Which TV Shows You Should Watch for Each Holiday

I watch A LOT of television. Like… too much television. I should probably have never subscribed to Hulu and Netflix because I will never get my life back. And when you watch as much television as I do, you start to notice which shows do certain things well. In this case, it’s hard not to notice which TV shows dominate which holidays. And by that I mean, which shows have the best holiday-themed episodes season after season after season.

What follows is a shortlist of TV shows that I believe dominate each holiday. I want to clarify that this is not a long or comprehensive list. I was pretty picky in putting this together because I think in order to truly dominate the holiday, I have to automatically associate a holiday with a specific show in my mind.

I also have only ever seen Friends all the way through once so I apologize in advance for the complete lack of Ross, Phoebe, Rachel, etc. on this list. Feel free to shame me in the comments.

●     Halloween

Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. What other day of the year do I get an excuse to dress up in a crazy costume and get free candy? And I’ve given myself a new tradition. From this year on, I will watch at least one Brooklyn 99 episode on Halloween. No one does that holiday better! The annual Halloween Heist is the best thing to happen to October TV. I always look forward to finding out what the new twist will be on their classic Halloween hijinks and it never ceases to surprise me and to make me laugh.

●     Thanksgiving

I have two picks for this one: New Girl and How I Met Your Mother. New Girl nailed it in their very first Thanksgiving episode with hilarious guest star Justin Long when they (spoiler alert) straight up find a dead body in the middle of their meal. From the Thanksgiving they spend in the wild trying to hunt and gather their meal, to “Bangsgiving” when they attempt to set each other up on one night stands, New Girl has this one nailed.

Now the reason I also include How I Met Your Mother is specifically because of “Slapsgiving”, aka the multiple episodes in which Marshall creates increasingly elaborate plans to slap Barney in the face. This is consistently hilarious from season to season and they even sing a song about it called “You Just Got Slapped.”

●     Christmas

Even though it’s the Christmas season, I actually think this might’ve been the hardest pick for me. I would argue that The Office belongs in this slot simply because every single Christmas episode they’ve ever done has been hilarious (and even heartwarming… remember the teapot?). But I also think that The Office nailed every holiday they ever attempted so it’s hard to confine them just to Christmas.

Instead, I’m going with Community. For one, it’s my favorite show and I would feel like I was betraying the study group if I didn’t include it on the list. Secondly, their Christmas episodes really are everything. There’s one episode entirely done in claymation and another that spoofs Glee in the best possible way. In just two of their four Christmas episodes, Community gave us multiple original Christmas songs, hilarious jokes, and oddly heartwarming messages.

●     Valentine’s Day

This was also a tough one but I’m going to have to give it to Parks and Recreation. Why? Because of Galentine’s Day. Some may argue that Galentine’s Day is a different holiday since it happens on February 13th and celebrates female friendship, but I’m going to credit this show with taking Valentine’s Day and adding a new spin. They also had some great Valentine’s Day themed dances in Pawnee and some great Valentine’s Day themed laughs.

Those are my big 4. There are New Year’s episodes of TV shows and even a couple of Easter ones, but none of them are so memorable and iconic that I felt like I had to include them. That said, I will say that there is one more show that absolutely nails every holiday it attempts to celebrate, and that show is Bob’s Burgers. From Linda’s Thanksgiving song to the smiling bats decorating the restaurant, Bob’s Burgers is perfect for literally every occasion.

And if you want to spice up some oddly specific holidays? 30 Rock does a great Leap Day and Raising Hope has Arbor Day.

Finally, here are some shows that I know did some great holiday-themed episodes but did not make the list: Superstore, Schitt’s Creek, Broad City, Modern Family, Schitt’s Creek, Arrested Development, and The Mindy Project.

Give these shows a try if you haven’t already, and comment with the TV shows that you think dominate each holiday!