A Very Special Post

Early this afternoon news broke that actor Conrad Bain, most famous for his work on the TV show "Diff'rent Strokes" had died. (To be honest, I would have lost if were playing the 'dead or alive' game and his name came up as I assumed he had already passed away.) That show had long been part of a Hollywood legend which contended the set was cursed due to the drug and alcohol problems that everyone else on the show suffered from, but Bain appeared to have died of natural causes. Anyway, as so often happens after an actor dies, people started discussing the impact of the show and the most famous episode. Well, when discussing "Diff'rent Strokes" only one episode ever comes up - the infamous 'Bike Shop.' For those of you who didn't watch the show, this episode was one of those 'very special episodes' which was supposed to teach you about life instead of entertaining you (there was even a PSA at the end) and featured a nice old man who worked in a bike shop and was friendly with Gary Coleman's character and his buddy Dudley... right up to the part where he tried to molest the boys. It is as uncomfortable a moment as has ever been captured on TV. Watching it 30 years later is still incredibly cringe-worthy. But, it was just one in a long line of 'very special episodes' the show did as it covered everything from racism to eating disorders.

The show was hardly alone, though - "very special episodes" were a staple of 80s TV. (There is a good chance every show might have been contractually obligated to work one in each season as a way to placate the FCC, like how radio stations have to play a certain number of PSAs a month.) I think what made these "very special episodes" work so well is that they came out of nowhere. You expect a serious drama to address a tough or controversial issue every now and again because that is what makes them dramas. However, it doesn't make them memorable. Has anyone ever been shocked by a topic covered on "Law and Order: SVU"? Of course not, because that is what you watch that show to see. The more surprising the messenger the more infamous the episode, so when the comedy show takes the dark turn it is the one which everyone remembers. Ask anyone in their early-30s which episode springs to mind first when you say the words "Saved By The Bell" and I can almost guarantee they will start reciting dialog from the one where Jesse gets addicted to caffeine pills. (I would like to think if the "Saved By The Bell" people knew it was going to be the most famous moment from their show they would have worked on some better dialog.) The thing is no one else seems to do episodes like this anymore and I can't figure out if that is a good or bad thing. I mean, the writing on TV appears to be much better these days, yet they don't do anything with it. Feels like a missed opportunity.

First off, I have no doubt an episode like the 'Bike Shop' would never, ever get made today. I don't care how well-written or important the lesson, there is no way a network would ever put that on their air in prime-time. But, I do wonder how come shows never take the random less-controversial-but-still-serious turn anymore. I admit that when I was a kid the "very special episodes" were always a bummer because they weren't funny but as an adult I can appreciate that a dash of serious in my funny every now and again is not only a good thing, it is pretty much mandatory. If nothing else it is at least more realistic, because the world is not all one way or another all the time. I can only assume the end of the very special episodes are because too many people complained that they have to deal with difficult situations all day long and having to have a difficult conversation with your children on a random Tuesday night because some guy who normally writes comedy decided he wanted to troll for an Emmy is not an ideal situations. (This is exactly why I never watch "How I Met Your Mother" with significant others. There is no need to have serious relationship conversations on a Monday night. I sincerely think that show has caused thousands of couples to fight in the 8 seasons it has been on the air.) With that in mind I can understand the people who say that if they're going to argue about a TV show they would prefer it over which character will make it through the next season of "Sons of Anarchy", not if video games cause violent tendencies.

Still, there is certainly no denying that certain episodes of TV shows get people talking, something which we are too quick to avoid in this country. No one wants to argue about the hard stuff, so we ignore it and focus on the lighter side. These shows have a powerful platform and I don't think it would be the worst thing in the world if every now and again they decided to use that platform to raise a serious issue in front of a large audience. I know we all take TV for granted because there are so many channels and other ways to be entertained, but it can still be a vehicle for change. And if you doubt the impact of television I would tell you to look no further than shows like "Will and Grace" or "Glee" which probably did more for gay rights than anyone in Washington. They put openly gay characters on TV and showed a lot of normally-conservative people that they aren't the devil. Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to inflate their importance and say TV shows are the only thing which advanced the discussion in this country, but they definitely softened the ground for a lot of people. I will concede that no one wants to be lectured to by the cast of "Modern Family", but if the show writers are careful it is possible to raise a social question without also forcing what you think the answer to that problem is on people. They used to do it all the time and since there are plenty of issues we should be talking about they should give it another try now. Just stay out of the bike shop, because seeing that once was more than enough.