The Five Spot: Five Seriously Moving Moments In Sitcom History
Back when people still watched network sitcoms in big numbers in the previous century, they typically did so looking to have their funny bones tickled, rather than their heartstrings tugged.
Sure, we occasionally got the *NBC announcer voice* “this week, on a very special…” billing in some of the promotional ads prior to their shows broadcast.
Yet far too often, the end result was an uncomfortable train wreck. This usually left us begging to get back to the funny. For example, try sitting thru the Diff'rent Strokes episode where Arnold’s friend Dudley gets molested. Or the episode when that literal red-headed stepchild Mr. Drumond took in during the later seasons of Diff'rent Strokes (when Arnold was way too old to be cute anymore) gets kidnapped. Let's not even mention (oops) the Mr. Belvedere episode when Wesley’s young friend gets kicked out of school for contracting AIDS. Or the Alf where the wisecracking Melmac-muppet's presence in a pup tent scares a visiting Tanner family member (we're so sorry, Uncle Albert) to death via heart attack. Yes, all of these things happened but let's stay focused.
Almost as a litmus test to determine the true cream of the situation comedy crop, there have been a few shows good enough so a little bit of drama didn’t hurt. In the hands of a skillful writing team, a group of gifted actors or ideally a combination of the two…every once in awhile it could make for one of a series’ most memorable moments and maybe even make things a little misty for you.
Submitted for your consideration, here are five surprisingly emotional and affecting scenes from the now long gone heyday of network TV sitcoms...
Family Ties, Season Two, “Say Uncle” aka Uncle Ned Gives Alex a Slap and Needs To Call A.A. ASAP
Tom Hanks’ acting career has become so long and legendary by this point that it’s easy to forget that his movie career began with screwball comedies like Bachelor Party and The Money Pit in the mid-eighties, let alone that his career was actually launched by cross-dressing on a silly early eighties sitcom called Bosom Buddies. People more likely do remember the show Family Ties, which launched the careers of Michael J. Fox, Courtney Cox and for a brief hot-flash of a moment, Justine Bateman. But the most successful alumnus of the show if we’re counting guest appearances was Tom Hanks, who first displayed his dramatic chops by making quite an impression in a two-part episode as “Uncle Ned”, Alex’s beloved and brilliant uncle on his mom’s side who comes to visit while his life is falling apart due to alcohol addiction. It all culminates in this open-fist-flying-n-crying finale scene.
Good Times, Season Five “The Evans Get Involved” aka Please Save Little Penny From The Iron Lady
Sure, if you’re gonna go with Good Times, the “Damn, Damn, Damn” Florida Evans dish drop at the end of the episode where they kill off her husband James earlier in the series was more iconic. That moment even birthed the hook of one of our favorite OutKast songs, “Spottioddiedopalicious” two decades later. However, we feel this one might be even more effective. Plus we’d rather watch a cute child version of Janet Jackson and Hall of Fine sitcom inductee Thelma Evans than watch Esther Rolle break glass in the kitchen. Janet’s acting may not be Award-worthy. Still, she does actually get what looks like a real tear going in the corner of her eye here. It beats Grown Janet pretending to be Maya Angelou and dating Mai-Carrier-Tupac on the believability scale. And as we’d later discover via TV movies and tabloid stories of father Joseph, child abuse seems to be something Janet and her siblings were more accustomed to than we realized. Meanwhile it was Janet, not Michael filming a Pepsi ad, who was the first Jackson family member to create a stir while getting burned.
Roseanne, Season Five, “Crime & Punishment” aka Aunt Jackie Gets Beaten By Her Man and Messing With Dan Connor’s Fam Is A Violation That Will Not Stand
If you weren’t around to watch Roseanne when it was on the air, it’s difficult to explain how revolutionary it felt or even how great the early-to-mid-years were back before it drifted along with its lead’s popularity and (at times) sanity into some weird Tom Arnold & Martin Mull-mucking mess. This episode was while it was still at its ratings-machine peak, however. This is a finally crafted, well-acted scene but the thing that stuck with us all these years later is the way this episode ends, which feels fully justified and wholly satisfying without potentially spoiling the moment by showing us more. John Goodman was always so good on this show. Encore. Bravo.
Cheers, Season One, “Coach’s Daughter”
No aka for this one. Not as heavy handed thematically as some of the other examples on this list. Not a lot of bells and whistles here, just one of the earliest examples of a great “back office” Cheers scene takes place. These often felt like great stage plays over the course of this series’ life. And this is easily one of our favorites. It channels the inner sweetness of both the character of Coach and the late actor portraying him, Nicholas Colasanto. It was Colasanto’s untimely death while this series was just hitting its stride in terms of popularity that led to us meeting Woody Harrelson after he passed. It may have been this scene that led to Alyce Beasley (portraying Coach’s daughter) getting the gig as the secretary on Moonlighting a year or so later.
Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Season Four, “Papa’s Got A Brand New Excuse” aka The Moment Any Remaining Doubt Will Smith Was Going To Be A Huge Star Was Removed aka How Come He Don’t Want Me, Man?
This also makes us miss the late James Avery (Uncle Phil), who puts in some strong work in this scene particularly in the front part when he confronts Will’s father (played by Broadway legend, Ben Vereen). But really this is known for being the scene that showed the non-believers that this young version of Will Smith had the thespian skills that he’d later display in Six Degrees of Separation and eventually Pursuit of Happyness.
