Top 20 Darkest Sitcom Moments Ever
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Nobody was laughing at the darkest sitcom moments. Our countdown includes "Dinosaurs," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Boy Meets World," Boy Meets World," and more! What do YOU think is the darkest sitcom moment? Let us know in the comments!
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What do YOU think is the darkest sitcom moment? Let us know in the comments!
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Quagmire’s sister being abused.
Ranked the Buffy the vampire slayer seasons
How did the end of Small Wonder not make it? They left the main character, a robot in the form of a 9 year old girl, SHUT DOWN IN A CLOSET at the end of the series.
Well Will Smith's father episode was pretty dark. But I'd say anything that has to deal with death and the grieving process those are the most dark
Marie's reason for ruining Roberts lucky suit should have been on here.
Silence is not golden or the last dance from full house should have been on here too. Those were great episodes dealing with serious issues
“How come he don’t want me man”
That’s a statement no kid should ever have to ask about their dad (or mom)
It is also sad.
it's a question that has no satisfactory answer, the sadder thing than that question existing is the fact that some people really be like that...
Sucks they cut that part out, first time i ever saw that scene i cried like a baby.
Sadly there’s lots of men who create kids and don’t take responsibility for them in real life..
@@Juchicas I didnt stop crying to that scene til I became a full blown adult and I grew up with my dad 😂
An honorable mention:
I have a message. Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors.
what about the episode where we learn what happens to mixed race korean children on mash all over racial purity heartbreaking
@@austinmasoni3577 that wasnt heartbreaking, but it disgusted me to no end.
@@UltimateGamerCC i know thats why dont watch that one on re runs
o7 Honorable mention, indeed..... To this day, the suddeness of that moment was as painful as James Evans's death on Good Times. Both were part of my childhood, man..... 😥💓🙏
What especially made that powerful is that no one but Gary Burghoff was told before they shot that scene that Henry dies. The other actors' shock is genuine.
The “Will’s dad” episode proves 3 things
- Will Smith can act (and be serious/dramatic)
- Uncle Phil is the type of father men SHOULD be
- Lou is the type of father men SHOULDN’T be
Will Smith is an amazing actor when he wants to be
Uncle Phil was more of a father to Will
Lou was just a sperm donor.
@@LaraCroftEyes1 Being the biological father is one thing, but when you’re actually there for your kid, your a true father
It’s great when biological fathers are also true fathers
Uncle Phil was awesome even as the Shredder in TNMT
Any guy can be a dad, but it takes a real man to become a father.
BBT didn’t choose to have Howard’s mom die. The actress who played her voice died so they honored her on the show.
I was going to mention that
Pretty much when an actor passes, the right thing to do is kill off their character
I think she meant that the writers chose to write her off by having her pass away in her sleep as oppose to just not mentioning her again like many sitcoms have done in the past.
@@gfear24 Not mentioning a character is beyond disrespectful, regardless if the actor has passed or is still alive
@@codyhiginbotham6616 happens all the time. So rude
The thing about that scene in Fresh Prince is, Will then tries to keep it together for a few seconds, and defiantly vows to be a better father once has the chance, because there's nothing Lou can ever teach him about how to love his kids.
And then, he just breaks. The absolute dejection in his voice, when he asks a question no child should ever ask regarding their own parent--"How come he don't want me, man?"--was such an emotional gut punch, that you can hear other cast members crying off-camera.
Yeah...it's called "acting". Crazy right?
James Avery: "now you're an actor, son..."
They say Will was pulling from his own experiences in that scene. I personally believe when James hugged him, that wasn't him just acting. That was him pulling Will out of the emotional state he was in, telling him "I got you, son. Now come back. It's over."
A truly emotional scene. I loved the detail of the small sculpture on the table depicting a father with his son - a moving way to show that Uncle Phil has always been Will's real father figure.
@@KitsuneRokaku not according to will. He said that James didn't agree with Will shrugging it off and asked Will, off camera, to improvise the next time they do it. Will was scared, cause he has a great relationship with his dad, and wasn't sure he could pull it off. After he did, he said that James whispers in his ear, while hugging him, "Now that's f###### acting."
That moment when Sheldon consoled Howard reminding him he has friends to get him through his mom's passing when he is the last person you'd expect to do this was so touching.
I think that shows clearly how much the actress's death impacted all of them
@@annablyth3897 I had to comfort my friend when her cat died she was crying in the car one day and I conforted her I gave her a hug 🫂 because she looked like she needed it
@@nmoney6655 Sprinkles? 😢
@@Sheenifier yes I cried with her
MASH often balanced between darkness and laughter. Such an intelligent sitcom. There’s never been anything like it since.
💯
Lol
I think it should have been number one on this list. Truly shocking when it aired.
Didn't the first series of MASH have canned laughter and it was removed at Alan Alda's request? I remember reading somewhere that he did this because he maintained that MASH wasn't a sitcom or a comedy but it was a Drama with comedy elements.
