Top 10 Tragic Sitcom Moments Because of What We Know Now

Carly Shay and her friends got into quite a few antics in search of Internet fame. The episode “iFix a Pop Star” puts the gang in proximity to Ginger Fox, a washed-up singer who has just had a very public mental breakdown and is in the middle of a dirty custody battle. Considering when the episode was made, it’s pretty clear the character is a thinly-veiled parody of Britney Spears. It even seems to lampoon her widely-criticized performance at the 2007 VMAs. It’s yet another instance of casual cruelty toward Spears’ struggles and it looks pretty bad now that we have more information on the star’s conservatorship battle.

Elaine Benes dated some duds in her time. When the right guy finally does come along, it turns out he has one big red flag. He shares his name, Joel Rifkin, with a real-life serial killer. But Elaine doesn’t give up. She decides he needs a new name, and she’s going to figure out what it is. Thumbing through a magazine, looking for ideas, she decides Joel should take the name O.J., presumably inspired by a very famous football player-turned-actor. Of course, in a few short months, that name would also become infamous when O.J. Simpson is arrested for a double murder. It’s a turn of events that would have made a great “Seinfeld” episode in itself.

Things stayed relatively lighthearted on the ABC sitcom that launched Kirk Cameron to stardom. But in retrospect, its many, many jokes aimed at co-star Tracey Gold’s weight are even more upsetting than they were when they first aired. Gold has been public about her experiences with disordered eating. These struggles were at their height while she was on “Growing Pains.” All at once, she was having to endure jokes the writers were putting in her co-stars’ mouths while the producers were pressuring her to shed pounds. She’s since recovered, but it’s a blight on the squeaky-clean show’s image.

Actor Fred Willard appeared as Phil Dunphy’s somewhat absurd dad, Frank, 14 times over the show’s 11 seasons. His last scene in the final season was fitting. After spending a day together, Phil tells us in his talking head interview that it was also the last time he saw his dad. He died soon after. A month after the episode aired, real life gave the episode a haunting significance when Willard passed away himself. The Canadian comedy legend left behind five decades of work, and his touching, Emmy-nominated guest spot on “Modern Family” is a perfect tribute.

The ending of this otherwise fun and irreverent episode turns unexpectedly dark when you know what happened shortly after it aired. A fantastical storyline puts the crew of the WNYX radio station at the site of the Titanic disaster. The episode ends with a speech by star Phil Hartman assuring the audience that none of them actually died. As it turned out, neither he nor his character would be returning for the next season. Tragically, a month after the episode aired, Hartman was murdered, turning his message into a painfully ironic goodbye.

Fred G. Sanford made a habit of pretending to have a heart attack whenever he wanted sympathy. His performer, Redd Foxx, was particularly skilled at the recurring bit. That’s why it was so shocking when his character actually did have that heart attack on the “Sanford and Son” spin-off, “Sanford.” But the gag would have some ironic consequences later. While on the set of a different show, “The Royal Family,” Foxx keeled over. For a brief moment, his colleagues thought he was kidding. It turned out to be a real heart attack that led to his death hours later.

This goofy Robin Williams sitcom about an alien named Mork and his human friend, Mindy, got very meta in a season 3 episode aptly titled “Mork Meets Robin Williams.” The two end up in the dressing room with the real Robin Williams whom Mindy is hoping to interview. Williams, in character as himself, expresses the pitfalls of fame in a way only he can, while his alien doppelganger sits across from him. Given what we know of his mental health struggles, there’s an unsettling tone to his admission that fame leaves little time alone with his thoughts, and maybe that’s by design.

When series co-star Katey Sagal became pregnant during production of the controversial Fox hit’s sixth season, it was written into the show. Peg Bundy can hardly contain her happiness as she tells the entire world she’s five months along. Al Bundy can’t really believe it either. He didn’t even notice. However, the pregnancy was written out of the script when real life intervened, and Sagal’s pregnancy ended in tragic circumstances. Rather than subject her to carrying out the storyline as planned, the show’s writers changed course. They opted to rewrite the entire storyline as an elaborate dream of Al’s.

Over its seven-season run, this runaway hit sitcom starring four showbiz veterans was a celebration of friendship and living life to the fullest, even in old age. One particularly sweet moment became eerie in retrospect. Realizing that there may be a future in which they have to go to a nursing home, they make a pact to stick together to the end. And while the intentions are heartwarming, it’s not a perfect plan. It would become prophetic that Betty White spoke those words. After Rue McClanahan’s death in 2010, White did become the last surviving Golden Girl.

When Cory Monteith passed away suddenly in 2013, it was a life-changing experience for his colleagues, including his fianceé and co-star Lea Michele. The season 5 episode, “The Quarterback,” is a tribute to him and his character, Finn Hudson, and it’s a hard watch. But one scene that stands out even more now is cheerleader Santana’s tearful tribute to Hudson. She sings a stirring rendition of The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young.” What began as a heartfelt tribute became a bizarre and devastating premonition. In 2020, the performance went viral when actress Naya Rivera died suddenly in a boating accident at the age of 33.

Which tragic moment affected you the most? Let us know in the comments.