Sitcoms are always funny, but sometimes they do an episode that deals with something serious and/or important.

Excluding series finales (because those are often sad), name a favorite or at least memorable serious episode. I'll start...

The episode of "The Golden Girls" when Sophia's son (Dorothy's brother) Phil dies. Sophia was upset that she had done something to make him be a cross-dresser.


www.geocities.com/mindynat

Cheers "endless slumper", when Sam's lucky bottle cap is stolen, and as a recovering alcoholic it helped him stop drinking, in the episode he starts wanting a drink really badly and almost does. I like the episode because it shows the struggling side of Sam.

I really don't like serious sitcom episodes. They take themselves too seriously a lot of the time.

The episode of Archie Bunker's Place when Edith dies.

There are so many great serious sitcom episodes to choose from, but the one that stands out in my mind is the episode of The Facts Of Life where Blair gets into a car accident. I remember that one touching me incredibly as a kid.

Three's Company: "Some of That Jazz"

The Golden Girls episode where Sophia's friend wants to kill herself and wants Sophia there to hold her hand when she goes. This is my all time favorite serious episode of a sitcom.

the only one that comes to mind is an episode of "COACH" where Hayden tries to figure out why he let one of his players take steroids!

These are the first that come to mind:

MASH - Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

The last episode (though there were plenty of serious ones).


Family Ties - A, My Name is Alex

When Alex´s friend Greg dies in a car accident, Alex is thrown into a state of shock and begins to seriously question the meaning and purpose of his own life.


WKRP in Cincinnati - In Concert

At a concert by the Who in Cincinnati on December 3, 1979, eleven kids were trampled to death when the crowd rushed to get seats. The first part of this episode takes place before that concert; the second act takes place the day after, and presents the characters' reactions to the tragedy

"Bill Moves On"- NewsRadio

It was a wonderful, touching tribute to a great character and a wonderful actor. It's a shame Phil Hartman was taken from us so young and so tragically.

Two episodes from The Waltons:

"The First Casualty" (11/10/77) - Erin's boyfriend G. W. Haines is killed in a training accident with the Army.

"Day of Infamy" (12/7/78) - Mary Ellen's husband, while stationed in Pearl Harbor, is killed during the Japanese attack during World War II. (In a future episode, however, he ended up surviving after all, living a new life in Florida.)

:crying:

Originally posted by James
Two episodes from The Waltons:


The Waltons isn't even a dramadey.It's a straight-up drama.He's asking for serious episodes of usually funny shows aka. "Very Special" sitcom episodes.

Anyway, One that comes to mind is the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode "The Terrorist Attack" which showed that Larry and Cheryl really do love each other.

The episode of Roseanne where Roseanne discover Jackie has been getting beaten by Fisher.

The episode of 'Designing Women' entitled "The Rowdy Girls" where Charlene finds out her cousin is a victim of domestic violence.

'Soap' also had some serious scenes in its episodes.

Originally posted by dawsongirl
The episode of Archie Bunker's Place when Edith dies.

Ditto

Originally posted by Sitcomwriter
The Waltons isn't even a dramadey.It's a straight-up drama.He's asking for serious episodes of usually funny shows aka. "Very Special" sitcom episodes.

Unfortunately of all the comedies I have seen I have never found a favorite "very special" episode. I'm in agreement with PinkLady59 on this topic: I don't really like them, at least not on comedies.

I can remember watching Soap as a kid and seeing the episode where Elaine dies after getting shot in the doorway and Danny is holding her in his arms.

Also, the episode of Roseanne when Roseanne hits D.J., and then when she's apologizing to him later, she's telling him when she was a kid, she got hit. She says 'I'm sorry I hit you' and D.J. says 'I'm sorry you got hit'. That still gets to me.:( :( :( :(

Originally posted by Will and Grace Fanatic
The episode of Roseanne where Roseanne discover Jackie has been getting beaten by Fisher.

i like that one and the episode "The Miracle" when Darlene has her baby and its premature

I Like The Happy Days episode where Richie gets in the Motercycle Accident And it showed Fonzie in the Hospital Crying. That was really sad.

I Also liked the Archie Bunker's Plac episode where Edith dies.

Both of these episodes were really emotional and sad.

There are some serious sitcom episodes that always made me feel kinda haunted. A few of them include:

The "Penny" episodes on Good Times.
When James died on Good Times.
When Sam was kidnapped on Diff'rent Strokes
The Dudley/child pornography episode, also on Diff'rent Strokes.

