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24 Sitcom And Comedy Scenes That Are So Sad That No One Ever Talks About

Bust out the tissues.

Hannah Marder
by Hannah Marder

BuzzFeed Staff

Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the saddest scenes from TV that not enough people talk about. Here are the best from sitcoms and comedies.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Also, some submissions contain mentions of suicide.

1. In Modern Family, when Phil spent one last day with his dad before he died:

Phil's dad tells him he took over the family business by keeping life fun. In a confessional, Phil says it was the best day with his dad, but he didn't know it was the last. At his funeral, Phil says to tell people you appreciate them
ABC

"On Modern Family, when we learn that Phil's dad passed away. It came from out of nowhere and was such a gut punch. I am fortunate enough to still have my dad, but I can only imagine that I will handle his passing in the same way that Phil handled it. ... Maybe it was that realization that just crushed me with this scene and made my eyes erupt with tears."

—bear_fan_39

2. In Superstore, when ICE took Mateo away:

NBC

"The whole scene is so charged, and Dina's energy and defeat when she can't find a way for him to get out feels so soul crushing, as we so badly want him to be okay. Then the ICE van just slowly drives past all the employees with Mateo behind bars. I've never sobbed over an episode of TV like that."

—l47925083b

"It’s such a dark moment for such a wonderful comedy, and it was beautifully done. The music, the color choices, the dialogue...I always tear up during that scene."

—notaglassoflemonade

3. In Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, when Rebecca attempted suicide on the plane:

Rebecca downs pills with her wine, then looks up at the help button — but it changes to "hope." She presses it and asks for help
The CW

"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend never gets the amount of attention it deserves. The part that always kills me is when Rebecca is on the airplane after she has had a nervous breakdown and she realizes that she has no one left in her corner, so she attempts suicide. I always bawl when the airplane signal turns into 'hope'. But the kicker is in the episode directly after that, [when] she tells Paula that she didn't want to die, she just wanted the pain to stop...For anyone who has had suicidal tendencies, depression, anxiety, and dangerous negative self-talk, that line cuts so deep."

—thefightingsoprano

4. In Scrubs, when Turk and JD skipped their fancy dinner to stay with a patient who was dying:

George says he's tired, and Turk tells him to sleep. George asks if they'll be there when he wakes up, and JD says they will — but then he dies
NBC

"Turk and JD from Scrubs skipping their fancy dinner to spend the night off-duty with a dying man once they realize he doesn’t have any family. The whole scene felt so genuine and not overdramatized for TV purposes."

—sarahhenderson358

5. In Parks and Recreation, when Leslie stood up Ron for lunch:

Leslie realizes she stood Ron up as we flash back to him waiting, then he tells her he was going to ask for a job
NBC

"If you’re a fan of the show and know the history that leads to that moment and the events that follow, as well as the character’s key traits, like Leslie’s loyalty and Ron’s hesitancy to ask for help, it’s absolutely gut-wrenching."

—abbeyy47fce0c28

6. In Freaks and Geeks, when Nick and Lindsay both pretended to have completely moved on:

Nick tells Lindsay that she told him to move on, so he did. She tells him he seems like he's having more fun with his new girlfriend than he did with her, and he agrees
NBC

"They’re talking about how they don’t like each other anymore and have moved on, but their facial expressions show that they obviously do still have feelings for each other. It’s just a really well-acted and underrated scene and it hurts more that we never know what would have happened."

—brennaboo

7. In Community, when Jeff said goodbye to Annie:

Jeff tells Annie he let her go, and she says he should kiss her or he'll regret it for the rest of his life
NBC

"Jeff started out as this jaded cynical man who didn’t believe in love or marriage, but we see in his pitch he would want that with Annie. But because she’s really leaving to go off and live her dream, he doesn’t know if she’d really be happy to finally be with him. And he chooses to let her go. The whole scene from the pitch until she tells him...to kiss her goodbye for no regrets, is gut-wrenching...Seeing how much growth Jeff has had, from someone who didn’t want to be there in the first place to getting left behind after realizing how much he’s always loved her."

—cammiekinz

8. Also in Community, when Troy said goodbye to Abed:

Abed says he put homing pigeon DNA in Troy's clone, saying it might cause a compulsion for him to come back, and Troy hugs him
NBC

"Abed saying he spliced his DNA with a homing pigeon so he’ll come back made me tear up. Their friendship is the best thing on the show and no one talks about it as a sad moment."

—rachelc43

9. In King Of Queens, when Carrie revealed she'd miscarried:

Carrie tells Doug that she lost the baby, and he hugs her
CBS

"Carrie’s miscarriage on King of Queens, specifically her sitting among the boxes of baby items they had purchased for the nursery. This is such a powerfully sad scene. We don’t tend to talk about pregnancy loss in our society, and it’s rare to see it on TV...especially in a sitcom. But they took on this topic in a way that was heartfelt and relatable. Leah Remini did a great job in that scene and deserves more credit for it."

—angels4d4906ef4

10. In It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, when Mac came out to his dad through a dance:

Mac tells his dad he's gay then dances, but his dad leaves. He cries, then continues dancing, and Frank watches crying and says "I get it"
FX

"In Always Sunny, when Mac performs a beautiful dance to come out to his dad. His dad leaves but Frank watches with tears running down his face. Incredibly moving."

—fnfryman

11. On Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, when Zoey and her father shared one last dance:

Zoey asks what to do when she can't hear her dad sing anymore, and he says she'll always hear him if she listens
NBC

"I've just finished watching Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and wasn't expecting it to be so emotional. All of the scenes between Zoey (Jane Levy) and her dying dad Mitch (Peter Gallagher) are heartbreaking."

