| CBS Schoolbreak Special | |
|---|---|
 Titular screenshot | |
| Also known as | CBS Afternoon Playhouse |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 18 |
| No. of episodes | 89 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | CBS Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | December 4, 1978 (1978-12-04) – January 23, 1996 (1996-01-23) |
CBS Schoolbreak Special is an Americananthology series for teenagers that aired onCBS from December 1978 to January 1996. The series began under the titleCBS Afternoon Playhouse, and was changed during the 1984–85season.[1] The concept was similar toABC'sAfterschool Special.
Under its original name, theAfternoon Playhouse aired a handful of made-for-TV films, the most notable of which was the 1983 release ofRevenge of the Nerd.[2] The TV special was often mistaken for thefilm of a similar name which premiered one year later in 1984.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Joey and Redhawk: Part 1" | Larry Elikann | Art Wallace | December 4, 1978 (1978-12-04) | |
A suburban kid from the Midwest, his dad, and a Colorado Apache must join forces to try to survive in the Rocky Mountains. NoteGuest stars:Chris Petersen,Guillermo San Juan,Bert Kramer,Hersha Parady,Bob Hastings,Stephen Furst,Lucille Benson,Danny Bonaduce,Ron Godines,Joshua Gallegos, Monika Ramirez,Lois Red Elk,Frank Salsedo,Scott Durnavich, andEric Stoltz | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Joey and Redhawk: Part 2" | Larry Elikann | Art Wallace | December 5, 1978 (1978-12-05) | |
A suburban kid from the Midwest, his dad, and a Colorado Apache must join forces to try to survive in the Rocky Mountains. Note Guest stars: Chris Petersen, Guillermo San Juan, Bert Kramer, Hersha Parady, Bob Hastings, Stephen Furst, Lucille Benson, Danny Bonaduce, Ron Godines, Joshua Gallegos, Monika Ramirez, Lois Red Elk, Frank Salsedo, Scott Durnavich, and Eric Stoltz | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Joey and Redhawk: Part 3" | Larry Elikann | Art Wallace | December 6, 1978 (1978-12-06) | |
A suburban kid from the Midwest, his dad, and a Colorado Apache must join forces to try to survive in the Rocky Mountains. Note Guest stars: Chris Petersen, Guillermo San Juan, Bert Kramer, Hersha Parady, Bob Hastings, Stephen Furst, Lucille Benson, Danny Bonaduce, Ron Godines, Joshua Gallegos, Monika Ramirez, Lois Red Elk, Frank Salsedo, Scott Durnavich, and Eric Stoltz | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Joey and Redhawk: Part 4" | Larry Elikann | Art Wallace | December 7, 1978 (1978-12-07) | |
A suburban kid from the Midwest, his dad, and a Colorado Apache must join forces to try to survive in the Rocky Mountains. Note Guest stars: Chris Petersen, Guillermo San Juan, Bert Kramer, Hersha Parady, Bob Hastings, Stephen Furst, Lucille Benson, Danny Bonaduce, Ron Godines, Joshua Gallegos, Monika Ramirez, Lois Red Elk, Frank Salsedo, Scott Durnavich, and Eric Stoltz | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Joey and Redhawk: Part 5" | Larry Elikann | Art Wallace | December 8, 1978 (1978-12-08) | |
A suburban kid from the Midwest, his dad and, a Colorado Apache must join forces to try to survive in the Rocky Mountains. Note Guest stars: Chris Petersen, Guillermo San Juan, Bert Kramer, Hersha Parady, Bob Hastings, Stephen Furst, Lucille Benson, Danny Bonaduce, Ron Godines, Joshua Gallegos, Monika Ramirez, Lois Red Elk, Frank Salsedo, Scott Durnavich, and Eric Stoltz | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | "Year of the Gentle Tiger" | Dennis Kane | Barney Cohen | November 23, 1979 (1979-11-23) | |
A teenager is determined to win his father's respect by winning the gold medal in Judo at the Junior Olympics. Note Guest stars:Lance LeGault,Keenan Shimizu,Anthony Candell,Jeff Edmond,Karen Anthony,George Harris, andHenry Calvert | ||||||
| 7 | 2 | "The House That Half-Jack Built" | Stephen Gyllenhaal | Teleplay by :Fred Freiberger &Paul C. Elliot Novel by:Eloise Engle[3] | January 3, 1980 (1980-01-03) | |