Family Matters when there is a shooting at the school.

Boy Meets World when Shawn's dad died.

Saved by the Bell..the Christmas ones with the homeless man and Laura and the oil spill one where the poor animals die :(

I just remembered one.The "Sports Night" episode "Mary Pat Shelby".That's the one where Natalie is raped by a football player.It managed to be serious and funny at the same time, thanks to the sub-plots.

How about the Family Ties episode where Alex becomes addicted to speed?

Originally posted by *~PinkLady59~*
I really don't like serious sitcom episodes. They take themselves too seriously a lot of the time.

I agree...I don't watch sitcoms for drama...I want COMEDY!! If I wanted drama, I'd watch a drama! (And it's not like NYPD Blue does an "all-laffs" episode, so why do sitcoms feel it's necessary to do a "very special episode" anyway? It's never been done with any finesse since the days of "All In The Family" and "Good Times".)

Here are some of the serious episodes from the series:

In "Full House", Michelle was opening the bird cage and flown away.

In "Match Game", Jack Klugman went berserk when he chased Gene Rayburn away after winning $10,000 in the Super Match. He spun the wheel and went crazy.

In "Full House", Michelle fell off the horse and injured badly.

In "So Little Time", Chloe was staring at the guy when she headed towards towards him to the boys restroom while she was reading about staring a dog.

In "The Golden Girls" they had contestants on "Pass the Dough".

In "Match Game", Gene questioned "Cuckoo BLANK!", and she answered "Cuckoo, Friend and Ollie!"

My Favorite Serious Sitcom Episodes


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1) All In The Family: {The Draft Dodger - 1976}

On Christmas Eve, Archie learns that Mike's friend from Chicago who is sharing dinner with them was a draft dodger.


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2) Archie Bunker's Place: {Archie And Stephanie Alone - 1980}

Archie and Stephanie have a hard time dealing with Edith's death.


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3) The Golden Girls: {It's Not Another Monday - 1989}

Sophia's friend Martha wants to kill herself and she wants Sophia to be there.


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4) All In The Family: {Edith's Christmas Story - 1973}

Edith discovers that she might have breast cancer and she doesn't want Archie to know.


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5) All In The Family: {Edith's 50th Birthday - 1977}

Edith is attacked by a rapist on her 50th birthday.


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6) The Golden Girls: {Ebbtide's Revenge - 1991}

After Dorothy's brother Phil dies, Sophia shares hidden feelings about her son.


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7) All In The Family: {California, Here We Are - 1978}

After the Bunkers' travel to California to see Mike, Gloria, and Joey for Christmas, Edith learns that Mike and Gloria are separated and that they are getting a divorce.


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8) The Jeffersons: {The Strays - 1982}

George is stabbed in an alleyway by a gang of girls.


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9) All In The Family: {Edith's Crisis Of Faith - 1977}

Edith's friend Beverly LaSalle is beaten to death right before Christmas and Edith wants to know why God let the incident happen.


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10) The Jeffersons: {George Finds A Father - 1978}

On Christmas Eve, George sees his father's old friend and later learns that the man had a relationship with Mother Jefferson.


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11) The Facts Of Life: {Fear Strikes Back - 1981}

Natalie is attacked by a rapist on her way home from a costume party.


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12) The Facts Of Life: {A Friend In Need - 1981}

Blair's mother discovers she has breast cancer and she doesn't want Blair to know.


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Originally posted by JT
Three's Company: "Some of That Jazz"

This is the first one I thought of, too.

Including two that have already been mentioned: "Archie Bunker's Place," when Edith passes on, and "NewsRadio," just after Phil Hartman died. That one had me crying. :(

Family Ties -

A, My Name Is Alex

Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore

The Facts of Life -

Cousin Geri

Originally posted by Snoopy
"Bill Moves On"- NewsRadio



That had one of my favorite scenes in a sitcom. The end scene where Mr. James takes Bill's old desk. You can tell that Stephen Root is trying to hold back a tear.

Also Titus's "The Protector" where Chris and Erin find out their niece was molested, and "The Last Noel" where Chris reveals he was beaten up by an ex-girlfriend.

Happy Days-
~ Richie Almost Dies, #106. Richie almost gets killed in a motorcycle accident.

~ Fonzie Goes Blind, #119. After a bump in the head, Fonzie's eyesight goes haywire to the point where he can't see anything. In this episode, Richie refuses to "aid" The Fonz but instead teaches him to help himself. This was a VERY emotional episode.



