Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Kids TV
    Kids TV TV Shows - 1970s TV Shows - 1980s TV Shows - 1990s 2 Mins Read

    ABC After School Specials

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 7 2 – 1 9 9 7 (USA)

    Premiering on 4 October 1972, ABC After School Specials were sixty-minute specials for young people, both dramatic and documentary, and were broadcast on occasional weekday afternoons between 1972 to 1997.

    The specials began in animated form but soon became live-action stand-alone TV movies that explored the angst and problems that real kids experienced.

    Episodes provided a regular dose of drama to pre-teens and teens during the school year in the hours after school and before dinner, delivering messages on everything from proper nutrition to the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

    These movies gave many budding young actors the spotlight, and names such as Jodi Foster, Rob Lowe and Jennifer Jason Leigh got their start on the Afterschool Specials.

    Noteworthy pieces included ‘The Wave’, in which a high school teacher teaches his students about social conformity using Third Reich propaganda tactics; ‘Winning and Losing’, about a senate race, and the animated literature classic, ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’.

    Other titles included ‘My Dad lives in a Downtown Hotel’ (with Beau Bridges), ‘The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red’s Head’, ‘Pssst! Hammerman’s After You!’, ‘It Must Be Love, ‘Cause I Feel So Dumb’, ‘Dinky Hocker’, ‘New York City Too Far From Tampa Blues’, ‘Reading, Writing and Reefer’, ‘Have You Ever Been Ashamed Of Your Parents?’, ‘The Day The Senior Class Got Married’, ‘High School Narc’, ‘The Day My Kid Went Punk’, ‘Daddy Can’t Read’, ‘The Secret Life Of TK Dearing’, ‘Me & Dad’s New Wife’ and ‘Mighty Moose & The Quarterback Kid’.

    Some specials boasted celebrity involvement such as teen idol Scott Baio going on a drug-fueled binge in ‘Stoned’ and an alcoholic bender in ‘The Boy Who Drank Too Much’, and Oprah Winfrey, who hosted an after-afterschool special panel discussion following the airing of ‘I Hate the Way I Look’.

    NBC countered with its Special Treat from 1975 to 1986. CBS also had its Schoolbreak Special from 1980 to 1996.

    Many of the After School Special episodes are preserved for eternity on DVD, although today’s kids might be too busy giggling at the strange clothing and hairstyles to truly appreciate the important messages they sought to share.

    Related Posts

    • Stars In Their Eyes
      Stars In Their Eyes
      1 9 9 0 - 2 0 1 5 (UK) Granada Television took a Dutch programme called The Soundmixshow -…
    • Zoo Time
      Zoo Time
      1 9 5 6 - 1 9 6 8 (UK) 500+ x 25 minute episodes With videotape and film expensive, and…
    • Ding Dong School
      Ding Dong School
      1 9 5 2 - 1 9 5 6 (USA) Designed for pre-schoolers, NBC's Ding Dong School was one of US…
    • ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
      ABC Saturday Superstar Movie
      1 9 7 2 - 1 9 7 4 (USA) Comedy, adventure, and science fiction themed Saturday morning fare in the…
    • Rage
      Rage
      1 9 8 7 - Current (Australia) This popular all-night Australian music video programme has broadcast all through Friday nights and Saturday…
    • My So-Called Life
      My So-Called Life
      1 9 9 4 - 1 9 9 5 (USA) 19 x 60 minute episodes This bittersweet ABC drama series looked…
    • Metric Marvels, The
      Metric Marvels, The
      1 9 7 8 - 1 9 7 9 (USA) 7 x 2 minute episodes These two-minute vignettes - screened on…
    • Smith and Goody
      Smith and Goody
      1 9 8 0 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes This Thames Television series starred Mel Smith and Bob Goody and…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleLassie
    Next Article Marcus Welby, MD

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Ricochet Racers
      Ricochet Racers were just cooler than cool – well, the […]
    • 87th Precinct
      1 9 6 1 – 1 9 6 2 (USA) 29 x 60 minutes episodes Detective […]
    • Andros Targets, The
      1 9 7 7 (USA) 13 x 60 minute episodes James Sutorius was Mike […]
    • Lateline
      1 9 9 8 – 1 9 9 9 (USA) 23 x 30 minute episodes This […]
    • Chants, The
      All the Merseybeat performers who made the charts were white, […]
    • Rabid (1977)
      Badly injured in a motorcycle crash, Rose (Marilyn Chambers, […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.