AllMovie

The fifth season of The Drew Carey Show ends on a zany self-referential note, as Drew Carey and his costars drop character long enough to complain that their show has never won an Emmy Award. Drew concludes that only way to even be nominated for an Emmy is to stage the "Very Special Episode" to end all "Very Special Episodes." What follows is a merry, maniacal melange of "disease of the week" infirmities befalling the cast--Oswald (Diedrich Bader) becomes a kleptomaniac, Mimi (Kathy Kinney) develops bulimia, Drew reveals that he never learned to read, etc.etc. etc.--with homeless unwed mothers, latchkey kids, impassioned speeches, tearful confessions, sudden epiphanies, incurable illnesses, miracle births and tragic deaths thrown in for good measure. Just when it seems that nothing else can possibly be jammed into the proceedings, up pops a little girl (Caitlin Alderton) addicted to pain killers--and an outrageous "Ellen" moment wherein Kate (Christa Miller) simultaneously returns from the grave and comes out of the closet!