Laverne & Shirley-
~ A Visit to the Cemetery, #71. Laverne refuses to see her mother's grave despite of the fact that her father wants her to go. After a series of events, Laverne finally gives in and she goes to her mother's grave. While at the grave, Laverne has a heart-to-heart talk with her deceased mom. This was probably the most serious episode of "Laverne & Shirley".

~ Why Did The Fireman Say . . . ,#104. Laverne's new boyfriend, who so happens to be a firemen dies, in accident. Right before the accident happened, the boyfriend proposed to Laverne of getting married. After finding out the death of her boyfriend, Laverne weeps.

~ The Note, #159. Shirley leaves a note to Laverne informing her that she has left the apartment to go over the seas with her new husband. This was the first episode of "Laverne" and also the first time permanently that we see Laverne WITHOUT Shirley.

Originally posted by BrooklynGuy78
Here are some of the serious episodes from the series:


In "Match Game", Jack Klugman went berserk when he chased Gene Rayburn away after winning $10,000 in the Super Match. He spun the wheel and went crazy.

In "So Little Time", Chloe was staring at the guy when she headed towards towards him to the boys restroom while she was reading about staring a dog.

In "The Golden Girls" they had contestants on "Pass the Dough".

In "Match Game", Gene questioned "Cuckoo BLANK!", and she answered "Cuckoo, Friend and Ollie!"

What is "serious" about these episode?? I can't even understand the Golden Girls one...

:wallbang :censored:

Originally posted by jayman75
What is "serious" about these episode?? I can't even understand the Golden Girls one...

:wallbang :censored:

She was obviously being sarcastic.

The episode where Beverly was beaten to death on AITF was excellent. I want to see the episode where Edith dies, but Prime in Canada only airs AITH, not ABP.

I love alot from Roseanne, some of which have been mentioned, like where Roseanne beats DJ, Jackie is beaten by Fisher, and especially the episode where Jackie & Roseanne's father dies. The end scene where Roseanne reads a note to her father in the coffin is still hard to watch for me.

As for the "Miracle" episode, it was one of my least favorite of the entire 9th season. I don't know why, but I found it contrived and the end was horrible and predictable.

Cheers: Let Me Count The Ways

Diane tells Sam that she considered suicide when her parents divorced when she was 12, and that her cat, who recently died, saved her life.

Here are my favorites:

Designing Women: "The Rowdy Girls"--Charlene's cousin is being beaten by her husband.

MASH: "Abbissyina, Henry"--Henry Blake is sent home, only to have his plane shot down over the sea of Japan.

The Golden Girls: "72 Hours"--Rose is tested for AIDS.

Edit to add:
Murphy Brown: "Full Circle" -- Murphy's mother, Avery, dies.

Kristen

The Golden Girls: "72 Hours"--Rose is tested for AIDS.

Oh yeah, that was a very serious and very scary episode.

Cheers episodes: Let Me Count The Ways, Endless Slumper, No Help Wanted, One for the Road (last episode), and I Do Adieu (when diane leaves)

even though they were still filled with laughs, the endings were serious and One for the Road and I Do Adieu were very sad

How about the episode of Saved By The Bell where Jesse gets hooked on no dose?

Happy Days: Richie Almost Dies

Laverne & Shirley: Why Did The Fireman?

The Wonder Years. That show was a dramady, so they're all my favorite.

NewsRadio "Bill Moves On"

Originally posted by kalojado
How about the episode of Saved By The Bell where Jesse gets hooked on no dose?

Hooked on No-doze?
Talk about afraid to cross the line.

Why not just dietCoke or perhaps new car smell?

Cheers: I do, Adieu, One for the road

Good Times: When James dies, When Penny is abused by her mother

Diff'rent Strokes: When Dudley is molested by the bicycle shop owner.

Originally posted by kalojado
How about the episode of Saved By The Bell where Jesse gets hooked on no dose?

Ok.Now can you please tell me what the **** no dose is :lol:.

Here's a few of my favorites that you can add to your list:


1. POPULAR CHOICES

HAPPY DAYS---"Richie Almost Dies"

FAMILY TIES---"A is for Alex"


2. RECENT CLASSICS


EMPTY NEST---"M.D. POV" (Feb. 3, 1990)

A reporter arrives to do a story about Dr. Weston just as he is faced with the biggest challenge of his medical career: a sick boy is dying and he has no idea what the cause is.

