Everyone raves about Halloween movies, but television networks have been coming out with fire specials for years. And honestly, they deserve some recognition. Halloween episodes are awesome, number one because they’re short and you can watch as few (or as many) as you want to. Plus, if you’re not a horror fan but want to be festive, these episodes are both spirited and totally hilarious. Take a look at 15 of our favorite Halloween episodes from some of your favorite comedies and let us know your favorite Halloween TV special in the comments section on social media.
“The Office” Season 2, Episode 5, “Halloween”
In this episode, Michael is tasked with firing one of the employees of Dunder Mifflin, despite it being Halloween. Notable costumes from this episode include Michael’s paper mache bust, Jim’s three hole punch and Dwight the Sith Lord.
Other Halloween episodes from “The Office”
-Season 5, Episode 6, “Employee Transfer”
-Season 6, Episode 8, “Koi Pond”
-Season 7, Episode 6 “Costume Contest”
-Season 8, Episode 5 “Spooked”
-Season 9, Episode 5 “Here Comes Trouble”
“Parks and Recreation” Season 4, Episode 5, “Meet N Greet”
In this episode, Leslie puts together a meet and greet for Pawnee, while April and Andy throw a Halloween party at their home. Notable costumes from this episode include Andy as WWE star Chuck Liddell and April as a sumo wrestler who’s lost weight.
Other Halloween episodes from “Parks and Recreation”
-Season 5, Episode 5 “Halloween Surprise”
“Friends” Season 8, Episode 6
In this episode, Monica and Chandler host a Halloween party and Phoebe learns that her sister Ursula has been lying to her new fiancé. Notable costumes from this episode include Ross as “Spud-nik,” Chandler as a pink bunny and Monica as Catwoman.
Other Halloween episodes from “Friends”
This is the only Halloween episode in “Friends,” as the show is better known for celebrating Thanksgiving (there are 10 in total!)
“Brooklyn 99” Season 1, Episode 6
In this episode, the precinct introduces the franchise to the Halloween Heist, an annual competition where the detectives must obtain a predetermined object at the end of the night. Notable costumes from this episode include Rosa as the Bride of Frankenstein, Charles are Mario Batali and Terry as salt shakers.
Other Halloween episodes from “Brooklyn 99”
-Season 2, Episode 4 “Halloween 2”
-Season 3, Episode 5 “Halloween 3”
-Season 4, Episode 5 “Halloween IV”
-Season 5, Episode 4 “HalloVeen”
-Season 6, Episode 16 “Cinco De Mayo”
-Season 7, Episode 11 “Valloweaster”
“How I Met Your Mother” Season 1, Episode 6 “Slutty Pumpkin”
In this episode, we’re introduced to an ongoing joke in the HIMYM series and that’s the slutty pumpkin. Ted and Barney go to a Halloween party looking to run into a girl dressed as a slutty pumpkin, who Ted met years before. Notable costumes include Ted as a hanging chad, Barney as Maverick from “Top Gun” and Ted’s mystery girl as the slutty pumpkin.
Other Halloween episodes from “How I Met Your Mother”
-Season 6, Episode 7 “Canning Randy”
-Season 7, Episode 8 “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns”
“Seinfeld” Season 4, Episode 9 “The Opera”
Okay, so this technically isn’t a Halloween episode. But you can’t tell me that it’s not spooky! In this episode Elaine is dating “Crazy” Joe Davola and the gang goes to the opera, which is performing “Pagliacci.” Crazy Joe shows up in a full clown costume, terrifying everyone (especially Kramer).
“The Simpsons” Season 5, Episode 5 “Treehouse of Horror IV”
While “Seinfeld” doesn’t have an official Halloween episode, “The Simpsons” has 32. Fans of the show have gone back and forth over which installment of the “Treehouse of Horrors” episode is the best, but many agree that it’s installment IV in season 5 (which features Flanders as the Devil).
Other Halloween episodes from “The Simpsons”
-Season 2, Episode 3; Season 3, Episode 7; Season 4, Episode 5; Season 6, Episode 6; Season 7, Episode 6; Season 8, Episode 1; Season 9, Episode 4; Season 10, Episode 4; Season 11, Episode 4; Season 12, Episode 1; Season 13, Episode 1; Season 14, Episode; Season 15, Episode 1; Season 16, Episode 4; Season 18, Episode 4; Season 19, Episode 5; Season 20, Episode 4; Season 21, Episode 4; Season 22, Episode 4; Season 23, Episode 3; Season 24, Episode 2; Season 25, Episode 2; Season 26, Episode 4; Season 27, Episode 5; Season 28, Episode 4; Season 29, Episode 4; Season 30, Episode 4; Season 31, Episode 4; Season 32, Episode 4.