A 13-year-old is pressured by his pals to try drugs. Note Guest stars:Tim Rail,Carol Lawrence,Aiden McNulty,Mark Neely,Patrick Collins,Karlene Crockett,Stan Wells, andRoberta Jean Williams | ||||||
| 8 | 3 | "One Last Ride - Part 1" | Gerald Mayer | Richard H. Landau | April 7, 1980 (1980-04-07) | |
Following the death of his estranged ex-wife, a rodeo champion must now take care of a son he never knew he had. Note Guest stars:Ronny Cox,David Hollander,Carmen Zapata,Andrew Duggan,Cathey Paine,Norman Howell,Louise Lorimer,Timothy Blake,Harry Caesar,Robert Emhardt,William Bryant,Paul Larson,Ed Ness,Kenny Call,Ron Roy,Chuck Henson, andLarry McKinney | ||||||
| 9 | 4 | "One Last Ride - Part 2" | Gerald Mayer | Richard H. Landau | April 8, 1980 (1980-04-08) | |
Following the death of his estranged ex-wife, a rodeo champion must now take care of a son he never knew he had. Note Guest stars: Ronny Cox, David Hollander, Carmen Zapata, Andrew Duggan, Cathey Paine, Norman Howell, Louise Lorimer, Timothy Blake, Harry Caesar, Robert Emhardt, William Bryant, Paul Larson, Ed Ness, Kenny Call, Ron Roy, Chuck Henson, and Larry McKinney | ||||||
| 10 | 5 | "One Last Ride - Part 3" | Gerald Mayer | Richard H. Landau | April 9, 1980 (1980-04-09) | |
Following the death of his estranged ex-wife, a rodeo champion must now take care of a son he never knew he had. Note Guest stars: Ronny Cox, David Hollander, Carmen Zapata, Andrew Duggan, Cathey Paine, Norman Howell, Louise Lorimer, Timothy Blake, Harry Caesar, Robert Emhardt, William Bryant, Paul Larson, Ed Ness, Kenny Call, Ron Roy, Chuck Henson, and Larry McKinney | ||||||
| 11 | 6 | "One Last Ride - Part 4" | Gerald Mayer | Richard H. Landau | April 10, 1980 (1980-04-10) | |
Following the death of his estranged ex-wife, a rodeo champion must now take care of a son he never knew he had. Note Guest stars: Ronny Cox, David Hollander, Carmen Zapata, Andrew Duggan, Cathey Paine, Norman Howell, Louise Lorimer, Timothy Blake, Harry Caesar, Robert Emhardt, William Bryant, Paul Larson, Ed Ness, Kenny Call, Ron Roy, Chuck Henson, and Larry McKinney | ||||||
| 12 | 7 | "One Last Ride - Part 5" | Gerald Mayer | Richard H. Landau | April 11, 1980 (1980-04-11) | |
Following the death of his estranged ex-wife, a rodeo champion must now take care of a son he never knew he had. Note Guest stars: Ronny Cox, David Hollander, Carmen Zapata, Andrew Duggan, Cathey Paine, Norman Howell, Louise Lorimer, Timothy Blake, Harry Caesar, Robert Emhardt, William Bryant, Paul Larson, Ed Ness, Kenny Call, Ron Roy, Chuck Henson, and Larry McKinney | ||||||
| 13 | 8 | "Lost in Death Valley" | Stephen Gyllenhaal | Story by : Barney Cohen & Dennis Kane Teleplay by : Stephen Gyllenhaal | April 19, 1980 (1980-04-19) | |
After their plane crashes in Death Valley, a group of teenagers struggle to survive the searing heat, while waiting for help to arrive. Note Guest stars:Leslie Winston,Bennett Liss,David Knell,Mark Miyama,Guy Boyd,Barbara Tarbuck,Paul Kent, andGrace Zabriskie | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Great Gilly Hopkins" | Jeffrey Hayden | Teleplay by :Charles Pratt Jr. Novel by:Katherine Paterson[4] | January 19, 1981 (1981-01-19) | |
An unwanted foster child is bounced around the system as she looks for a home. Note Guest stars:Tricia Cast,Conchata Ferrell,Edith Atwater,Tyne Daly,Joel Fluellen,Kari Ann Patterson, andRicky Slyter | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "I Think I'm Having a Baby" | Arthur Allan Seidelman | Blossom Elfman | March 3, 1981 (1981-03-03) | |
Laurie is fifteen and she thinks she is pregnant. Her boyfriend does not care. Her mother does not know. Why did it happen? And whom can she turn to? Note Guest stars:Jennifer Jason Leigh,Shawn Stevens,Bobbi Block,Shane Sinutko.Helen Hunt,Tracey Gold,Susan Niven,Sheila Scott-Wilkenson,David Birney,Ron Asher,Marc Copage,Shirlee Kong,Kipp Lennon,Claudio Martínez,Yvonne Perez, andAlly Sheedy | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Me and Mr. Stenner" | Sigmund Neufeld Jr. | Teleplay by :Corey Blechman Novel by:Evan Hunter[5] | June 2, 1981 (1981-06-02) | |
