Do you fundamentally refuse to be scared out of your skin for so-called ‘entertainment’ this Halloween season? Have you seen The Nightmare Before Christmas one too many times? Yes and yes again? That’s what I thought. But don’t worry; the Halloween season has more to offer than inspiration for your very own sleep-paralysis demon and overdone, over-hyped, over-Halloweened content. It’s the end of October, and I am pleased to welcome you to the season of spiders, skeletons, and sitcoms.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
These Halloween episodes are famous, and for good reason. With a ‘Halloween Heist’ in every season, the squad competes to be in possession of a selected object by midnight, with the winner being crowned ‘an amazing detective/genius.’ These episodes contain some of the most elaborately ridiculous heist plans of all time—from stuffing pigeons into air vents and filling the precinct with characters from The Handmaid’s Tale to hiring previously-arrested criminals as co-conspirators—and the most intense rivalries. Watch a Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween Heist episode for Charles Boyle’s (Joe Lo Truglio) terrible and forever un-guessable costumes, outrageous thievery, and to watch friendships be temporarily put aside in the name of glory.
The Office
Season 2, episode 5 of The Office brings the reality of a scary Halloween into the workplace. Michael faces the terrifying task of having to fire someone while everyone else prepares for a Halloween party. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) acts as the Halloween Scrooge, and the real scare comes from the decision he must make. This episode reminds us that navigating adulthood is actually the spookiest part of any season.
Friends
Friends is a staple sitcom for a reason, and its Halloween episode is no exception. Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) may or may not start writing children’s cheques after she runs out of candy, Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) may or may not end an engagement, and the costumes—well, I guarantee they’re worse than yours. I don’t want to spoil too much for those of you who are planning a Friends marathon this sitcom season, so all I’ll say is: Pink. Fluffy. Bunny. Oh, and potato. If you want to be able to treat Halloween as a more-or-less regular day, this is the show for you. It’s lighthearted and fun—the only spooky part is the notion of marrying someone you’ve known for two weeks—making it a great choice for those who are ready for Halloween to be over already.
Superstore
Superstore is a lesser-known sitcom, or so I’ve been led to believe. But whether you’ve heard of it or not, its Halloween episode is worth a watch. Everyone shows up in costume, except for the company’s resident rule-follower, Dina Fox (Lauren Ash). Dina gets, as you might expect, peer-pressured into dressing up. But she changes into a particularly revealing cop costume. Cue the chaos. Suddenly, everyone’s workplace archnemesis is alluring? If you ever reminisce over middle-school friendship dynamics—or just revel in watching middle-school-esque situations play out—then I promise you will be entertained. Her outfit, combined with rumours that someone may or may not have a crush on someone else, makes the perfect storm for those of you who love to revel in the knowledge that you left high school behind years ago.
If you enjoy any singular aspect of the horror movie experience, you and I are clearly two entirely separate types of people. But you’d best believe that if I’m watching anything on Halloween, it’ll be a sitcom. I’ll laugh and sigh and be unspeakably grateful that Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) won’t ever buy me a Halloween costume.
