It’s officially October. The leaves are changing colors and falling, the air is beginning to bite back as temperatures drop and Halloween is right around the corner. As we pull the decorations out and finalize the details of our costumes, we might as well throw some Halloween themed content on the TV to set the mood.
When it comes to Halloween entertainment, we tend to get really excited about rewatching our favorite movies for the season like “Hocus Pocus” and “Halloweentown,” but some of my favorite Halloween plot lines come from the seasonal episodes in TV. With that being said, I’ve taken some time to compile a list of some of my favorite Halloween themed episodes for you to watch this season (with a little help from some friends).
- brooklyn nine-Nine “Halloween” (Season 1, Episode 6)
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One of the best seasonal Halloween tropes is the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Halloween heists. The tradition kicks off in the sixth episode of the first season when the precinct participates in a bet to prove who “The Ultimate Detective/Genius” is. Not only is the episode hilarious, but it’s also really well thought out and very entertaining to watch as you try to follow along with the shenanigans of the heist. The heist bit proved to be very successful for the show as they return to the format for one episode in every season.
- Modern Family “Halloween” (Season 2, Episode 6)
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“Modern Family’s” season two Halloween episode follows the shows typical format where we, as an audience, get to see the Pritchett-Dunphys overcome their own individual struggles. This episode is different from most of the others though as the family isn’t just navigating their own feelings and circumstances, but also Claire’s intense haunted house set up.
- New Girl “Halloween” (Season 2, Episode 6)
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“New Girl” has a few Halloween themed episodes, but the sixth episode of season two might be the best of them. In this episode, Jess, Nick, Schmidt, and Winston are all dealing with relationship issues in their own respects. Jess is reflecting on her casual fling with Doctor Sam, Nick is dealing with a relationship he entered entirely on accident, Winston’s is coming to an end and Schmidt is coping with Cece dating someone else. Take all that stress, add a haunted house, and shockingly enough, somebody’s getting knocked out.
- Freaks and Geeks “Tricks and Treats” (Episode 3)
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As one of my favorite coming-of-age TV shows, “Freaks and Geeks” focuses on the way we grow up in relation to Halloween in the series’s third episode. We follow Lindsay’s plans to potentially get into some trouble with her new found group of friends while her brother, Sam, and his buddies, Bill and Neal, face a harsh reality when it comes to trick-or-treating in high school.
- community “Epidemiology” (Season 2, Episode 6)
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As another series with a handful of great Halloween episodes, “Community” probably did its best job with the season two episode titled “Epidemiology.” Here we see the Study Group participating in a Halloween party being hosted at Greendale. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary until the effects of the Dean’s buffet of food from the Army surplus store start sinking in and wreaking havoc on the student body in a zombie apocalypse-esque manner.
- Parks and Rec “Greg Pikitis” (Season 2, Episode 7)
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The Greg Pikitis episode of “Parks and Rec” is one of my personal favorites from the entire series. The episode’s plot immerses us in a battle between Leslie Knope and the high school resident she refers to as her “arch-nemesis” and “a horrible monster” who vandalizes the park annually on Halloween, aka Greg Pikitis. Above all else, the episode aligns itself with the consistently goofy nature of the sitcom and delivers a really enjoyable storyline.
- gilmore girls “21 is the LonEliest Number” (season 6, episode 7)
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Fall is “Gilmore Girls” season whether you want it to be or not. However, the only true Halloween episode we get from the series is in season six. While Rory’s 21st birthday celebration is underway, Stars Hollow prepares for Halloween and, of course, Lorelai’s got plans for the occasion.
Warner Bros. Television / Canva - pretty Little Liars “This is ‘a’ Dark Ride” (Season 3, EPISODE 13)
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The PLL Halloween episodes are done pretty well, and it’s a perfect theme to hone in on for this series in particular. All of them are worth a watch this season, but my favorite of their Halloween episodes has to be season three’s. The spooky season is something PLL takes advantage of and does well. In this episode, Aria, Spencer, Hannah and Emily attend a party on a train and the overwhelming amount of attendees wearing masked costumes conducts the perfect environment for drama and chaos to ensue.
- Ant Farm “MutANT Farm” (Season 1, EPisode 14)
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This one is definitely nostalgic–a throwback if you will–but it’s essential when discussing Halloween TV. This episode puts a fun spin on the show where the “MutA.N.T. Program” exists, allowing monsters to go to school with regular kids. What’s the best part of the episode, though? When Chyna breaks out into her performance of her ever-so-famous track “Calling All the Monsters.” If that’s not enough of a reason on its own to press play on this episode, I don’t know what is.
- Suite Life of ZAck and COdy “The Ghost of Suite 613” (Season 1, EPisode 19)
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There would be no way to wrap this list up other than naming possibly the most iconic, most impactful Halloween episode of TV of all time: “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody’s” The Ghost of Suite 613. In this episode, the twins hear a rumor about a ghost living in one of the Tipton suites. Naturally, their curiosity gets the best of them and they manage to rope Maddie, London and Esteban into joining them in spending the night in the so-called haunted suite. This episode is one of the best Halloween episodes we’ve ever been given, and if you haven’t seen it in a long time, it’s perfect to return to this season!
