Top 10 Most Emotional Sitcom Moments

Top 10 Most Emotional Sitcom Moments

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times when sitcoms stopped being funny for a second and broke our hearts. For this list, we’re not including animated series. Also, this list is full of spoilers, so beware.

#10: Chandler & Monica’s Fertility Results
“Friends” (1994-2004)

In the aptly-named episode, “The One with the Fertility Test,” Chandler and Monica are given some devastating news: their chances of having biological children are slim. While the hospital scene with Janice gives us some laughs, the moment Chandler answers the phone, we know things aren’t going to be good. Watching him relay the news to Monica is even worse. Knowing how badly these two want to be parents, this major setback hurts. It’s a reminder that after so many seasons on the air, some characters can start to feel like our own friends.

#9: Phil’s Last Day With His Dad
“Modern Family” (2009-20)

The late Fred Willard made several appearances as Phil Dunphy’s dad over the show’s eleven seasons but his last was devastating. After getting a concerning call about his dad, Phil heads down to Florida to visit him and make sure he’s alright. They spend a day together, and Phil gets closure on some long-simmering questions he’s held. It’s soon after this special moment that we get the gut-punch reveal. It’s beautifully written and performed, and Phil’s wise takeaway about appreciating the people we love while they’re still here is all too true.

#8: The Evans Get Bad News
“Good Times” (1974-79)

The fourth season of this beloved Norman Lear sitcom opened with a tragic two-part episode. Actor John Amos’ unceremonious firing from the show, the writers decided to kill the character off in as sudden and heartbreaking a way as possible. The Evans Family patriarch, James Sr., doesn’t appear at all. He’s gone ahead to prepare for the family’s move to Mississippi. During their going-away party, they receive a letter informing them that James was killed in a car accident. The news comes as a major shock. The way the family deals with the grief, culminating in Florida Evans’ breakdown at the end of the next episode, was a hard watch, but a profoundly moving one too.

#7: Paul’s Death
“8 Simple Rules” (2002-05)

What started as a sitcom about a sportswriter with very particular, hilarious guidelines for dating his daughters made a severe turn in its second season. Paul Hennessy’s sudden death made for an incredibly sad two-part episode. It took on an extra layer of emotion given what happened behind the scenes. Beloved sitcom veteran John Ritter had completed just three episodes for the second season of “8 Simple Rules” when he passed away suddenly. The episode’s ending sees Paul’s widow, Cate, and their three children reading his last article. His words about the strength and love of his family is a touching tribute from beyond the grave, and they seemed to serve as a goodbye not just to the character, but to Ritter himself.

#6: Archie Alone
“Archie Bunker’s Place” (1979-83)

The Bunkers didn’t have anything close to a perfect marriage. They gave new meaning to the phrase opposites attract. But after nearly a decade, “All in the Family” viewers had watched Archie Bunker reveal just how much he loved his sweet-natured wife. When she passed away between seasons on the show’s sequel series, we got to see Archie at his most raw and vulnerable. Spending most of the episode denying his grief, he finally crumbles in the final scene when he finds Edith’s slipper under their bed. For the first time maybe ever, we see Archie Bunker break down in tears.

#5: Marshall’s Dad Dies
“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)

Between stories of dates gone awry and friends coupling up, reality had a way of crashing in on Ted Mosby and his friends. In one of the show’s most heartbreaking twists, Marshall Eriksen loses his dad. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions as Marshall has been expecting to hear bad news about his fertility, only to find out the opposite is true. And then, when everyone’s guard is down, we’re hit with the horrible reveal. Actor Jason Segel processes the shocking information beat by beat, registering Marshall’s confusion, disbelief, and grief, making the loss feel all too real.

#4: The Trenches
“Blackadder” (1983-89)

In the last moments of this historical BBC series, protagonist Edmund Blackadder and his pals find themselves in a World War I trench. Despite always managing to pull laughs, even in the most troubling historical moments, the reality of the Great War hangs over the last season before closing in on the beloved characters. Even with their efforts to keep up some humor, those final exchanges take on a different, sober note as the crew seems to have accepted their chances of survival are slim. The uncharacteristically solemn series finale ends with Blackadder and his friends charging into the battlefield, presumably to their deaths.

#3: Chidi’s Memory Is Wiped
“The Good Place” (2016-20)

With every new season, this comedy set in the afterlife reinvented itself and rewrote its own rules. In season three, we see the gang return to the mortal world and, in order to prove that humans are capable of improvement and being morally good, yet another experiment is launched. When one of the subjects happens to be Chidi’s old fling from their time on earth, though, he volunteers to have his memory wiped so that he won’t put the experiment at stake. The big problem, of course, is that this means he won’t remember Eleanor and the love he has for her. As a parting gift, Michael plays the two a supercut of their greatest moments together.

#2: “Where Do You Think We Are?”
“Scrubs” (2001-10)

Dr. Cox is the steely and demanding mentor to the interns at Sacred Heart Hospital. When “Scrubs” really hits us in the heart, it does it through him. Losing three patients in one day was taxing enough, but losing his good friend, Ben, to leukemia has to be the most harrowing moment in the show’s run. The show brilliantly lampshades the plot twist of the patient’s identity so brilliantly that we don’t suspect a thing until J.D.’s big question. Watching it back, there are a few hints if you pay close enough attention, like Ben not carrying his camera with him. It gets us every time.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Mateo’s Deportation, “Superstore” (2015-21)
All of Cloud 9 Watches as Their Beloved Coworker Is Arrested by ICE Agents

Pam’s Gallery Show, “The Office” (2005-13)
Michael Offers Pam Some Much-Needed Kindness After Her Art Show

Sheldon’s Nobel Prize Party, “Young Sheldon” (2017-24)
Sheldon Thinks He’s Alone in the World, but He Has No Idea His Future Friends Are Out There

The Real Story, “M*A*S*H” (1972-83)
The Source of Hawkeye’s Trauma Is Revealed in the Series Finale

Sophia Weeps Over Her Son’s Death, “The Golden Girls” (1985-92)
After Suppressing So Much, the Oldest Golden Girl Succumbs to Her Grief

#1: Will’s Dad Leaves Again
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)

Will’s absent father blows into his life again after years away. Even though his Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv are skeptical about his intentions, Will believes they might start to build a real relationship. His father even promises to take him on a trip. Then, just as quickly as he came, he leaves again without much in the way of a real apology. Years of pent-up resentment and abandonment issues well up in Will, leading to an explosion of anger and a heartbreaking question for his uncle. While Will Smith was great at playing the jester, it’s a scene that showed how well he could do drama too.

Which heartbreaking sitcom moment did you expect to see here? Tell us in the comments.