C. where Gomer gets conned by a con man and in one scene the guy's pretending that he's gonna jump out a window.

That Girl:
Episode 25, "Leaving the Nest is for the Birds." A stranger threatens to commit suicide by jumping off the ledge of Ann's window, and she tries to coax him inside.

I seem to recall an episode of "The Bill Cosby Show" where guest star Wally Cox was going to kill himself or threatened to or something.

Whoa- I just remembered an episode myself. Can't believe I forgot this until now-
On the ALF episode, "ALF's Special Christmas" (hour long special), ALF talks an elderly man out of suicide.

on FRASIER once, Niles Frasier were being shown an apt. for Niles and the landlord told them that the previous tenant had killed himself. (he didn't tell them but it was obvious from what he was saying that that's what happened)

Friends: Phoebe's mother committed suicide. I think that she also knew a man who killed himself.

Friends: Phoebe's mother committed suicide. I think that she also knew a man who killed himself.
Yes. Phoebe's early life was full of suicide. And pimps spitting in her mouth.

There was an episode I remember of All in the Family where Archie has to talk a man out on a ledge out of Suicide. From a later season.

I think that one was in the last season.

My memory is a little hazy, so somebody help me out, but...I seem to remember an episode of "All in the Family", where Edith Bunker helped assist in the suicide of a dying friend in the hospital? Did she pull the plug or am I just imagining this?
Edith didn't pull the plug on the dying woman in the hospital. She just let the woman die naturally instead of alerting the staff that the woman had stopped breathing.

Last night there was a Burns And Allen episode where Gracie thought George was going to commit suicide (spoiler alert—- She was mistaken. He wasn’t)

And if any of our resident Antenna TV haters are reading this, the end credits were NOT crunched.

In the season 2 episode of Holliston titled 'Suicidal Tendencies', Kane Hodder (as himself) is put on suicide watch after old wounds are opened about him not playing Jason in Freddy vs Jason.

There's another from the 1960's: Gilligan's Island, Season 2, episode "Court-Martial". When the Skipper thinks he's totally at fault for the shipwreck, he makes a noose out of a vine to hang himself, and throw himself off a cliff. Also when Gilligan thinks it's his fault he also makes a noose.

This is a third season episode.