9 of the Strangest ‘Afterschool Specials’ & The Stars in Them

The words “Afterschool Special” instantly summon up a certain kind of story: tales of drugs, teen pregnancy, peer pressure and family discord, with heavy-handed moral messages served up alongside drama that’s so over the top, it would make a Lifetime Original Movie blush.

ABC Afterschool Specials (and the similar CBS Schoolbreak) get a bad rap these days as laughably corny and out of touch. But the series’ 24 year run from 1972 to 1996 served as a launching pad for countless careers, from Jodie Foster and Val Kilmer to Helen Hunt and Ben Affleck, and some episodes picked up Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards, as well as glowing letters from teen fans.

But other episodes … well, they were just weird. How weird? “Using a genie to try to get a date” — weird. “Running down your girlfriend’s mom with a car” — weird. These episodes didn’t quite fit in with the series’ mission of creating simple moral lessons for teens … but if nothing else, they were memorable.