The Best Episodes of ABC Afterschool Special
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178 voters
- 1
Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
January 19, 1983Please Don't Hit Me, Mom is a TV episode that was nominated for Outstanding Children's Program in the 34th Primetime Emmy Awards. - 2
Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me
April 05, 1978 - 3
Last of the Curlews
October 04, 1972 - 4March 30, 1983The Wave is a short made-for-TV movie directed by Alex Grasshoff, based on Ron Jones' The Third Wave experiment. Though more prominently featured as an episode of the ABC Afterschool Special series, this show debuted October 4, 1981, almost two years before being featured in the Afterschool Special series. It starred Bruce Davison as the teacher Ben Ross, a character based on Jones. A novelization of the film The Wave, was released in the same year. Ron Jones' writings and Johnny Dawkins' screenplay were also basis of the 2008 German film The Wave.
- 5
She Drinks a Little
September 23, 1981""She Drinks a Little"" ... or does she a lot, lot more? That's what Cindy's friends try to convince her as she denies that her mother may be a flat-out alcoholic. Eventually, Cindy sees that her mother indeed has a serious drinking problem and needs help. This ABC Afterschool Special showcases Alateen, the national support group for teenagers with alcoholic family members. - 6
Sara's Summer of the Swans
October 02, 1974 - 7
Tattle: When to Tell on a Friend
October 26, 1988 - 8
The Woman Who Willed a Miracle
February 09, 1983The Woman Who Willed a Miracle, is an ABC Afterschool Special starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy. It's executive producer was Dick Clark under the auspices of his company, Dick Clark Productions. It was produced by Preston Fischer, Sharron Miller, and Joanne Curley-Kerner, and was directed by Sharron Miller and written by Arthur Heinemann. It tells the extraordinary true story of Leslie Lemke, a blind, mentally retarded boy with cerebral palsy who was raised from infancy by a foster mother who stubbornly refused to let him die. Because of her love and dedication, he not only survived but was discovered to be a musical savant. - 9
The Great Love Experiment
- 10
Don't Touch
November 06, 1985A teen-aged girl named Karen Anderson suspects that Molly Stewart, the 6-year-old girl she is baby-sitting, is behaving quite strangely around an adult friend of the Stewarts. Turns out that the man is likely molesting Molly. Karen tries to bring the matter to the Stewarts' attention, but they only take action when it is almost too late. This special takes a look at child molestation and explores the warning signs people should notice. - 11
My Mother Was Never a Kid
March 16, 1981My Mother Was Never a Kid is an American television teen fantasy/comedy/drama that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on March 16, 1981. It was based on the 1977 Francine Pascal novel Hangin' Out With CiCi, which in turn was the first teen novel in the "Victoria Martin" trilogy series. It was also the first of two Pascal teen novels that were adapted into Afterschool Specials for the network, the other being The Hand-Me-Down Kid. - 12
Summer Stories: The Mall (3)
April 16, 1992 - 13
The Crazy Comedy Concert
June 05, 1974 - 14
Tough Girl
October 28, 1981After juvenile delinquent Renie Lake is caught dealing drugs in a stolen van, she is court ordered to live with her father and rigid step-family. Despite living with a family that seems to dislike her, she re-enrolls in High School and befriends a hearing-impaired girl. - 15
Blind Sunday
April 21, 1976 - 16
The Terrible Secret
March 07, 1979 - 17
My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel
November 28, 1973Divorce, as seen through the eyes of a young boy. The youngster - whose father has been ordered out of the house and is forced to take up permanent residence in a downtown hotel - is traumatized by the imminent divorce, and it is up to his loved ones to help him cope. - 18
The Skating Rink
February 05, 1975 - 19
Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy
December 07, 1983 - 20
Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge
March 19, 1986 - 21
Fast Forward
September 21, 1995 - 22
Hewitt's Just Different
October 12, 1977 - 23
It Isn't Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire
March 08, 1978 - 24
One Too Many
May 01, 1985 - 25
A Question About Sex
September 13, 1990A Question About Sex is a TV episode of ABC Afterschool Special. - 26
The Incredible, Indelible Magical, Physical Mystery Trip
February 07, 1973 - 27
Winning and Losing: Diary of a Campaign
November 06, 1974 - 28
The Fawn Story
October 22, 1975Fawn Story is a 1975 episode of the ABC Afterschool Special, directed by Larry Elikann. - 29
Run, Don't Walk
March 04, 1981 - 30
It's No Crush, I'm in Love
September 28, 1983