ABC Afterschool Specials

I am a woman that was born in 1965. The times were very different then. Since I have become an adult, I realize that back then, things weren't so bad. I think that every generation views their coming up as harder than the one before theirs. I am a writer. In each book that I write, I try and provide hope and encouragement to the reader. My work covers practical situations that people experience every day. My most recent work is about drug addiction. Whether the reader be an addict themselves or a loved one of someone addicted to drugs, I tried to provide love and support and suggestions that would help either. When I was about half way through this book, I mentioned to my husband, my memory of the ABC After School Special and how vital a program of that nature was at that time. I think that it's a travesty that a program of such high impact, could be replaced with the likes of Judge Judy. In 1975, when I was just ten years old, I watched these After School Specials, every day after school. I enjoyed them. Even though I didn't realize that over 30 years later I would recall not only watching them but all of these years later, FEEL the impact of these shows and appreciate their invaluable message. Our children need these types of programs. Television has become a poison for our young viewers, glorifying violence and sick behavior. They are being programmed to grow into warped adults. Bring back the After School Specials. Let's arm our children with lessons that will enhance their chances of becoming caring adults. In the meantime, I will continue to write material that hopefully can help achieve this to some small extent.

I hate being Debbie Downer on this program, and while clearly people have good memories of it, I always found these to be an hour long public service announcements. The first year they were actually pretty good. Then started downward slope. First with "It Must Be Love Because I Feel So Dumb" and then "My Mom's Having a Baby" which were eye rollers. What made me stop watching them were the dumb drug themed ones that looked like they were produced in about 3 hours. When the young Helen Hunt went flying out the window because of Angel Dust, I was done. I have never used drugs, and don't condone the use, but these were so intelligence insulting that a large percentage of the target audience actually considered them funny. And they still do. However, I never knew the program lasted until 1997, how it did remains a mystery to me.

All my kids watched these shows. It was about current issues that the kids may be learning about in school, family topics and great history stories. I'm hoping to find the one about how Hitler brainwashed the Germans - the best one I thought.

Sometimes a TV show passes into the cultural fabric of the country. The ABC Afterschool Special is one of those shows.

It aired for more than 20 years providing a monthly dose of drama to pre-teens and teens during the school year in the hours after school before dinner. The specials were TV movies that explored the angst and problems that real kids experienced. They were little morality plays that while not being preachy, showed that actions have consequences.

Some of the known young stars of the times appeared including some who are stars now. For many it was one of their first jobs in the industry and for others it was their way of contributing to the community.

Stars included Ben Affleck, Heather Langenkamp, Jane Kaczmarek, Brandon Cruz, Christopher Knight, Melissa Sue Anderson, Kristy McNichol, and Scott Baio, and my favorite Lance Kerwin.

My favorite was Lance Kerwin. He appeared in several of the specials including "Pssst! Hammerman's After You!" and "The Boy Who Drank Too Much" with Scott Baio. Those two shows are my favorite. Baio also was in several specials.

The series came to an end as Oprah Winfrey took over the time slot on many stations in the early 90's. A local station would keep more of the advertising money by airing syndicated programs like Winfrey's talk show, reruns of old TV shows, or the tabloid shows like Judge Judy. Just like the toy companies killed the Saturday morning cartoons, money became more important than the community. Whenever I get overcome with the dreck on between 4 and 6 PM I wax nostalgic for those specials.

The specials also added to our cultural lexicon. Whenever someone is getting overly dramatic or sentimental how often to hear a response like "This isn't an Afterschool Special." Some the specials have been collected on DVD but I would like to see the specials come back. The ABC Afterschool Special holds a special place in my heart along with Schoolhouse Rock and American Bandstand.

Yeah, I was a kid from the 80's and early 90's so I've heard about the "After School Specials". Though I was too young to watch them as I was in elementary school at the time, I got out of school later, but that meant that I missed them when they premiered; let alone was probably too busy watching afternoon animated shows like "The Real Ghostbusters" and others. However, I have seen some of the commercials on a few of their films that were upcoming. But also, at the elementary schools I've attended we would have a movie day and sometimes my teachers would show a VHS recording of one of those films.

This anthology program I wouldn't say is on my favorites list, but I do like it, as I kind of have a soft spot for it. But most importantly what I really like and what makes this anthology truly unique is that it's an anthology program for the drama genre which is something I don't see much. This program is more special than ever because unfortunately it's become a lost gem as some but not all the movies never made it to DVD and Blu Ray, let alone VHS at the time. This is a real shame because I know there are plenty of fans of these films just waiting to be seen, hopefully somewhere along the line may 'be "Vinegar Syndrome" or some other company might think of making some Blu-ray box set volumes for these films, since their recently release box sets for made for TV horror films, why not the afterschool specials; a thought to consider anyway.

Now down to business, the after-school specials are an interesting beast indeed, as they were not just educational (in a good way) but entertaining. It can also be seen as a history lesson for kids now to learn a little about what the 70s-90s decades were like when they were their age; but for the adult to reminisce about times long gone.

It's true that not all the films are going to be winners, but that's just how it is with the anthologies their as I said like orchard trees, you going to find plenty of bad apples, peaches, or whatever else is grown but there are also plenty of good ones and they're the ones that count the most. And to me that's part of the joy in anthologies, anyway, finding those stories that truly stick with you.

There are many reasons as to why a lot of us really liked these specials. For one thing all of them the main characters were usually kids and teenagers/young adults. Back then there really weren't that many or any TV programs and even movies where they were, so to be able to see anyone that young and the same age as you were a real treat.

One of the interesting things about the specials is the cast, which some consists of future stars or familiar faces from TV and movies. It's interesting seeing how some of them began, let alone how young they were at the time; and realizing how far they truly came from back then.

Really like that intro which is one of my favorite intros and music of all time in my book. The 70's version is my favorite as we see this strange animated sequence which just consists of this mish mash of a lot of strange and colorful things, all items and things kids would do. But that music is what really did it for me, as it just has this comforting and optimistic feeling to it Like all anthologies this program went in a lot of directions where some were clearly by their nature educational but in a good way. And personally, I honestly don't mind educational programing if it's something that retains my interest and teaches something that's useful because of the issues being real.

Another reason why watching these specials is interesting is that most to all the issues they were tackling are more relevant today as their still happening. It really shows how people of the past back then had to deal with the same things were dealing with now. But also, that being a kid back then wasn't easy just as it's not easy now; so, there was that sense of relatability which made us feel less alone, but also helped in warning us that each of these issues can happen to anyone. That we should always seek out solutions to our and others' problems otherwise nothing will ever get better.

Like any good fable, Afterschool Specials will always have a place in my heart for the kid in me; they're important now as they were then.

Rating: 3 and a half stars.