TV Shows That Have Brought On The Waterworks

[Mr. DS]

We've talked about movies that make us weep like little girls in other threads.  Are there any TV episodes out there that have touched you to the point of crying?

I recall one episode of Highway To Heaven that nailed not only me growing up but my mom and dad.  It had something to do with a special needs kid who was looking for a home.  After a bunch of ups and downs in the episode he finds a family who adopts him.  He says "thanks god" and the show ends. 

Although I'm known for an anti-Christmas spirit, the episode of Amazing Stories where Santa gets arrested got me a few times.  Especially at the end when the cop who didn't believe in Santa gets the gift he always wanted as a kid.  He walks away singing "Deck The Halls" and the show ends. 

[indianasmith]

There were two episodes of TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL that had me reaching for the Kleenex . . .
one where Gerald McRainey played a heart surgeon whose children were killed by a drunk driver, and then was faced with the responsibility of operating on the man who was at the wheel.

and the other was the famous Christmas episode with Randy Travis, where his younger brother was mentally disabled, but had formed a close friendship with a little black girl who was dying as the church prepared for its Christmas play.

Both of those episodes left me speechless.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

We've talked about movies that make us weep like little girls in other threads.  Are there any TV episodes out there that have touched you to the point of crying?

I recall one episode of Highway To Heaven that nailed not only me growing up but my mom and dad.  It had something to do with a special needs kid who was looking for a home.  After a bunch of ups and downs in the episode he finds a family who adopts him.  He says "thanks god" and the show ends.

 

Highway To Heaven?  Say no more. The episode where a guy got in an accident and was pinned under his truck.  His dog ran all the way to someone's house to get help (a-la Lassie) and the man is saved.

When asking how he was found, one of the paramedics says "your dog alerted us". At that time, the man tells the police and paramedics that his dog was killed.

At that point you see this absolutely sweet looking Golden Retriever's face superimposed on the sky, as he slowly fades away to Heaven as the episode ends.  I didn't cry a river, it was more like a lake..


And then there's the classic 60's era Twilight Zone episode, where a farmer has to choose at a  crossroads. One road he can take his dog, the other he can't. He stays on the road where he can take his dog, and finds he went to Heaven. And the gatekeeper asked him how he knew what road to take, and the farmer mentioned his faithful and loyal dog and how he would never leave him.

Probably more as I think of them.

[Doggett]

Life on Mars and Ashes to Ahes.

[Sleepyskull]

We've talked about movies that make us weep like little girls in other threads.  Are there any TV episodes out there that have touched you to the point of crying?

I recall one episode of Highway To Heaven that nailed not only me growing up but my mom and dad.  It had something to do with a special needs kid who was looking for a home.  After a bunch of ups and downs in the episode he finds a family who adopts him.  He says "thanks god" and the show ends.

 

Highway To Heaven?  Say no more. The episode where a guy got in an accident and was pinned under his truck.  His dog ran all the way to someone's house to get help (a-la Lassie) and the man is saved.

When asking how he was found, one of the paramedics says "your dog alerted us". At that time, the man tells the police and paramedics that his dog was killed.

At that point you see this absolutely sweet looking Golden Retriever's face superimposed on the sky, as he slowly fades away to Heaven as the episode ends.  I didn't cry a river, it was more like a lake..


And then there's the classic 60's era Twilight Zone episode, where a farmer has to choose at a  crossroads. One road he can take his dog, the other he can't. He stays on the road where he can take his dog, and finds he went to Heaven. And the gatekeeper asked him how he knew what road to take, and the farmer mentioned his faithful and loyal dog and how he would never leave him.

Probably more as I think of them.

That's one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes! I feel the same way about my pet cats. I'm not putting dogs down, I just love cats.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

We've talked about movies that make us weep like little girls in other threads.  Are there any TV episodes out there that have touched you to the point of crying?

I recall one episode of Highway To Heaven that nailed not only me growing up but my mom and dad.  It had something to do with a special needs kid who was looking for a home.  After a bunch of ups and downs in the episode he finds a family who adopts him.  He says "thanks god" and the show ends.

 

Highway To Heaven?  Say no more. The episode where a guy got in an accident and was pinned under his truck.  His dog ran all the way to someone's house to get help (a-la Lassie) and the man is saved.

When asking how he was found, one of the paramedics says "your dog alerted us". At that time, the man tells the police and paramedics that his dog was killed.

At that point you see this absolutely sweet looking Golden Retriever's face superimposed on the sky, as he slowly fades away to Heaven as the episode ends.  I didn't cry a river, it was more like a lake..


And then there's the classic 60's era Twilight Zone episode, where a farmer has to choose at a  crossroads. One road he can take his dog, the other he can't. He stays on the road where he can take his dog, and finds he went to Heaven. And the gatekeeper asked him how he knew what road to take, and the farmer mentioned his faithful and loyal dog and how he would never leave him.

Probably more as I think of them.

That's one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes! I feel the same way about my pet cats. I'm not putting dogs down, I just love cats.