An 11-year-old girl finds it difficult to accept her mother's re-marriage, and her new step-father. Note Guest stars:April Gilpin,David Ogden Stiers,Bobbie Ferguson,Frederick Tully,Bubba Larramore,Joseph William Galt,Bill Martin, andLee Ritchey | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "Portrait of a Teenage Shoplifter" | William P. D'Angelo | Story by : Todd Kessler Teleplay by :Deborah Baker &Todd Kessler | December 1, 1981 (1981-12-01) | |
With her life going nowhere, aspiring dancer Karen Hughes drowns her sorrows in the thrill of shoplifting. Ultimately she is caught in the act, and her entire future goes up in smoke. Note Guest stars:Maureen Teefy,Allen Fawcett,Laura Dean,Katherine Gene Kamhi,Jessica Cain,Marilyn Rockafellow,Marisa Morell,Thomas Quinn,Christina-Avis Krauss,William Schilling,Joe Spinell,Elaine Swann,Martha Gallub,Deborah Malone,Buddy Short,John Scott,George Vlismas, and Donna Phillips | ||||||
| 18 | 2 | "Dangerous Company" | Lamont Johnson | Teleplay by :Christopher Keane Novel by:Raymond Johnson &Mona McCormick[6] | February 9, 1982 (1982-02-09) | |
The true story of Ray Johnson, a convict who spent most of his life in and out of prison until he finally decided to turn his life around. Note Guest stars:Beau Bridges,Carlos Brown,Karen Carlson,Jan Sterling,Kene Holliday,Ralph Macchio,Max Wright,Shizuko Hoshi,Dale Ishimoto,Chris Mulkey,Buck Taylor,Ward Wood,Raymond Johnson,Christopher Keane,Thomas H. Middleton,David McKnight,Eric Gold,Peter Brunt,David Hall,Patrick Rowe,Sue Rihr,Steven M. Porter,Frank F. Muhr,Ralph Meyering Jr.,Anna Lynn Brown, andRobert Coad | ||||||
| 19 | 3 | "Journey to Survival" | Richard Bennett | Adam Dubov | April 6, 1982 (1982-04-06) | |
Six troubled teens take part in a wilderness adventure program, in the hopes that it will teach them more about themselves and each other. Note Guest stars:Ralph Macchio,James G. Richardson,Sal Lopez,Dori Brenner,Larry B. Scott,Leon Robinson,David Greenlee,Grant Gottschall, andPhyllis Guerrini | ||||||
| 20 | 4 | "The Shooting" | Michael Ray Rhodes | Josef Anderson | June 2, 1982 (1982-06-02) | |
A group of three boys are involved in a hunting accident, and find that their lives will be changed forever. Note Guest stars:Lance Kerwin, Gavin Muir,Wil Wheaton,Lynn Redgrave,Barry Primus,Woodrow Parfrey,John Quade,Ivy Bethune,Michael Greene, John O'Brien,Fritz Anderberg,Sara Grunwald,Shane Kerwin, andWilliam Martinelli | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Just Pals" | Randa Haines | Story by : Nick Anderson &Gretchen Ebrahim Teleplay by :H.B. Kay | September 15, 1982 (1982-09-15) | |
A 13-year-old boy finds it hard to continue his friendship with the neighborhood tomboy, who is beginning to become more ladylike. Note Guest stars:Heather McAdam,Byron Thames,Arthur Peterson,Sandy Lipton,Terrence O'Connor,Richard McKenzie,Linda Hoy,Shelly Juttner,Marc Gilpin,Shana O'Neil,Rachel Goslins,John 'Bunky' Butler,Brian Andrews, andMara Alexander | ||||||
| 22 | 2 | "Help Wanted" | Stephen Gyllenhaal | Elizabeth Clark | October 12, 1982 (1982-10-12) | |
The Welsh family is hit hard when the father is laid off from his factory job, and there are no jobs in sight. Note Guest stars:Kevin Dobson,Dee Wallace,Melanie Gaffin,K.C. Martel,Tricia Cast,Arlene Golonka,Don Sherman,Kristoff St. John,Raymond Singer,Ryan MacDonald, andMariah Dobson | ||||||
| 23 | 3 | "Secret Agent Boy" | Jay Daniel | John Whelpley | November 26, 1982 (1982-11-26) | |
Wanting to impress a girl, a 12-year-old boy tells her he is a CIA Agent. But soon he finds himself in the midst of a real-life spy caper. Note Guest stars:Victor G. Hill III,Kristin Cumming,Kathryn Leigh Scott,Arthur Rosenberg,Judith-Marie Bergan,Taylor Lacher, andHarold Sylvester | ||||||
| 24 | 4 | "Revenge of the Nerd" | Ken Kwapis | John McNamara | April 19, 1983 (1983-04-19) | |
