I am a sucker for the Halloween-themed episodes that sitcoms do each year. Not every show throws a Halloween party, but the ones that do add a lot of fun to my family’s time carving pumpkins and putting together our costumes for the big night out trick-or-treating. Here are 6 shows planning Halloween episodes that you don’t want to miss this year:
6. “The Middle” on ABC
This is one of my favorite shows, largely because I feel better about myself while watching it, knowing that I am not the only mom out there who is not allowed to use the microwave and the dishwasher at the same time because she’ll blow a fuse. The Heck family on “The Middle” is a Midwestern family, much like mine, and they never disappoint with the holiday episodes. This year’s entry is called “Halloween VII: The Heckoning,” making it the seventh Halloween episode the show has done. In the promo clips, the youngest child, Brick, is dressed up as a bowling pin and the usual Heck family antics seem to unfold around an afternoon of pumpkin carving.
Airs on 10/25/16 on ABC
5. “The Goldbergs” on ABC
A show about a loud, brash, blonde mom who wears crazy sweaters and loves her three little schmoos more than life itself? Sign me up! The character, Beverly Goldberg, happens to be my spirit animal/totem/patronus in life and this show really goes all-out on the holidays, 1980s-style. This year’s episode is called “Stefan King,” with son, Adam Goldberg, trying his hand at horror writing and Beverly getting upset when he centers his tale around his “Blonde Monster” momma. Hilarity no doubt ensues, with plenty of cool costumes that seem to include Teen Wolf and the plant from “Little Shop of Horrors” at the high school’s Halloween dance. So fun!
Airs on 10/26/16 on ABC
4. “Fresh Off the Boat” on ABC
Based on a true story, this show is about a young Taiwanese family that immigrated to the U.S. and eventually settled in Orlando, Florida. The dad on the show, Louis, loves Halloween and tries to embrace as much American culture as possible. The mom, Jessica, tries to straddle both worlds and at times resists assimilating, sometimes insisting the culture in Taiwan that they left behind is better than America. At the end of most episodes, Jessica comes around, however, especially when she encounters fun American holidays like Halloween. In the episode “Louisween,” Jessica’s trying to write her own horror novel (like Adam Goldberg’s doing on another show this year!) and the promo pics show all kinds of fun 1990s costumes like Indiana Jones, “Jurassic Park,” Elvira, and even the grandma on the show dressed up as Grimace from McDonald’s.
Airs on 10/25/16 on ABC
3. “American Housewife” on ABC
This is a brand new show that is absolutely hilarious, about a zaftig mother of three named Katie who refuses to feel badly about herself for not being one of the model-thin, supposedly perfect Westport, Connecticut, wives who surround her. In the episode “Westport Zombies,” Katie is somehow roped into running in her town’s “Zombie Run,” where some people dress up like the undead and chase the runners through an obstacle course. I can’t wait to see how she tackles it.
Airs on 10/25/16 on ABC
2. “Modern Family” on ABC
I don’t always agree with some of the politics pushed on this show, but I love the huge budget they always devote to their Halloween episodes. This year’s is called “Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook” and the promos show a lot of fun costumes, including one side of the family all dressing up as Batman characters. This show always has three separate storylines that intersect in one episode, with this one featuring three different Halloween parties that various family members have gone off to.
Airs on 10/26/16 on ABC
1. “The Simpsons” on FOX
At this point, I pretty much only watch one Simpsons episode a year and it’s the Halloween one. This year, that’s “Treehouse of Horror XXVII,” which also happens to be the show’s astonishing 600th episode. The promos don’t look so hot for this, though, with most of the episode supposedly a “Hunger Games” parody and another vignette about Lisa having trouble with a murderous imaginary friend. I’m sure I’ll mostly sit there wishing the show was better and wondering why I still bother, but Simpsons Halloween episodes have been a tradition for me since I was in grade school and it is kind of cool that the show is still on the air after all this time, even if it hasn’t been any good in a decade.
Airs on 10/16/16 on FOX
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