I watched it the first time it aired. I was devastated.
The most shocking and natural scene to me was in MASH where Radar tells everyone in the operating room that Colonel Blake was shot down and killed. The interesting side is the cast found out about this scene only a few minutes before recording, so the shock and random reactions were natural.
Wait you were never shocked about Hawkeyes story about the mom who smothered her own kid
That episode clearly shows that Hawkeye was upset about something, and it is led into, so it wasn't as much of a surprise. I'm also referring to how the cast didn't know about that Colonel Blake twist until right before filming, whereas that other one was planned.
@@chisaten yeah but it still sad know that a infant died in a warzone 😥
Yeah, I agree with you 100%. Innocents being killed is one of the worst facts of war. Having MASH bring this and other hard things up makes this show so much deeper than just being a comedy.
That is #1 in the catefory of Top 10 Most Shocking Sitcom Moments
You should have mentioned that the actress who voiced Howard's mom died in real life. That is what made that episode so powerful.
Yeah
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Especially the farewell toast of the cast.
The same should be applied to The father from 8 simple rules since the real reason why they did that episode was to honor John Ritter's passing irl.
@@hydellas678 They did mention John Ritter's passing though.
The "Will's father" scene still great and sad until today , really emotial
Especially when that scene hits close to home. Bet we all know or met someone who's parents didn't care much for their own child
It becoming a meme and the complete made up folklore about it kinda took the shine of it for me
E M O T I A L
@@jessc1269 when did it become a meme and the story about it being improv is true
@@vladimir-savage72 nah not really I grew up in a white neighborhood
I was expecting Howard's mom dying because the actress died. The one that shocked me the most was Marshall's father dying on How I met your mother
How about the mother dying on how I met your mother? That made me tear up.
That should be on this list. Not only is the moment very unexpected, it’s acted extremely well. It sets up several different character arc changes as well.
@@zeroforkgiven I think they said that Jason Segel didn't know that was part of the plot. He knew something was up, but not what exactly, so his "I'm not ready for this" was improvised and sincere
@@minacd The entire episode is a red herring. You think Lilly is going to tell Marshall she is pregnant. There are number clues in every scene counting down (the cab is 1). To me its a "best of" moment in TV history.
You would think they could channel that same energy for the finale, but sadly, no.
I literally cannot watch this scene. I got a phone call about a family death in college, and it made an absolute lasting impression on me that makes Lily's delivery hit just way too close to home.
Everyone always goes to Will's dad leaving in the fresh prince, but my personal favorite is the episode where Phil ends up in the hospital cuz it hits double when Carlton refuses to go visit him.
"I don't wanna see my dad with tubes up his nose, ok?"
"Carlton... a time will come when all he has is tubes up his nose."
"No, not my father!"
"EVERYBODY'S FATHER! EXCEPT MINE CUZ I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE HELL HE IS!"
They're both great scenes, though. But that's coming from someone who's dad left before he was born, maybe i'm a touch biased.
During that MASH episode, Hawkeye repressed the memory and remembered that it was a chicken that died.
But because his brain couldn't let it go he was breaking down.
So the shrink was called in and after many talks, Hawkeye unwillingly remembered it was a baby and not a chicken.
If you can watch that episode and keep your eyes dry you are not human.
For me, that scene takes the number 1 spot on this list followed closely by All in the Family.
Agreed. That MASH scene hit me so hard when I was a teenager in the '80s. I've seen a lot of sad things, but nothing has ever matched that episode.
The part after Carl Winslow's speech where he tells the younger cop that he seems like a good cop, but his partner is one of the bad ones adds even more to that scene. As enraged as Carl was, his anger was largely directed at the senior officer, knowing the younger one was following his partner's lead and he warned the younger officer about what type of person his partner was.
That Espoide Made Me Cry
Carl is a badass in that sence
As a kid, I sobbed when James Evans died. That show lways stuck with me. As a young adult, I sobbed all night when John Ritter's character died. Now suddenly widowed in my 40s, it cuts to the core.
I remember that Good Times episode. I think it was a rerun but i do remember it being hard hitting. Same with penny being abused and a neighbor eating doog food. Hell JJ being shot and James going after the kid who shot him sticks out to.
Sorry for your loss. You seem intelligent and pretty, I'm sure when you're ready any guy would be lucky for you to give them a chance. Stay strong 👍
I'm so sorry for your loss.. I'm just an anonymous TH-cam viewer... But reading that broke my heart for you.
Sorry for your loss. I hope things get easier eventually.
Ditto what Geno said.
I'll never forget that episode of Full House. Stephanie's friend Charles lets it slip his dad is physically abusive to him, and seeing her lash out at Jesse for telling someone about this problem... To this day, I still feel the heartbreak
Really? I only saw where he told her about his dad.
I was hopping on Fuller House like one of Djs kids would go to school and one of thier classmates was abused and they tell Stephanie and Stephanie tells them the story about Charles and then Stephanie goes to look Charles up and she finds him and they reconnect.
