• Air date: 23 Sep '81 7 episodes
      The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1997, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most episodes were 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. The series won 51 Daytime Emmy Awards during its 25-year run. In 2004 and 2005, BCI Eclipse and Sunset Home Visual Entertainment issued six DVD collections of episodes from the series that had been produced by Martin Tahse, each collection containing four episodes. A boxed set, in the shape of a school bus, was also released containing all of the DVD releases, with a detailed information booklet of all the specials on the set and including an extra DVD of two specials that had previously not been released on DVD. The DVDs are currently out of print.
  • List of Episodes (7)
    • 1. She Drinks a Little

      23 Sep '81
      ""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.
    • 2. Starstruck

      14 Oct '81
      Aspiring teen folk singer is torn whether to continue her singing or to accept an educational scholarship.
    • 3. Tough Girl

      28 Oct '81
      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.
    • 4. The Color of Friendship

      11 Nov '81
      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.
    • 5. The Unforgivable Secret

      10 Feb '82
    • 6. Daddy, I'm Their Mama Now

      03 Mar '82
    • 7. Sometimes I Don't Love My Mother

      07 Apr '82