Watch · TVNo. 7451 · The 2026 edition
The best sitcom Halloween episodes, ranked by viewer rating.
Heists, zombies and costume contests: twenty-four Halloween episodes from grown-up sitcoms, ranked best first, led by Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Community and It’s Always Sunny.
Halloween is a gift to a sitcom: a ready-made party, a costume for every character and a reason to put the whole cast in one room. The best sitcom Halloween episodes use that setup to show who these people are when they’re pretending to be someone else.
We ranked twenty-four of them by IMDb rating, best first, for teens and adults who have outgrown the kids’ specials; the family shows live in a separate post. Brooklyn Nine-Nine takes six spots, Community four and Modern Family three. Nothing here should keep you up at night, but It’s Always Sunny and Curb Your Enthusiasm are strictly for adults.
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01
HalloVeen
If you only have time for one of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s yearly Halloween heists, make it this top-rated one. The title swaps a Roman numeral V in for the W, a wink at the show’s sequel-style numbering.
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02
Epidemiology
A Halloween party at Greendale turns into a zombie outbreak with the study group caught in the middle, and Community’s habit of borrowing a genre’s rules gets a full workout. One for zombie-movie fans who like their apocalypse played for laughs.
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03
Who Got Dee Pregnant?
A title that blunt tells you what kind of Halloween this is: It’s Always Sunny doesn’t do wholesome. Dark, crude and strictly for adults, so save it for after the kids are in bed.
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04
Halloween III
Numbering your sequels like a slasher franchise only works if they deliver, and this third entry outranks both Halloween II and Halloween IV. Best for viewers who already know the heist format.
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05
Halloween II
Round two, and the moment Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Halloween heist stopped being a one-off and became a tradition. Best watched right after the original, for anyone who likes to see a format settle in.
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06
Halloween IV
Four installments in, the sequel numbering is a running joke and the heist is still the draw. It ties with Halloween II in the ratings, so watch the run in order and decide for yourself.
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07
Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps
Community loves treating genres as rulebooks to play with, and this title reads like a how-to for scary stories. A good follow-up to the zombie episode for anyone who wants another Halloween with the study group.
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08
Trick or Treat
Halloween is a holiday made of etiquette questions, from who gets candy to what counts as a costume, which makes it natural territory for Curb, a show built on social rules nobody agreed to. Adults only, and not a family-night pick.
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09
All-New Halloween Spooktacular!
WandaVision is a Marvel series that dresses up as sitcoms from different decades, and this is its Halloween chapter. It’s the one entry here that doesn’t stand alone, so teens and up should watch the five episodes before it first.
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10
Introduction to Statistics
From the show’s first season, when the study group was still getting to know each other, this is the earliest Community Halloween on the list. One for fans who like seeing a favorite show near the start.
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11
Halloween Surprise
Leslie Knope turns every occasion into a project, and the title here promises a surprise. Pawnee’s parks department makes for warm, low-stress Halloween viewing, a good fit for anyone who prefers cozy to creepy.
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12
Halloween
An early Modern Family Halloween, from a show that has gone big on holiday episodes and loves putting its three connected households in one room. A safe pick for a mixed-age couch of teens and adults.
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13
Halloween
Where the tradition begins: the original Halloween episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Start here if you plan to work through the heists in order, or if you just want to see where the idea came from.
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14
The One with the Halloween Party
Six friends and a party, from a show that treats every occasion as an excuse to hang out. Good comfort viewing for anyone who wants Halloween easy rather than eerie.
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15
Tricks and Treats
Oldest on the list, this comes from a period high-school comedy about two very different cliques, and Halloween is a natural test of who’s too old for what. Funny, a little bruised, and best for teens and up.
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16
Greg Pikitis
Named for a character rather than the holiday, this early Parks and Recreation episode leans on Leslie Knope’s gift for taking small-town problems personally. Pick it when you want an optimist on the case.
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17
Valloweaster
Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Easter get crammed into a single title word, and the episode comes from the show’s later run. Best saved until you’ve seen a few of the earlier Halloweens, to get the most out of it.
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18
Costume Contest
Low-stakes competition is something this show can’t leave alone, and a costume contest at the Scranton branch is about as low-stakes as it gets. A reliable pick for grown-ups who like their workplace humor awkward.
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19
The Slutty Pumpkin
Ted can’t let go of a woman in a pumpkin costume he once met at a Halloween party, which suits a show all about fate and missed connections. The title tells you this isn’t a kids’ pick, so teens and up.
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20
Open House of Horrors
Phil Dunphy sells houses for a living, so an open house of horrors is a natural Halloween setup for him. Broad, easy Modern Family for a relaxed night in.
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21
Halloween
Halloween at the Scranton branch, with Michael Scott in charge, is the simplest pitch here, and it’s the earliest of the three Office entries. Best for grown-ups who like their bosses painfully self-assured.
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22
Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook
Modern Family goes full horror franchise with this title, and it’s the latest and lowest-rated of the show’s three entries here. A bonus for fans rather than the place to start.
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23
Paranormal Parentage
Later-season Community, rated below the show’s earlier Halloweens here, with a title that pairs the paranormal with parentage. Worth a slot once you’ve seen the others and want the full set.
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24
Canning Randy
How I Met Your Mother’s crew returns for another Halloween under a title that sounds like workplace trouble. Tied for the lowest rating on the list, so think of it as a catch-up rather than a headliner.
A sitcom Halloween is the one night everybody gets to commit to the bit.
For a three-episode night, open with HalloVeen, add Epidemiology for the monsters and close on Costume Contest. For a deeper dive, Brooklyn Nine-Nine plays best in order, from the original Halloween through HalloVeen, with Valloweaster as the encore. Keep a bowl of leftover candy nearby, and when you run out of episodes, the full watchlist rounds up more Halloween episodes and movies for every age.