Best Halloween TV Specials to Watch in 2025

The Adventures of Pete & Pete — "Halloweenie"

A tried-and-true Nickelodeon Halloween classic, the brothers who share the same name take on Halloween in a surreal way that the show is known for. Little Pete decides to become a Halloween legend by visiting more houses in one night on Halloween than anyone in history. Big Pete, knowing he is too old for trick-or-treating and facing potential ridicule, has to decide whether to enter adulthood or help his brother and his Halloween dreams.

Boy Meets World — "Who’s Afraid of Corey Wolf?"

After seemingly encountering an escaped wolf, Corey decides to stay home from a Halloween party due to his fear of becoming a werewolf. Corey starts to worry about hair growing in weird places, which is most likely attributed to puberty. When a psychic only makes matters worse and tells Corey that he is cursed and part of the curse is that he kills the woman he loves, Corey then becomes worried about the safety of Topanga.

Family Matters — "Stevil"

Halloween is a holiday perfectly fitting the antics of one Steve Urkel. Urkel already drives everyone around him insane, but to make life even more annoying for his family and friends, he creates a ventriloquist doll that looks and sounds just like him. As if this situation could get any worse (it being a Halloween episode), the doll comes to life and turns out to be evil! It’s up to Steve to save his family from this demonic doll.

Married With Children — "Take My Wife, Please"

Fed up with life, Al Bundy wishes that he were dead. The universe answers his prayers, and the Grim Reaper shows up to fulfill Al’s wish. Suddenly fearful of how real the situation has become, Al tries to escape his new fate, but The Reaper says she will only spare his soul if he gets just one of his family members to say they wish he would always be around.

If you know the Bundy, this is easier said than done.

The Muppet Show — "Vincent Price"

During the Muppet Show's initial run, the crew knocked it out of the park regularly with its amazing weekly guest hosts. It being Halloween after all, there was no more perfect a guest to book than the legendary Vincent Price. The show is, of course, all Halloween-themed, with delightful not-so-scary skits and silly uses of monsters, vampires, and ghosts. Price steals the show wherever he is, and this was no exception, which is saying a lot since he's surrounded by Muppets.

The Office — "Halloween"

There have been some stellar Halloween episodes during the Office’s run, but the first one takes the cake. It's Halloween in Scranton, and everyone is in their Halloween best.

Michael Scott, being the holiday lover he is, starts off his day in a great mood, but of course, his bossy duties threaten the fun of Halloween when he realizes the higher-ups need him to fire someone before the end of the day. Michael must figure out a way to save the holiday for his employees while also firing an employee without making them mad at him.

Adventure Time — "The Creeps"

Finn and Jake go to a party at a castle, but they aren’t sure who invited them in the first place. Also attending are their friends Princess Bubblegum, Cinnamon Bun, Lumpy Space Princess, and BMO. Each guest is given a mask, but then it is also revealed that they were all invited by a terrible spirit that will possess one of them and kill the rest of the guests! It’s up to our heroes to solve this mystery and make sure their friends escape with their lives.

American Dad — "Best Little Horror House In Langley Falls"

Stan Smith is known for throwing the scariest haunted house every Halloween, but one year, his reign could come to an end when his neighbor Buckle creates a truly horrifying experience of his own. Roger the Alien convinces Steve to use his CIA credentials to use actual dead bodies, torture instruments, and actual locked-up serial killers to make his house EXTRA spooky. This, like most of Roger’s ideas, is a terrible decision, and thus chaos ensues on Halloween.

Bob’s Burgers — "The Hauntening"

Bob and his family are getting ready for their yearly tradition of visiting a haunted house every Halloween. This is all well and good, but the youngest child, Louise, laments that she has never been scared on Halloween. The family tries every year, but for whatever reason, none of the houses they visit even draws a yelp out of Louise. Bob and Linda promise that this year will be different as they concoct a haunted house of their own.