Class brain Bertram Cummings (Jacobs) is tired of being picked on at school. He decides to use his brainpower to exact revenge against his tormentors. The special was perhaps the best known of the Schoolbreak programs, due to the release a year later of the similarly named filmRevenge of the Nerds. Note Guest stars:Manny Jacobs,Christopher J. Barnes,Sarah Inglis,Robert Weiler,Brian Lima,Herb Downer,Jean De Baer,Pamela Burrell,Tenney Walsh,Edd Gasper,Matthew Vipond,April Lerman,JD Cullum,Wendell Brown,Bonnie Deroski, andFrankie Scasso | ||||||
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Dead Wrong: The John Evans Story | Convicted of murder and set for execution, John Evans tells his story to the prison chaplain. StarringJohn Laughlin, andTimothy Gibbs. |
| Welcome Home, Jellybean | The story of Geraldine Oxley, a cognitively deficient 12-year-old girl whose parents remove her from the institution where she has been raised in order to give her a normal-as-possible home life.Christopher Collet stars as her elder brother. |
| All the Kids Do It | The consequences ofdriving under the influence are suffered by a teenager (Scott Baio) who has earned them, and by his family, who have not. Directed byHenry Winkler; co-starringBarbara Bosson andGeorge Dzundza as Baio's parents,Jeremy Licht as Baio's brother, and featuringDanny DeVito. |
| The Alfred G. Graebner Memorial High School Handbook of Rules and Regulations | Teenagers from diverse backgrounds experience their freshman year in high school, in this adaptation of the same-titled novel. StarringFisher Stevens andSuzanne Snyder. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Hear Me Cry | Two high school sophomores decide to make a suicide pact. StarringLee Montgomery andRobert MacNaughton. Co-starringClaudia Wells andElinor Donahue. |
| Contract for Life: The S.A.D.D. Story | The true story of high school hockey coach Bob Anastas (Stephen Macht). After losing two of his finest players to alcohol-related car crashes, Anastas gets their teammates — and the players' families — to prevent more tragedies by forming Students Against Driving Drunk. Co-starringNicky Katt,Timothy Gibbs, Don Dubbins (The D.I.), andWilliam Zabka. |
| The Exchange Student | Teenager from India comes to the US to live with her American 'sister'. |
| The Day the Senior Class Got Married | Students are paired off in a make-believe marriage class, so they can learn how money problems can affect a marriage. Based on the novel byGloria D. Miklowitz. |
| Ace Hits the Big Time | On his first day atManhattan's Kennedy High, 16-year-old Horace "Ace" Hobart (Rob Stone) wears an eyepatch to class. Consequently, he is urged to join a gang of street youths who run the school, or do they? Co-starringJames LeGros. Adapted from the book of the same name by Barbara Murphy. |
| Student Court | When a teenager is caught shoplifting, she decides to stand before a jury of her peers, rather than face judgement from a Juvenile Court. Co-starringMarcelino Sanchez andMoosie Drier. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| The War Between the Classes | In this Emmy Award-winning adaptation, racial discrimination is examined when a high school teacher assigns his students to play "The Color Game", thus dividing the youngsters into differentsocial classes. Based on the same-titled novel byGloria D. Miklowitz; co-starringMarcelino Sanchez. |
| Have You Tried Talking to Patty? | Wanting to be accepted by her peers, a hearing-impaired teenager attempts to change her image. Co-starringKhrystyne Haje,Dedee Pfeiffer,Mark Patton,Heather Langenkamp andJoseph Mascolo. |
| Babies Having Babies | Five pregnant teenage girls meet in the same group-counseling session. They discuss their varied feelings about their common situation. Directed byMartin Sheen, whose real-life daughterRenee Estevez portrays one of the young moms-to-be. Also starringEileen Ryan,Jill Whelan,Claudia Wells andLori Loughlin. |
| God, the Universe & Hot Fudge Sundaes | A teenage girl questions her religion after her sister is diagnosed with a terminal illness. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| The Drug Knot | Dermot Mulroney portrays a high school student who seems hopelessly addicted to drugs, until he is slapped with the most horrifying wake-up call imaginable.David Faustino co-stars as Mulroney's younger brother;Tracy Nelson plays Dermot's girlfriend. Also starringRance Howard, and directed byAnson Williams. |
