Very special episode
"Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television promos to refer to an episode of a sitcom or drama series which deals with a difficult or controversial social issue. The usage of the term peaked in the 1980s.
Overview
History
Traditionally, very special episodes contained either a brief message from the cast or a title card reading either "Viewer Discretion Advised" or "Parental Discretion Advised", alerting viewers to the potentially confronting or disturbing nature of the episode and giving them time to decide if they wanted to watch it.Topics
Popular topics covered in very special episodes include abortion, birth control, sex education, racism, sexism, death, narcotics, pregnancy, asthma, sexual abuse, child abuse, and HIV/AIDS.Portrayals
How a topic is portrayed can vary drastically from show to show, and its portrayal is influenced by a number of factors, including the personal beliefs of those involved in the show, advertising concerns, cultural attitudes, and the show's format, genre, and broadcasting company. The Atlantic summarises the core values of a very special episode as thus: "The main characters beloved by viewers would inevitably avoid serious harm. The dangers posed by story lines were more threats than actual occurrences, and on the occasion that bad things did happen, they usually happened to ancillary characters whom audiences cared less about. This selective meting of moral justice kept lessons from becoming too morbid, while still allowing episodes to serve as cautionary tales."Public reception
The purpose of a very special episode is generally to raise awareness of an issue and encourage those affected to seek help if necessary. For example, the Diff'rent Strokes episode The Bicycle Man, in the same year it was released, influenced a child in La Porte, Indiana to inform his mother of a pedophile in the area, and the LaPorte police department credited the episode for the man's arrest. The Washington Post called the episode "a calm, careful and intelligent treatment of a difficult and potentially traumatizing subject. There seems little possibility that watching this program would do children harm, and considerable likelihood it could do them good."Opposition
The producers of Seinfeld were reportedly strongly opposed to having a very special episode in the series, the motto of writers and cast being "No hugging, no learning".Notable examples
- All in the Family
- * "Edith's 50th Birthday", Edith, believing a serial rapist to be a police officer, lets him into her home and is almost sexually assaulted by him.
- Diff'rent Strokes
- * "The Bicycle Man", Arnold, along with a friend, are targeted by a pedophile who owns a local bike shop and has sexually abused children in the past. Arnold's would-be abuser is arrested after he confides in his father.
- Full House
- * "Shape Up", DJ, in preparation for an upcoming pool party, stops eating and start exercising vigorously, both common symptoms of anorexia nervosa.
- * "Silence Is Not Golden", Stephanie learns that her classmate is a victim of child abuse and feels conflicted as to whether she should tell an adult.
- Family Matters
- * "Fight the Good Fight", Steve Urkel and Laura Winslow push for their school to hold Black History classes, which is met with opposition from some of their racist classmates. Laura's grandmother, Estelle, tapping into her own experience with racism, encourages her to keep fighting for what she believes in.
- * "Good Cop, Bad Cop", Eddie Winslow tells his father, Carl, that he was pulled over and arrested by two policemen on a failure to signal charge and that he was harassed because he was a "black kid in a white neighborhood". Carl, also a police officer, talks with the two policemen who pulled over Eddie, and discovers that was indeed the case, as the senior police officer proved to be racist. Carl and Eddie file a complaint against the policemen, and urge the junior police officer to reflect on his reasoning for why he became a cop.
- * "The Gun", After Laura Winslow gets mugged, she thinks about buying a gun, despite Steve Urkel's pleas. Before she can make the purchase, one of her friends gets shot. Laura then decides to organize a gun turn-in program. The episode ends with a PSA from the Family Matters cast about preventing gun violence.
- Maude
- * "Maude's Dilemma: Part 1", Maude, who is 47 years old and a grandmother, learns she's pregnant and contemplates having an abortion.
- * "Maude's Dilemma: Part 2", a continuation of Maude's Dilemma: Part 1, Maude decides to terminate her pregnancy.
- Mr. Belvedere
- * "Wesley's Friend", Wesley, due to misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, avoids his friend and classmate, Danny, who contracted the disease as the result of a blood transfusion.
- * "The Counselor", A male camp counselor touches Wesley inappropriately, encouraging him to keep it a "secret". Wesley calls him out in order to protect a fellow camper.
- Roseanne
- * "Crime And Punishment", Roseanne learns her sister, Jackie, is being physically abused by her boyfriend, Fisher, prompting her husband, Dan, to assault Fisher.
- * "White Men Can't Kiss", D.J. refuses to kiss a girl in his school play because she's black, leading both Roseanne and Dan to question their own bigotry.
- Sanford and Son
- * "My Brother-In-Law's Keeper", Fred, much to his shock, learns that his sister plans to marry a man of a different race, forcing him to confront his own racism.
- Saved by the Bell
- * "Jessie's Song", Jessie, struggling to find the time and energy to rehearse for her friends' music video and study for school, begins to rely on caffeine pills to function, a form of substance abuse. The episode was originally written with Jessie becoming addicted to speed, but this was scrapped due to standards and practices.
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- * "Mistaken Identity", While driving to Palm Springs in a Mercedes-Benz that belongs to Phillip Banks, Will and Carlton are picked up by two white police officers that accuse the two of being car thieves.
- * "Just Say Yo", Will is given speed to stay up. At the senior prom, Carlton, mistaking them for vitamins, takes them, and collapses on the dance floor. He covers for Will, who comes clean to Phillip and Vivian, breaking down.
- * "Bullets Over Bel-Air", Will and Carlton, while withdrawing money from an ATM, are robbed at gunpoint and Will is shot as a result, causing Carlton to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder.
- The Golden Girls
- * "Isn't It Romantic?", Dorothy's friend Jean, a lesbian, comes to visit after her longtime partner dies. Rose and Jean have a lot in common and they strike up a fast friendship, but Jean starts falling in love with Rose, who is unaware of her new friend's sexuality.
- * "Scared Straight", When Blanche's newly divorced brother Clayton comes to town he confides to Rose that he is gay; scared to tell Blanche the truth, he pretends to have slept with Rose. With Blanche furious at her roommate, Clayton is eventually forced to reveal the truth, sending Blanche into angry and confused denial.
- * "72 Hours", Rose finds she may have been exposed to HIV, after having undergone a blood transfusion following gallbladder surgery.
- * "Sister of the Bride", Blanche's gay brother Clayton visits to announce his engagement to his husband and asks for Blanche's blessing; Blanche is again conflicted about her brother's sexuality.
- * "Sick and Tired", Dorothy suffers from a mysterious illness and goes to a doctor, but he dismisses her concerns & symptoms, saying that nothing's wrong with her. She goes to another specialist, who diagnoses her with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After encountering him in a restaurant, Dorothy confronts the doctor that dismissed her, advising him to listen to his patients, as he will one day be in their situation.