—bluedecor

"When Mitch, Zoey’s dad, died in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. It was so understated and sad. I was in such a state my husband thought someone we knew had died."

—cherrieh2

12. In Gravity Falls, when Dipper and Mabel went back home at the end of the summer:

Stan tells Dipper and Mabel he's glad to be rid of them while crying, and they hug him, saying they'll miss him, too
Disney Channel

"The last five minutes of Gravity Falls! I'm not ashamed to say my sister and I stayed up live watching the last episode, and when it came to the part with the bus and saying goodbye to everyone, I ugly cried."

—hobbitgirl96

13. In Futurama, when Fry found out it was his nephew, not his brother, who went to space, and that his brother named his son after Fry:

the show flashes back to Fry's brother naming his son Philip J. Fry after Fry, who he misses, and then we see Fry at his nephew's grave, crying
Fox

—rebeccam4e04c2006

14. On Kim's Convenience, when Jung visited his dad in the hospital:

Netflix

"When Jung visits his father in hospital after not speaking to him for 15 years after his father kicked him out. And Mr. Kim is high on painkillers and tells him about the time he held Jung’s hand in hospital when he was a little kid. And the next day, he doesn’t remember that it was Jung who visited him."

—moonrabbit

15. On Parenthood, when Kristina told everyone she had cancer:

Kristina says she wants to say that she loves everyone so much, then says there's something she needs to tell them
NBC

"They’re all out to eat and Haddie shows up from college. Everyone is confused as to why she, Kristina, and Adam are so emotional and then Kristina turns to everyone and says she has to tell them something. The dialogue cuts out and it’s just music and the family’s reaction to finding out she’s sick. I bawl every single time."

—brookej49352887b

16. In How I Met Your Mother, when Lily told Marshall his dad was dead:

Lily tells Marshall his dad had a heart attack and didn't make it, and Marshall hugs her and says he isn't ready for this
CBS

"Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel did such a beautiful job with that scene. Marshall's last line, 'I'm not ready for this,' is so sad. I bawl every single time I watch that episode."

—lindsayp4bfd03a64

17. In Scrubs, when Carla said goodbye to Laverne:

Lisa says she's not ready, and that Laverne has been her friend and role model for 15 years, and she's really going to miss her
NBC

—dajcia

18. In Friends, when Chandler convinced Erica to let him and Monica adopt her baby:

"I love my wife more than anything in this world. And it kills me that I can't give her a baby. I really want a kid. And when that day finally comes, I'll learn how to be a good dad. But my wife, she's already there. She's a mother without a baby"
NBC

"I always cry in that episode of Friends when Monica and Chandler are trying to adopt and are mistaken for a reverend and a doctor and go along with it because they so desperately want a child. And when they come clean they almost don’t get the baby until (the part that makes me cry) Chandler gives that speech to Erica about how when he becomes a dad he will learn how to be a good father, and then he says, 'But my wife, she’s already there. She’s a mother without a baby'...that line has me sobbing every time. Even just thinking about it makes me emotional.

Sending love to all those mothers who are still waiting for their children whether it’s through natural, adoption, surrogate, IV, whatever means. Don’t lose hope."

—jessicam41c056c1c

19. In Golden Girls, when Sophia finally broke down over the death of her son:

Angela tells Sophia that her son was a good man, and Sophia says, "My baby is gone." Sophia hugs her and says, "Oh, Sophia..."
NBC

"When Sophia's son Phil dies and she was mad at his wife because she didn't stop him from wearing women's clothing, but really Sophia is mad at herself...In the end when Sophia breaks down in Angela's (Phil's wife) arms, it hurts so bad."

—lilqueenb19

20. In Black-Ish, when Dre and Bow decided to separate and take space:

the two agree to take space, then Dre asks how they got there as he's leaving, and Bow cries and says she doesn't know
ABC

—hannahmarder

21. In Trailer Park Boys, when Julian left and Bubbles found his letter and started crying:

Julian hitchhikes and Bubbles finds the letter, holding it up and crying
Netflix

"For me it was one I just didn't see coming. Trailer Park Boys, after Trinity's wedding, when Julian leaves. Bubbles finding the letter just slayed me completely. For a show that always made me laugh constantly this moment felt 100 times more sad."

—vanillalocky

22. On Schitt's Creek, when Ted and Alexis broke up:

Alexis says she can't move to the Galapagos, and Ted says he wouldn't let her if she tried, and tells her how proud of her he is. Alexis replies that she's proud of Ted, too
Pop!TV

"When Alexis and Ted have dinner for the last time. She says, 'I’m not going with you' Ted says, 'I wouldn’t let you.' Such a beautiful moment and arc for Alexis that she loved someone so deeply, [then found] she loved herself more deeply and...made her own way."

—parvanae

23. In Please Like Me, when Rose killed herself:

Claire tells Josh things will be bad for a while and slowly get better, and Josh says that his last few conversations with his mom felt like her trying to say goodbye, then breaks down sobbing on the bed
ABC2

"The first time it totally wrecked me. The second time it totally wrecked me. I love the show but even the third time...it totally wrecked me."

—ewagendorp

24. And finally, in One Day at a Time, when Penelope sang to Lydia:

Penelope tells Lydia that if she has to go, it's okay, then cuddles up next to her in bed, singing in Spanish" — then in the next shot, Lydia is gone
Netflix

"On One Day at a Time when Lydia was in the hospital [and] she was in a medically induced coma. Her daughter Penelope crawled into bed and sang to her. When the room pans out and back in, Lydia is not there. At this point, we assume that Lydia has passed away, which made me bawl my eyes out. That part is so heartbreaking and every time I watch that episode, I find myself crying."

—tbattle22

Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!

Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.

Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to Carla from Scrubs as Lisa. Our bad!