@@nenesspirtualgirlbest9562 what episode?
Or when papoli dies that was heartbreaking
That really makes me cry to this day.
Scrubs, “where do you think we are” hits me every time.
Credit to the sitcoms that tackle serious issues and include a little humor to lighten things without also distracting from the issue
I think it can help get the message across in an easier fashion if there's a tiny bit of humour with the darkness...Mary Poppins was right, a spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down.
I really think Shawn from boy meets world has one of the toughest story arcs from a teen in a sitcom, any time dude had someone to look up to, they took them away, the teacher, his actual dad, his mom. Dude had it rough
Angela, and technically Cory cuz of his family but they were still best friends
For real...the only adults he had in his life that constantly were around and looked out for him were Cory's parents...I still remember the episode when Shawn joins a cult, and then when the cult leader tells Alan that Shawn isn't his son, Alan replies "He's as good as my son"
I felt like the scene with Dr. Cox mourning his friend(played by Brendan Frasier) was just as heartbreaking. Especially when he thinks he's going to his son's birthday party and JD has to ask him "Where do you think we are?"
“Goodnight….Goodbye” from Dinosaurs had me reeling in having the most heaviest goodbyes ever.
that was so dark it stuck with me even now... i knew what became of the Dinosaurs, but i didnt think that the Sinclair family would be there to see it.
@@UltimateGamerCC I can fully understand why. Dinosaurs never lived to tell the tale. What started out something unknown, came in really hard.
I remember watching that episode as a little kid just sobbing, I was old enough to know that this did mirror what happened to the dinosaurs in real life but I never thought I would see that family have to deal with it like that. It was the only time I could remember where even the baby's lines were dramatic and not played for laughs or at least lightheartedness.
@@hazell-moranhomemovies6731 most fucked up ending to a sitcom ever, and i DONT want to see a worse ending than that.
It made me cry when I saw it for the first time... Sideshow Bob had to comfort me for close to an hour after that
that Growing Pains episode hits harder now that Matthew Perry has passed. Rest in Peace.
It may not have been dark as some of these entries, but Monica and Chandler's struggles to have a baby in the last two season of Friends were a pretty serious moment on the show. The episode where they receive the call from the doctor to learn that they're both infertile and they're chances of getting pregnant are almost zero was probably the most heartbreaking moment in the show's history.
You forgot the most important bit of the Blackadder episode. The fade into the poppy fields. That makes it even darker and emotional.
I've noticed that a few Americans don't understand the significance of the poppies and what the end really means.
World War I Remembrance Day Poppies are a symbol of respect and remembrance of those who died in World War I. This poppy flower meaning came about because the the field poppy, hardy yet delicate, was a common part of the landscape on the Western Front during the Great War. After being heavily bombed and scarred, the land did not lend itself to growing much. In his famous poem, “In Flanders Fields,” Canadian-born John McCrae wrote about this pretty red flower that grew over the graves of those who had given the ultimate sacrifice and that beautified the devastated countryside.
@@samsschool3639
'The ultimate sacrifice'
I had to study this poem in both secondary school and university and heard people call the deaths a sacrifice. A sacrifice for what? So that Britain and France could remain the dominant empires for the world, ruling over millions of conquer subjects? And on the other side, millions of Germans dying for their emperor's bid to make Germany the new dominant empire in the world.
All those young men died for the 0.1%. For nothing.
“Field Marshal Haig is about to make yet another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin.”
It’s a really powerful scene and was only originally put in because the producers realised the episode wasn’t long enough. Now it’s remembered as one of the best sitcom endings.
Should have added the episode of News Radio where they say goodbye to Phil Hartman's character. The fact that he was murdered made it so much sadder.
That's one of the few times I've cried watching a TV show. The entire cast was crying throughout the entire episode. Totally real reactions from all of them.
Such a loss to the Simpsons too. How many characters did he voice?
"It wasn't a chicken, It was a BABY!"
Poor Hawkeye. I would have mentally checked out, too.
He remembered it being a chicken, it was his minds way of protecting itself, it was a baby the whole time.
@@c.l.7525 but in a way it's unexpected
I remember Blackadder. That moment was heartbreaking but it was a subtle reminder that as funny as they are, those gentlemen are brave soldiers.
Blackadder had quite a few dark moments, but this was by far the darkest and most memorable.
The best moment for me the "we survived the great war 1914 - 1917". I whent from laughing to oh...
Yes, unlike today's young men who are basically crybabies.
@@dimidrugg9592 You realize there was a draft going on during WW1, and that if the soldiers didn't follow orders, they would be executed, right? It's not as if they had much of a choice.
WW1 was also when science became aware of PTSD, although they called it "shell shock" back then. At the end of 1914, up to 10% of British officers were suffering from mental and nervous issues caused by combat stress.
@@BrokenCurtain My point is that hard times create strong men and easy times weak men.
