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Back in the day, it seemed every TV show had to get serious for a "very special episode." Here are some of the best. And by "best" we mean "worst." 1. Baywatch - Bash at the Beach Baywatch, while an hour-long show, frequently consisted of two half-hour plot lines smashed together. So, in "Bash at the Beach," viewers were treated to the oddity of an episode that was half cautionary tale about the dangers of skin cancer, half Hulk Hogan wrestling a foe in order to save the youth center. Awkward TV Hall of Fame, you have your first inductee. 2. Walker Texas Ranger - Rise to the Occasion Walker Texas Ranger wasn't afraid to tackle the big issues, which is why when a local school is roiled by drug use, Walker fixes the issue with... karate. Not drug education programs, not guidance counselors, not parent-teacher conferences. Just karate. The very next day, America began sending shipments of brown belts and padded mats to third-world countries. 3. Whos the Boss - Samantha's Growing Up Every girl remembers that traumatic moment in her life when her chest grows so large that she can no longer catch a football. No, seriously, that's the inciting incident in this awkwardly hilarious episode of Who's the Boss? Eventually, they buy Sam her first bra, and she's free to toss a football once again. Crisis averted... I guess? 4. Saved by the Bell - No Hope with Dope This season 3 episode of Saved by the Bell might not have been so cringe-inducingly bad... but then Brandon Tartikoff waltzed in. The NBC executive leads the gang in an anti-drug commercial where they exclaim, "There's no hope with dope!" Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who later went on to smoke a 4-foot-tall bong in Dead Man on Campus, couldn't be reached for comment. 5. Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Pancake Madness Things got weird, even for Sabrina the Teenage Witch, in season 3's "Pancake Madness." Turns out, pancakes are like hard drugs to witches, and Sabrina falls off the wagon. Hard. It's one of the most bizarre and random Very Special Episodes ever, save for that episode of Family Ties where Jennifer became addicted to non-sequiturs. 6. Diff'rent Strokes - The Reporter The 80's were a weird time, as evidenced by that Diff'rent Strokes episode when Arnold reported on the school's drug problem in the newspaper. The principal accused him of lying, but at the last minute the day was saved by.... Nancy Reagan. Nancy, of course, is down with the drug scene in New York City and was able to vouch for poor Arnold. The lesson learned: Nancy Reagan's a snitch. 7. Dinosaurs - Steroids to Heaven Who can forget the very special episode of Dinosaurs when teenage son Robbie starts using "Thornoids" to bulk up? In a bit of a muddled message from the writers, the drugs work like a charm, but Robbie's friends soon become concerned about his new, aggressive attitude. I suppose kids at home were supposed to think, "Wow, if steroids could make a vicious prehistoric carnivore act a little aggressively, imagine what they could do to me!" 8. Ghost Writer - What's Up With Alex On PBS's Ghost Writer, while not-so-subtly investigating a local nogoodnik (see picture above), the gang gets their marijuana-addicted friend into drug counseling. The best part of this episode has got to be its realistic inner-city dialogue. For example, the kids actually say to each other: "That's pot!" "Also known as marijuana, reefer." The awkwardness escalates from there, eventually culminating in me shutting off my TV in sympathetic embarrassment for the actors. 9. Boy Meets World - Cult Fiction While growing up, every kid goes through that moment in which their best friend joins a cult. Thus, it made perfect sense for Boy Meets World to tackle this universal issue in the episode "Cult Fiction." Shawn is preyed upon by "The Centre," a group of Heavens Gate wannabes. Shawn is saved from his cruel fate when his father figure Mr. Turner is nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. It is then that Shawn realizes what's really important and quits the cult, only to never check in on Mr. Turner or even mention his recovery in the show's remaining 3 seasons. Kids. 10. Family Matters - Like a Virgin One week in 1994, Family Matters, in a noble effort, decided to tackle the issue of sexual promiscuity. That's all well and good, save for the hilariously cringe-worthy scene in which EVERY SINGLE ONE of Eddie's 15 classmates mocks him for still being a virgin. Geez, you miss one party and nobody lets you forget it... 11. Punky Brewster - Cherie Lifesaver Ah yes, the infamous episode of Punky Brewster in which a child gets stuck in a discarded refrigerator. Henry discovers the girl just in time, and then inexplicably stands around while little Punky performs CPR. After the episode ends, a voice-over explains that CPR should only be performed by certified professionals. You mean like 9-year-old girls with pigtails? Credits: guff Share this story on Facebook with your friends. Related: 10 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Big Valley,’ TV’s Greatest Western With A Female Lead 11 Worst TV Shows From The Past

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