History TearJerker / FamilyMatters

* In "Good Cop, Bad Cop", Carl has a confrontation with a racist officer who pulled Eddie over because he was a black teenager in a white neighborhood. After the cop leaves, Carl has a chat with the man's rookie partner:

** Then there's Eddie's reaction earlier. When he tells his father what happened, Carl initially thinks it's just another excuse until he finds out the truth for hinself.

** In "Par for the Course", Laura is angry with Harriette for showing up at a party she was attending (in her robe and hair curlers) to take her home when she didn't return by curfew. She tells Maxine she's lucky her mother doesn't butt into her life. Maxine, however, chews out Laura, telling her that ''she's'' the lucky one. Maxine didn't come home until 3:00 a.m., but [[ParentalNeglect no one waited for her or asked why she was late. No one cared]]. As she leaves, Maxine tearfully tells Laura she should appreciate the fact that her mother cares and that she (Maxine) would trade places with her in a second.
* In the b-story to "Wedding Bell Blues," Laura is upset when Carl and Harriette won't let her go to a Seal concert in Talieto for one night with her friends, whom Carl and Harriet have known for years, yet they're going to let Eddie go on a rafting trip in ''Canada'' for ''four days'' with a bunch of friends Carl and Harriet don't even know. When Laura asks why she's being treated differently, Carl flat out says that it's because "Eddie's a boy and she's a girl," which Laura does not take well. Carl then tries to tell Laura that they're just worried about all of the "kooks, crazies, and weirdos" out there who like to take advantage of young girls, but it doesn't seem to calm Laura down. She then angrily tells her parents that she's "sorry she wasn't born a boy" and storms off to her room.

* In "Wedding Bell Blues", Mr. Looney prepares to wed the love of his life, Sharon. However, in a particularly cruel twist, the wedding organist recognizes Sharon as an old flame, and takes her out to coffee ''in the middle of the ceremony'', leaving Looney alone at the altar. The poor man is so heartbroken that he climbs to the bell tower to jump off, the only instance in the show where a character is nearly DrivenToSuicide. Thankfully, Steve and Carl are able to intervene.

--->'''Estelle:''' And, from that day forward, ''everyone'' could use that library.

-->'''Widow:''' And so, he walked out the door, cursed at the dog for chewing on his hat... and left my life forever...

-->'''Eddie:''' You know, I thought this was the worst moment of my life, but I was wrong! Having your own father not believe you is even worse!

* * In "Par for the Course", Laura is angry with Harriette for showing up at a party she was attending (in her robe and hair curlers) to take her home when she didn't return by curfew. She tells Maxine she's lucky her mother doesn't butt into her life. Maxine, however, chews out Laura, telling her that ''she's'' the lucky one. Maxine didn't come home until 3:00 a.m., but [[ParentalNeglect no one waited for her or asked why she was late. No one cared]]. As she leaves, Maxine tearfully tells Laura she should appreciate the fact that her mother cares and that she (Maxine) would trade places with her in a second.

* Harriette and Rachel reunite with their [[DisappearedDad father]], who they hadn't seen since they were kids. Rachel is alright seeing her dad because she was so young before he left, but Harriette got to bond with him a lot more, so she's heartbroken and hurt that her daddy would lie and abandon her and her sister as children. He then reassures his girls that he ''never'' stopped loving them while they were apart, and proves it by showing Harriette his most precious keepsake: a Valentine's Day card that she made for him when she was three.

* In "Wedding Bell Blues", Mr. Looney prepares to wed the love of his life, Sharon. However, in a particularly cruel twist, the wedding organist recognizes Sharon as an old flame, and takes her out to coffee ''in the middle of the ceremony'', leaving Looney alone at the altar. The poor man is so heartbroken that he climbs to the bell tower to jump off, the only instance in the show where a character is nearly DrivenToSuicide. Thankfully, Steve and Carl are able to intervene.
!!Meta
* Creator/MichelleThomas, who played Myra, was struck with a rare stomach cancer during the eighth season, which was why she appeared so sporadically during the final season. She put off some of the more extreme treatments because she wanted to have a family and the treatments would have rendered her sterile. She died only a few months after the series ended.
** Michelle's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tecF_Xg6zE final scene in the show]] can be very hard to watch nowadays, since she was already quite sick by the time it was filmed. She had lost a good amount of weight around this time, and her voice is noticeably quieter and less energetic.
* This show was an instance of the cast finding out the hard way that the sets were destroyed and the series was cancelled.
* Shawn Harrison's mother had formed a great relationship with the cast, and would frequently bring them freshly-baked goods from home. Sadly, she passed away during production. Jo Marie Payton [[https://youtu.be/rl1QBN8SUFM?t=1986 recalled]] comforting Shawn when she found him crying on the set one day.