There's another episode of MASH,when Hawkeye breaks down to the shrink about a beloved family member that pushed him out of a boat into the water,almost drowning him. And then it dawns on him that the family member did it on purpose,and he loses it. Very dark episode,MASH was full of those
I don’t remember that one, what season/episode was it?
@@Rika24 "Bless You, Hawkeye". Season 9, Episode 17
Dr. Freedman comes in because Hawkeye can't stop sneezing
Hawkeye idolized this family member-- who laughed at Hawkeye's mishap. And to make it worse, Hawkeye actually thanked the guy for saving him.
Honestly they could do a list like this just for MASH.
Pretty much any episode with Sid Freedman could be on a top 20 of just MASH episodes (he was always my favorite guest actor). "Ladies and Gentlemen take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice".
I still think Drake and Josh episode, "Josh is Done", was more sad rather than dark
looking back its more cruel
And the way Drake broke down in the classroom
@@thataurus2492 yeah, thats pretty much him hitting the breaking point as his life just falls apart
When Drake apologized/broke down that hit hard
@@codyhiginbotham6616 yup
"What could be darker than the M*A*S*H chicken incident?"
5 seconds later...
"OH."
John Ritter's death anniversary is this Saturday. 2003 along with the 20th anniversary of 9/11. I cried when he died. He was a part of my childhood.
Just watched him in the movie Unforgivable yesterday.
I don't like to call it an 'anniversary' for such tragic event.
I met John Ritter in 1984, while I was in line in a 4-hour wait to be seated in The Tonight Show audience. He may have been leaving the studios after doing an informercial. He came by and chatted with us, doing a little light humor, but mostly just talking to us like a friend. That was very nice of him, and that's how I will always think of John.
It was very hard to watch this episode. My younger brother passed away from the same thing a few weeks before John Ritter.
Watching this made me drop some tears. I remember a lot of these shows when they played.
Not me, I just have allergies.
Shut up.
@@markzuckergecko621 aw, you too? Yeah, those allergies suck. Sniff.
The Ice Age was the most darkest ending to a kids show. It was DEPRESSING.
Facts.
dinosaurs wasn't a kids show tho.
@@TowDow3 it wasn't?
@@HorrorDiva01 it was a family show, but yeah that shit was dark.
If you want a dark kids show watch bravestarr episode the price
Colonel Henry Blake's death in MASH should also be included.
100% agree!
For me it was the episode called Dreams . To this day I still can't watch it
My goodness, yes. That bomb hurt. >_
@@jeffreygalus5417 I’ve seen that one. Once. And never again, thank you.
@@rabbit0877 I know it was about the war but seeing Hawkeye with no arms scared hell out of me
Mash's Horrors of War episode always makes me cry. It's so raw
As a matter of fact, it was the final episode of the series. And a lot of dark moments happened. For instance, a group of refugees who were taught to play classical music were later killed.
It was a yawn. It was complete and utter drivel. Especially the final scene. Pathetic
The episode that made me cry the most in Mash had to be when the major (I forgot his name atm) who left in the helicopter says he's finally going home, gets blown to pieces as he takes off.
@@hydellas678 Actually, that was Colonel Blake, and Radar had to deliver the sad news in the surgery tent.
@@williamcrowe2576 Thx for reminding me. Yes I remember Radar telling them the sad news afterwards.
Any sitcom where a father dies hits me hard every time because I lost my own dad when I was sixteen
I lost mines at 24 and it still bothers me til this day
My dad died 5 months ago in a car wreck.
@@christianparrish6647 🙏🏿
@@samanthasims7123 🙏🏿
@@jordanbenson9094 thanks
Will's father.... That one still kills me. As soon as it came up, so did the lump in my throat.
Watchmojo lowkey botched the Mash episode by leaving out the fact Hawkeye repressed the memory and pretended it was just a chicken she killed
Glad you cleared it up for me cuz I was lost...🤷♂️
'Goodbye, John' is SO heart-breaking, he passed WAY too soon, such an incredibly talented kind man... He is so greatly missed; may he rest in peace
The one from MASH actually haunted my thoughts and emotions for weeks after the episode aired
it helps hit home that while Hawkeye and the others have fun at the base, they are living in fear and madness, for how can people be ok with killing each other, with so little remorse and it not be madness?
The one where bj breaks down because he can’t see his daughters grow up made me not able to sleep that night
It is so good. But this list skips over Hawkeye taking about the chicken making noise, only for the reveal being it was the lady's child.
@@sladestrife They may not have considered it significant since it was the woman killing her child because of his complaints that sent him to the asylum
@@sladestrife yeah, it's no wonder he mentally changed it into a chicken, he just wanted the kid to be quiet, not for her to murder it.
I remember watching 8 Simple Rules when John Ritter died. The writers absolutely nailed it with how they wrote him out. That was the episode that showed that Kaley Cuoco was so much more than just a pretty girl actress. She proved she can rise to the moment when she needs to.
