20 Serious Episodes of Funny TV Shows That Actually Work

The “Very Special Episode” got a bad rap in the ‘80s and ‘90s because they were, well, bad. It didn’t make a lot of sense to put the laughs on hold so a wackily blended family or diverse but photogenic high school clique could warn us about stranger danger. These days, if we’re going to address Charlie Kelly’s drug use or Laszlo Cravensworth's gambling problem or whatever, it’s just as likely to be part of the comedy.

But funny TV shows do occasionally pull off a serious episode. Sometimes, you just don’t find out how serious it was until the end, but it might even be earnest the whole time, if only as a challenge to the team. (Tip: It tends to help if the series is well-written in the first place.) That’s why user ocktick asked r/AskReddit, “What comedy show has the best ‘serious episode’ or moment?”