| Little Miss Perfect | Not to be confused with thejunior beauty pageant-reality show of the same title. Debbie Welker is upset over being forced into a new neighborhood and a new high school. Having a (seemingly) flawless, and oblivious (at first), single mother does not help at all. To cope with her problems, Debbie takes up binging and purging, which leads toan even greater problem, and to a long-overdue revelation from her mom. Co-starringApril Lerman andLisa Wilcox; directed by actressMarsha Mason; co-written by actressJudy Strangis. |
| My Dissident Mom | Spouses' conflicting opinions on nuclear weapons policy jeopardize not only the husband (Martin Sheen)'s impending business deal, but their relationships with each other and their kids. Co-starringLukas Haas andAmy Green. |
| The Day They Came to Arrest the Book | Uncomfortable with racist language in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", a high school student and his parents attempt to get the book removed from the school's library. StarringJonathan Crombie. Special appearance byAnne Meara. Script written byMelvin Van Peebles, based on a book byNat Hentoff.[7] |
| What If I'm Gay? | The popular and macho captain of his high school soccer team is forced to confront his homosexuality, after his buddies discover a male pornography magazine in his bedroom. Co-starringGabrielle Carteris. |
| Juvi | Teenager Susan Atherton (Traci Lind) is wrongfully accused of theft by her stepfather, who has her arrested and placed injuvenile hall. Co-starringKhrystyne Haje. Written and directed by actressJoanna Lee. |
| An Enemy Among Us | A teenager is stunned to discover that he has contracted the AIDS virus after having a blood transfusion. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Soldier Boys | Detective Robb (James Earl Jones) investigates a club for teenage boys who take their "war game" fantasies into the real world. |
| Never Say Goodbye | After her grandmother is pronounced brain dead following a stroke, a teenage girl must make the painful decision whether to continue life support. |
| Home Sweet Homeless | After a series of bad luck, a single mother and her sons become homeless and are forced to live in their car. Co-starringMichael Faustino andAlfonso Ribeiro. |
| Gangs | On leave from the army, a 19-year-old returns home to find that his kid brother is the leader of a gang — a gang that he once led himself. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| No Means No | When Megan Wells (Dana Barron) becomes a date-rape victim, she and her brother Michael (Chad Lowe) must deal with the fallout, which has lasting effects on their relationship with each other, and with the opposite sex in general. Co-starringTracy Wells andLori Loughlin. |
| Gambler | A 17-year-old becomes addicted to gambling, which soon takes over his life. Not to be confused with theJames Caanmovie of the same title, despite similar subject matter. Co-starringGeorge Dzundza. |
| Words to Live By | Two teenage boys are suspended from school after distributing an underground newspaper on campus. StarringRicky Paull Goldin. |
| My Past Is My Own | Two black teenagers are sent through time to experience how blacks were treated during the civil rights movement. Co-starringCCH Pounder. |
| 15 and Getting Straight | A look at a drug addiction treatment center for teenagers (including real-life victimsDrew Barrymore andCorey Feldman), where the counselors are ex-addicts themselves. |
| A Matter of Conscience | A teenager is stunned when his grandfather's Nazi past becomes known to his family. Co-starringEli Wallach. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Frog Girl: The Jenifer Graham Story | A 15-year-old school girl refuses to dissect a frog and sues her school district for not allowing her to do an alternative project. |
| Flour Babies | A group of high school students take part in a parenting class where their assignment is to treat a sack of flour like a newborn baby. Co-starringIan Ziering. |