And it's very believable
I only just watched that series for the first time just weeks ago. I really liked it. The Goodbye Episodes were amazing, because it was all so real, they were grieving John Ritter in real life, they didn't have to do much acting, the tears were real. John Ritter was perfect in this show, no one played the over protective father better IMHO.
That MASH episode hits hard
Yeah, I've never watched that show but a few years back I was watching a top 10 like this one and that full scene was there, I was sad when the chicken died and heartbroken when It was shown to be a baby. That scene has been stuck in my head for years now and I always tell myself to watch it properly. It's sad to think that stuff like that probably happened and still does due to wars.
@@HorrorDiva01 you should also see some of the episodes in the first seasons, when they were all happy and making fun. His character is so likeable so fun and then you get the episodes when Maj Sidney(the psychiatrist) comes and those just cut you like a sharp knife.
"WKRP in Cincinnati" had several dark episodes (like Venus being an Army deserter) but the one about the Riverfront Who concert disaster should've been on here.
Yeah my dad told me about this once,
Didn’t people get trampled to death over concert seats or something?
And the sad one about the mass turkey suicide... Haunts me to this day
Yes, that is right up there with all of these.
Will Smith: “THE HELL WITH HIM!!!!”
Me: 😢🥺😢🥺😢🥺
:'(
I feel like the moment when Marshall gets the news that his father has died should be here too.
Absolutely
The darkest moment is when Stanley asked Michael if he stuttered
Wait what?
😂😂😂
Reginald VelJohnson doesn’t get enough credit, in my opinion, from that episode. His and Darius’ acting was so powerful and full of emotion. As a kid that loved this show, I didn’t understand since I was so young. Thank you Hulu for having Family Matters because that clip alone does hit the heart
I watched it when it was on the TGIF lineup when I was a kid. I loved Family Matters so much, and Carl Winslow is easily one of my favorite TV characters.
The episode where the girl gets shot for her jacket is really really good too.
You could easily make a Top 20 of this thing with M•A•S•H alone! More M•A•S•H please!!!
The Point of View one is so iconic!
@@Paige-pk8dr OH MY FUCKING GOD… YESSSSS!!
agreed, M.A.S.H may be long over, but that show was one of the best.
M*A*S*H should definitely have a whole video
I think the first show they made to hit hard was "Abyssinia, Henry" when they killed Blake on his way home.
Hearing Will Smith's voice break like that killed me.
Fun fact: Penny acted based on her father who was abusive to do that scene where she said “No momma no”
Hawkeye's breakdown in the MASH series finally should have been number 1 since Edith's jokes with the cop just didn't carry the same emotional resonance.
These "sitcom darkest" moments made them even better and more memorables
Not a sitcom, but when Mr Hooper on Sesame Street passed away that was pretty heavy back in the day.
Yep, and they have to talk with child therapists about how children handle with the death of a love one.
True that. As a little kid back then i really felt that. (Crap and I had buried that deep in my memory too)
It was beautifully handled tho. In a way that kids can understand and process. And the fact that they said it’s ok to be sad is HUGE
All in the Family was definitely a groundbreaking and powerful show. The final two episodes about the character Beverly LaSalle were extremely well done and absolutely heartbreaking and moving.
I dont care what anyone says the series finale of "The Dinosaurs" is single handedly one of the most depressing things I've ever seen. Then the fact Dad blamed himself for what's happening is just salt in the wound. Those poor adorable lil dinos 😔
i loved how they handle John's death on 8 simple rules and i especially love how they allowed the death to forever alter each of the main characters in subtle and at times not so subtle ways
As they should. John Ritter was like the uncle we all wished we had on Three's Company and then father on 8 Simple Rules. What a sweetie.
Art is supposed to "move you." Thats how you know when it stops being a mere sitcom.
To say this was a DAMN GREAT list is an understatement!!! I was born in 1965..... So I saw most of this list as it originally aired!!! The 'Edith' episode was a true bombshell for network tv at the time. And James Evans death hit my soul..... 😥
All on this list had an everlasting impact even if you never saw the series themselves. Very well done, Watchmojo!!! 😎👍🌹💓😥
‘In the Heat of the Night’ had some really emotional and still quite relevant episodes. Drunk driving, opioid abuse, sexual assault, and racism to name a few.
That was a really good show.
And it wasn't even a sitcom, it was a police procedural drama spun off from the Sidney Poitier film.
Not a sitcom so it doesn't fit the formula for the list, but in particular the episode were the little girl (like 11-13) dies from getting hooked on Crack always hit me really hard and then at the end the Chief explains to her little brother what happened.
Oh my God yes! I watched a lot (and I mean a lot) of In the heat of the night after it was added to Mets. Some of those episodes had me in tears. One in particular when Virgil's wife was trying to save her students but both of them ended up dying (if I'm remembering correctly) in the end.
Howard Rollins was fired from the show because of his drug abuse. That's why they brought in Carl Weathers.
NOTHING beats smothering a baby to death! That was definitely meant to be #1.
