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ABC Afterschool Special

1972 – 1997Show25 seasons148 episodes

Drama
68
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb7.2
68
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb7.2

Summary

Dramatically presented situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were either in animated form or presented as documentaries. Topics included illiteracy, substance abuse and teenage pregnancy.

Good for

  • Family movie night
  • Kids
  • Teens

Where to watch

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Not streaming in any country yet.

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Not for laughs, scares or adrenaline.

Shows with

ABC Afterschool Special episodes

25 seasons · 148 episodes

  1. S1 E1 The Last of the Curlews, 8.2
  2. S1 E2 Follow the North Star, 6.9
  3. S1 E3 Santiago's Ark, 6.4
  4. S1 E4 William: The Life, Works and Times of William Shakespeare, 6.8
  5. S1 E5 The Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip, 7.5
  6. S1 E6 Alexander, 6.6
  1. S2 E1 Rookie of the Year, 6.5
  2. S2 E2 My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel, 6.4
  3. S2 E3 Pssst! Hammerman's After You!, 7.2
  4. S2 E4 Cyrano, 7.2
  5. S2 E5 Runaways, 6.1
  6. S2 E6 The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head, 7.0
  1. S3 E1 Sara's Summer of the Swans, 6.9
  2. S3 E2 The Bridge of Adam Rush, 6.9
  3. S3 E4 The Toothpaste Millionaire, 7.6
  4. S3 E5 The Skating Rink, 6.4
  5. S3 E7 The Secret Life of T.K. Dearing, 7.1
  1. S4 E1 It Must Be Love, 'Cause I Feel So Dumb, 7.4
  2. S4 E2 Fawn Story, 7.3
  3. S4 E3 The Shaman's Last Raid, 7.2
  4. S4 E4 The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon, 7.7
  5. S4 E5 Me and Dad's New Wife, 6.5
  6. S4 E6 Blind Sunday, 7.1
  7. S4 E7 Dear Lovey Hart: I Am Desperate, 7.2
  1. S5 E1 Francesca, Baby, 7.6
  2. S5 E2 P.J. and the President's Son, 5.7
  3. S5 E3 Mighty Moose and the Quarterback Kid, 7.2
  4. S5 E4 My Mom's Having a Baby, 8.4
  5. S5 E5 The Horrible Honchos, 7.4
  6. S5 E6 Very Good Friends, 7.9
  1. S6 E1 Hewitt's Just Different, 8.3
  2. S6 E2 The Pinballs, 7.8
  3. S6 E3 Michel's Mixed-Up Musical Bird, 6.2
  4. S6 E4 It Isn't Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire, 7.2
  5. S6 E5 The Rag Tag Champs, 7.2
  6. S6 E6 Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me, 7.4
  7. S6 E7 It's a Mile from Here to Glory, 7.3
  1. S7 E1 One of a Kind, 7.3
  2. S7 E2 A Home Run for Love, 7.7
  3. S7 E3 Gaucho, 5.8
  4. S7 E4 Dinky Hocker, 7.8
  5. S7 E5 Make-Believe Marriage, 6.7
  6. S7 E6 The Terrible Secret, 7.4
  7. S7 E7 The Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid, 6.9
  1. S8 E1 Which Mother Is Mine?, 7.4
  2. S8 E2 A Movie Star's Daughter, 7.4
  3. S8 E3 A Special Gift, 7.6
  4. S8 E4 The Late Great Me! Story of a Teenage Alcoholic, 7.8
  5. S8 E5 Heartbreak Winner, 6.7
  6. S8 E6 Where Do Teenagers Come From?, 8.4
  7. S8 E7 What Are Friends For?, 6.3
  1. S9 E1 A Family of Strangers, 7.8
  2. S9 E2 Schoolboy Father, 7.4
  3. S9 E3 The Gymnast, 8.7
  4. S9 E4 Stoned, 5.8
  5. S9 E5 A Matter of Time, 7.5
  6. S9 E6 Run, Don't Walk, 7.6
  7. S9 E7 My Mother Was Never a Kid, 7.2
  1. S10 E1 She Drinks a Little, 7.3
  2. S10 E2 Starstruck, 7.3
  3. S10 E3 Tough Girl, 7.3
  4. S10 E4 The Color of Friendship, 8.8
  5. S10 E5 The Unforgivable Secret, 7.2
  6. S10 E6 Daddy, I'm Their Mama Now, 6.0
  1. S11 E1 Amy & the Angel, 7.3
  2. S11 E2 Between Two Loves, 6.6
  3. S11 E3 A Very Delicate Matter, 5.8
  4. S11 E4 Please Don't Hit Me, Mom, 7.4
  5. S11 E5 The Woman Who Willed a Miracle, 8.9
  6. S11 E6 Have You Ever Been Ashamed of Your Parents?, 6.8
  7. S11 E7 But It's Not My Fault, 6.7
  8. S11 E8 The Wave, 8.7
  1. S12 E1 It's No Crush, I'm in Love, 7.0
  2. S12 E2 The Hand-Me-Down Kid, 7.0
  3. S12 E4 Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy, 6.4
  4. S12 E5 The Great Love Experiment, 7.9
  5. S12 E6 Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia, 8.3
  1. S13 E1 Summer Switch, 3.6
  2. S13 E2 Out of Step, 7.6
  3. S13 E3 The Almost Royal Family, 7.0
  4. S13 E4 Mom's on Strike, 6.2
  5. S13 E5 I Want to Go Home, 8.1
  6. S13 E6 First the Egg, 6.3
  7. S13 E7 One Too Many, 6.8
  1. S14 E1 No Greater Gift, 5.4
  2. S14 E2 Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale, 7.6
  3. S14 E3 Don't Touch, 7.8
  4. S14 E4 High School Narc, 8.9
  5. S14 E5 Can a Guy Say No?, 7.1
  6. S14 E6 Are You My Mother?, 7.6
  7. S14 E7 Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge, 6.0
  1. S15 E1 A Desperate Exit, 7.6
  2. S15 E2 Wanted: The Perfect Guy, 5.1
  3. S15 E3 Teen Father, 7.3
  4. S15 E4 The Gift of Amazing Grace, 8.4
  5. S15 E5 Supermom's Daughter, 6.9
  6. S15 E6 Divorced Kids' Blues, 6.7
  1. S16 E1 Just a Regular Kid: An AIDS Story, 7.9
  2. S16 E2 The Kid Who Wouldn't Quit: The Brad Silverman Story, 6.4
  3. S16 E3 The Day My Kid Went Punk, 5.9
  4. S16 E4 Seasonal Differences, 7.9
  5. S16 E5 Terrible Things My Mother Told Me, 6.7
  6. S16 E6 Daddy Can't Read, 4.4
  1. S17 E1 Date Rape, 7.1
  2. S17 E2 A Family Again, 7.4
  3. S17 E3 Tattle: When to Tell on a Friend, 8.0
  4. S17 E4 Taking a Stand, 6.9
  5. S17 E5 Just Tipsy, Honey, 7.7
  6. S17 E6 The Cheats, 6.0
  7. S17 E7 Torn Between Two Fathers, 6.9
  1. S18 E1 My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He?, 6.6
  2. S18 E2 Private Affairs, 7.9
  3. S18 E3 A Town's Revenge, 7.7
  4. S18 E4 All That Glitters, 7.1
  5. S18 E5 Over the Limit, 6.4
  6. S18 E6 The Perfect Date, 6.3
  1. S19 E1 A Question About Sex, 5.7
  2. S19 E2 Testing Dirty, 5.8
  3. S19 E3 Stood Up!, 6.7
  4. S19 E4 The Less Than Perfect Daughter, 7.5
  5. S19 E5 It's Only Rock & Roll, 5.3
  1. S20 E1 In the Shadow of Love: A Teen AIDS Story, 7.3
  1. S21 E4 Girlfriend, 9.7
  1. S22 E1 Love Hurts, 7.1
  1. S23 E1 Boys Will Be Boys, 6.9
  2. S23 E2 Magical Make-Over, 7.4
  3. S23 E4 Notes for My Daughter, 6.8
  4. S23 E5 Long Road Home, 7.7
  1. S24 E1 Fast Forward, 5.2
  2. S24 E2 Positive: A Journey Into AIDS, 7.7
  3. S24 E4 Educating Mom, 7.3
  4. S24 E5 Daddy's Girl, 6.9
  1. S25 E1 Too Soon for Jeff, 4.9
  2. S25 E2 Me and My Hormones, 7.6
  3. S25 E3 Teenage Confidential, 5.3
  4. S25 E4 Miracle at Trapper Creek, 8.4

