Trivia / Afterschool Special

• Follow the Leader: The ABC Afterschool Special begat NBC's Special Treat and the CBS Schoolbreak Special ... and even ABC's Weekend Special.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The 1990 CBS special "The Fourth Man" revolves around a teenager using steroids to help him make the school track team. One of the cast members, former NFL defensive end Lyle Alzado, would later admit in 1991 to having used steroids throughout his career; blaming its use on the brain cancer that would eventually take his life at the age of only 43 the following year. Especially significant is that Alzado's character is warning Joey (the main character) not to use steroids to avoid the same mistakes he made.
• Posthumous Credit: Judith Barsi appeared as Billie Foster in the episode "A Family Again". She was murdered by her father about two months before the episode's release. The special is even dedicated to her.