This article contains mentions of suicide, loss, and substance abuse.
Although sitcoms are usually all about making the audience laugh and presenting light-hearted moments, there have been various times when sitcoms got surprisingly emotional and heartbreaking. The genre of sitcoms is home to some of the most successful and beloved TV shows of all time, and they are all known for their sense of humor and comedic moments. Sitcoms are beloved due to their lightness and relatable characters, but even the most cheerful ones have had to deal with some truly heartbreaking moments.
On various occasions, sitcoms have left comedy aside to address some emotional moments, either to bring awareness to certain issues or to push the characters’ arcs forward. These emotional moments aren’t always linked to another character’s death, as sitcoms have also touched on topics like mental health struggles, fertility, abandonment, and substance abuse. Surely, these moments don’t make the lighthearted moments less important and heartwarming, but they are as important as them for many reasons. Here are 10 times sitcoms got surprisingly emotional and heartbreaking.
10 Monica and Chandler’s Fertility Struggles In Friends
Friends followed the ups and downs of a group of six young adults living in New York City, as they tried to balance all areas of their lives while dealing with everything adulthood threw at them. Friends covered different ways of motherhood, but one of them was especially heartbreaking. Monica (Courteney Cox) dreamed of having her own family, but after trying without success, she and Chandler (Matthew Perry) looked for help. Unfortunately, they learned that they both had fertility issues and weren’t going to be able to have their own children.
Although they eventually became parents after adopting twins, seeing how devastated Monica was when they learned she wouldn’t be able to get pregnant was one of Friends’ most emotional moments and one of the few times Monica showed vulnerability, while Chandler also dealt with the news in his own, quieter way.
9 Eleanor Lets Chidi Go In The Good Place
The Good Place followed a group of people who died and arrived at a Heaven-like utopia designed by afterlife architect Michael (Ted Danson). However, this Heaven-like place was actually the Bad Place, leading the main characters to find a way to change the way the afterlife selects who goes to the Good or the Bad Place, and they eventually made their to the real Good Place. However, once there, they all had the choice to permanently move on after reaching fulfillment in the afterlife, but it wasn’t an easy decision.
When Eleanor (Kristen Bell) suspected Chidi (William Jackson Harper) was ready to move on, she panicked and did everything she could for him to stay. Eleanor eventually itted that Chidi wasn’t happy and, after confessing her fear of being abandoned, she let Chidi go. Eleanor eventually crossed the door some time later, but following Chidi’s “ing”, she struggled to find fulfillment in the Good Place.
8 Phil’s Last Day With His Dad In Modern Family
Modern Family followed the lives of three diverse families in suburban Los Angeles. Among them were the Dunphys, lead by Phil (Ty Burrell), who saw himself as a “cool dad”. During Modern Family’s final season, Phil traveled to Florida to visit his father, Frank (Fred Willard), after he showed some worrying behavior. Phil and Frank had a fun day together, reminiscing about some of their best moments together, and it’s later revealed during Phil’s interview that it was the last day he spent with his dad, as Frank ed away soon after. The reveal right after seeing Phil and Frank having fun together made this episode one of Modern Family’s most heartbreaking ones.
7 Will Breaks Down After His Father Bails On Him In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air followed a fictionalized version of Will Smith who was sent to move in with his wealthy uncle and aunt in Bel-Air after an accidental confrontation with a gang in his hometown. Although Will’s working-class background clashed with his uncle and aunt’s lifestyle, he eventually bonded with them, especially with his uncle Phil (James Avery). At one point, Will came across his father, Lou, who abandoned him years ago, and though it seemed Lou now wanted to be a part of Will’s life, Phil knew he wasn’t going to be capable of finally acting like a father.
Unfortunately, Phil was right, and Lou ended up bailing on Will. Although he tried to be strong, Will eventually broke down in front of Phil, asking why his father doesn’t want him, with Phil embracing his nephew. This moment is especially heartbreaking as earlier on in the episode, Will and Phil had an argument over Lou's arrival, with Will telling Phil that he wasn't his dad, but in reality, Phil was his best and most stable father figure.