To me 8 simple rules and goodtimes beats that but I see ur point.
I've seen that Hawkeye bit a hundred times, still hits me like a truck every time.
No matter how many times I watch it, Will's father episode gets me Every. Single. Time.
I STILL cry like a baby watching Dr. Cox’s breakdowns, especially when Ben dies. Papa Winslow is an especially great scene too, from my era. I was too young for MASH but my mom and dad always enjoyed it and I remember them talking about some of the darker scenes. It’s amazing how tv shows can not only make us laugh, but really hit us in the feels and make us reflect on some of the real issues in life.
That Dinosaurs last episode should be number 1 that traumatized a lot of young and older kids
And what makes it darker, that it's one of the sitcoms that doesn't have a live audience.
@@christianparrish6647 but it's a live action puppet, but also at that time it's very unexpected how the end the show.
I grew up with my dad watching MASH a lot and my brother, who is younger than me, loves watching it too. I feel that it balanced reality and comedy well. It brought up what people who have been to war deal with both during and after and it didn't feel awkwardly shoehorned in. To this day I think it still holds up as a great series.
Honestly, at least half this list could be made up from just MASH episodes.
Gimme a break when Carl dies on the show because he’d died in real life was the first one for me as a kid.
Oh I forgot about that.. That was sad as hell .
I haven't seen enough episodes of that show yet but I remember my mom telling me that he died off the show.
Dolph Sweet...He was great!
The episode of Buffy the Vampire slayer when Buffys mom died was heart wrenching because she's the one who found her 💔
Buffy isn’t a sitcom though. If it were, “The Body” would be #1 no doubt in my mind. I used to be fascinated by that episode... then I lost my mom and I can’t watch it anymore. It’s too real for me now
A sitcom is a situational comedy and there is plenty of that in buffy
Yeah that episode hits hard
@@jfoley76 sitcoms are half hour with mostly comedy and a laugh track. Buffy is a drama
Unfortunately I can't relate since its been yrs now since I watched this show. I don't remember any of the episodes anymore.
I am surprised that Titus didn't make the list. His show tackled subjects that affected his real life such as confronting an abusive girlfriend, his mother's murder of one of her boyfriends or his institulization after his mother's suicide.
That was an underrated and sadly forgotten show.
Very funny and underrated show, talk about one of the worst dads in series of all time.
@@Sliver64 Stacy Keach is a legend, he played the leader of a Neo Nazi group in American History X, and a gay man with a black husband in Two and a Half Men. I challenge you to name an actor with a wider range of characters than that.
Lots of good ones, but have to agree his moms suicide (based of course on his real mentally ill mother) really stood out. The sudden 180 on the jokes was…something.
Awesome, another Titus fan! My son has a script of the show, signed by Christopher Titus, and a picture with him also. Titus is a really cool and kind guy! If you haven't seen it, he's got a podcast on TH-cam also.
Alan Alda's performance in "Horrors of War" was brilliant. That man truly is a master of his craft.
Kinda wished the Full House episode “The Last Dance” made this list. Michelle Tanner comes home to realize from her dad that her great-grandfather died in his sleep in their very home while she was away at school.
I mean, how can a young child comprehend or cope with this loss that just happened during a school day?
But at that time Full House was facing tough sitcoms that became more hipper and edgier
12:09 this is dark, but a really depressing moment, is where rose's blind friend comes over, and when Sophia's son died.
Rose's sister went blind, and she wanted Rose to come home with her because she couldn't cope with her blindness. As for Phil dying, it's heartwrenching to watch Sophia finally breaking down because she'd been so angry at his crossdressing and thinking her daughter-in-law had somehow made him do it.
My saddest sitcom moments from Perfect Strangers:
1. When Carol breaks up with Balki, he thinks he will never fall in love again. But Larry assures him there's someone who is right for him.
2. When Balki's Ya-Ya dies, he is told to go on in life as if nothing has happened, but Larry doesn't want Balki to do it.
3. When Balki is given a chicken foot with one toe missing, he is forced to leave America and return to Mypos. But at the end of the episode, Larry decides to go to Mypos to bring Balki home.
The entire episode when Will's father came back was serious and profound! Will Smith told Uncle Phil, "Who cares what you think? You are not my father!"
Yoooo
That Episode of MASH Broke me
All the episode I was confused, why is there a chicken?, when I realized the truth I was floored ugly sobbing and I'm not even in that generation saw it on reruns
"I didn't mean for her to kill it!" Is still the saddest line I have ever heard in a tv show
The death of Marshall's father on How I Met Your Mother deserves a spot on here. Not only is that a brilliantly written episode (the countdown from 50), but that moment when Lily tells him is almost as heart wrenching as it gets.
