When Sitcoms Got All Preachy

Send us Fan MailThis week on the Free Nights and Weekends Podcast, Scott and co-host, Jason crack open one of the strangest traditions in television history… the “very special episode.”You remember them. One week you’re watching jokes and laugh tracks… the next, someone’s getting hooked on pills, kidnapped by a bike shop owner, or learning a hard lesson about peer pressure while the studio audience sits in stunned silence.From Diff'rent Strokes to Family Ties, sitcoms of the 1980s would occasionally slam on the brakes and deliver a moral message with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer wrapped in a hug.We’re diving into: The sudden tonal whiplash that turned comedy into cautionary tales  The episodes that definitely went too far  The actors who went from punchlines to Emmy bait overnight  And why these episodes stuck with an entire generation like emotional gum under a school desk And you'll probably learn a Very Important Lesson™.So grab your after-shower snack, sit a little closer to the TV with the family, and prepare yourself…This is a very special episode… about very special episodes.Angry that you don't have the latest Free Nights and Weekends Podcast gear? Fix that here! Support the showFree Nights and Weekends on Facebook Our WebsiteOriginal music provided by a few of the gentlemen of Supernal Endgame