19 TV Episodes That Actually Handled Heavy Topics Really (And I Mean Really) Well

In the episode "My Old Lady," J.D. spends the runtime trying to convince an older patient named Ms. Tanner to get treatment for kidney disease. She doesn't want to, claims she has lived a full life, and proceeds to tell J.D. to enjoy his to the fullest (even simply just laying the grass, doing nothing). J.D. admits he is more scared than the dying woman, and this episode that deals with death hits in all directions, both the emotions of those dying and those losing someone they care about while thinking about their own mortality.

The episode ends with J.D. lying in the grass, greeted by his work friends who also lost patients that day.

In a special episode of Black-ish, the heart of it actually focuses on the reaction to police brutality within Black homes. Bow doesn't want her husband, Dre, to raise their kids to think our flawed world has no hope after watching the news about violent protests in reaction to the death of another Black person killed by police.

Dre gives a speech talking about how they need to acknowledge the unfairness and bias they face on a daily basis in a way that showcases the hurdles Black families face when raising their children.

In an episode titled "Second Chances," Carol's boyfriend, Sandy, gets into a car accident after driving drunk and ends up hospitalized. The episode seems like any other, where a lesson is learned by a close call, but things go south when she arrives home from the hospital to learn that Sandy died from internal bleeding. It's a stunning moment, and the fallout feels all too real.

It hammers home the episode trying to highlight the consequences of drunk driving.

Obviously, like other shows, it highlights police abusing their power at the expense of Black people, but the real uniqueness of this episode is Carlton's attitude toward the situation. Throughout the episode, he tries to excuse the racial bias toward him and Will being arrested in the episode "Mistaken Identity."

In the end, Carlton questions everything he's known in what has been a sheltered life after Uncle Phil eludes to his own experience of being stopped by police when he was younger. It's a very masterful ending.

Mary befriends a woman named Joanne, who suspiciously does not want to be around Mary's closest and best friend, Rhoda, who is Jewish. Mary tricks Joanne by claiming she is Jewish, exposing Joanne, who becomes tongue-tied before realizing she has been duped. But the damage was done, and Mary understood she had looked at her differently when she believed she was Jewish.

In the end, Mary cuts Joanne out of her life, having zero tolerance for an antisemite. It's a good ending, and despite Rhoda not being in the scene, Mary sticks up for her friend rather than being dismissive of the antisemitism.

During the episode "Sorry, Wrong Meeting," George accidentally attends a meeting that turns out to be a Ku Klux Klan meeting. After the leader of the group spews his racist rhetoric, all while his own son says the n-word, he proceeds to have a heart attack. George proceeds to save the dying man's life with CPR. The son struggles to thank George for saving his father's life, and it really highlights racism being passed down and learned.

A very brief moment after the racist father goes down, his son asks if anyone knows what to do, and George just looks around, minding his business (and the audience knows he is capable of giving the man CPR).

"The garbage still stinks no matter how fresh it is."

Actor and star of 8 Simple Rules John Ritter died after a heart attack during the show's run. The writers wrote Ritter's death into the story, and it is a tough watch, but the episode shows how different people grieve. One daughter can't stop crying, the son gets angry over the littlest things, and the other daughter won't leave her room.

The whole episode is a gut punch, and all the emotions are all too real while comforting in the end.

Geri Tyler (played by Geri Jewell), who has cerebral palsy, appeared on The Facts of Life, and it was the first time a character with a visible disability appeared on a primetime sitcom. Her presence not only puts a focus on someone with a disability but it also shows how other characters treated and interacted with her. The awkwardness people have when talking to disabled people is portrayed realistically, and Geri brought so much charisma to her role that viewers fell in love with her.

It's also cool to see that she portrays a comedian on the show, which I imagine helped ease viewers back in the day who had never seen someone like her on TV before.

In The Golden Girls episode "Scared Straight," we meet Clayton, Blanche's brother, who is gay. Blanche is outraged and outs her own anti-gay mindset throughout the episode.

This was so unique because the character with prejudice was a main character everyone loved, rather than a side character they could write off. She ultimately accepts him for who he is, and we see her first baby steps toward rejecting her own prejudices.

In the episode titled "Maude's Dilemma," Maude becomes pregnant at the age of 47. She contemplates having an abortion while her husband Walter considers having a vasectomy. She decides it's irresponsible to go through with the pregnancy, and the support she gets from Walter is beautiful. Other shows have dealt with abortion, but this one did a good job showing how a partner should not just respect the right to choose but offer their full support.

This all happened just two months before the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.

In the episode "That's So Not Raven," Raven has her dress and image featured in a magazine but is appalled to see that they photoshopped her head onto a skinnier body. Raven then takes matters into her own hands and models her dress on her own body. She says that even if she doesn't have "the look" she's still beautiful.

Other Disney shows have dealt with body image, but this one keeps it positive enough for kids. Although I'm sure the episode isn't flawless, it succeeds in making Raven comfortable and confident in her own skin.

In the episode "If You Can't Be With The One You Love," Shawn is confronted by his friends about his drinking. His brother warns him about following the same path as his father, who had an alcohol addiction.

Shawn eventually tries to leave the room and drunkenly shoves his girlfriend aside. The scene is a tough watch and spotlights a history of alcoholism in one's family, the dangers of going down the same road, and how it can ruin relationships with loved ones.

In the episode "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept," One Tree Hill follows troubled teen Jimmy, who brings a gun to Tree Hill High that forces a lockdown.

The episode is tough to watch and ends with the sympathetic shooter, Jimmy, taking his own life. It puts the audience inside the walls of the school in a scenario all too familiar, and it's as emotional as it is horrifying.