The Best Episodes of ABC Afterschool Special

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Updated January 15, 2024 30.7K views 138 items
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ABC Afterschool Special featured stories about tough topics and family issues in an entertaining format. The best episodes of ABC Afterschool Special follow kids dealing with everything from bullying to divorcing parents. Some good episodes of ABC Afterschool Special even feature actors and actresses like Joaquin Phoenix and Jodie Foster before they were famous.

What are the best episodes of ABC Afterschool Special? The very first episode from 1972, “Last of the Curlews,” found a father and son discussing the ethics of hunting an Eskimo curlew. “Rookie of the Year,” starring Jodie Foster, followed a girl joining her brother's all male baseball team.

“The Bridge of Adam Rush” is another good episode from ABC Afterschool Special as is “Me & Dad's New Wife,” which features a 12-year-old girl dealing with her new stepmother.

Do you have a favorite ABC Afterschool Special episode? Give the best episodes a vote up and vote down any episodes you may not have liked.

Most divisive: The Incredible, Indelible Magical, Physical Mystery Trip
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Episodes of ABC Afterschool Special
  • Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
    1

    Please Don't Hit Me, Mom

    January 19, 1983
    7 votes
    Please Don't Hit Me, Mom is a TV episode that was nominated for Outstanding Children's Program in the 34th Primetime Emmy Awards.
  • Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me
    2

    Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me

    April 05, 1978
    14 votes
  • Last of the Curlews
    3

    Last of the Curlews

    October 04, 1972
    13 votes
  • The Wave
    4
    March 30, 1983
    9 votes
    The 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.
  • She Drinks a Little
    5

    She Drinks a Little

    September 23, 1981
    8 votes
    ""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.
  • Sara's Summer of the Swans
    6

    Sara's Summer of the Swans

    October 02, 1974
    7 votes
  • Tattle: When to Tell on a Friend
    7

    Tattle: When to Tell on a Friend

    October 26, 1988
    10 votes
  • The Woman Who Willed a Miracle
    8

    The Woman Who Willed a Miracle

    February 09, 1983
    21 votes
    The 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.
  • The Great Love Experiment
    9

    The Great Love Experiment

    12 votes
  • Don't Touch
    10

    Don't Touch

    November 06, 1985
    6 votes
    A 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.
  • My Mother Was Never a Kid
    11

    My Mother Was Never a Kid

    March 16, 1981
    8 votes
    My 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.
  • Summer Stories: The Mall (3)
    12

    Summer Stories: The Mall (3)

    April 16, 1992
    5 votes
  • The Crazy Comedy Concert
    13

    The Crazy Comedy Concert

    June 05, 1974
    5 votes
  • Tough Girl
    14

    Tough Girl

    October 28, 1981
    5 votes
    After 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.
  • Blind Sunday
    15

    Blind Sunday

    April 21, 1976
    7 votes
  • The Terrible Secret
    16

    The Terrible Secret

    March 07, 1979
    12 votes
  • My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel
    17

    My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel

    November 28, 1973
    6 votes
    Divorce, 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.
  • The Skating Rink
    18

    The Skating Rink

    February 05, 1975
    6 votes
  • Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy
    19

    Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy

    December 07, 1983
    6 votes
  • Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge
    20

    Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge

    March 19, 1986
    4 votes
  • Fast Forward
    21

    Fast Forward

    September 21, 1995
    4 votes
  • Hewitt's Just Different
    22

    Hewitt's Just Different

    October 12, 1977
    8 votes
  • It Isn't Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire
    23

    It Isn't Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire

    March 08, 1978
    5 votes
  • One Too Many
    24

    One Too Many

    May 01, 1985
    3 votes
  • A Question About Sex
    25

    A Question About Sex

    September 13, 1990
    10 votes
    A Question About Sex is a TV episode of ABC Afterschool Special.
  • The Incredible, Indelible Magical, Physical Mystery Trip
    26

    The Incredible, Indelible Magical, Physical Mystery Trip

    February 07, 1973
    8 votes
  • Winning and Losing: Diary of a Campaign
    27

    Winning and Losing: Diary of a Campaign

    November 06, 1974
    4 votes
  • The Fawn Story
    28

    The Fawn Story

    October 22, 1975
    4 votes
    Fawn Story is a 1975 episode of the ABC Afterschool Special, directed by Larry Elikann.
  • Run, Don't Walk
    29

    Run, Don't Walk

    March 04, 1981
    4 votes
  • It's No Crush, I'm in Love
    30

    It's No Crush, I'm in Love

    September 28, 1983
    4 votes