* Shawn Harrison's mother formed a great relationship with the cast, and would frequently bring them freshly-baked goods from home. Sadly, she passed away during production. Jo Marie Payton [[https://youtu.be/rl1QBN8SUFM?t=1986 recalled]] comforting Shawn when she found him crying on the set one day.

* Shawn Harrison's mother formed a great relationship with the cast, and would frequently bring them freshly-baked goods from home. Sadly, she passed away during production. Jo Marie Payton [[https://youtu.be/rl1QBN8SUFM?t=1986 recalled]] comforting Shawn when she found him crying on set one day.

** Michelle's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tecF_Xg6zE final scene in the show]] can be very hard to watch nowadays, since she was already quite sick by the time it was filmed[[note]]She had lost a good amount of weight around this time, and her voice is noticeably quieter and less energetic[[/note]].

** Michelle Thomas's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tecF_Xg6zE final scene in the show]] can be very hard to watch nowadays, since she was already quite sick by the time it was filmed[[note]]She had lost a good amount of weight around this time, and her voice is noticeably quieter and less energetic[[/note]].

* A RealLife one. Creator/MichelleThomas, who played Myra, was struck with a rare stomach cancer during the eighth season, which was why she appeared so sporadically during the final season. She put off some of the more extreme treatments because she wanted to have a family and the treatments would have rendered her sterile. She died only a few months after the series ended.
** Michelle Thomas's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tecF_Xg6zE final scene in the show]] can be very hard to watch nowadays, since she was already quite sick by the time it was filmed[[note]]She had lost a good amount of weight around this time, and her voice is noticeably quieter and less energetic[[/note]].
* There is another meta TearJerker: This show was an instance of the cast finding out the hard way that the sets were destroyed and the series was cancelled.

* In "Wedding Bell Blues", Mr. Looney prepares to wed the love of his life, Sharon. However, in a particularly cruel twist, the wedding organist recognizes Sharon as an old flame, and takes her out to coffee ''in the middle of the ceremony'', leaving Looney alone at the altar. The poor man is so heartbroken that he climbs to the bell tower to jump off, the only instance in the show where a character is nearly DrivenToSuicide. Thankfully, Steve and Carl are able to intervene.

*** Steve's reaction. He gives a FlatWhat and takes the note. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Understandably]] [[TranquilFury angry]], he crumples it up and throws it down to the floor. And someone spray-painted "Nigger!" on Laura's locker door, much to her, Steve and the witnessing students' shock.

** Luckily, Eddie gets the message and vows to never drink again even under temptation, and Carl opts to give him another chance and let him stay at home again (and Eddie presumably patches things up with Waldo off-screen).

** A note in Laura's locker: "If you want black history, go back to Africa."
*** Steve's reaction. He gives a FlatWhat and takes the note. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Understandably]] [[TranquilFury angry]], he crumples it up and throws it down to the floor. And someone spray-painted the N-word on Laura's locker, much to her, Steve and the witnessing students' shock.

--->'''Carl:''' Just what are they teaching at that school? Their own version of the Three R's? Reading, Writing and Racism?!

--->'''Carl:''' Harriette, I feel so helpless! My daughter's hurt and I can't do a thing about it! I can't even tell her it won't happen again!

* Laura [[spoiler: Urkel]] in "It's Beginning To Look a lot Like Urkel". You can't help but sympathize with her for happening at ''Christmas'' and being rejected once and for all so cruelly by [[spoiler: Steve, who has switched places with her due to an angel giving her a taste of what it's like to be him]].

-->'''[[spoiler: Steve]]''': Goodbye, and good riddance!

'''Harriette:''' Well it's nice that you kept that, but the bottom line is you there when we needed you!\\

'''Harriette:''' Daddy.\\