Not everyone who loves Halloween loves horror. Thankfully, for those who prefer a good guttural laugh to gore, we can depend on the minds behind some of TV's most bingeable comedies to bring us side-splittingly funny Halloween-themed episodes year after year. Here are some highlights that are worth revisiting as we approach Oct. 31.
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror V (Season 6, Episode 6)
The Simpsons originated the concept of annual Halloween episodes with the first "Treehouse of Horror" in Season 2. That episode introduced Kang and Kodos, and for all the wonderfully demented skits writers have concocted over 30 Halloween-themed episodes, their debut still ranks pretty high. But the outing that's stood the test of time and been elevated to meme and GIF status is "Treehouse of Horror V" from all the way back in 1994.
The episode is bookended by two great gags: Homer and Bart's interruption of the transmission when Marge warns Congress won't allow the episode to be aired and a repulsive rendition of the song "One" from A Chorus Line after an evil fog turns the Simpsons inside out. Parts 2 and 3, in which Homer alters reality via the butterfly effect and Springfield Elementary processes misbehaving children as food are solid entries. It's "The Shinning" segment, however, that shows The Simpsons' masterful ability to skewer pop culture and American life, where Homer goes "Here's Johnny" crazy after he's deprived of beer and TV. That Groundskeeper Willie takes an axe to the back in all three sketches is a nice touch.
The Office: "Costume Contest" (Season 7, Episode 6)
The Office excels at pointing out the absurdity in the mundane, and "Costume Contest," in which the employees of Dunder Mifflin get overly competitive over a coupon book, is just one relatable example. After pointing out the prize isn't really worth $15,000, Oscar tries a joke that he's being a "rational consumer" for Halloween several times and gets exactly no laughs.
The episode features a sweet Jim and Pam (as Popeye and Olive Oil) moment at a time when they were few and far between. The conceit is also a brilliant excuse for characters to change costumes multiple times, including Angela's transition from cartoon penguin to sexy nurse. Notably, the cold open about Stanley's obliviousness to what's going on around him is one of the best in the series' whole run.
Community: "Epidemiology" (Season 2, Episode 6)
Community, ostensibly about a misfit study group, was always really about interrogating the relationship between our identities and the media we consume. The show was hitting its stride in its second season, and "Epidemiology" is a pitch-perfect parody of a zombie movie in which a pathogen from not-quite-taco meat infects the student body and spreads through biting.
The episode mocks just about every zombie movie trope, from failed attempts at medical intervention and military containment to desperate, misguided hookups. It also puts each character's id and ego on full display. Troy has a crisis about his waning coolness and changes into a makeshift sexy Dracula. Jeff prioritizes his expensive suit over the lives of the others. "Epidemiology," like most of Community's standout episodes, features well-timed cameos from fan favorites like Leonard and Starburns, too.
New Girl: "Halloween" (Season 2, Episode 6)
New Girl's first attempt at a Halloween episode explores one of the scariest phenomena of all: bad relationships. Winston's in one. So is Nick, with his college crush who turns out to be worryingly aggressive about kissing and commitment. Jess is, too, with handsome pediatrician Sam who wants to keep things casual. Meanwhile, Schmidt can't figure out why Cece would be interested in someone less physically attractive than him. He decides to win her over by dressing as Abraham Lincoln, who he claims all Americans think about at least once a day.
Things come to a head in the haunted house where Jess is working. Nick, who's afraid of jump scares, ventures inside to warn Jess that Sam doesn't share her feelings. Instead, he accidentally punches her hard in the cheek and gets his butt kicked by the rest of the haunted-house staff. Everyone's left brokenhearted (but, as is the case with bad relationships, they're all better off in the long run).
Superstore: "Sal's Dead" (Season 3, Episode 5)
Superstore's Halloween episodes are on par with Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Simpsons for consistent high achievement, with clever running gags popping up in every outing like Dina's ever-present sexy cop ensemble and Jonah's socially-conscious costumes that go over everyone's heads. He's been Brexit and Gerry Mandering, but in "Sal's Dead" -- the one with the series' most befitting premise -- he's the disappearing bee population.
Sal was a former employee whose decaying body turns up bursting through the drywall. The staff of Cloud Nine can't get the coroner on site fast enough, and the shoppers begin to think the corpse is a Halloween display. The episode's A, B and C plots fire on all cylinders. Amy accidentally catfishes the new girl with Jonah's phone, which escalates to the point of a staged murder. Cheyenne uses her special-effects makeup skills and a stolen passport to transform undocumented immigrant, Mateo, into creepy Sal, with unintended consequences. And of course, someone in a coroner costume shopping for hummus almost goes home with a corpse.
Parks and Recreation: "Halloween Surprise" (Season 5, Episode 5)
While New Girl's Halloween episode was about ending bad relationships, Parks and Recreation's is about good ones getting better. Ron dreads going trick-or-treating with Diane's "loud" children and screws up royally. However, he makes amends by bringing his betrothed some grout cleaner and gets happily plastered in princess makeup. Leslie and Ben decide to move in together, which sends Leslie on a house hunt since her "nightmare hoarding nest" is unacceptable to both her boyfriend and the health department. She is, unsurprisingly, dressed as Rosie the Riveter.
The action starts in earnest when Jerry has a "fart attack" (actually, a mild heart attack) that upends everyone's plans. In a commentary on America's problematic health care system, the staff raises money for Jerry's hospital bills with a second-hand sale. Tom thinks up Rent-a-Swag and Ann finds self-confidence, but it's Leslie whose future happiness gets the biggest nudge forward when Ben unexpectedly proposes in the episode's final moments.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: "HalloVeen" (Season 5, Episode 4)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn't just do Halloween, it does Halloween Heist, an annual event with a prize of a World Wrestling-style belt and the title of Amazing Human/Genius. While every Halloween Heist episode has its merits, there's something extra special about the fifth go-round, and it isn't just the sentimental twist at the end.
Boyles betrays Jake and leaves him handcuffed to a chair, guarded by his pyramid-scheme-pitching cousin; a dire situation Jake can only escape by investing. Amy swaps out Holt's cherished corgi, Cheddar, with a double, which gives an aggrieved Holt some of his most hilarious moments. There's a Handmaid's Tale flash mob, and as usual, more quotable lines than you could fit on the inside of a championship belt. But what's actually inscribed on the major award isn't Amazing Human/Genius, but a marriage proposal to Amy from Jake. Parks and Rec might have done it first, but hiding an engagement inside of the Halloween Heist was a stroke of amazing genius.