6 Homer’s Mom es Away In The Simpsons
The Simpsons takes viewers to the fictional town of Springfield to follow the many adventures of the title family. Homer Simpson is the character whose actions bring the most laughs, but he was also involved in one of the most heartbreaking moments in the history of The Simpsons. Homer’s backstory was complicated as his mother, Mona, had to leave him and his father, and though she returned when Homer was an adult, she had to leave again. Mona returned unexpectedly one final time, but Homer was unable to forgive her. When Homer made up his mind and approached her to apologize, he realized Mona had died.
5 Lily Tells Marshall His Dad ed Away In How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother followed the many ups and downs in Ted Mosby's (Josh Radnor) love life, always accompanied by his best friends, among them Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel). It was established in How About I Met Your Mother that Marshall and his father were very close, so much so that Marshall told him too many private details about his marriage. Because of this, when Lily told Marshall that his father had died from a heart attack, it became one of How I Met Your Mother's saddest moments, more so after seeing Marshall breaking down as he and Lily hugged each other.
4 Eric Can’t Adopt Tommy In Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World centered on Cory Matthews and his friends and family, as the audience followed him through childhood into adulthood. One character often used for comic relief was Cory’s older brother, Eric (Will Friedle), but like many other characters on this list who are usually the most comedic or cheerful ones, he was involved in one of the show’s most emotional moments. While working as a mall Santa, Eric befriended an orphaned kid named Tommy and ended up becoming a big brother to him. Eric and Tommy became so close that Tommy expressed his wish for Eric to adopt him, and though he wasn’t sure at first, Eric ended up trying to adopt Tommy.
When Eric was shown the file of the family interested in adopting Tommy, he realized he wouldn’t be able to give Tommy the life he deserved, and decided to let him go. Tommy was angered and heartbroken and told Eric that he didn’t like him anymore, but he still visited Eric one more time before leaving for California with his new family. Eric and Tommy reunited 16 years later in an episode of Girl Meets World, where Tommy told Eric he now understood why he did what he did.
3 Alex’s Drug Problem In Family Ties
Family Ties followed Steven and Elyse Keaton, liberals and former hippies, as they raised their three children: Mallory, Jennifer, and Alex (Michael J. Fox). The latter was their eldest child, and he was intelligent and ambitious, with his biggest goals in life being making money and being successful. His ambition and dedication to achieve his goals once led Alex to take “speed” pills to keep him awake while studying for exams, but this quickly turned into an addiction. Elyse and Steven intervened, and Alex had an emotional breakdown, making this one of his most vulnerable moments but also one of Family Ties’ most heartbreaking scenes.
2 Fry’s Dog Waits For Him In Futurama
Futurama follows the adventures of Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for a thousand years and revived in 2999. Fry was originally a pizza delivery boy who fell into a cryogenic tank while making a delivery. One day, Fry recognized a fossilized dog in a museum as his own dog, Seymour, and got Professor Farnsworth’s approval to clone him and revive him. However, after learning that Seymour died at the age of 15, 12 years after Fry was frozen, Fry concluded that Seymour found a new owner and moved on, so he decided not to bring him back, but that was far from the truth. Futurama showed a flashback where Seymour never understood why Fry didn’t return and faithfully obeyed his last command, waiting for him outside the pizza parlor for the rest of his days.
1 Rebecca Tries To Take Her Own Life In Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend followed Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), a lawyer dealing with depression and anxiety and who is prone to impulsive decisions and delusions. A critical moment in Rebecca’s life was when her boyfriend, Josh, left her at the altar, and after doing everything to bring him down, Rebecca returned home to New York with her mother, Naomi. After finding out that Rebecca had been researching ways to end her life, she started to slip antianxiety pills on her milkshakes. Rebecca found out and took a flight back to California, but realizing she still had the pills in her pocket, she downed the entire bottle with a Merlot the flight attendant gave her to calm her nerves. Before she drifted into unconsciousness, Rebecca pushed the button to summon the flight attendant and asked her for help.
