Browse all episodes of ABC Afterschool Special

Last of the Curlews

Follow the North Star

Santiago's Ark

Introduces William Shakespeare to young people through sketches, readings and music.

William

A partially-animated special about two youngsters who are miniaturized, then travel through their Uncle's body to understand more about his health.

The Incredible, Indelible Magical, Physical Mystery Trip

Alexander

Rookie of the Year

Divorce, as seen through the eyes of a young boy. The youngster - whose father has been ordered out of the house and is forced to take up permanent residence in a downtown hotel - is traumatized by the imminent divorce, and it is up to his loved ones to help him cope.

My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel

A small-for-his-age sixth-grade student and his wild attempts to flee a bully after word gets around he thinks of him as a Neanderthal.

Pssst! Hammerman's After You

Cyrano

The Runaways

Two youngsters are shrunk so they can enter their teenage sister's head, and discover how the mind works.

The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head

The Crazy Comedy Concert

Teenage girl is forced to confront the problems involving her mentally challenged brother.

Sara's Summer of the Swans

The Bridge of Adam Rush

Winning and Losing: Diary of a Campaign

The Toothpaste Millionaire

The Skating Rink

Santiago's America

The Secret Life of T.K. Dearing

It Must Be Love ('Cause I Feel So Dumb)

The Fawn Story

The Shaman's Last Raid

This cute story centers around an insecure 6th grader, Duffy Moon (played by Ike Eisenmann), whose discovery of "Cosmic Awareness" leads him on a journey to self-discovery and confidence that he can do anything.

The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon

Me and Dad's New Wife

Blind Sunday

Dear Lovey Hart: I Am Desperate

Semi-standard ABC Afterschool Special about Francesca James, a teenage daughter dealing with her alcoholic mother through the support group Ala-Teen.

Francesca, Baby

Update of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. Delivery boy and President's son discover they are exact doubles of one another, and decide to swap identities.

P.J. and the President's Son

Mighty Moose and the Quarterback Kid

My Mom's Having a Baby is an American television teen comedy/documentary that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on February 16, 1977. The program would be historic as it was the first television program of its kind in the United States to showcase the pregnancy process and conception to young people, using a combination of animation and live action. The program was a co-production between Dick Clark Productions and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.

My Mom's Having a Baby

The Horrible Honchos

Very Good Friends

Hewitt's Just Different

Three diverse kids with different outlooks on life are sent to a foster home until family problems can be worked out.

The Pinballs

Michel's Mixed-Up Musical Bird

It Isn't Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire

The Rag-Tag Champs

Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me

It's a Mile from Here to Glory

One of a Kind

A Home Run for Love

Gaucho

Make-Believe Marriage

The Terrible Secret

The Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid

Which Mother is Mine?

A Movie Star's Daughter

A Special Gift

The Late Great Me

Dinky Hocker is an American television teen comedy/drama that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on December 12, 1979. It was based on the 1972 novel Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack by M.E. Kerr.

Dinky Hocker

The Heartbreak Winner

Where Do Teenagers Come From? was an American television teen comedy/documentary that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on March 5, 1980. The live action/animation program was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and was a sequel to the 1977 program My Mom's Having a Baby. The special was notable for its signature song "Growing Up," written by Doug Goodwin.

Where Do Teenagers Come From?

What Are Best Friends For?

A widower's two teen-aged daughters resent their father's remarriage to a single mother, especially since the woman's 12-year-old daughter (who is several years younger) will now compete for the parents attention. This special focuses on the parents' attempts to unite the new stepsisters into a loving family.

A Family of Strangers

High school senior discovers his summer girlfriend has given birth to his child, and decides to fight for custody.

Schoolboy Father

The Gymnast

Stoned

A Matter of Time

Run, Don't Walk

My Mother Was Never a Kid is an American television teen fantasy/comedy/drama that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on March 16, 1981. It was based on the 1977 Francine Pascal novel Hangin' Out With CiCi, which in turn was the first teen novel in the "Victoria Martin" trilogy series. It was also the first of two Pascal teen novels that were adapted into Afterschool Specials for the network, the other being The Hand-Me-Down Kid.

