Animated special about a father and son who go hunting, and debate whether or not to kill an Eskimo curlew, which may become [and may now be] extinct.
A young boy helps his friend escape slavery through the Underground Railroad.
An imaginative, determined 14-year-old Puerto Rican boy builds a boat in which to sail around Central Park. Co-starring Bill Duke and René Enríquez. Followed in 1975 by the sequel Santiago's America.
Special introducing William Shakespeare to young people through sketches, readings and music.
Animated special about two youngsters who are miniaturized and travel through their uncle's body to understand more about his health. Features the first appearance of Timer, a character later featured in ABC's Time for Timer shorts.
Retired clown and taleteller extraordinaire Alexander has an undying love for children. It's a two-way street: the kids are out to help the old man by saving his home from condemnation.
11-year-old Sharon Lee (Jodie Foster) encounters opposition when she joins her brother's Little League baseball team, which happens to be all male. (1972 was when girls were first allowed on Little League teams.) Co-starring Steve Gustafson; based on Isabella Taves's book Not Bad For a Girl.
Divorce, as seen through the eyes of a young boy. The youngster - whose father has been ordered out of the house and is forced to take up permanent residence in a downtown hotel - is traumatized by the imminent divorce, and it is up to his loved ones to help him cope.
Long-nosed Cyrano de Bergerac helps an army officer woo Roxanne (voice of Joan Van Ark), the woman Cyrano himself loves, in this animated version of Edmond Rostand's play.
Live-action;A small-town teenage girl teams up with a younger but wiser boy for survival. Co-starring Moosie Drier; written by Clyde Ware.
Timer shrinks down two youngsters and shows them around their teenage sister's head, to discover how the mind works.
Live action/animation special geared to educate young people about classical music. Starring Tim Conway and Ruth Buzzi.
Gangly Sara Godfrey's 14th summer is proving to be a miserable one. Virtually friendless, and very self-conscious, she is passing the days in a blue funk—until a crisis involving her younger brother forces her to think of someone besides herself. Based on the Newberry Award-winning book by Betsy Byars.
12-year-old Adam (Lance Kerwin) adjusts to a new way of life when his mother remarries and moves their whole family to the country.
The 1974 Senate race is seen through the eyes of two teen-aged girls, each a campaign volunteer for George McGovern (Democrat) and Leo K. Thorsness (Republican).
A young entepreneur invents toothpaste with a twist. Instead of peppermint, his dentrifice has flavors like chocolate. Fun and funny, it teaches empowerment to child viewers.
A Puerto Rican boy is invited to a prestigious conference in Los Angeles. With no money, he re-builds a broken taxi to get there. Bill Duke and René Enríquez reprise their roles.
12-year-old T.K. (Jodie Foster) invites her grandfather to join a "secret" club. Co-starring Tierre Turner; based on Jean Robinson's book.
A 13-year-old boy has a crush on a cheerleader at his school and dreams up creative ways to try to impress her. Starring Alfred Lutter.
The McPhail siblings—Jenna, Toby and Louisa (Kristy McNichol, Poindexter Yothers and Karen Obediear)—discover a wounded deer, which they nurse back to health. Co-starring Gordon Jump.
Despite his failing health, a Native American medicine man is determined to teach his great-grandchildren the traditions of the Apache nation. Based on Betty Baker's novel; starring Dehl Berti.
This cute story centers around an insecure 6th grader, Duffy Moon (played by Ike Eisenmann), whose discovery of ""Cosmic Awareness"" leads him on a journey to self-discovery and confidence that he can do anything.
12-year-old Nina Beckwith (Kristy McNichol) does not know how to react to her new stepmother. Co-starring Lance Kerwin, Melendy Britt, Leif Garrett and Jimmy McNichol. Based on Stella Pevsner's novel, "A Smart Kid Like You".
In order to better understand his blind girlfriend, teenage Jeff (Leigh McCloskey) spends an entire day blindfolded. Co-starring Robert Ridgely (as Jeff's dad), Cindy Eilbacher, and Corbin Bernsen.