| The Girl with the Crazy Brother | A teenage girl (Patricia Arquette) struggles to cope when her brother is diagnosed withschizophrenia. Co-starringAlex Desert;Belinda Carlisle contributes several songs from her albumRunaway Horses. |
| American Eyes | A Korean boy, who has been adopted by an American family, decides to attend a Korean-American summer camp to learn more about his heritage. |
| Maggie's Secret | 15-year-old Maggie Kingston must decide how to resolve not one but two drinking problems: that of her father (Joseph Bottoms); and that of her mother (Mimi Kuzyk). |
| Malcolm Takes a Shot | Teenage athlete Malcolm Jones is in denial about hisepilepsy, as he strives for super-stardom on the basketball court. Directed byMario Van Peebles, who also makes a cameo as Malcolm's doctor. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| The Fourth Man | Not to be confused with thePaul Verhoeven movie of the same title. Seeking the respect of his star athlete-father John (Tim Rossovich), teenage computer-wiz Joey Martelli (Peter Billingsley) uses steroids to make his high schooltrack and field team...and to win cheerleader-captain Heidi (Nicole Eggert) as his girlfriend. But soon those "roids" take their toll, both on Joey's social life and on his scholastic status...and, ultimately, on his body as well. Co-starringAdrienne Barbeau (as Joey's mom Mary),Ken Medlock (as Coach Gerry James),Vince Vaughn (as Joey's best friend Steve), andLyle Alzado (as Hugo "Bear" Volkovich); with Michael Cedar (as roid-dealing sporting goods-clerk Frank Malone),Laurence Haddon (as Principal Williams), and Dan Blom (as the Pusher at Vito's Gym). Co-scripted, executive produced, and directed byJoanna Lee; with a music score by TV hostJohn Tesh. |
| Lies of the Heart | Following ahit-and-run, wealthy high school seniors Jordan Crane (Christopher Rydell) and his best friend Kyle (Christopher Collet) are forced to deal with the consequences of their actions. It does not get any easier when Jordan, who was driving, falls in love with his victim's financially struggling daughter, who has no idea (at first) that he is responsible. Also starringTricia O'Neil as Jordan's mother; withBrooke Theiss andVince Vaughn. |
| The Emancipation of Lizzie Stern | After a woman announces plans to move their family to another state, her 16-year-old daughter (Tammy Lauren) – the title character – seeks legal emancipation so she will not have to leave the school and friends she has had for so many years. Ultimately, Lizzie gets what she fought for, but wins much more than she counted on. |
| But He Loves Me | When teenager Cassie O'Brian (Kelli Williams) hits it off with Charlie Tyler (Donovan Leitch), the most popular boy in her school, everything is wonderful, until he becomes violent toward her. Both take turns narrating this story. Co-starringSeason Hubley andRobin Tunney. |
| Abby, My Love | Teenager Chip Fulton (Josh Hamilton) is determined to help his new girlfriend Abby Morris (Cara Buono) when he learns she is being sexually abused at home.Anthony Heald andVeronica Cartwright portray Abby's parents. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Dedicated to the One I Love | Teenage Amy Miller (Lisa Dean Ryan) is stunned to discover what killed her beloved boyfriend:AIDS. WithJoely Fisher. |
| Two Teens and a Baby | Two teenage brothers (one of them portrayed byBrice Beckham) are stunned when their mother announces that she is expecting a daughter. Co-starringRobert Picardo (as the boys' dad) andMaureen Flannigan. |
| 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth | Special featuring 50 things young people can do to save the earth. |
| Please, God, I'm Only Seventeen | Young Michael Leland is critically injured in an automobile accident, which teaches both his sister (Roxana Zal) and his best friend Steve (Stan Kirsch) never to take life for granted. Co-starringRandolph Mantooth andTalia Shire as Michael's parents. |