Not a prob, I have two kitties myself. One is 11 and the other is 12 years old.  And like most pets, I love mine for their personality. 

The older cat practically does backflips whenever we have ham or turkey for dinner.  She'll get up on her hind legs, her eyes as wide as saucers, and she'll meow in this tone that almost sounds like she's asking for some: "meow?" lol

Great pets, I love em' both.

[Flick James]

My wife cried pretty good when Charlie on LOST died at the end of Season 3. That was her favorite character. The series finale kind of choked me up a bit, but didn't release tears.

Although the final episode of Cheers was not particularly good, it did choke me up to know it was the end of the show.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

My wife cried pretty good when Charlie on LOST died at the end of Season 3. That was her favorite character. The series finale kind of choked me up a bit, but didn't release tears.

Although the final episode of Cheers was not particularly good, it did choke me up to know it was the end of the show.

The old WW2 TV show Combat! gets me wet in the eyes. It has that rousing theme song, and that "America kicks a*s" feel that makes you just bust with pride.

And in the show's closing credits, the theme song plays amid an animation of rows and rows of bayonets marching by. It reminds me of all the unknown men who went and fought and died for Our Great Nation.  That hits me hard too.

Combat! had some great guest stars in it's day, including Robert Duvall, Nick Adams, Leonard Nimoy, and Ted Knight to name a few. 

AND, the end credits also gave the names of the men playing the German soldiers and officers their credit too, how many shows did that?  Combat! kicks a*s!

[Trevor]

The TV series Fame had an episode where they bid farewell to their mentor who is retiring: they sang the song Starmaker to him and I just bawled. Here, as I watch the ships go by, I'm rooted to my shore.......yowza.

[Trevor]

Although the final episode of Cheers was not particularly good, it did choke me up to know it was the end of the show.

Sam: "Sorry.... we're closed...." 

[Flick James]

Although the final episode of Cheers was not particularly good, it did choke me up to know it was the end of the show.

Sam: "Sorry.... we're closed...." 

Yep, that was quite a moment. Actually, while I thought the final episode overall was not exactly a stellar series finale, I did think that the final season, in particular the last six episodes or so leading up to the finale were some of the best of the entire run, and really big in terms of what happened to everybody. Woody got elected to city council (which was hilarious), Sam revealed that he had been wearing a hairpiece ("hair replacement system"), Cliff got the promotion he had been seeking for years, Woody hooked Norm up with a government job, Rebecca got married to a man for love and not money. It was pretty epic, and well written. The last couple of seasons of Cheers before that final season had, in my opinion, started to get a little stale and I think the lead up to the finale created a surge in good writing.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

There was an episode of the original 1966 Ultraman series where Ultraman fought a creature called Jamila.  As Ultraman sprayed him with some sort of chemical, he began howling and crying.

Cut to some swan song music, and the creature rolling in the toxic mud created by the spray. His sobs start to sound more human as he crawls toward Ultraman with his hands outstretched for help, and collapses as his hands relaxes in death.

Very depressing...

[Trevor]

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL had an epsiode in which a father is forced to acknowledge his son's boxing talent and the great Muhammad Ali is a guest angel in the show.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

There was an episode of Little House On The Prairie where Laura's old dog
(a Benji-looking dog) died from natural causes.  This led to the introduction of the show's newer dog, Bandit (who looked like a border collie, somewhat.)

Initially, Bandit showed up from nowhere, and tried several times to get close to Laura, only to be chased away out of Laura's anger.  One day, when she realized she loved the dog, she called for him, and he ran away from her and refused to come to her.

She cried, realizing her mistake, and her lonliness.

And suddenly, Bandit came back to her, running up to her and kissing her face.  Always good for some tears.

[BoyScoutKevin]

I have always found films more emotionally resonating than TV, but I can remember 68 times when I found something in my eye, while watching TV. Thus, let these two examples stand in for the other 66.

"CBS Sunday Morning"
I don't know if they still do it, or even if the program is still on the air, but in the past, the lead story on the last Sunday in December was always one on the people, famous and not so famous, who had died that year. I didn't watch the program every week, but I always made it a point to watch that episode. Because I couldn't make it all the way through the story without crying at mankind's loss.

"The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh"
This episode featured old, irascible Rabbit, who didn't much care for anyone or anything, except his garden, because he probably thought no one cared for him. And one winter's day, someone new came to the 100 Acres Wood, a little bird named Kessie. And all the denizens of the Wood, especially Rabbit took her under their wing. Till  it was time for her to fly south for the winter, the next autumn. And Rabbit was like "Don't go, Kessie. Stay here." And she was like "I got to go, but I'll return in the spring." And the last shot we see is Rabbit sitting up on the cliff, in the snow, overlooking the 100 Acre Wood with a flowerpot with a wilted flower in it and a red ribbon around it, waiting for Kessie's return.
And seeing that sense of Rabbit's yearning loss and waiting hope, I broke down and started bawling like a baby. And it took me a long time to stop crying.

Darn! They don't make programs like that anymore.