Update of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. Delivery boy and President's son discover they are exact doubles of one another, and decide to swap identities.
A football coach (Dave Madden) tries to mediate a conflict between his star quarterback (Brandon Cruz) and the boy's father (Joseph Mascolo). Co-starring Alex Karras.
Story explaining the facts of human reproduction using drama, animation, and a videotaped birth sequence showing Candace Farrell giving birth to her child.
The neighborhood youth gang makes a pact to bully and torment the new kid on their 17th Street turf. Based on Emily Cheney Neville's novel The 17th Street Gang. Starring Kim Richards.
A mentally challenged 16-year-old attempts to make friends with his neighborhood peers. Starring Moosie Drier, Russell Johnson and Tom Gulager.
Three diverse kids with different outlooks on life are sent to a foster home until family problems can be worked out.
Live-Action/animation special featuring Michel Legrand in a true story about the bird that inspired him while studying at the Paris Conservatory of Music.
The uncle of a 14-year-old sandlot baseball team manager could lose custody of his nephew because of his work schedule.
A free-spirited woman realizes her daughter is no longer a child, and experiments with giving her more independence. However, the girl is puzzled by this sudden lack of attention; it seems like her mom is pushing her away.
In 1947, a young white boy and an elderly black man enjoy a warm and wonderful friendship, based on their mutual love of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and of Jackie Robinson in particular. Co-starring Anne Ramsey and Edie McClurg; based on Barbara Cohen's novel.
A young Puerto Rican New York boy knows his mother misses her homeland. Accordingly, he becomes an errand boy for a small-time hood, in order to earn enough money that she can move back to the Caribbean. Based on Gloria Gonzalez's novel; co-starring Danny De La Paz.
Overweight teenager Susan "Dinky" Hocker (Wendie Jo Sperber) is obsessed with food and cannot stop eating. Finally she turns to a friend, who helps make changes in her eating habits. Co-starring June Lockhart and Alan Oppenheimer as Dinky's parents; based on the novel by M. E. Kerr.
High school students take a marriage course, where they are coupled up and must complete assorted everyday tasks that go with married life. Co-starring Janina Mathews.
After teenage Bobbie Marston experiences a hit and run, guilt takes its toll on her everyday life. Co-starring Michael Biehn.
Wealthy-but-lonely Calvin Brundage (Robbie Rist) is granted seven wishes by a genie. Calvin uses them in an effort to impress Melanie Gamble (Cynthia Nixon), the most popular girl in his school. But things do not work out the way he anticipated. Co-starring Christopher Hewett and Butterfly McQueen.
Arthur Allan Seidelman directed this adaptation of Joan Oppenheimer's novel My Other Mother. 16-year-old Alexandria (Melissa Sue Anderson) is stunned when her biological mother arrives to take Alex away from her adoptive parents. Co-starring Marion Ross and Woody Eney.
Shy teenager Dena (Trini Alvarado) enrolls in a new school and does not make friends easily, until it is discovered that her father is famous actor Hal McKain (Frank Converse). Overnight, she becomes the most popular student in school—but this brings its own problems.
A 15-year-old girl takes up drinking to impress a boy; instead, she soon develops a serious problem.
Bruce Malmuth directed this adaptation of Michael Bonadies's novel The Gold Test. Ambitious teenage figure skater Maggie MacDonald (Melissa Sherman) learns what champions are truly made of when she meets a paraplegic youngster.
A widower's two teen-aged daughters resent their father's remarriage to a single mother, especially since the woman's 12-year-old daughter (who is several years younger) will now compete for the parents attention. This special focuses on the parents' attempts to unite the new stepsisters into a loving family.
Holly Gagnier stars as 16-year-old Ginny Coker, who's determined to become a world-class athlete.
Jack (Scott Baio) is a motivated high schooler, until he experiments with marijuana and falls in with a fast crowd; soon he's dabbling in harder drugs, such as LSD, quaaludes, and cocaine. Will he wise up before it's too late? Co-starring Largo Woodruff and Anthony C Sena.