| Different Worlds: A Story of Interracial Love | Two teens from racially different background begin a relationship after witnessing the murder of a mutual friend. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Sexual Considerations | Teenager Jen (Heather McAdam) blows the whistle on sexual harassment by a classmate, so a student court is hand-picked to straighten things out. Co-starringBernie Casey,Tito Ortiz andHudson Leick. |
| Words Up! | An illiterate 25-year-old (Kadeem Hardison) returns to high school, posing as a teenager so he can learn to read. Co-starringRichard Moll,David Faustino andVanna White (as herself). |
| Love Off Limits | Two youngsters cry censorship when their school demands that they edit out "inappropriate" portions of their student film. Co-starringSteve Guttenberg (who also directed) andJohn Savage. |
| Big Boys Don't Cry | High school wrestler Tony suspects, accurately, that his younger brother is being molested by their uncle Paul (Robert Pine). For Tony, this causes painful memories of his own sexual abuse as a child by Paul...which all but destroys Tony's life, when his parents refuse to believe him and his wrestling coach does not care. Co-starringMario Lopez as a fellow wrestler (and the only person who's sympathetic to Tony's plight). |
| Crosses on the Lawn | A community begins to take sides when an affirmative action program is introduced. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| Other Mothers | Justin Whalin portrays a teenage basketball player who has been raised by a lesbian couple. Now he must contend with the conservative views of his new high school. Co-starringJoanna Cassidy,Meredith Baxter andJudith Ivey. |
| If I Die Before I Wake | High school students must ultimately pick up the pieces when their entiretrack and field team is killed in an airplane crash. Co-starringGavin MacLeod,Tammy Lauren andTito Ortiz. |
| Love in the Dark Ages | Teenage girl is stunned to discover that her boyfriend has given her an STD. |
| Same Difference | Two teens from different cultural backgrounds face opposition from their parents when they begin to date. Co-starringSkeet Ulrich. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| The Writing on the Wall | Three teens (one portrayed byPeter Billingsley) are arrested for defacing a Jewish temple. The indomitable rabbi (Hal Linden) – who prides himself on never writing anybody off, and on never blowing his cool (except, he admits, when theMets lose) – persuades the judge (Steven Gilborn) to give the boys 25 hours of Holocaust/Judaism "Tolerance" education, which the rabbi himself will teach. Based on a true story. |
| My Summer as a Girl | Desperate for a summer job, a teenage boy (Zach Braff) masquerades as a girl to land a chambermaid job at a swanky hotel. |
| What About Your Friends | A unique look at the senior year successes, and failures, of three high school girlfriends (one of them portrayed byLark Voorhies) as they prepare for college. |
| Kids Killing Kids | Malcolm-Jamal Warner hosts this program, which depicts four separate stories showing the tragic consequences when teens use guns to solve their problems, and how they can solve the same problem without guns. Originally aired jointly as a prime time special by CBS andFox in May 1994. |
| Between Mother and Daughter | Anna Leone (Lindsay Crouse) is dying of breast cancer. Her husband Joe (Dan Lauria) has trouble dealing with this, as do their teenage offspring Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) and especially, Carla (A.J. Langer). |
| Stand Up | A teenager wants to be a stand-up comic and go on tour, despite her father's opposition. |
| Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|
| My Indian Summer | Native American teenager decides to learn more about her culture by spending the summer on the Indian Reservation where her mother was born. |
| Children Remember the Holocaust | Keanu Reeves hosts this special where celebrities narrate letters, diaries, and published stories of children who have lived through the Holocaust. |
| Crosstown | When her parents split up, a teenage girl must move out of the suburbs and into the big city. Co-starringRoscoe Lee Browne. |