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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Bad Movies  |  The Worst Of "Special" TV Shows « previous next »
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Author Topic: The Worst Of "Special" TV Shows  (Read 5571 times)
D-Man
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« Reply #15 on: December 31, 2006, 03:09:23 PM »

I remember a "Special" episode of Full House that involved Jesse's Greek Grandfather coming over to visit, and then dying suddenly while he was in the house.  Three things I remember from this episode...after the old guy croaked, Danny bought a boat...the usual sap between Jesse and Michelle at the end...and Stephanie wouldn't stop crying.  She was like Veronica Cartwright in Alien. 
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peter johnson
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« Reply #16 on: December 31, 2006, 04:23:34 PM »

     Hmm -- I think we're starting to beg a few questions here --
     Like, just what IS the nature of a "very special" episode?
      I would contend that shows like "M.A.S.H" or "All in The Family" couldn't really count in this category -- with the exception of the crushing "Death of Edith" episode -- because the very raison d'erte of shows like"All in The Family" and "M.A.S.H" was to constantly address social issues and problems of all sorts.
      What makes a "special episode", I think, is wherein a usually dumb show that relies on dumb sitcom stuff -- re. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire" -- suddenly out of the blue has its characters addressing a social issue in a clumsy, overwrought manner.
      I didn't watch enough of these other shows to know if this is holding true or not, but if "Different Strokes" usually dealt with kids swiping pizza from each other & the usual school stuff, and then -- BANG! -- it's kiddie porn time, then I'd say, yeah, this is a great example.
     That Tom Hanks as a lush thing sounds just terrible, for instance, and a perfect example of the genre --
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Kroogur
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« Reply #17 on: December 31, 2006, 06:26:00 PM »

The reason i did feel certain All in the Family episodes belong here is because the ones i mentioned really stood out and weren't addressed very well imo the rape episode was completely unexpected and while it did demonstrate a few important issues it didn't resolve itself with much of a PSA, the racism episode that stood out was the one where the kids sprayed the swastika on the front door again it was a shocker but wasn't resolved very well and the domestic violence one happened toward the end of the shows run after Edith had passed and there was a young hispanic woman staying at the house helping with things and she was being abused by her boyfriend, her brother showed up to try to talk to her and Archie thought he was the abusive boyfriend and punched him out.
I feel they count because as most sitcoms plod along there are few episodes that really stand out and stay with you and i feel All in the Family was relevant in the way that it wasn't the candy land cookie cutter sitcom of the previous decade gone was the nuclear family and thier Norman Rockwell ideals now we were dealing with the older generation versus the newer more socially conscious generation (Mike and Gloria) all in the the same house, All in the Family was the bridge between the old and new shows and while their "very special" episodes may be debatable i feel they were the precursor to the modern sitcom PSA shows.
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LilCerberus
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« Reply #18 on: January 01, 2007, 12:08:24 AM »

I forget the name of it, but there was this sitcom back in the early/mid '90s that starred Suzanne Sommers.

The thing that really bothered me, was this running theme about the youngest daughter suffering depression, which is limited to her wearing dark clothes & a surly expression for an episode or two, then she is put on anti-depressant medications which turn her into some sort of stoner hippie who thinks she's a Jamaican reggae singer.

And this was intended as comic relief for the serious scenes. Hatred

As someone who's suffered from mental illness, & now uses their own experience to support others, I must say that this particular character served as a gross misrepresentation of mental health consumers, recycling old stereotypes that were already worn out for their day. Hatred

I should know, I've known some pretty crazy people, those who "think" they're normal not withstanding. Wink

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« Reply #19 on: January 01, 2007, 12:15:07 AM »

I forget the name of it, but there was this sitcom back in the early/mid '90s that starred Suzanne Sommers.


It was probably Step By Step:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101205/
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« Reply #20 on: January 01, 2007, 05:42:16 AM »

Yeah "Step by Step", or "The Brady Bunch - the Remix" as I always wanted to call them. Until I read the whole post I wanted to guess "She's the Sheriff" for some reason.

Saw too many episodes of SBS during my depression lows, crashed on my couch unable to sleep during the day I passed way too much time with daytime cable programming and lots of sitcoms. How did I miss this one? I'm surprised they didn't make her bi-polar and have the wannabe reggae singer act be her manic state.

Is there any network show, especially a sitcom, that has dealt with depression in a believable way. The first two seasons or so (before they ruined the whole series)of "The John Larroquette Show" did what seemed like a good job with recovering alcoholics and still remaining smart and funny. But I'm drawing a blank on to depression related shows.

