Inevitably, if you’re watching a family-oriented sitcom, they will eventually have to address a serious lesson. Though it still happens today, these Very Special Episodes were even more common during the ‘90s. And one theme in particular pops up almost every time: that nefarious alcohol! Yes, that ole bad boy, drinking. Getting drunk is Very Bad, you guys, especially in a ’90s sitcom.
Below is a subjective ranking of 10 such episodes from some of our favorite ‘90s sitcoms. This ranking is mostly based on how good the episode was rather than how serious the lesson might have been. There’s a lot of cheese factor in the majority of these episodes, so it’s not always easy. But let’s get down to it — behold, the best ’90s sitcom Very Special Episodes about drinking!
10. Smart Guy - Never Too Young (3x22)
Smart Guy didn’t last too long, so don’t be surprised if you don’t remember it. Essentially, a child prodigy goes to high school with those much older than him. In this episode, however, he is back hanging out with kids his own age, only when he goes to a party, a couple of those kids peer pressure him into sharing a beer with them. Magically, he gets wasted off of this ⅓ of a beer, and feels terrible the next morning. The bad kids show up again to try to get him to drink more, and his dad discovers them just in time to teach the Very Special lesson about how drinking is bad.
9. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - You've Got to be a Football Hero (4x12)
To be honest, this episode of Fresh Prince is nuts, and not in a good way. Essentially, Will has a crush on Tyra Banks, or whatever her character is named, only she is dating this football star guy. Will decides to crash the party they’ll be at to try to get more time with her, and ends up getting in a pissing contest of sorts with said football star guy, wherein they both start doing shots. Will eventually passes out, and the football star guy and his buddies pull a prank on him by…taking him to the cemetery. What now? Is this a thing? Will awakens in the cemetery, briefly plays cards with some ghosts, and then meets a young kid ghost who was killed by, you guessed it, a drunk driver. Better not drink anymore, Will, especially since it causes you to have such wacky delusions.
8. Saved by the Bell - Drinking and Driving (5x10)
Saved by the Bell did not beat around the bush here – they even named the episode “Drinking and Driving.” For those that remember this episode, it was during the Tori run, so Jessie and Kelly aren’t even in it. Is it one of the best episodes of SBTB? No. The gang gets into a car accident after drinking and driving and then try to cover it up. The most memorable thing about the episode is that everyone gets to wear togas, and that it’s one of the only times we ever see any parents — Zack’s dad and Lisa’s mom.
Want to read more about Saved by the Bell‘s Very Special Episodes? Check out our article: Saved By The Bell’s Very Special Episodes – Ranked
7. Clueless - None for the Road (3x15)
Did you forget that they made a TV show based on the Clueless movie? It pales in comparison to the movie with its major cheesiness, but they didn’t shy away from the Very Special drunk driving episode. This episode is also extra special because it features a performance from another ‘90s staple, NSYNC. That’s right, they perform at Cher’s 18th birthday, where everyone is having a little too much bubbly. Cher’s boyfriend and two other friends get into an accident, and her boyfriend ends up dying from internal injuries after he seemed fine. This is the only episode on this list to feature an actual death, though it was almost a footnote to the whole episode. The episode even featured a PSA at the end, so you know it was serious.
6. Tiny Toon Adventures - Elephant Issues - One Beer (2x03)
Wait a minute. A kids animated show did a bit on getting drunk? It’s weird, and 100% true. In Tiny Toon Adventures, Buster, Plucky, and Hamton all share one beer and get totally bombed. Like many of these examples, it featured one person being an instigator and basically peer-pressuring the others to join in. What follows is wacky — they’re suddenly dressed like bums, going around town annoying people, still drinking that one beer, then steal a police car and drive drunkenly until they literally drive off the side of Death Mountain and die! It ends with the three of them floating toward heaven as angels, then once they get there — they take off the angel outfits, and Buster asks Plucky and Hamton, “Do we get to do a funny episode tomorrow?” and Hamton replies with, “I hope so.” Wow, were the writers forced to do a Very Special Episode and this is how they rebelled? Apparently this episode was banned at the time of airing, but it’s now available to watch in all its crazy glory.
5. Hey Dude - Melody's Brother (3x11)
Yes, even Nickelodeon got into the mix here. In this episode of Hey Dude, Melody’s brother comes to visit her before heading off to medical school. She’s super excited to see him, and things go well at first… until he starts offering booze to the other male staff. Melody ends up having to cover for him when his big bottle of the hooch falls and bursts open in front of Mr. Ernst. She must then confront him about his drinking as, apparently, their father has a drinking problem, and Melody doesn’t want her brother to turn out like him. He promises he won’t, and that he’ll stop, only to then go get into a drunk driving accident a few days later. They have another heart to heart at the end of the episode where he seems to have finally gotten the message.
4. Blossom - Intervention (2x07)
The title of this Blossom episode really over exaggerates the level of intervention that occurs here. Essentially, Tony notices that Joey’s friend seems to be drinking a lot, and wonders if he’s overdoing things. Tony would know, of course, because he used to do drugs and stuff. Joey is very reluctant to listen to any of this, insisting that his friend is just casually drinking sometimes, but eventually the friend in question starts behaving erratically in the house, and Joey has to tell him he doesn’t like him acting this way. The friend storms off, and that’s…it. Tony and Joey have a talk about how in the end he can only help himself, but it seemed like there could have been a little something more. The other half of the episode focuses on Blossom and her dad ditching their responsibilities to have some quality time together.