Cast

24 of 173 · most episodes first

Crew

Directors
Larry Elikann, Robert C. Thompson, Herbert Klynn
Written by
Beth Thompson, Arthur Heinemann, Courtney Flavin
Produced by
David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, William Hanna
Music by
Dean Elliott, Jonathan Sheffer, Michel Legrand

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

October 4, 1972 · January 23, 1997 · Ended

First aired
October 4, 1972
Last aired
January 23, 1997
Status
Ended
Length
25 seasons · 148 episodes
Content
Disturbing Imagery
Genres
Drama
Original language
English

Q&A

6 questions, like "Is ABC Afterschool Special worth watching?"

Questions about ABC Afterschool Special

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Is ABC Afterschool Special worth watching?

68
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 68 (IMDb 7.2). Season 25 is the weak spot, with an IMDb average of 5.3 against 9.7 for the best season.

Which season of ABC Afterschool Special is best?

Season 21, with an IMDb average of 9.7. Season 25 is the weakest at 5.3. The highest-rated episode is The Woman Who Willed a Miracle (season 11, episode 5) at 8.9, and the lowest is Summer Switch (season 13, episode 1) at 3.6.

Is ABC Afterschool Special okay for kids?

Disturbing imagery

Yes: its content advisories are disturbing imagery, and the viewing guide lists it for kids.

How long does it take to watch ABC Afterschool Special?

148 h

About 148 hours: 148 episodes in 25 seasons of about 60 minutes each, aired from 1972 to 1997.

Can I half-watch ABC Afterschool Special?

Easy watchDemanding

Yes: it's easy to follow, with complexity at only 3 of 10, and the viewing guide calls it drop-in friendly.

Is ABC Afterschool Special plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

Mostly character-driven: it leans on pathos (7 of 10) and dialogue centrality (7 of 10) more than on its plot.