Unless I missed it, no one has griped on the weekly "special" episodes of "Blossom". Guess they figured calling each episode "special" would make 14 year old girls love the show even more.
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Menard
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« Reply #21 on: January 01, 2007, 06:28:26 AM »

Is there any network show, especially a sitcom, that has dealt with depression in a believable way.

Saving Grace?


Unless I missed it, no one has griped on the weekly "special" episodes of "Blossom". Guess they figured calling each episode "special" would make 14 year old girls love the show even more.

I actually liked that show. If asked why, I don't know if I could give an answer. If someone just saw the ads for the show, they would get the impression that it was a flowery, cutesy show, but Blossom herself had a tendency to be a dark and pessimistic character. I was also glad to see Barnard Hughes in something which did not involve the word Merlin.
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« Reply #22 on: January 01, 2007, 11:47:31 AM »

I remember a "Special" episode of Full House that involved Jesse's Greek Grandfather coming over to visit, and then dying suddenly while he was in the house.  Three things I remember from this episode...after the old guy croaked, Danny bought a boat...the usual sap between Jesse and Michelle at the end...and Stephanie wouldn't stop crying.  She was like Veronica Cartwright in Alien. 

You know what always bugged me about Full House was the whole unbelievable nature of the show.  Not saying shows have to be based 100% on real life.  Still, I recall one episode where Stephanie drove a car through the kitchen...in real life many kids would have faced a huge wrath from their parents.  In that show I think they solved it with a hug and a talk. 

Heres another one I thought of, the Family Ties episode where Alex's friend dies in an accident.  The whole show was Alex on a dark set talking to presumably a shrink.  Recall him busting into a rendition of "born to be wild" when he became emotional.  Anyone ever see this one?
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Yaddo 42
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« Reply #23 on: January 02, 2007, 03:24:54 AM »

I should remember the Family Ties one you mentioned since I watched during its first run, but grew to hate it in reruns and have blanked out most of them.

Maybe Full House should do a very special reunion show since the actress who played Stephanie has admited to becoming a meth addict in her post-sitcom days. Then again now that I know Bob Sagat is apparently one of the filthiest comedians around (watch The Aristocrats for proof or see his standup act), I still hate the show with a passion, but don't loathe him so much.

Menard, I see your point on the Blossom character, and I did like when Miyam Bialik guested on Larroquette's show a few times, but she was still surrounded by some of the dumbest and most annoying characters on TV. Although I did think Jenna Van Oy was cute. What is it with that girl and annoying shows? She was the token white friend on the even more annoying show The Parkers.
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« Reply #24 on: January 02, 2007, 03:28:08 AM »

The first episode of Family Ties I ever saw, was the one in which Tom Hanks plays a relative with a drinking problem.
The lush, in this case, is depicted as a jolly soul who takes everything as a joke, & then thirty minutes later admits he has a problem & accepts help.

Most of the lushes I had known before then, were generally unpleasant & uncooperative, with gross misconceptions about themselves (the one in the mirror being no exception).

Damn!  That's the one where he drinks vanilla extract.  I had forgotten that one!
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Famous Mortimer
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« Reply #25 on: January 02, 2007, 03:52:29 AM »

The episode of "California Dreams" when Jake starts smoking to be more like his cool Uncle, and the rest of the band are totally mortified.

Pales in comparison to the towering achievement that is Jessie Spano's pep-pill addict from "Saved by the Bell", but worth a mention, I thought.
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« Reply #26 on: January 02, 2007, 08:57:29 AM »

I remember I saw a episode of the Jeffersons dealing with racism. James Karen (!) was a racist.

The Saved by The Bell with the pill-popping used to scary me because I thought high school was going to be so hard. Yeah right.  Wink
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« Reply #27 on: January 03, 2007, 03:42:59 AM »

Menard, was it the one where it was people walking around in dinosaur costumes???

I remember that as being pretty good for some reason. I was young at the time, so i'm not sure.
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Menard
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« Reply #28 on: January 03, 2007, 09:55:22 AM »

Menard, was it the one where it was people walking around in dinosaur costumes???

I remember that as being pretty good for some reason. I was young at the time, so i'm not sure.

Yep; Dinosaurs wasn't animated, just people dressed as dinosaurs (though some of them, the baby for instance, were probably animatronic).
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« Reply #29 on: January 03, 2007, 10:36:59 PM »

WOW!!!!

How can ANYONE in Gen-X forget about the "Special" episode of SESAME STREET where Maria & Co. had to explain to Big Bird that Mr. Hooper died and was never coming back. I was bawling along with Big Bird. Come to think about it, it still makes me sad that I want to cry.
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