after school specials
Didactic youth broadcasts
After school specials were television dramas aimed at young viewers, airing in the afternoon time slot when children returned from school.
Produced mainly from the 1970s through 1990s, they tackled serious issues—drug abuse, teen pregnancy, bullying, eating disorders—in earnest, moralistic fashion.
The term now describes anything that feels heavy-handedly educational or preachy: That conversation felt like an after school special.
- issuesMatters requiring attention
- teenagersPeople aged thirteen to nineteen
- lessonsUnits of teaching
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- substance abuseHarmful habitual intoxicant use
troubled teens · education · nostalgia · drama · peer pressure · morality · adolescence · coming of age · guidance · anthology series · heavy-handed · teenage pregnancy · eating disorders · cautionary tales · broadcasts · conflict resolution · parables · educational television
after school specialssnuff films
Recordings of actual murders
exploitation films · grindhouse · slasher movies · gratuitous violence · midnight movies
after school specialsgritty realism
Unvarnished depiction of hardship
The Wire · Trainspotting · Thirteen · unvarnished truth · cinema verité
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