There was an episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air that never seems to make lists like this but certainly should be there. I can't remember the exact circumstances, but Will is responsible for Carlton overdosing on drugs and everyone in the family has a strong reaction to him almost dying. Uncle Phil comes close to disowning Will. This is the episode that proved to me that Will Smith could act because he acted the hell out of the scene where he had to face that he had almost gotten his cousin killed and how hard it would have affected him. I know I didn't imagine this episode. No one at these list channels seems to remember it.
Carlton accidently took some drugs from Will's locker and it caused him to collapse during the school dance. Will is praised for saving him, but Will feels guilty since Carlton gets all the blame. He later apologizes to the Banks for the mistake and is embraced by Uncle Phil.
It's the season 3 episode, "Just Say Yo". Another episode is in season 4 (think), is where uncle phil has a heart attack and Carlton has a hard time expressing his feelings.
And yet, the only Fresh Prince episode that ever makes these types of lists is the one where Will's dad rejects him again. It would be nice if there was a little variety here - Fresh Prince had more than one "dark" episode where emotional subjects were hit head on.
Will was SO upset that he could have lost Carlton in that episode! I loved it.
Also, the episode where Will gets shot, and acts all chill about it.
Then he breaks down crying at the end.
@@sailorhathor9705 but it's not his fault at all
I still say MASH is it he greatest sitcom ever.
My dad loved MASH. He was a surgeon and I'm on the Autism Spectrum. My dad jokingly told me that he learned how to operate by watching that show when I was little. I believed him. Now I think it was funny.
Eh I wouldn't go that far. Mash has it's moments but I cannot call it the best.
When I was young, I would always hate it when MASH played late at night because I thought it was an old and boring tv show. When I got older, I tried it and would always stay up when I could to watch it.
@@beartackle Tbh I saw it way after it aired. At first I thought it was a boring TV show too. The more I watched it though the more I came to appreciate it. (It still has its boring moments here and there though)
@@hydellas678 It's easily the best for it's time. and it holds up incredibly well today - outside of the womanizing. considering how quickly comedy goes out of date, it's not really a reach to call it the best.
I thought for sure Jessie's addiction to speed in Saved by the Bell would be on this list.
Caffeine pills aren't exactly life threatening😒
@@crimsonmoonrise9785 I didn’t understand that either when it first aired, but then I learned later on that the original idea was to have her taking speed; but NBC said no.
I know right. I thought that was gonna be there too.
Home Improvement - “The Longest Day”; when the family thought Randy might have cancer.
My memory is sorta fuzzy but I think I remember some of that episode.
I think Family Matters had one episode that’s darker: the one that deals with gun violence in schools and a girl gets shot on campus
It's getting dark in 1995
Funny you mention Barney Miller, the two part, "Goodbye Mr. Fish" was a strong look at the realization that, without a hobby, retirement can be a curse of it's own kind. Especially when you find joy in what you do for a living.
#5 always gets me. Such an amazing performance from Will Smith and James Avery.
After James Avery's death it is even more heartbreaking.
I remember seeing that episode with Will's father. I think I mentioned this to you guys already but that one hit home for me as someone who actually was going through that too. Unfortunately he didn't even send any calls he didn't come and visit, you name it, he did NOT do it. What's funny is that years later I tried to get to know about something about him and the most I got was a picture but it seems nothing was reciprocated. My grandmother had gone to visit Haiti and that's where she got the picture. So yeah you can imagine how hard that hit a prep schooler nearly going into high school me back in the day.
I cannot watch the “Wills dad episode” without falling completely apart. I too had a father who popped up out of the blue after being gone for most of my life. He made a bunch of empty promises he never did keep & then disappeared again. Watching that episode is triggering for me; it emotionally messed me up the first time I watched it. That episode is gut wrenchingly dark, but yet so powerful.
This list is on point for sure. Every last episode that was pointed out is by far the darkest episodes. I'm not crying your crying
No Seinfeld and Married with Children, they had no dark moments.
John Ritter's death in 8 Simple Rules. It was a really great family show, and every character had their own special quirk to them. Of course, John was he staple. I remember watching the new episode on tv, and back then in the early 00's, news didn't run its swift course like it does now. So watching the episode and hearing that Paul died in the grocery store, and the rest of the ep being somber and paying respects still plays in my mind. The world lost a great actor and comedian in 2003.
That Fresh Prince episode hit me hard when I first saw it. My parents had split up not long before and my dad moved half way around the world. He still supported us and remained a part of our lives, and this episode made me thankful for that. I was lucky, even though my dad wasn’t around it wasn’t because of selfish reasons. Sometimes one or both parents aren’t able to look after their child for a variety of reasons, most beyond their control but my heart goes out to anyone who has had one or both parents abandon them for no other reason than that they couldn’t accept a responsibility bigger than themselves.
You forgot the best one. The episode in “How I met Your Mother” when Marshal’s dad dies. I rewatched it the other day and was just awestruck at how abrupt and hard hitting it was
Or when Barney's dad shows up and Barney get mad at him saying something like "if u had to be some lame suburban dad, why couldn't u be that for me?' That was a big one but if u had to choose between Fresh Prince or How I Met Your Mother then Fresh Prince definitely deserves the spot.