A chance to see Richard Mulligan at his best and to realize what a terrible loss it was when he died a few years ago.

PUNKY BREWSTER---ACCIDENTS HAPPEN (March 9, 1986)

Punky and her friends learn some painful lessons about space travel from former astronaut Buzz Aldrin after seeing the Challenger tragedy unfold live in front of their eyes on TV. This episode was seen a few weeks after the tragedy itself and still serves as a reminder of one of the darkest hours in US history.


3. VINTAGE FAVORITES

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW---"Opie The Birdman"

The one where Opie takes care of a group of baby birds after he accidentally kills their mother with his slingshot. A great example of what a great actor Ron Howard was, even at that early age.


FAMILY AFFAIR---"Christmas Came A Little Early" (Nov. 11, 1968)

Buffy becomes friends with a new classmate, played by my favorite Brady Eve Plumb, without realizing how close she is to dying. When she does figure it out at the end of the episode it never fails to stop me from crying along with her.


BEWITCHED---"Sisters At Heart" (Dec. 24, 1970)

A bigoted client of Darrin's mistakes Tabitha's new black friend for Tabitha herself and quickly cancels his account with McMann and Tate. Tabitha doesn't realize what the fuss is all about and, through magic, wishes that she and her friend would become sisters.

An excellent episode no matter how you look at it. It was written by an entire 5th grade class and won a well-deserved Governor's Award at the 1971 Emmy Awards.

Originally posted by Sitcomwriter
Ok.Now can you please tell me what the **** no dose is :lol:.

Sitcomwriter, if you're serious(I can't tell by your laughing smilie at the end of your question), No-Doze is an over the counter product that keeps you awake, kind of like Vivarin. There's a warning on the boxes not to take them in place of sleep. As you can see, I've taken my share of both products!!

Originally posted by phoebe7165
Sitcomwriter, if you're serious(I can't tell by your laughing smilie at the end of your question), No-Doze is an over the counter product that keeps you awake, kind of like Vivarin. There's a warning on the boxes not to take them in place of sleep. As you can see, I've taken my share of both products!!

I was serious but then I realized what it was.Doze me Doze me one more time.Yeah! :lol:

Originally posted by dlemond
Hooked on No-doze?
Talk about afraid to cross the line.

Why not just dietCoke or perhaps new car smell? :lol: You might be surprised. Nodoze packs a whallop.

Brand new here...hello! Thought I'd see it listed as I read the posts, but not yet. I have always remembered the episode of Growing Pains where Carol's boyfriend(who's character I forget, but remember a young Matthew Perry) died in a car accident-I believe from DWI.:wave:

Let's see...

I'd also have to say, Cheers' "Endless Slumper". That's a good one. One of my faves.

Mad About You's "The Finale". (It wasn't the real finale, though.) Paul and Jamie have a HUGE fight and almost get a divorce. This one's really good.

I don't know if you'd call Moonlighting a sitcom, but it was definitely a dramedy. The episode "A Womb with a View" was super sad, but I loved it. It really displayed Maddie and David's true feelings for each other. :biglove:

david&maddie4ever

Lol, sorry about the No Doze confusion, I only check this board every so often. I don't know if it was No Doze, but Jese got hooked on caffine pills. Anyone remember this?

Originally posted by Kristen
MASH: "Abbissyina, Henry"--Henry Blake is sent home, only to have his plane shot down over the sea of Japan.


That is probably the single best episode of a half hour sitcom ever produced.

But there is also another episode of M*A*S*H that never fails to choke me up as well, but I can't remember the name of it. It's in one of the later seasons after Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, and Larry Linville have left the series.

The episode mostly deals with Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit) trying to keep the nurses disciplined. In a few of the early scenes in the episode, you see some of the nurses playing with a stray dog in the camp and you see Margarat feed the dog - but these shots only last for a few seconds and dont seem at all important to the particular plot of the episode.

At the end, Margaret lets out a barrage of insults against Hawkeye and his failure to follow proper army codes of conduct, saying something like: "YOU ARE CONSTANTLY UNSHAVEN AND OUT OF UNIFORM! YOU MAKE A JOKE OUT OF MILITARY DISCIPLINE THE WAY YOU'RE ALWAYS PROPOSITIONING NURSES - THE ENTIRE CAMP IS A DISGRACE - DOGS IN THE COMPOUND -"

Hawkeye interupts her and says: "Dogs in the compound, what are you talking about, Margaret?"

and then Margaret sort of breaks down and half cries: "THEY'RE GETTING RUN OVER BY JEEPS!"

