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What are favorite holiday themed TV episodes?
We have a thread on Christmas movies and I was reminded that many TV shows also have some great holiday themed episodes.
Which shows has the best ones?
We have a thread on Christmas movies and I was reminded that many TV shows also have some great holiday themed episodes.
Which shows has the best ones?
Community. The Glee episode is full of absurd comedy.
Boopy doopy doo boop sex.
I just mentioned Community before seeing your comment, but I completely forgot the Glee episode was a Christmas one. That one totally wins.
Ugh, Britta's in this?
Every Christmas I always make a point to watch all of the Community Christmas episodes. Bonus if I can squeeze in season 1's episode on December 10th.
I was actually just talking to my mom about this! The Hey, Arnold Christmas episode. I never even really watched that show, but that episode stuck with me. To quote the synopsis from the wiki:
It's such a beautiful, emotional episode. The flashback of Mr. Hyunh in Vietnam handing over his young daughter to a soldier in a helicopter, hoping she'll be able to have a good life while knowing he may never see her again, just stuck with me. In retrospect I'm impressed at the heavy themes, I don't think any modern kids' shows would feature such a heavy, real-life scenario like that. The reunion with his adult daughter at the end, and Helga even sacrificing her own gift to help instigate the reunion, just makes it so memorable and emotional.
Yes, it's fantastic
Seinfeld. Festivus!
As a big fan of Frasier, some of the Christmas episodes are what comes to mind. Miracle on Third or Fourth Street from season one is a heartwarming classic, but maybe a tad heavy handed. I like Frasier Grinch from season 3 better, and I love the ending with the "Outlaw Lazer Robot Geek". We Two Kings from season 10 is also hilarious, where the brothers both want to host Christmas and they go overboard trying to convince Martin to choose them and it all ends in chaos of course.
I think my favorite is the Always Sunny in Philadelphia one. Dennis and Dee's arc is alright, but Mac and Charlie completely make the episode with their respective realizations. (Well, them and Danny Devito for crawling out from inside a leather couch completely naked.)
A close second would be the Community ones, but specifically the first one where they were clay people in "therapy". Abed is the best character in the show, so it's always fun when they focus on him, but it's also one of the more touching episodes - not to mention Pierce gets one of his super rare "not such a bad guy" moments.
I'm not a huge fan of the series but it has become a yearly tradition for me to watch the Family Guy episode Road to the North Pole. There's a meanness to it for sure but, I dunno, something about it tickles me the right way, plus those musical numbers are hilariously on point.
Being Irish, I'm also obligated to put forward the Father Ted special, A Christmassy Ted. And damn justified in doing so, it's a cracker!*
*no apologies will be issued for puns
My favourite is the Vicar of Dibley's "The Christmas Lunch Incident", where she's invited to multiple Christmas lunches with her parishioners, but is too polite to turn any of them down. I think I've watched it during the holiday period every year for the last 20+ years, and I still laugh every time.
Technically you said holiday, so I’m going to slip in a vote for WKRP in Cincinnati’s legendary thanksgiving episode.
For actual Christmas episodes, I grew up in a Jewish family and all we had was The Rugrats Hanukkah episode.
The 2022 Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode makes me cry every damn time I see it. It’s genuinely beautiful to me in a way that only that show can pull off.
Mine definitely has to be the Justice League Unlimited episode where Superman takes the Martian Manhunter (MM) to his parents house. All because he doesn’t understand why Christmas is so important.
The initial scene where MM meets the Kents is especially hilarious when they tell him they’re used to having aliens around. His look of bewilderment says it all.
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My opinions haven't changed that much. The Community episodes are great. The Regular Show Christmas special is just completely over the top mayhem that ages well, and Adventure Time's "Holly Jolly Secrets" plays a weird trick with being fundamental to the show but also perfectly good on its own.
Mork's first Christmas from mork and Mindy.