10 Saddest Moments From TV Sitcoms

The television sitcom has been popular since tv sets first came into American homes. From I Love Lucy all the way through The Brady Bunch and Happy Days and up to Seinfeld, Friends, and Modern Family, networks have gotten big ratings from relatable sitcoms showing regular people (usually a family) in comical situations.

Sometimes, as the commercials would announce, a sitcom would have a “very special episode” where they would explore a serious subject. Fans would be moved and ratings would go even higher. Here are 10 of the saddest moments from tv sitcoms.

10 Cate Reads Paul’s Final Column For His Daughters- 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter

John Ritter’s untimely death cast doubt on and brought true sadness to his hit sitcom. The actor’s death from an undiagnosed aortic tear shocked Hollywood and the cast and crew of his show.

To deal with Ritter’s passing, the writers wrote an episode entitled “Goodbye”. His character’s wife (Katey Sagal) learns he has died while shopping. At the end of the episode, Sagal gathers their daughters in the bedroom and reads Ritter’s character’s final column (he was a writer) as they all hug and cry and mourn not only their TV dad, but John Ritter himself.

9 Will Gets Shot- Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

Will Smith’s hit sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air tackled some serious issues here and there but none hit harder than the episode where Will’s character gets shot during a robbery.

Later in the episode, it is learned that Carlton gets a gun. The episode ends with an emotional confrontation that hits deeper and feels more genuine than any of the other serious topics the show explored. There’s no doubt that the show is full of hard-hitting moments, though – especially when Will’s character breaks down over ‘not being wanted’ by his father.

8 Ned’s Wife Dies- The Simpsons

Animated shows aren’t known for taking on serious issues. If they do, they turn them into humor.

In an episode of The Simpsons titled “Alone Agin Natura-Diddly, Ned Flanders’ wife Maude dies after being hit by t-shirt cannons and falling off a grandstand. While the way she died is comical, the classic sitcom used the rest of the episode to show Flanders in a more humanistic light. The funeral scene is regarded as one of the saddest moments in sitcom history.

7 Phoebe Alone With Babies After Giving Birth- Friends

NBC’s Friends was a show of much comedy and a little bit of human drama. one of its most touching episodes had to do with Phoebe giving birth to triplets, as a surrogate mom for her brother and his wife.

After the babies are born, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is alone in her hospital room and holding the babies. Kudrow has a touching monologue as she gives them advice and says goodbye. The scene plays on the audience’s heartstrings, as we see the longing in Phoebe’s eyes to be a mother herself. We also see the pain of her broken relationship with her own mother (Teri Garr).

6 Michael Tells Pam He Is Proud Of Her- The Office

The American remake of Ricky Gervais’ The Office started off as a risky idea that could’ve fallen into mere imitation. What it became was its own entity, paying homage to the British original while making itself unique to U.S. audiences.

When Pam (Jenna Fischer) has an Art show, no one shows up except for Steve Carrell’s Michael. When he sees how heartbroken and embarrassed she is, he looks at her work and truly loves it. In a soft and sweet voice, Michael says to her “I am so proud of you.” The look on Pam’s face is heartwarming and the scene entire becomes sadly moving.

5 Alex Has A Drug Problem- Family Ties

Family Ties was one of the biggest hit sitcoms for NBC in the 1980s. The story of The Keatons (two former hippies now raising a family in middle America) played to a wide audience, as the ’80s was a time when many former “Free Love”-thinking former Hippies became part of the working class and had families.

Michael J. Fox became an instant star as Alex P. Keaton, their conservative son who dreamed of a big career in politics or Wall Street. When studying for exams, he found “speed” pills to keep him awake. When that turned to addiction, his parents (Meridith Baxter Birney and Michael Gross) intervened and Alex had an emotional breakdown that shook critics and audiences and became one of the most dramatically sad episodes of any situation comedy.

4 Monica And Chandler Can’t Conceive- Friends

Monica and Chandler were two of the most beloved characters on Friends. Fans were happy when the two finally tied the knot.

When the two characters found out they couldn’t conceive a child, it was one of the most emotional moments in the show’s history. The episode where they both come to terms with not being able to be parents showed soulful devastation that saddened viewers and allowed Courtney Cox and Matthew Perry some of their finest acting moments.

3 Michael Leaves The Office- The Office

“Goodbye Michael”, the episode where Michael Scott says goodbye to Dunder Mifflin, was the most touching in the series entire run.

The character of Michael evolved from a pure buffoon to a good person with a big heart and learned how to be a great boss. By his final season, he had a sweet charm and when it came time for him to say goodbye, audiences wept and critics cheered, as his exit was handled with grace and well-earned emotion.

2 Edith Is Assaulted- All In The Family

Norman Lear’s All in the Family is one of the groundbreaking sitcoms of them all. The character of Carrol O’ Connor ‘s Archie Bunker had a big heart but had to learn that he was a bigot but learned to overcome it due to his marriage to the sweet and loving Edith (Jean Stapleton).

One of the more serious episodes was when Edith is sexually assaulted in her home by a stranger. The scene begins as slightly comical but gets very serious. She is able to fight off her attacker but later, as she is telling her daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) about what happened, she breaks down yet recovers and, for one of the first times, we see the strength in this woman who has seemed so ditzy over the years. It is a tear-inducing moment to see Edith’s soul laid bare in front of her daughter.

1 Hawkeye Tells A Devastating Story- M.A.S.H.

M.A.S.H. was such a critical and audience darling that it lasted longer than the Korean War in which it was set. Based on the classic film by Robert Altman, the show kept the tone from Altman’s piece and expertly blended comedy and drama.

In the show’s finale episode, Hawkeye has been seeing a psychiatrist, as he has had a breakdown. The doctor has been trying to get to the cause. When the scene finally comes, Alan Alda, as Hawkeye, does award-caliber acting as he tells a gut-wrenching story of how a woman had to make a tragic sacrifice to save a busload of people. the scene is considered the most powerful of the series and one of television’s most devastating moments.