-the way Loretta Swit delivered that line still gives me chills.

Toukee, I know what episode you're talking about and it still gets to me. Another Margaret moment is the episode where she's jealous inside hearing her nurses talking and laughing to each other and she feels left out. She gets on their case about making candy(or is it fudge?) in the nurses tent, and she says "Did any of you even invite me for a lousy cup of coffee?" and she has tears in her eyes. One of the nurses responded "We didn't think you'd accept". After that, she & her nurses had an understanding. It went something like that, I know I don't have the exact lines.

oh god - that one still gets to me, too.

when Margaret says: "Did any of you even invite me for a lousy cup of coffee?" her voice cracks and the tears swell up in her eyes as she's saying the line - it really is just incredible acting!

then after the nurse says: "We didn't think you'd accept." - Margaret toughens herself up again and sort of barks out: "Well you were wrong!" and storms out of the tent.


I think M*A*S*H must have had some of the best acting ever on television - they could switch from comedy to drama in a heartbeat.

I would think that now a lot of people will be adding last Tuesday's episode of "8 Simple Rules"---where the family learns of their father's death---to their lists. It was very well done and the ratings it received only confirm it. The hard part now will be to maintain that high standard for the remainder of the TV season and give viewers a reason for coming back without alienating their core audience.

Some of my favorite "Serious" episodes include the "Family Ties" one where Ned Donelly, (Tom Hanks) Elyse's brother has a drinking problem. It was well-written, and shows the symptoms of an alcoholic. Appropriately, it ended when Ned called AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and admitted he has a drinking problem. Other serious eps. include "Laverne & Shirley" where Randy (Ted Danson of 'Cheers') was about to propose to Laverne, but dies after battling a huge fire. Next, "Happy Days" comes to mind. In one eppie, Richie is crowned king of Delta Gammas, and asks for a ginger ale. The bartender puts a drug in Richie's drink. (For all members, NEVER accept drinks from someone you don't know, for it could lead to date rape.) Richie ended up going crazy, and kissed Potsie's girl. The next day, Richie doesn't know what happened, but everyone won't speak to him, except Fonzie. Here, he tells the Fonz about the ginger ale, and about Bullfrog--the one who hurt Richie. Fonzie gives Bullfrog a tongue-lashing, and Bullfrog is kicked out of ATO. Of course, everyone forgives Richie at the end. There's more, but I don't want to put more space into it.

Two of my favorite "Serious" episodes were on "Fresh Prince" the episode when Carlton was on drugs (I think that episode aired in 1991), and the other one when Will got shot with a gun (1995).

When Beverly La Salle is murdered was an exceptional episode of AITF , I also thought the one where Edith was raped was another one.. Then there was the time Mike and Archie were stranded in the storeroom at the bar and the whole sh'booty thing.. was another one.

Absynnia Henry and Goodbye Radar... always a favorite of mine as well as Sons and Bowlers and the episode where the mash people race to make sure a man doesn't die on christmas to taint the children's memory of chirstmas being the day their father died.

Two Designing Women episodes come to mind besides Rowdy Girls.....which i love being a Kim Zimmer fan.. Killing All the Right People when AIDS was at its height and the speech that Julia made...and the other They Shoot Fat People Don't They.... Delta's best performance ever..

Moonlighting's Big Man on Mulberry Street was excellent as welll David dealing with a wife who left him for another.. and how he was ashamed to deal with it as a man.

A My Name Is Alex and when Tom Hanks played the Uncle who drank for Family Ties.

The WKRP about the who when i was very young was the best about a real life event.

Recently even though they tried to mix some humor with it, it still came out very serious... possibly one of the best ever episodes of friends ...entitled The One With the Morning After....it showed a man who regretted his actions and a woman who thought that she could depend on him. two people still very much in love but hurting... him for hurting her , and her for being hurt.

Also The One With the Fertility Test... where Monica and Chandler find out they can't have any children naturally.

There are so many great serious sitcom episodes to choose from, but the one that stands out in my mind is the episode of The Facts Of Life where Blair gets into a car accident. I remember that one touching me incredibly as a kid.
That is one of my favorites too. On Happy Days where Richie Almost Dies

Facts of Life

1. Tootie almost got lured into doing child porn and child prostitution in different episodes.
2. Blair finds out that her grandfather was in the KKK.
3. When Tootie's friend/Blair's rival commits suicide.
4. Natalie nearly gets raped.