27 Memorable Dramatic Moments From Hilarious Sitcoms
Not so funny now.
Even some of the funniest sitcoms of all time are not without their moments that make us shed a tear. Relive the most memorable breaks between laugh tracks that proved to be the most heartbreaking right here.
Ben Sullivan's Death (Scrubs)
In Scrubs' third season, Brendan Fraser reprised his Season 1 guest role as Dr. Cox's brother-in-law, Ben Sullivan — a Leukemia patient who, by the end of the episode, convinces Cox to forgive J.D. (Zach Braff) for losing a patient on his watch. Just a moment later, it is revealed that Ben was the patient who passed and Cox's conversations with him throughout the episode had been imagined.
Will's Father Leaves Again (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air)
For Will Smith, the most special episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sees his fictional counterpart reunited with his estranged father, Lou (Ben Vereen), only for their planned road trip to be scrapped when Lou selfishly walks out of his son’s life again. No one can resist getting teary-eyed when Will asks Uncle Phil (James Avery), “How come he don't want me, man?" before breaking down in his arms.
Phoebe's Final Moment With Her Triplets (Friends)
In Season 4 of Friends, Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) is asked by her half-brother (Giovanni Ribisi) and his wife (Debra Jo Rupp) to be a surrogate mother for their triplets and, after giving birth, admits to Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) that she wants to keep one of them. However, she ultimately accepts that the children do not belong to her, but is able to have one moment alone with the infants before passing them along to their parents.
Marshall's Father Passes Away (How I Met Your Mother)
One of Jason Segel's most riveting performances comes from the devastating conclusion of Episode 13 of How I Met Your Mother's sixth season when Lily (Alyson Hannigan) tells Marshall that his father (Bill Fagerbakke) had a heart attack and did not make it. Segel actually improvised the line, "I'm not ready for this," which had the comedy's co-creator, Carter Bays, looking away in tears.
Eric Must Decide Not To Adopt Tommy (Boy Meets World)
In Boy Meets World's sixth season, Eric Matthews (Will Friedle) meets and befriends an orphan named Tommy (J.B. Gaynor), whom Eric tries to adopt, only to realize he would be better off with someone else, which breaks the boy's heart. They would later reunite in an emotional episode from Disney Channel's sequel series, Girl Meets World, when the grown-up Tommy reveals that Eric giving him up was the best thing anyone had ever done for him.
Penny's Abusive Home Life (Good Times)
Janet Jackson made her acting debut on the fifth season of Good Times in the groundbreaking role of Penny — a young girl whom the Evans befriend after J.J. (Jimmie Walker) discovers she followed him home. They later learn she ran away to avoid her abusive mother, but she luckily finds a new mother in Wilona Woods (Ja'net DuBois).
Paul's Sudden Death (8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter)
In 2003, John Ritter passed away at the age of 54 after only completing one full season as the lead of the ABC sitcom, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. The former Three's Company star's untimely death was addressed in the second season's two-part fourth episode in which the Hennessy family and others gather to mourn his character, Paul.
Terry Is Racially Profiled (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
One of the best episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, called "Moo Moo," addresses the topic of racial prejudice in the police force, as seen through the eyes of Terry Crews' character, Terry Jeffords. While searching for his daughter's blanket in his own neighborhood at night, he is nearly arrested by a police officer (Desmond Harrington) without probable cause.
Arnold Meets Mr. Horton (Diff'rent Strokes)
In one of the most famous episodes of Diff'rent Strokes (and most noted "very special episodes" in sitcom history), Arnold (Gary Coleman) and his friend, Dudley (Shavar Ross) meet a bicycle shop owner named Mr. Horton (Gordon Jump) who grows uncomfortably close to the boys. As it turns out, Horton is not the kind of man you want around children and, luckily, Phillip (Conrad Bain) finds out about their secret meetings with him before Arnold can get too close.
Maude's Unwanted Pregnancy (Maude)
In only its first season, the acclaimed All in the Family spin-off, Maude, addressed the topic of unwanted pregnancy when Bea Arthur's middle-aged title character is unexpectedly with child. Ultimately, in one of the boldest moments in TV history, Maude decides not to have the baby.
Jim Says Goodbye To Michael (The Office)
The end of Steve Carell's tenure on NBC’s The Office cast was met with one of the mockumentary series' most unforgettably emotional moments when Jim (John Krasinski) realizes today will be the last time he sees his boss, Michael Scott. He stops Michael from a traditional goodbye and instead tells him they can have a proper farewell at lunch "tomorrow" and tearfully calls him the best boss he ever had.
Hawkeye's Horrific Realization (MASH)
There were many reasons to shed a tear during the final episode of MASH, including when Hawkeye (Alan Alda) recalls a time he forced a woman on a bus holding a chicken to keep it quiet out of fear that enemy soldiers would hear them. It is later revealed that he is misremembering the incident and breaks down when he realizes it was really an infant that the woman fatally smothered on accident.
Ross And Rachel Break Up (Friends)
One of the most devastating break-ups in TV history comes from the third season of Friends when Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) discovers Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer), believing their relationship was over, stepped out with another woman. The couple's heartwarming will-they-won't-they arc from the previous seasons made this split especially heart-breaking and their eventual reconciliation in the finale all the more satisfying.