3. Full House - Under the Influence (8x10)
In the Full House take on getting drunk, high school seniors DJ and Kimmy go to a frat party with college-aged kids. If you think this is something Danny would not allow, we would agree, but apparently he was okay with it so long as a life lesson was to be learned. At the party, Kimmy gets drunk, and DJ must be the responsible one and take her home. Kimmy remembers the night as DJ having been a downer, but DJ tells her the truth — Kimmy was the one people didn’t want at the party due to her drunken antics. After a mini fight between the two, eventually DJ reveals that her mom died because of a drunk driver. It seems like this was the first time that fact was ever revealed, and it was the last season of the show. Wow. Honestly, the real lesson of this episode seems to be about forgiveness rather than actual “drinking is bad,” as the other story going on has to do with Michelle and the twins having a spat.
2. Family Matters - Life of the Party (2x18)
Remember the time that Urkel almost died by falling drunk off of a high-rise roof on Family Matters? No? Do you remember The Urkel dance? Yes? Would you believe that both of those things happened in the same episode? It’s true. At a birthday party, Urkel livens things up by getting everyone to do the Urkel dance, and that’s before anyone has given him alcohol. A mean kid decides to spike Urkel’s drink to get back at him for making him look stupid, and it does indeed make Urkel look dumb. He was more the life of the party when he wasn’t drunk! Drunk Urkel ends up on the ledge of the building, and it’s Aunt Rachel to the rescue with a quick tight-rope walk between ledges. Wait, what? Did I say tight-rope walk? Yes. She walked across a clothing line to reach Drunk Urkel on his precarious ledge. Classic.
1. Boy Meets World - If You Can’t Be With the One You Love… (5x18)
Most of the time in Boy Meets World, Shawn is the one who gets Cory into trouble, but in this episode, things are switched up. After Cory and Topanga have broken up, Cory is feeling down in the dumps and decides to try drinking to make himself feel better. While he quickly learns his lesson, unfortunately he also coaxes Shawn into trying it, and with Shawn having alcoholism in the family, he gets a little bit hooked. Everyone confronts Shawn about his problem, but it’s only once he lashes out at Angela that he agrees to stop. One of the better parts of the episode was Cory’s dad immediately blaming Shawn for Cory’s drinking, only to realize that it was really Cory being the instigator this time around. Boy Meets World handles these issues pretty well most of the time, and does a good job of mixing in the humor with the seriousness again here.
Do you remember watching these Very Special Episodes? Did they make an impression on your young mind? Let us know in the comments!
- Andrea Barber, who plays Kimmy on Full House, originally auditioned to play DJ, but they felt she wasn’t quite right for that part. They had her come back as the neighbor, which was only supposed to be a one-time appearance, but they liked her chemistry with the rest of the cast so much, she stuck around for good.
- Though Urkel was meant to be a bit character on one episode of Family Matters, he became so popular that the show eventually revolved mostly around him, with actor Jaleel White playing multiple Urkel-related characters such as Urkel’s Southern belle cousin (Myrtle Urkel), his cool alter-ego (Stefan), a robot doppelgänger (Urkelbot), a kung fu master (Bruce Lee Urkel) and an evil ventriloquist dummy (Stevil).
- In Boy Meets World, Cory was meant to have multiple friends rather than just one best friend in Shawn, but when the creators didn’t like the other actors, they switched things up and Shawn became his best buddy for life.
- After parents complained that Tiny Toon Adventures‘ “One Beer” was either too dark for children and/or made too much light of alcoholism, it was pulled from reruns for almost two decades. When the show was going to be released on DVD in 2012, WB originally was not going to include the episode, but they changed their minds and it was included after all.
- Melissa Joan Hart was offered the role of Six on Blossom, but instead accepted another role she was offered at the same time, a little something called Clarissa Explains It All.
- Andrea Barber, who plays Kimmy on Full House, originally auditioned to play DJ, but they felt she wasn’t quite right for that part. They had her come back as the neighbor, which was only supposed to be a one-time appearance, but they liked her chemistry with the rest of the cast so much, she stuck around for good.
- Though Urkel was meant to be a bit character on one episode of Family Matters, he became so popular that the show eventually revolved mostly around him, with actor Jaleel White playing multiple Urkel-related characters such as Urkel’s Southern belle cousin (Myrtle Urkel), his cool alter-ego (Stefan), a robot doppelgänger (Urkelbot), a kung fu master (Bruce Lee Urkel) and an evil ventriloquist dummy (Stevil).
- In Boy Meets World, Cory was meant to have multiple friends rather than just one best friend in Shawn, but when the creators didn’t like the other actors, they switched things up and Shawn became his best buddy for life.
- After parents complained that Tiny Toon Adventures‘ “One Beer” was either too dark for children and/or made too much light of alcoholism, it was pulled from reruns for almost two decades. When the show was going to be released on DVD in 2012, WB originally was not going to include the episode, but they changed their minds and it was included after all.
- Melissa Joan Hart was offered the role of Six on Blossom, but instead accepted another role she was offered at the same time, a little something called Clarissa Explains It All.
