ABC Afterschool Specials (1972)

Adventure · Comedy · Drama

Dramatically presented situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were either in animated form or presented as documentaries. Topics included illiteracy, substance abuse and teenage pregnancy.

IMDb rating: 7.2 (1,470 votes)
Episode average: 7.0 -0.2 vs IMDb
Seasons: 22
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 22 seasons indexed

Seasons

Season 1 (1972)

7.07 avg 6 episodes 8.2 → 6.6 60 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Last of the Curlews	8.2	80
2	Follow the North Star	6.9	20
3	Santiago's Ark	6.4	21
4	William: The Life, Works and Times of William Shakespeare	6.8	10
5	The Incredible, Indelible, Magical Physical, Mystery Trip	7.5	54
6	Alexander	6.6	37

Season 2 (1973)

6.73 avg 6 episodes 6.5 → 7.0 58 min avg

Rebound

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Rookie of the Year	6.5	95
2	My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel	6.4	17
3	Pssst! Hammerman's After You!	7.2	78
4	Cyrano	7.2	40
5	Runaways	6.1	24
6	The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head	7.0	35

Season 3 (1974)

6.98 avg 5 episodes 6.9 → 7.1 54 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Sara's Summer of the Swans	6.9	58
2	The Bridge of Adam Rush	6.9	21
4	The Toothpaste Millionaire	7.6	15
5	The Skating Rink	6.4	56
7	The Secret Life of T.K. Dearing	7.1	55

Season 4 (1975)

7.23 avg 7 episodes 7.4 → 7.2 54 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	It Must Be Love, 'Cause I Feel So Dumb	7.4	37
2	Fawn Story	7.5	14
3	The Shaman's Last Raid	7.2	10
4	The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon	7.7	108
5	Me and Dad's New Wife	6.5	51
6	Blind Sunday	7.1	23
7	Dear Lovey Hart: I Am Desperate	7.2	53

Season 5 (1976)

7.37 avg 6 episodes 7.6 → 7.9 49 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Francesca, Baby	7.6	66
2	P.J. and the President's Son	5.7	26
3	Mighty Moose and the Quarterback Kid	7.2	26
4	My Mom's Having a Baby	8.4	49
5	The Horrible Honchos	7.4	48
6	Very Good Friends	7.9	69

Season 6 (1977)

7.27 avg 7 episodes 8.3 → 7.3 54 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Hewitt's Just Different	8.3	37
2	The Pinballs	7.3	114
3	Michel's Mixed-Up Musical Bird	6.2	14
4	It Isn't Easy Being a Teenage Millionaire	7.2	19
5	The Rag Tag Champs	7.2	18
6	Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me	7.4	37
7	It's a Mile from Here to Glory	7.3	39

Season 7 (1978)

7.09 avg 7 episodes 7.3 → 6.9 53 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	One of a Kind	7.3	17
2	A Home Run for Love	7.7	31
3	Gaucho	5.8	22
4	Dinky Hocker	7.8	42
5	Make-Believe Marriage	6.7	16
6	The Terrible Secret	7.4	22
7	The Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid	6.9	21

Season 8 (1979)

7.37 avg 7 episodes 7.4 → 6.3 54 min avg

Bad finale

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Which Mother Is Mine?	7.4	40
2	A Movie Star's Daughter	7.4	24
3	A Special Gift	7.6	68
4	The Late Great Me! Story of a Teenage Alcoholic	7.8	17
5	Heartbreak Winner	6.7	34
6	Where Do Teenagers Come From?	8.4	17
7	What Are Friends For?	6.3	72

Season 9 (1980)

7.43 avg 7 episodes 7.8 → 7.2 57 min avg

Season 9 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Family of Strangers	7.8	28
2	Schoolboy Father	7.4	101
3	The Gymnast	8.7	45
4	Stoned	5.8	135
5	A Matter of Time	7.5	33
6	Run, Don't Walk	7.6	23
7	My Mother Was Never a Kid	7.2	80

Season 10 (1981)

7.32 avg 6 episodes 7.3 → 6.0 54 min avg

Season 10 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	She Drinks a Little	7.3	37
2	Starstruck	7.3	23
3	Tough Girl	7.3	49
4	The Color of Friendship	8.8	26
5	The Unforgivable Secret	7.2	14
6	Daddy, I'm Their Mama Now	6.0	31

Season 11 (1982)