Yeah, and the countdown on the background, I remember thinking it was hinting at the mother finally being revealed.
@@Paige-pk8dr I agree, maybe it's cause I'm adopted but stories like that always makes me sad.
And the fact that Jason Segel didn't know that was about to happen so "Marshall's" reaction was entirely improvised by Segel
Damnit man, that one sucked. Marshall's dad was awesome, and was such a perfect reflection of what made Marshall so awesome.
Good times was never the same when James died and in a lot of ways the show never recovered. For that reason alone it should’ve been higher in my opinion.
In a show about overcoming, in a lot of ways it was the one thing they never could. Both in the show and in general.
I know, I stopped watching that show because of it.
Of course, that episode happened because John Amos had the audacity to complain to Norman Lear about J. J's and "DyNOmite!" happening episode after episode . Lear responded by killing off James.
Esther Rolle refused to participate in the fifth season for the same reason. She did return for the final season. Of course, she refused to have the show with a single mom since that was Lear's original premise.
I wholeheartedly agree. I always thought that too.
@@nuwildcat90 John had every right to complain about that. JJ's flanderization happened just like he thought it would. Also to add, Black actors back then were very sensitive to how Black characters were portrayed, wanting for Black characters to have some dignity about them.
Seeing how old bea Arthur is in Golden girls 30 years ago convince me she’s immortal
I remember alot of these( im 40,so whether it was 90s and up or reruns of older shows) ..but i gotta say, the " im so excited" part of saved by the bell between zack and jessie,whom was taking speed to be able to study better, i thought was iconic,since its been parodied on family guy amd others...but for some reason,i tear up a little harder when a sitcom goes dark...my era was fresh prince and family matters and BOTH shows were amazing in the aspect of dramatic subject...i thought it as normal but not all shows goe this route...but its good cause they talk about something serious and when the comedy kicks back in such a relief..theres so many more that i think WE NEED A PART 2
For someone who grew up with John Ritter, “Goodbye” was especially hard to watch. They weren’t just saying goodbye to the character, they were saying goodbye to John.
I bring up John Ritter a lot as well as Alan Thicke. All three of us had the same problem. An aortic dissection. Mine dissected about a decade ago. There is nothing that can be done. There is no early warning. There is no pain when it happens. You just drop dead. You don't feel any different than any other day before or even after it happens. Both Ritter and Thicke had dissections close to their hearts I assume. As did I. The only thing that saved me just happened to be the scariest part of it all. My aorta dissected near my stomach which cut the blood flow off to my legs, paralysing me from the stomach down. I was in the shower when it happened and took about 5-10 minutes to take full effect up to my stomach starting with my toes. I didn't know what was happening to me but I knew I was going to die.
I waited for the EMS to get to my apartment but never showed. I had to crawl outside and scream for my life as one of the police that had responded was about to drive away. Luckily he didn't. He picked me up and put me in the car and drove me to the hospital. There hasn't been a doctor who has seen me since that can explain why this happened to me. I don't have any of the syndromes that would cause it to split like Marfans. I've been tested no less than 50 times. I will be 40 in December and in 14 days will be my 10 year anniversary of that day. I don't know why I decided to share this with you other than I encourage everyone to see their doctor regularly. If he doesn't check your heart..... MAKE HIM! Being 30 isn't an excuse for them not to do their job. My doctor at the time never forgave himself for not checking even after I complained that I knew something was wrong. He checked everything but my heart.
Best wishes to all who read this!
If I'm remembering correctly, the whole reason why they even brought that into the script was because Ritter passed away irl right? Afterwards the show was never really the same and I think abc ended up canceling it because of that and other matters. I was sad when I saw this tbh.
@@hydellas678 yes, they were actually in the middle of filming when he passed away (I don't think he was on set, but they had already began filming the 2nd season)
@@orangeradishneo Ah ok thought so. Thx for informing me on the matter.
@@hydellas678 I just watched this series recently and I thought they did well after Ritter died, they brought in James Garner as Cate's Dad and David Spade as her Nephew and the Kid's older cousin. (Garner and Spade played real well off of each other.) They even brought Ed O'Neil in for an episode, as Cate's old Boyfriend. I really enjoyed the whole show. before and after John Ritter died. I was sad when it finished, and on a bit of a cliff hanger too.
you messed up with MASH, it was a chicken through most of 2 episodes until he was FORCED to remember it was a baby
Where the hell is Marshall's father dying in How I Met Your Mother?
I was probably 5 when I first watched that Will Smith episode with my parents. It hits a little to close to home now...
The Jefferson’s episode with the KKK gets to me, when George saves the man’s life only to have him turn to his son and say “You should have let me die.” The audible gasps from the studio audience made that scene even more chilling.
"You know, I really don't know how that badge stays on because it's pinned to slime."
Fantastic line right there
Gonna need a top 10 tissues to cry into after this one!!!