Still,
every so often somebody tries to do something right: Omnibus, Sesame
Street, Life is Worth Living, and yes,
though they earned their share of derision then and now, the ABC Afterschool
Specials.
If
you grew up with them as I did, they may seem like relics of the 1970s and
early ‘80s; but the network kept making them long after you stopped watching.
The first show aired in 1972; the last one in 1997! That means all those
troubled teens from season 1 were over 40 by the time school finally let out
forever.
I
have no memory of any of them after 1982 or so. And my guess is that the kids
and teens of the 1990s don’t share the episodes of that time as a generational
memory – by then there were already dozens of cable stations, and issue-driven
stories for younger people were no longer a novelty.
That’s
what made the first shows so revelatory– no one else in the 1970s was aiming
this type of content directly at teenagers at an hour they were more likely to
be watching TV. Just as Phil Donahue was bringing family skeletons out of the
closet – alcoholism, drug use, teen pregnancy – and discussing them on his
daily talk show, the Afterschool Specials turned them
into earnest 45-minute dramas that won dozens of Daytime Emmys.
Of
course, not every Special featured such
heavy subjects – others looked at how our times were changing. Remember Jodie
Foster in “Rookie of the Year,” about a girl who wanted to play for a boy’s
little league team?
Here
are my picks for the 10 most memorable Afterschool Specials (which isn’t
the same as the 10 best, as you’ll discover from the reviews). Some are among
the 24 shows released on DVD. The sets are long out of print but worth seeking
out – the nostalgic Trapper Keeper-style cases were a particularly inspired
touch.
Sara’s
Summer of the Swans
It’s
my blog so I get to start with my favorite. Based on the book by prolific,
award-winning novelist Betsy Byars, “Sara’s Summer of the Swans” explores the
challenges of growing up with a special needs sibling. But it’s really also
about learning to let other people into your life, even if you’re not sure they’ll
like it there. That message resonated with me when it first aired, and it’s one
I still need to hear from time to time. This is a simple, heartfelt story that
exemplifies how enriching these shows can be at their best. And for classic TV
fans it has two ex-Bradys (Eve Plumb and Christopher Knight) in supporting
roles.
Psst!
Hammerman’s After You
The
two preeminent school bully dramas of my generation are this Afterschool
Special and the 1980 film My Bodyguard. What makes
“Hammerman” a little more interesting is that the victim, nicknamed Mouse, is
not completely blameless for his plight; in fact, he was pretty much asking for
it.
Me
and Dad’s New Wife
Adjustment
to divorce and stepparents was a frequent Afterschool topic. I thought it was handled better in
other installments, such as “The Bridge of Adam Rush” and “A Family of
Strangers,” but more people seem to remember “Me and Dad’s New Wife.” This may
be due to a cast regularly featured on Tiger Beat covers –
Kristy McNichol, Lance Kerwin and Leif Garrett.
It
Must Be Love (Cause I Feel so Dumb!)
Anyone
who has ever suffered though unrequited love will identify with poor Eric, a
short, awkward 13 year-old who’s got it bad for cheerleader ‘it’ girl Lisa.
We’ve all been there, kid. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, though.
Schoolboy
Father
The
young people on these shows often take on adult responsibilities faster than
their peers, either from their own transgressions or someone else’s. Such
trials also inspired “Francesca Baby,” the heartbreaking “A Matter of Time” and
the unfortunately titled “Daddy, I’m Their Mama Now.” But “Schoolboy Father”
became the quintessential treatment, if not the quintessential Afterschool
Special. Rob Lowe plays the title character, opposite Dana
Plato and Nancy McKeon.
It
Isn’t Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire
Usually
you wouldn’t want to trade places with the characters on these shows; here’s
the exception. Melissa, 14, wins the lottery, but discovers that sudden wealth
isn’t the answer to every problem. And before you ask, yes, minors can legally
win lotteries if they receive the ticket as a gift.
Dear
Lovey Hart: I Am Desperate
This
is another of my favorites, partly because there’s more humor than is typically
found in these shows, and party because of Susan Lawrence, an appealing young
actress who should have graduated to bigger and better roles (if you know her
at all, it’s from Dr. Shrinker). Here, she
plays a student who writes an ill-fated advice column for her high school
paper.
Stoned
Stories
of drug and alcohol abuse among teens are synonymous with Afterschool
Specials, but surprisingly the series didn’t broach either
topic until its eighth season. One year later, Stoned starred Scott
Baio as a popular teen jock who tries marijuana and graduates to cocaine and
LSD. Reefer Madness overtones aside, Chachi can act and helps keep the
story grounded. And this is still better than “Desperate Lives,” in which Helen
Hunt cooks up some PCP in her high school chemistry lab and jumps out a
high-rise window.
Melissa
Sue Anderson plays Alex, a popular teen living in a happy home with her
adoptive parents – yeah, you know that’s not going to last. Sure enough, Alex’s
biological mother has finally kicked her booze problem and sues for full custody.
At first you’ll hate her as much as Alex does, but the observant script is fair
and honest in portraying all sides of a difficult issue.
What are Friends For?
New girl in town Amy begins an awkward friendship with eccentric neighbor Michelle Mudd, who like Amy is a child of divorce. “What are Friends For?” makes the list for one scene, which was shot and edited like something out of a horror movie. The first time it aired, it made a whole generation of kids jump back from their TVs at the same time.
Did
I miss your favorite? Let me know!
"My Mom's Having a Baby," the one that told us the facts of life (after a kid I knew beat it and my parents to the punch). There was also a weird "Fantastic Voyage" type episode in which two children shrink and end up inside their grandfather.
ReplyDeleteDid you see "Tough Girl," Mr. Hofstede? Laurence Lau, who played Greg Nelson on "All My Children," was in that one. Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan, who respectively played Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter on "AMC," both appeared in "The Celebrity and the Arcade Kid."
ReplyDeleteThere are still quite a few I haven't watched or don't recall - sadly the odds of more coming out on DVD are remote. But both of these sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteI actually use to show an old after school special "The Wave" to my history class once in awhile....it's based on a classroom experiment on fascism.
ReplyDelete