“Modern Family” Season 2, Episode 6 “Halloween”
In this episode of season 2, we learn that Claire is obsessed with Halloween and will do everything in her power to have the scariest house on the block. Notable Halloween costumes include Haley as Mother Theresa, Gloria as a witch and Mitchell as Spider-Man.
Other Halloween episodes from “Modern Family”
-Season 4, Episode 5 “Open House of Horrors”
-Season 6, Episode 6 “Awesomeland”
-Season 8, Episode 5 “The Revenge of Rod Skyhook”
-Season 9, Episode 5 “It’s a Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy”
-Season 10, Episode 5 “Good Grief”
-Season 11, Episode 5 “The Last Halloween”
“New Girl” Season 2, Episode 6 “Halloween”
In this episode, long before Jess and Nick get together, Jess works at a haunted house and attempts to make then non-boyfriend Sam her boyfriend. Notable costumes include Jess as a zombie, CeCe as an angel, Robbie as a Ninja Turtle, Nick as “Bee Arthur” and Schmidt as Abraham Lincoln.
Other Halloween episodes from “New Girl”
-Season 3, Episode 6 “Keaton”
“Frasier” Season 5, Episode 3 “Halloween”
In this episode, the gang goes to a costume party at Dr. Niles Crane’s costume party and Roz confesses to Frasier that she thinks she might be pregnant. Notable costumes include Frasier as Geoffrey Chaucer, Niles as Cyrano de Bergerac and Roz as ‘O,’ the love slave in ‘The Story of O.’
Other Halloween episodes from “Frasier”
-Season 9, Episode 6 “Room Full of Heroes”
-Season 10, Episode 5 “Tales From the Crypt”
“Freaks and Geeks” Season 1, Episode 3 “Tricks and Treats”
In this episode, Lindsay agrees to stay home and pass out candy with her family on Halloween, however she’s then invited to hangout with the freaks. The geeks, on the other hand, go trick or treating. Notable Halloween costumes include Bill as the Bionic Woman, Neil as Charlie Chaplin and Sam as a robot.
“Community” Season 2, Episode 6 “Epidemiology”
In this episode, the gang attends a Halloween party thrown by the Dean. However, the party is soon turn upside down after the guests begin contracting a mysterious illness. Notable costumes include Jeff as David Beckham, Pierce as Captain Kirk and Dean Pelton as Lady Gaga.
Other Halloween episodes from “Community”
-Season 1, Episode 7 “Introduction to Statistics”
-Season 3, Episode 5 “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps”
-Season 4, Episode 2 “Paranormal Parentage”
“Bob’s Burgers” Season 3, Episode 2 “Full Bars”
In this episode, Tina, Louise and Gene go trick or treating in a rich neighborhood, in order to obtain full size candy bars. However, they run into a pack of bullies along the way. Notable costumes from this episode include Tina as a mummy, Louise as Edward Scissorhands and Gene as Queen Latifah.
Other Halloween episodes from “Bob’s Burgers”
-Season 4, Episode 2 “Fort Night”
-Season 5, Episode 2 “Tina and the Real Ghost”
-Season 6, Episode 3 “The Hauntening”
-Season 7, Episode 3 “Teen-A-Witch”
-Season 8, Episode 3 “The Wolf of Wharf Street”
-Season 9, Episode 4 “Nightmare On Ocean Avenue Street”
-Season 10, Episode 4 “Pig Trouble in Little Tina”
-Season 11, Episode 4 “Heartbreak Hotel-oween”
“Stranger Things” Season 2, Episode 2 “Trick or Treat, Freak”
This show has become synonymous with Halloween and in this episode, Eleven is in hiding after returning from the Upside Down, Nancy and Steve attend a Halloween party and the boys go trick or treating as “Ghostbusters.”
“black-ish” Season 2, Episode 6 “Jacked o’ Lantern”
In this episode, Dre’s nieces and nephews visit his family, causing a collision between the kids on Halloween. Notable costumes include the Johnson family as the Obamas.
Other Halloween episodes from “black-ish”
-Season 1, Episode 6 “The Prank King”
-Season 3, Episode 5 “The Purge”
-Season 6, Episode 6 “Everybody Blames Raymond”