A teenage girl does not know how to deal with being in a wheelchair, after an accident leaves her paralyzed. Then she befriends a boy in the same situation, and the future suddenly looks brighter for both of them. Starring Toni Kalem, Scott Baio, Dee Wallace and Hal Williams.
A 13 year-old girl with a fetish for trouble takes a trip back to the 1940s, when her mother was her age. She then realizes that her mother was just like her.
""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.
Aspiring teen folk singer is torn whether to continue her singing or to accept an educational scholarship.
Two teenagers, one black and one white, hit it off. Starring James Bond III, Chris Barnes, Cleavon Little and Kadeem Hardison.
Amanda Plummer portrays a 15-year-old who's stunned to discover that her "deceased" father is very much alive, and that's just the beginning of the story. Co-starring Barbara Feldon and Danny Aiello; based on Hila Colman's novel Tell Me No Lies.
After the death of her father, teenager Dallas Davis (Melinda Culea) struggles with her mother Ellen's (Patricia Elliott) total dependency on her.
Teen violinist is torn between her musical career and her boyfriend.
Teenage girl is shocked when a former boyfriend tells her he has gonorrhea. Not only does she get tested, she must tell her current boyfriend to get tested as well. Co-starring Zach Galligan.
Teenager Nancy Parks (Nancy McKeon) stumbles upon a case of child abuse. It turns out her new boyfriend's (Lance Guest) younger brother is regularly beaten by their mom (Patty Duke, whose real-life son Sean Astin portrays the victim in question).
A blind, mentally retarded infant with cerebral palsy is left in the care of an elderly English woman who refuses to let him die. Starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, James Noble and Kirk Cameron.
Kari Michaelsen and Jennifer Jason Leigh star as two teenagers—one rich, the other middle-class—who become best friends over the summer. Co-starring Marion Ross and Julie Piekarski.
Billy Warlock portrays 16-year-old Craig Foster, whose efforts to prove himself to his peers land him in juvenile hall. Co-starring Al White.
A high school history teacher's lesson on Nazi Germany soon turns out to be a real-life lesson in mind-control and fascism at the school. It us up to school administrators to stop the game of psychological control before things go too far.
A high school girl (Cynthia Nixon) has a crush on a soap opera star but she thinks she is in love with him. At school, she meets her new English teacher, who closely resembles the soap star.
Tired of receiving hand me downs from her sister, an 11-year-old girl "secretly borrows" her bicycle, which then gets stolen by somebody else. Tracey Gold and Cheryl Arutt portray the sisters; Terry O'Quinn plays their dad. Also starring Corey Parker and Martha Plimpton; based on a novel by Francine Pascal.
Video arcade whiz and teen movie star discover they are exact doubles and decide to switch identities. A modern version of Mark Twain's The Prince and The Pauper.
A pretty teen-aged girl named Andrea Cranston and her boyfriend are stranded, and decide to hitchhike home. A nice man driving a green Dodge Coronet gives them a ride. After dropping the boyfriend off at home, the nice man reveals his true colors and declares ""We're going for a ride."" The man takes Andrea to a remote location, knocks her out and rapes her. This story explores the dangers of hitchhiking and the boyfriend's efforts to track down Andrea's assailant. In the end, the man is caught, and it's revealed he has raped more than one girl in his time.
Teenagers bait a timid girl to get her involved with various displays of affection. Starring Tracy Pollan, Pete Kowanko and Jennifer Grey.
13-year-old boy has problems reading, which his teachers attribute to laziness. It is later discovered that he has Dyslexia.
A teacher discovers that one of his students, the school's star basketball player, is illiterate. He makes it his mission to teach the boy how to read. Starring Clarence Williams III; with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Dorn.
Ken Kwapis directed this adaptation of Mary Rodgers's novel about a man who magically switches personalities with his son, and about the comical chaos that ensues.
An aspiring teenager Lisa dancer gets the chance to try out for a dance troupe. But will fear of failure keep her from auditioning? Terry Donahoe stars as Lisa Williams.