My Mother Was Never a Kid

""She Drinks a Little"" ... or does she a lot, lot more? That's what Cindy's friends try to convince her as she denies that her mother may be a flat-out alcoholic. Eventually, Cindy sees that her mother indeed has a serious drinking problem and needs help. This ABC Afterschool Special showcases Alateen, the national support group for teenagers with alcoholic family members.

She Drinks a Little

Aspiring teen folk singer is torn whether to continue her singing or to accept an educational scholarship.

Starstruck

After juvenile delinquent Renie Lake is caught dealing drugs in a stolen van, she is court ordered to live with her father and rigid step-family. Despite living with a family that seems to dislike her, she re-enrolls in High School and befriends a hearing-impaired girl.

Tough Girl

The Color of Friendship is a 1981 film shown as part of the ABC Afterschool Special series. It's about the friendship between two 13-year-old boys, one black and one white, in a small town that has just started integrating its schools.

The Color of Friendship

The Unforgivable Secret

Daddy, I'm Their Mama Now

Sometimes I Don't Love My Mother

Amy and the Angel

A teen violinist is torn between her musical career and her boyfriend. (Also knowns as "Between Two Loves")

Two Loves for Jenny

A Very Delicate Matter

Please Don't Hit Me, Mom is a TV episode that was nominated for Outstanding Children's Program in the 34th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Please Don't Hit Me, Mom

Have You Ever Been Ashamed of Your Parents?

But It's Not My Fault

The Wave, is a short made-for-TV movie directed by Alex Grasshoff, based on Ron Jones' The Third Wave experiment. Though more prominently featured as an episode of the ABC Afterschool Special series, this show debuted October 4, 1981, almost two years before being featured in the Afterschool Special series.

It starred Bruce Davison as the teacher Ben Ross, a character based on Jones.

A novelization of the film The Wave, was released in the same year. Ron Jones' writings and Johnny Dawkins' screenplay were also basis of the 2008 German film The Wave

The Wave

It's No Crush, I'm in Love

The Hand Me Down Kid

The Dog Days of Arthur Cane

Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy

Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia

Teacher discovers that the star basketball player is illiterate, and makes it his mission to teach him how to read.

The Hero Who Couldn't Read

Video-arcade whiz and teen movie star discover they are exact doubles and decide to switch identities.

The Celebrity and the Arcade Kid

Summer Switch

An aspiring teenager Lisa dancer gets the chance to try out for a dance troupe. But will fear of failure keep her from auditioning? Terry Donahoe stars as Lisa Williams.

Out of Step

The Almost Royal Family is an American television teen comedy that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on October 23, 1984. The program was based on the 1973 novel Meanwhile, Back At the Castle, by Hope Campbell.

The Almost Royal Family

Mom's On Strike

I Want to Go Home

First the Egg

Four high school friends find their lives changed forever when one of the friends drives drunk with devastating results.

One Too Many

No Greater Gift

Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale

A teen-aged girl named Karen Anderson suspects that Molly Stewart, the 6-year-old girl she is baby-sitting, is behaving quite strangely around an adult friend of the Stewarts. Turns out that the man is likely molesting Molly. Karen tries to bring the matter to the Stewarts' attention, but they only take action when it is almost too late. This special takes a look at child molestation and explores the warning signs people should notice.

Don't Touch

Can a Guy Say No?

Are You My Mother?

Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge

A Desperate Exit

A teen-aged boy and his girlfriend secretly place personal ads for his divorced mother, Ellie, in an effort to find Mr. Right. The two screen potential dates, but none of them seem right for Ellie. In the end, it is Ellie who finds the man who she deems ""the perfect guy.

Wanted: The Perfect Guy

Teen Father

The Gift of Amazing Grace

Supermom's Daughter

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.

All Episodes of ABC Afterschool Special

Season 1

Last of the Curlews

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 10/4/1972

Follow the North Star

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 11/1/1972

Santiago's Ark

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 12/6/1972

William

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 1/3/1973

The Incredible, Indelible Magical, Physical Mystery Trip

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2/7/1973

Alexander

Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 4/4/1973