7.29 avg 8 episodes 7.3 → 8.8 50 min avg

Season 11 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Amy & the Angel	7.3	65
2	Between Two Loves	6.6	24
3	A Very Delicate Matter	5.8	43
4	Please Don't Hit Me, Mom	7.4	20
5	The Woman Who Willed a Miracle	8.9	71
6	Have You Ever Been Ashamed of Your Parents?	6.8	54
7	But It's Not My Fault	6.7	14
8	The Wave	8.8	40

Season 12 (1983)

7.32 avg 5 episodes 7.0 → 8.3 49 min avg

Season 12 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	It's No Crush, I'm in Love	7.0	18
2	The Hand-Me-Down Kid	7.0	12
4	Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy	6.4	74
5	The Great Love Experiment	7.9	29
6	Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia	8.3	102

Season 13 (1984)

6.51 avg 7 episodes 3.6 → 6.8 55 min avg

Season 13 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Summer Switch	3.6	39
2	Out of Step	7.6	16
3	The Almost Royal Family	7.0	15
4	Mom's on Strike	6.2	45
5	I Want to Go Home	8.1	21
6	First the Egg	6.3	19
7	One Too Many	6.8	137

Season 14 (1985)

7.20 avg 7 episodes 5.4 → 6.0 51 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 14 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	No Greater Gift	5.4	24
2	Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale	7.6	36
3	Don't Touch	7.8	67
4	High School Narc	8.9	55
5	Can a Guy Say No?	7.1	33
6	Are You My Mother?	7.6	14
7	Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge	6.0	18

Season 15 (1986)

7.00 avg 6 episodes 7.6 → 6.7 56 min avg

Season 15 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Desperate Exit	7.6	62
2	Wanted: The Perfect Guy	5.1	78
3	Teen Father	7.3	13
4	The Gift of Amazing Grace	8.4	17
5	Supermom's Daughter	6.9	16
6	Divorced Kids' Blues	6.7	13

Season 16 (1987)

6.53 avg 6 episodes 7.9 → 4.4 55 min avg

Bad finale

Season 16 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Just a Regular Kid: An AIDS Story	7.9	20
2	The Kid Who Wouldn't Quit: The Brad Silverman Story	6.4	13
3	The Day My Kid Went Punk	5.9	111
4	Seasonal Differences	7.9	23
5	Terrible Things My Mother Told Me	6.7	40
6	Daddy Can't Read	4.4	28

Season 17 (1988)

7.13 avg 7 episodes 7.1 → 6.9 59 min avg

Season 17 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Date Rape	7.1	21
2	A Family Again	7.3	43
3	Tattle: When to Tell on a Friend	8.0	30
4	Taking a Stand	6.9	20
5	Just Tipsy, Honey	7.7	17
6	The Cheats	6.0	12
7	Torn Between Two Fathers	6.9	22

Season 18 (1989)

7.00 avg 6 episodes 6.6 → 6.3 60 min avg

Season 18 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He?	6.6	29
2	Private Affairs	7.9	15
3	A Town's Revenge	7.7	13
4	All That Glitters	7.1	16
5	Over the Limit	6.4	30
6	The Perfect Date	6.3	60

Season 19 (1990)

6.20 avg 5 episodes 5.7 → 5.3 60 min avg

Season 19 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Question About Sex	5.7	17
2	Testing Dirty	5.8	46
3	Stood Up!	6.7	17
4	The Less Than Perfect Daughter	7.5	28
5	It's Only Rock & Roll	5.3	20

Season 23 (1994)

7.20 avg 4 episodes 6.9 → 7.7 45 min avg

Big finale

Season 23 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Boys Will Be Boys	6.9	26
2	Magical Make-Over	7.4	25
4	Notes for My Daughter	6.8	15
5	Long Road Home	7.7	15

Season 24 (1995)

6.78 avg 4 episodes 5.2 → 6.9

Slow burn

Season 24 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Fast Forward	5.2	15
2	Positive: A Journey Into AIDS	7.7	17
4	Educating Mom	7.3	24
5	Daddy's Girl	6.9	23

Season 25 (1996)

6.55 avg 4 episodes 4.9 → 8.4 54 min avg

Big finale

Season 25 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Too Soon for Jeff	4.9	172
2	Me and My Hormones	7.6	18
3	Teenage Confidential	5.3	15
4	Miracle at Trapper Creek	8.4	11