Family inherits a house on a tiny island between Canada and the United States, outside the jurisdiction of either country. Sarah Jessica Parker stars.
When her husband and children begin to take her for granted, a suburban housewife finally takes the drastic step of ... going on strike! This comic tale relates her family's efforts to fend for themselves and learn responsibility while the woman walks the picket line.
Tommy and Mary Sanders (Seth Green, Maddie Corman) go on the run with their divorced mom Louise (Lindsay Crouse). Only belatedly do they realize that Louise has kidnapped them from their dad Tom (John Getz).
A group of high school students take part in a parenting class where their first assignment is to 'parent' an egg. Starring Justine Bateman, Jimmy McNichol, Chris Hebert and Helene Udy.
Two terminally ill boys strike up a friendship in a hospital ward. One of the boys decides to make the ultimate sacrifice to the other so he can have a chance at life.
A 1980s adaptation of the children's tale, where a homely-but-pretty young girl struggles with her shyness and her snobbish stepsisters for the affections of a handsome boy at school.
A teen-aged girl named Karen Anderson suspects that Molly Stewart, the 6-year-old girl she is baby-sitting, is behaving quite strangely around an adult friend of the Stewarts. Turns out that the man is likely molesting Molly. Karen tries to bring the matter to the Stewarts' attention, but they only take action when it is almost too late. This special takes a look at child molestation and explores the warning signs people should notice.
A 22-year-old police officer (Michael E. Knight) poses as a student to sniff out the drug supplier for an inner-city high school.
A 17-year-old student learns just how deceiving looks can be, when he befriends the prettiest girl in school. It turns out her beauty compensates for unhappiness and low self-esteem, or does it? Starring Steve Antin, Heather Langenkamp, Christa Denton, Khrystyne Haje and Beau Bridges.
A teenage girl is stunned to discover that her supposedly-deceased mother is actually mentally ill, and institutionalized. Co-starring Marian Mercer and Michael York.
Tired of being bullied at school, a boy starts drawing a master scientist. He begins to imagine what it would be like, as the scientist, standing up to the bullies at school. Directed by James Scott and starring Adolph Caesar.
A teen-aged boy and his girlfriend secretly place personal ads for his divorced mother, Ellie, in an effort to find Mr. Right. The two screen potential dates, but none of them seem right for Ellie. In the end, it is Ellie who finds the man who she deems ""the perfect guy.""
Actor Kevin Hooks directed this tale of a college-bound 18-year-old (Corey Parker) whose life is turned upside down when his 16-year-old girlfriend announces that she is pregnant.
A teenager (Tempestt Bledsoe) is frustrated about being the only member of her gospel-singing family who cannot carry a tune in a barrel. So she writes a song about her problems, and soon discovers she's got musical talent after all, just not where she or anybody else suspected. Co-starring Della Reese.
15-year-old struggles through the politics of divorce as his parents split up. Written by Donald Margulies.
A wealthy businessman returns to teaching after conquering the stock market. He inherits a class of underachievers and sets out to make them winners. Starring Ralph Garman.
When an illiterate toy maker has the right to his invention stolen, his grandson and the Harlem Globetrotters team up to get them back.
Teenager Kevin Casio (Christian Hoff) discovers he has been infected with AIDS by a blood transfusion. Co-starring Florence Henderson and Ronny Cox (as Kevin's parents); featuring Lewis Arquette (as one of his doctors).
True story about a teen with Down syndrome who begins attending college classes.
Drama about high school student Terry Warner, who makes a startling transition from inconspicuous to exceptionally noticeable.
A Christmas Nativity scene is displayed at a high school, where it sparks debate and protest from the student body; this leads to the separation of church and state being examined, formally, and in depth. Co-starring Megan Follows.
A 16-year-old girl named Julia, who longs for her mother's affections, receives nothing but verbal abuse in return.
More than 23 million adults in the United States can't read. A young girl learns that her father is among the illiterate. This ABC Afterschool Special, while spotlighting the struggles and humiliation the illiterate face, focuses more on the daughter's efforts to help her father learn to read, and the power one has when overcoming this crippling problem.
