Everyone knows October is one of the best times to watch TV since Halloween basically has its own genre. Animated shows, sitcoms, and dramas all tend to have at least one Halloween episode. It’s when the writers unleash all their most chaotic and camp ideas into one episode. Now that Halloweekend is upon us, here’s a list of the most fun episodes to watch this year. Whether you’re having a cozy night in or dancing in a carefully planned costume, it will be nice to have these fun TV shows to set the mood for this Halloween season.
1) Scream Queens
Season 1, Episode 4: “Haunted House”
The entirety of Scream Queens could and should be binged for the Halloween season with its slasher elements and fall vibes. For their Halloween special, the show dedicated three episodes to following the events of this epic night. The first of the three Halloween-centric episodes raises tensions in the sorority house and the school campus. As Chanel prepares for “Chanel-O-Ween”, she faces opposition from Zayday, who plans to steal the position of president of Kappa Kappa. The odd Hester uses her new makeover to seduce taken men in a haunted house only to discover that real bodies litter the property.
Best Costume Award: Chanel, because knowing how to put together an outfit is her only redeemable trait.
Where to Stream: Hulu & Apple TV
“Chanel-O-Ween is approaching, so I went shopping with my comatose grandmother’s credit card and bought presents. This severed hand… is for Malloreigh.”
Chanel, Scream Queens
2) Parks and recreation
Season 5, Episode 5: “Halloween Surprise”
The beloved characters of Parks and Recreation regularly engage in government-sanctioned antics. In this episode, Leslie and the gang host a horror movie night to celebrate Halloween with the citizens of Pawnee. While Chris despairs his mortality and Donna live tweets her night, Ben and Leslie consider their future. After unintentionally sending someone to the hospital with a “fart attack”, Leslie and Anne hold a chaotic auction. Ron Swanson faces something more frightening than any medical scare: taking his girlfriend’s children trick-or-treating with Andy. The silly costumes and familiar characters make for a witty yet still heartwarming episode that will instantly cheer you up.
Best Costume Award: Chris, who went as his biggest fear: an old man.
Where to Stream: Peacock
“Why exactly is it a death canoe? Does it tip over easy?”
Chris Traeger, Parks and Recreation
3) Everybody hates chris
Season 1, Episode 6: “Everybody Hates Halloween”
“Everybody Hates Halloween” follows Chris on his quest to attend his first “adult party” since he has reached the grand mature age of 13. Chris’s new official status as a teen means he is desperate to escape the childish tradition of trick or treating. Drew, being the more popular brother, receives an invitation to the coveted party and gives it to Chris. Drew, unlike Chris, understands the power of free candy. When Halloween arrives, the episode chronicles Chris’s obstacles that prevent him from getting to the party. Such obstacles include his classmates trashing the school, being egged, and his annoying siblings. Tyler James Williams delivers a masterful performance as a preteen that wants to have fun more than anything.
Best Costume Award: Rochelle, even though she didn’t wear a costume. She slayed all the last-minute homemade costumes she made for Chris, Drew, and Tonya.
Where to Stream: Hulu, Peacock, & Paramount+
“The worst thing about Halloween in a white school is that kids actually prepare for it like they’re going to war.”
Everybody Hates Chris
4) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Season 6, Episode 7: “Who Got Dee Pregnant?”
This episode may be less of a Halloween special and more of a who-dun-it á la the Maury Show. Despite the episode occurring months after October, the show frequently flashes back to a chaotic Halloween party hosted at Paddy’s Pub by the “The Gang”. This season six episode begins as usual, with the boys mocking Dee with bird-related insults when she reveals that she’s pregnant. To make things worse, she shocks them all with the news that one of them knocked her up at their last Halloween party. As Dennis, Frank, Charlie, and Mac try to piece together that night, unreliable memories and costume switches obscure the truth and create silly moments.
Best Costume Award: Frank for his creative version of Spider-Man… or Man-Spider.
Where to Stream: Hulu
“Are we supposed to pretend like you’re not dressed like a giant bird?”
Dennis, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
5) Superstore
Season 2, Episode 6: “Halloween Theft”
Superstore has never met a Halloween episode it didn’t crush, but for this list, we’ll only talk about their first one. All the employees of Cloud 9, the fictitious superstore, gather for another tiring day of work, but the allure of Halloween and its costumes brings a charm to everyone. All the employees are decked out in costumes that match their personalities perfectly, with Jonah dressed as a pretentious pun and Glenn choosing to wear a hotdog suit that makes his bathroom breaks hard. Superstore makes viewers aware of the dangers of buying toilet paper and shaving cream as Dina patrols the aisles of Cloud 9, harassing coworkers and customers alike. When something in the store goes missing that only could have been taken by an employee, everyone’s Halloween plans are threatened. What follows is a hilarious sequence of out-of-pocket interrogations in the employee break room combined with the classic cutaways to the store’s bizarre customers.
Best Costume Award: Amy as Cleopatra because the headpiece looks good on her.
Where to Stream: Hulu
“Stop being the Halloween version of Scrooge, whatever that is. Oh, Booge! Boo Scrooge. I just thought of that.”
Amy, Superstore
6) Abbott Elementary
Season 2, Episode 6: “Candy Zombies”
As expected, Quinta Brunson knocked Abbott Elementary’s first Halloween episode out of the park. When one student with a strange fixation on Marvel’s Thanos triggers a school-wide sugar rush by secretly distributing all the school’s candy, the teachers of Abbott unite against a single foe and rush around following candy wrapper trails to find the culprit. This episode balances the Halloween humor with the plot masterfully. Janine and Greg’s burgeoning workplace romance gets screen time, and the possibility of a love triangle is introduced. And while Jacob suspects there is a ghost of a former janitor who haunts the school’s basement, Janine begins the process of making new friends in her 20s. Principle Ava’s antics are always a highlight, and in “Candy Zombies”, the way she takes charge in her superhero costume is genuinely admirable.
Best Costume Award: It goes to Ava, who probably paid an obscene amount of money to look like Storm from X-Men.
Where to Stream: Hulu & HBO Max
“But it’s Halloween! We should be able to eat candy whenever we want!”
Louis, Abbott Elementary
7) That ’70s Show
Season 3, Episode 4: “Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die”
For their Halloween episode, That ‘70s Show decided to spoof several Alfred Hitchcock films including Psycho and The Birds. Kitty Forman tries to feed her neighbor’s birds only for it to go awry and leave her with nightmares. Each character seems to be wrapped up in their own horror, with Eric chasing after a peculiar-acting Donna and Fez spying on the neighbors for entertainment after spraining his ankle. A case of mistaken identity and conspiracy theories keeps the plot fresh with twists and turns.
Best Costume Award: It goes to Fez, who single-handedly ended gender roles in his The Rocky Horror Picture Show costume.
Where to Stream: Peacock
“You know what would be fun? If we were in an Alfred Hitchcock movie right now, and we didn’t know it.”
Kelso, That ’70s Show
Happy Halloween, and happy watching!