These 5 Times TV Shows Displayed Respects to Real-Life Tragedies

Real-life cataclysmic events are frequently left to news programs or documentary filmmakers, although TV series has occasionally dealt with real disasters, either by choice or necessity. Whether it’s the death of a popular performer on a program or a tragic incident like 9/11 or a school massacre, TV series have not shied away from dealing with the grief, loss, and conflicted emotions that such tragedies elicit.

Some series were terminated due to real-life catastrophes, however numerous TV shows, including sitcoms, that dealt with 9/11 and actor deaths found methods to provide catharsis and healing to fans, cast, and crew.

1. Sesame Street: Big Bird Learnt a Lesson When Mr. Hopper Passed Away

Sesame Street teaches children the alphabet, numbers, colors, vocabulary, and other educational topics, but it also addresses serious issues such as discrimination, parental jail, divorce, and death.

When one of the show’s initial human characters, Will Lee, who portrayed grocery store owner, Mr. Hooper, died of a heart attack in 1982, the authors saw a chance to teach youngsters about the irreversibility of death. They engaged child psychologists and other professionals for the episode “Farewell, Mr. Hooper” to ensure that the dialogue was easy for youngsters to understand without being overbearing.

Big Bird, a 6-year-old, comes to terms with the realization that his companion is no longer with him in the episode. He shows typical emotions – anger, despair – and expresses concern about what would happen without Mr. Hooper in his life: “Who will take care of the store? “Who will make my birdseed milkshakes and tell me stories?”

In an interview, actor Bob McGrath, who plays Bob on Sesame Street, said that the researchers came up with several reassuring messages for children about what happens when someone dies, including: “‘You’ll be taken care of”; ‘you know they’re never coming back, but you’re safe’; and “Someone else would take care of you.'”

The episode does not delve into philosophical issues such as the circle of life.

2. Family Guy: Peter Griffin Pays Respects to Carrie Fisher via The Character She Played ‘Angela’

Since the show’s inception in 1999, Family Guy has been known for its tongue-in-cheek comedy and off-color quips. However, the cartoon show has occasionally displayed some emotional depth, albeit with lots of fun thrown in.

Carrie Fisher, who played Peter Griffin’s supervisor at the brewery, was a regular on the show. Following Fisher’s death in 2016, Family Guy paid unexpectedly passionate respect to her by hosting a memorial ceremony for her character, Angela. Peter delivers the eulogy for Angela, who died after taking a dip after dinner. “Angela may be gone, but her voice will live on in DVD, Hulu Plus, and small droid-projected messages,” he says, before concluding, “I may have lost a boss, but heaven has gained a princess.”

Of course, since this is Family Guy, Peter realizes he’s been delivering these messages to the incorrect service.

3. 8 Simple Rules: The Cast Group Hugged Through the Sad Real-Life Passing of John Ritter

8 Simple Rules… For Dating My Teenage Daughter was a sitcom about a suburban family led by husband Paul and wife Cate (John Ritter and Katey Sagal) and their three teenage children. Dad Paul kept the show together by acting as a sounding board for the rest of the Hennessy clan and as the straight man to their screwballs. Ritter and Sagal had fantastic chemistry and were convincing TV pairs.

John Ritter’s tragic death from an aortic dissection in 2003, at the age of 54, was abrupt and unexpected, and the show’s writers had to immediately come up with a method to confront it. They opted to proceed with the truth: Paul in the program passes as Ritter did in real life, leaving the rest of the family to cope with the consequences. The program was genuine, hilarious without being schmaltzy, and lacked a real audience, resulting in a deafening quiet. The end effect was a touching and poignant farewell.

Cate’s father-in-law, played by James Garner in the last episode, stated the emotion on set was palpable during the production of the “Goodbye” episode. “It’s not difficult for [the cast members] to execute their sensitive sequences while they’re sobbing,” he remarked.

4. Riverdale: Luke Perry Was Paid Respects By His Beverly Hills Co-Star

Luke Perry, who portrayed Archie Andrews’ father, Fred, on The CW’s Riverdale, died abruptly in March 2019 at the age of 52 due to a stroke. “We didn’t want to hurry it; we didn’t want to sandwich it into all the other plotlines, and we just wanted to take our time and think about it,” showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Entertainment Weekly of the decision to wait until the following season’s premiere to add Fred’s death to the tale.

In the episode, Fred is killed in a hit-and-run accident after stopping to assist a woman who is having automobile difficulty. Shannen Doherty, Perry’s former Beverly Hills 90210 co-star, makes a surprise cameo as that woman.

“We decided early on that Fred should die heroically, and that would have an influence on Archie,” Aguirre-Sacasa explained. “It felt like Fred might have gone that route.”He stated that he and Perry had explored adding Doherty on the program before the actor’s death, but that it had not worked out. When casting Doherty’s character for the tribute episode, he remarked, “We felt it would be good if it was someone he cared about in real life, and he genuinely cared for Shannen… And she was eager to be a part of it from the moment we told her about it.”

Archie vows at the end of the episode to live a life that will make his father proud. There will be fireworks as well as a parade. The last screen is blank and reads, “In Memoriam Luke Perry 1966-2019.”

5. Law & Order SVU: A Whole Season was Dedicated To 9/11 Victims

The long-running NBC program Law & Order: SVU is set in New York City, therefore it would have been irresponsible if the show did not confront the events of 9/11 in any significant way. As a result, in the third season’s opening sequence, which aired on September 28, 2001, a new voiceover was added that said:

“On September 11, 2001, New York City was ruthlessly and criminally attacked. While no tribute can ever heal the pain of that day, the producers of Law & Order dedicate this season to the victims and their families and to the firefighters and police officers who remind us every day with their lives and courage what it truly means to be an American.”

For the first two seasons, the Twin Towers featured twice in the show’s opening sequence; those images were eliminated in the third season.