After school special
{{Short description|American television films dealing with youth issues}}
{{about|the genre of children's television programming|the ABC television series|ABC Afterschool Special|other uses|After School Special (disambiguation)}}
File:After School Specials.jpg
The American Broadcasting Company coined the term After School Special (sometimes rendered Afterschool Special) in 1972{{cite web
|url=http://www.retroland.com/pages/retropedia/tv/item/5806/
|title=Retroland {{!}} ABC Afterschool Special
|accessdate=2015-09-12
|date=2004-07-16
|publisher=Retroland, Inc.
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416171944/http://www.retroland.com/pages/retropedia/tv/item/5806/
|archivedate=2007-04-16
|url-status=live
}} with a series of television films, usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant issues, that were generally broadcast in the late afternoon and meant to be viewed by school-age children, particularly teenagers.[https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/577502/abc-afterschool-special-history Traumatic Episodes: A History of the ABC Afterschool Special | Mental Floss] The specials were generally broadcast four to six times during the school year, pre-empting local programming that would usually follow the network schedule in the late afternoon. ABC's series ran from 1972 to 1997.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}
Competitors
CBS distributed its own productions as the CBS Afternoon Playhouse (later known as CBS Schoolbreak Special). It also had a program called Famous Classic Tales, which aired Australian cartoons that were adapted from literature books (similar to Family Classic Tales). NBC had after-school programs under the umbrella title Special Treat. ABC had the ABC Afterschool Special; similar programs included The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie and the ABC Weekend Special.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}
Legacy
The cult TV show Strangers with Candy and its 2005 feature film adaptation, featuring Amy Sedaris as an ex-con, prostitute, and junkie, spoofs after-school special conventions.{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/strangers-with-candy-1798201833 |title=Strangers With Candy |work=AV Club }}
See also
- Degrassi (franchise)
- 13 Reasons Why
- Last of the Curlews – The very first ABC Afterschool Special (1972), and one of a very few animated ones.
- Public information film – In the UK, extended versions of these were shown in schools. These were often about safety.
- Schoolhouse Rock!
- Very special episode
- WonderWorks – Produced several after-school-type specials for PBS
References
{{reflist|1}}
External links
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202179/episodes Complete list of ABC After School Specials] at the Internet Movie Database
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0985040/episodes Complete list of CBS Schoolbreak Specials] at the Internet Movie Database
- [https://us.imdb.com/title/tt1043199/episodes Partial list of NBC Special Treat episodes] at the Internet Movie Database
- [http://www.tvdvdreviews.com/after74.html Reviews of a DVD collection of ABC After School Specials]
- [http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2006/01/01/the_strange_afterlife_of_the_after_school_special/ "The Strange Afterlife of the After School Special"] by Joanna Weiss, The Boston Globe, January 1, 2006
- "[http://www.slate.com/id/2146154 My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel: The Subtle Brilliance of the After School Special]" by Marisa Meltzer, Slate, July 20, 2006
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