‘The Simpsons‘, Treehouse of Horror V (Season 6, Episode 6)
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes are right up there with an annual Halloween tradition that rivals the best offerings on TV. The fifth one, which aired back in 1994, still stands the test of time with residents of Springfield doing send-ups of The Shining, a scary version of It’s a Wonderful Life meets Back to the Future, and a grisly take on Soylent Green.
South Park‘, Hell on Earth 2006 (Season 10, Episode 11)
South Park is another comedy that has taken full advantage of Halloween over the years with a great Halloween episode nearly every season. The best has to be the season 10 episode “Hell on Earth 2006,” which skewers MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen by having recurring character Satan (Trey Parker) desperately trying to plan the best Halloween party.
Other notable entries include A Nightmare on Facetime, Sons A Witches and The Scoots.
‘Modern Family’, Halloween (Season 2, Episode 6)
Neighborhood haunted houses are a Halloween trope for a reason — they make for great TV. In season two, Modern Family did a great twist on this theme when Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil’s (Ty Burrell) haunted house is too scary for the neighborhood trick-or-treaters. There’s also a funny subplot that involves Haley (Sarah Hyland) putting on increasingly skimpier Halloween costumes, including Sexy Mother Theresa. Yes, really. It is a very funny, sly commentary about the outrageous things people will dress up as for Halloween.
Bonus points for the fact that Modern Family managed to pull off a great Halloween episode in almost every season.
‘Pretty Little Liars‘, The First Secret (Season 2, Episode 13)
From season two to season four, Pretty Little Liars began airing a Halloween special during their regular fall hiatus as a fun way to tide fans over while they waited for the show to return. “The First Secret,” from season two, is definitely the best installment of these because it gives viewers great insight into Alison (Sasha Pieterse) and her minions prior to the start of the series. Also worth checking out: This Is a Dark Ride from season 3 episode 13 and Grave New World in season 4 episode 13.
‘Roseanne‘, Boo (Season 2, Episode 7)
We’re going to give it up here — Roseanne is the best TV show for Halloween episodes, bar none. The show kicked things off in season two with “Boo,” where Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Dan (John Goodman) pull increasingly scary pranks to try to outdo one another, and the family puts on a haunted house for the trick-or-treaters. “Roseanne” kept right on going for the next seven years of the best tricks and treats on TV, a running theme being that nobody could pull one over on the title character.
Bonus points for the recent Roseanne re-boot The Connerskeeping the tradition alive with annual Halloween episodes as well.
‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’, Halloween (Season 2, Episode 6)
A show about vampires better have some good tricks up its sleeve for Halloween and Buffy did not disappoint. The iconic season two episode Halloween showcases new sides of each character as they all end up turning into the real-life version of their costumes. It also heavily features breakout character Spike (James Marsters), and was the first time viewers met recurring villain Ethan Rayne (Robin Sachs).
Buffy earns extra credit overall since it featured two other great Halloween episodes over the course of its seven seasons: Season 4 Episode 4 “Fear Itself” and Season 6 Episode 6 “All the Way.”
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