A pretty girl named Samantha is raped by a high school heartthrob named Gary on their first date. This special relates the shame Samantha faces as she ponders reporting the crime and the consequences. Only when Gary is about to strike again does she consider notifying the police.
A family must come to grips with the sudden death of their eldest daughter (Sherilyn Fenn). With Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker; also featuring Judith Barsi, Rob Stone, Ricki Lake, Rhea Perlman and Tonya Crowe. This special was originally shown in primetime under the name "ABC Family Theater". This episode was dedicated to Judith Barsi. [6]
The longtime friendship of four friends is tested when two of them begin using cocaine.
An entire neighborhood examines their feelings of racism, and take sides after the home of a black family is vandalized by a neighbor. Co-starring Dan Lauria, Betty Buckley and Michael Beach.
Teenage girl is in total denial about her mother's drinking problem.
Three girls steal the answers to their final exam. When the headmistress finds out, she gives those responsible one day to confess, before she expels and/or prosecutes everybody with any connection—no matter how remote—to the theft/cover-up.
A teen-aged girl's mother dies, setting off a bitter custody dispute between the two most important men in her lives - her natural father and her stepfather.
A 16-year-old high school student tries to cope with his schizophrenic father's behavior, which takes its toll on his schoolwork, activities and reputation.
Teenager Madeline (Kerri Green) discovers her father's affair with her mother's best friend. Will it tear her family apart? Co-starring Christopher Daniel Barnes, Michael Warren, Nancy Kulp, Lynne Thigpen, Wendy Brainard and Christopher Collet.
Teenager Eric Nelson (Keith Coogan) urges his town to farm without the use of pesticides, but many of those farmers are resistant to change.
Several high school students (including Marc Price) learn about ethics versus seductive power, when they start a cookie company as their class project. Co-starring William H. Macy.
High school student Matt Thompson (Keith Coogan) must decide whether or not to come forward with the truth about a tragic drunk-driving accident.
Steven Sanders is ecstatic: his lucky shot propelled Central High into the basketball playoffs; he's lined up a date with the homecoming queen, and an ""intimate"" party afterward; and Dad is lending Steven his new car. Steven expects ""a night to remember,"" but it turns into a night he won't forget.
A high school senior, concerned about the epidemic of teen-aged pregnancy in her class, begins a campaign for sex education classes.
Having never used illegal drugs in his life, model teenager Will Hatch (Christopher Daniel Barnes)—a competitive swimmer who also works as delivery boy for a medical clinic—is shocked when he tests positive for amphetamines (actually, it was medication for swimmer's ear). He's even more shocked when "speed" is found in his locker, which school security forcibly searches—in his absence—over the test results. Also shocked are: his mom (Alley Mills) and his girlfriend Carla (Lisa Dean Ryan), who believe in his innocence; swim-team coach Stanley Daniels (Chris Rich) and Will's high-school principal (Art LaFleur), who do not. It does not help that Stan is also Carla's father and Mrs. Hatch's fiancé; he even turns against his own daughter, when she's expelled for refusing to take the same drug test as Will. Adam Sandler has a cameo as a pusher.
A teen-aged girl attempts to get even with her boyfriend who stood her up on prom night by suing him for the cost of the dress. When the small claims court docket is full, she takes her case to a high school student court.
The title character runs away from home and drops out of school to get away from her mother, who constantly belittles her.
A teenage musician (Alison Bartlett) finds her song lyrics being scrutinized as too suggestive. Co-starring Davy Jones and Carole King.
Two high school journalists write a story about a teen HIV support group, and are stunned by some of the stories they hear.
Three-part series about high school graduates contemplating their futures, while working at the mall. In "First Impressions", a girl has mixed sentiment about meeting her birth mother for the first time.
In "Second Chances", a girl struggles with mixed feelings about her widowed mother's upcoming remarriage.
In "Temptations" the gang prepares to go their separate ways as summer winds down. Meanwhile, a recovering teenage alcoholic struggles to stay sober when an old drinking buddy shows up. Co-starring Todd Graff.