Brian Dies (Family Guy)
In a shocking turn of events, the Griffins' talking dog, Brian (Seth MacFarlane) was run over by a car and died in the Family Guy Season 12 episode, "Life of Brian." The controversial, yet heartfelt, move was reversed only two episodes later with help from Stewie's (MacFarlane) time machine.
Edith's Assault (All In The Family)
A two-part episode from the eighth season of All in the Family titled "Edith's 50th Birthday" sees Mrs. Bunker (Jean Stapleton) suffer an attempted assault by a man posing as a detective while her family was next door planning a surprise party. The second half of the episode — the first in a sitcom to address the issue — follows her struggles to come to terms with her trauma.
Mateo Gets Deported (Superstore)
It was not until after Mateo Liwanag (Nico Santos) was hired at Cloud 9 that he discovered he was an undocumented immigrant, beginning a very poignant and sobering arc on Superstore depicting his struggles with his immigration status. It comes to a heartbreaking head in the Season 4 finale when the Philippines-born man is taken away by ICE as his co-workers gather outside the store to watch him go.
Greg's Fatal Car Accident (Family Ties)
One of the most stylistically unique episodes of Family Ties was a two-parter that aired during its fifth season, in which Alex P. Keaton's (Michael J. Fox) friend, Greg (Brian McNamara), perishes in a car crash. The tragedy causes him to experience survivor's remorse, upon realization that he was supposed to be with his friend the night of the accident, and to reevaluate his life and his future.
Eddie Faces Discrimination (Family Matters)
Family Matters tackled the topic of discrimination within the police force in the Season 5 episode, "Good Cop, Bad Cop," in which Eddie (Darius McCrary) is pulled over and harassed by two officers for being a Black man in a white neighborhood. This prompts his father, Sgt. Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson), to track down the cops involved, with whom he has a powerful conversation about racial profiling.
Seymour's Wait For Fry (Futurama)
In Futurama's Season 4 episode "Jurassic Bark," Fry (Billy West) wants to clone his old dog, Seymour, but decides against it after learning he lived another 12 years after he was cryogenically frozen. Unbeknownst to him, Seymour spent all those years outside of Panucci's Pizza waiting for his owner's return.
Shawn Loses His Father (Boy Meets World)
Quite a few dramatic moments on Boy Meets World stemmed from Shawn Hunter's (Rider Strong) relationship with his father, Chet (Blake Clark). Right when it seemed like they were about to have the dynamic Shawn longed for, Chet succumbed to a heart attack.
Martha Wants To End Her Life (The Golden Girls)
In a landmark episode of The Golden Girls called "Not Another Monday," Sophia's (Estelle Getty) friend, Martha (Geraldine Fitzgerald), reveals she plans to take her own life and wants Sophia to be there when it happens. Sophia ultimately convinces her friend not to go through with the decision after ensuring her that she will always be there for her whenever she is in need.
Blackadder's Crew Face Their Fates (Blackadder)
One of Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson's best TV shows is Blackadder — a quasi-anthological farce that pokes fun at different notable periods in history. The final episode of the final season, which is set during World War I, was surprisingly poignant and darkly moody, depicting how the titular military captain and his men prepare to enter what could very likely be the final battle of their lives.
Henry Blake's Plane Is Shot Down (MASH)
Only a comedy series like MASH — which takes place at a military hospital during the Korean War — could write out a character in such a profound and devastating way as they did in Season 3. The death of McLean Stevenson's beloved character, Henry Blake, whose plane was shot down over the sea of Japan, proved to be controversial but was nonetheless a powerful exploration of the unforgiving nature of war.
Victor’s Reaction To Elena Coming Out (One Day At A Time)
In the Netflix original reimagining of the classic sitcom, One Day at a Time, Elena Alvarez (Isabella Gómez) reveals that she is a lesbian and is met with support from all of her family members, except for her father, Victor (James Martinez). During her Quinceañera, he leaves before he is meant to join her for the father-daughter dance, but her supportive family members take his place. Luckily, in the third season, Victor comes to accept his daughter for who she is and, when he gets remarried, dances with her at the reception.
James Evans Dies (Good Times)
When speaking to Sway, John Amos revealed that he was fired from the Good Times cast for, admittedly, expressing his creative issues over the sitcom in a non-professional manner. Thus, his character, James Evans, was tragically killed off in Season 4 by a car accident, just as his family was planning to move from Chicago and join him in Mississippi.
Sandy Doesn't Get His Second Chance (Growing Pains)
Future Friends cast member Matthew Perry had a recurring role on Growing Pains as Carol Seaver's (Tracy Gold) boyfriend, Sandy, who ends up in the hospital after a car accident and faces DUI charges but is happy to have survived. Unfortunately, his second chance at life comes short because, only later that day, Carol learns he has passed due to internal bleeding.
Jesse's Caffeine Pill Addiction (Saved By The Bell)
Growing increasingly desperate to juggle her many responsibilities, Jesse Spano (Elizabeth Berkeley) turns to caffeine pills for help. However, it soon becomes a habit that grows out of control, leading to one of Save By the Bell's most memorably earnest moments when Jesse breaks down, begging Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) for help.
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