Tonight On A Very Special Episode When TV Sitcoms Sometimes Got Serious Volume 1 (hardback)

<p>Remember when Edith Bunker was sexually assaulted on <em>All in the Family</em>? Or when abortion was the hot topic on <em>Maude</em>? Did you know that <em>Leave it to Beaver</em> dealt with alcoholism and that The Bicycle Man double episode from <em>Diff'rent Strokes</em> is one of the most remembered sitcom entries in the annals of American television history? </p><p><br></p><p>The role of the Very Special Episode was to take a departure from the regular comic stylings of the American TV sitcom and offer a standalone serious in nature gesture in addressing subject matter not normally found in such a medium. From racial equality on <em>Bewitched</em> and <em>Happy Days</em> to suicide on <em>One Day At A Time</em> and <em>The Facts of Life</em> and beyond take an in depth look at a number of Very Special Episodes - from early examples to the heyday of the phenomena come the 70s and 80s with insight from varied historians critics and individuals who worked on some of the shows. </p>