Oprah Winfrey moderates a panel of teens, celebrities and experts to discuss surviving the end of a relationship.
Oprah Winfrey moderates a panel of teens discussing race relations in America.
Roz Abrams hosts a special report on youth violence and later moderates a panel discussion.
Two teenage girls, one black and one white, become friends while working on a mural to honor a black classmate killed by random gunfire.
16-year-old Christie (Holly Shaw) turns to a support group when her boyfriend begins to physically abuse her.
Julia Morrow-Wheeler (Jacklyn Zeman) struggles with her daughter Samantha (Kellie Martin) wanting to leave the nest, and, at the same time, with her father Frank's (Don Murray) reluctance to enter a retirement home. Co-starring Michael Cutt.
Oprah Winfrey moderates a panel of teens, celebrities and experts to discuss the obsession teens have with their appearance.
A pregnant 16-year-old girl examines her choices over what to do with her unborn baby amidst interviews with teens, parents, educators, counselors, social workers and doctors that amplify the issues.
Not to be confused with the same-named TV series, this chronicles the ordeal of a high-school marching band-member (Ami Dolenz) who becomes the victim of sexual harassment by several male classmates, including some close friends of her elder brother Steve (David "Viper" Lipper of Full House fame). Fortunately, he takes her side. Ali and her family decide upon suing the school, after Principal Pritchard (Steven Gilborn) cites the title excuse instead of doing anything to protect her. Directed by Joan Van Ark, who also portrays Ali and Steve's mom; Larry Wilcox plays their dad. Also starring Jeremy Jordan and Danny Cooksey.
Teenage girl desperately wants to be popular. One day an angel grants her that wish, by giving her a new image every day. But soon, she wishes she could just be herself.
Whoopi Goldberg interviews musician/singer Bonnie Raitt about her life, career and future plans.
Teenage girl struggles with her mother's illness from breast cancer.
Teenager Hank Atkins (Micah Dyer) does not know what to think of his dad John's (Jameson Parker) new wife; for one thing, Amanda (Kristen Cloke) is young enough to be John's daughter. Thankfully, however, as Hank takes a long road trip alone with Amanda, the proverbial ice gets broken with a vengeance.
A teenager is shown how being involved with booze will shape his life, ultimately, he will become a bombed-out derelict (Gerald McRaney).
Documentary following two actors from ABC's General Hospital (Kimberly McCullough, Michael Sutton) as they research and talk to people living with HIV and AIDS.
After the senseless death of his twin brother, a teen drug pusher decides to seek revenge against all who have wronged him in the neighborhood.
Soccer mom Nancy Gallagher (Jane Kaczmarek) feels like a hypocrite when lecturing her kids Jason and Carly (Will Friedle, Lacey Chabert) about the importance of finishing one's education, since Jane herself is a high school dropout. She decides to practice what she's been preaching, by sharing classes with Jason. Co-starring Kevin Connolly.
Teenage girl, Alica (Elise Neal) meets up with her father for the first time in ten years, and yearns to reunite her family despite their opposition. Featuring Lauryn Hill as Alicia's friend, Malika.
Twin sisters, one slim and one overweight, magically switch personalities, giving them a new appreciation of each other.
In this adaptation of Marilyn Reynolds' novel, a high school senior's (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) future plans change abruptly when he learns his girlfriend is pregnant. Co-starring Ed Begley, Jr., Breck Wilson and Jessica Alba.
Three women, each from a different generation, deal with the various changes taking place in their lives. Starring Courtney Peldon, Marion Ross, Bruce Boxleitner, Sara Gilbert (whose real-life sister Melissa directed) and Chad Lowe.
Andrea Mattson's (Lauren Woodland) overprotective parents (Morgan Fairchild and Sam McMurray), out of excessive concern for their daughter's well-being, hire a private eye to shadow her every move. Predictably, this does much more harm than good. Co-starring Danny Cooksey.
Underprivileged and troubled teens join the Trapper Creek Jobs Corp in Montana to learn a trade, work in the wilderness and achieve a solid work ethic.