It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

You can’t properly celebrate a holiday without a little help from the Peanuts Gang. Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the crew are getting ready for some trick-or-treating, but like every year, Linus abstains from the usual Halloween activities to sit in a pumpkin patch and await the arrival of “The Great Pumpkin.” As far as we can tell, “The Great Pumpkin” is a combination of a Jack O’Lantern and Santa Claus. Every year, of course, the so-called “Great Pumpkin” never arrives, but this doesn’t discourage Linus, as he knows THIS is the year he will finally arrive.

Doug — "Doug’s Halloween Adventure"

Doug and the citizens of Bluffington are getting ready for another Halloween evening filled with parties and trick-or-treating, but Doug and Skeeter have different plans in mind. Everyone’s favorite theme park, Funky Town, is opening a brand new ride, “Bloodstone Manner,” on Halloween night, and only the bravest of the brave dare venture inside. After hearing rumors about its ghastly history, Doug questions whether or not he has the courage to endure this ride from hell.

Family Guy — "Halloween On Spooner Street"

Peter Griffin, his friends, and family always make sure they do the most on Halloween night, and this episode is no exception. Peter, Joe, and Quagmire pull elaborate, and oftentimes brutal, pranks on each other; Stewie goes trick-or-treating for the first time and encounters some Halloween bullies; meanwhile, Meg and Chris get accidentally a little too friendly after a game of spin the bottle. The madness that is Family Guy shines through in this episode, making it a delight for spooky season viewing.

Garfield’s Halloween Adventure

Garfield loves holidays, and it’s obvious why: most of them involve food. Halloween being no exception, Garfield can’t wait to do his yearly trick or treating to get his fill of candy (which, for him being his size, means a lot of candy). Garfield brings the dog, Odie, mostly because he can carry more candy this way, and they decide to venture out as pirates and get their bounty. Garfield and Odie come across a haunted house, and the night becomes a little too real for their tastes.

Hey Arnold — "Arnold’s Halloween"

The kids at PS 118 want to make this Halloween extremely scary as they conspire to pull off the prank of the century. Inspired by Orson Welles’ reading of ‘The War Of The Worlds,’ the kids dress up as aliens, while Arnold and Gerald set up a fake radio news station that tells the citizens an alien invasion is underway. The plan works too well, and the town is thrown into hysteria, and the kids are hunted down as invaders from another planet. It’s up to Arnold and Gerald to quell this madness and save their friends.

King Of The Hill — "Hilloween"

Hank and the rest of Rainey Street are getting into the Halloween spirit. Hank, Dale, Boomhauer, and Bill are commissioned to build a haunted house for the high school, and Bobby is getting ready for another night of getting free candy while he still can. Unfortunately, an uber devout Christian, Junie Harper, moves into town and is able to convince the higher-ups of the town (as well as Luanne) that Halloween is evil and should be banned. Determined to give Bobby his best Halloween yet, Hank is willing to fight for his own beliefs when it comes to the holiday.

The Real Ghostbusters — "When Halloween was Forever"

Years of busting ghosts could never have prepared the Ghostbusters for the ultimate Halloween showdown they were about to endure. Egon, Stantz, Venkman, and Zeddemore are called into duty when ancient ruins arrive in New York. When examined, they unleash the spirit of Samhain, the ultimate demon of Halloween. It is Samhain’s goal to make every day Halloween until the end of time. This may sound fun at first, but the Ghostbusters can’t sit by and have ghosts and goblins be a daily occurrence in the city.

Regular Show — "Terror Tales Of The Park"

Regular Show’s tribute to The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror became a yearly occurrence every Halloween season, where three different spooky tales are told featuring the Regular Show crew. The first Terror Tales Of The Park is easily the best, with stories funnier than the last. Muscle Man tells a story about a haunted RV, Rigby talks about the time he was cursed by a wizard for egging his house on Halloween, and Pops recites a story about a haunted doll. A great kickoff episode to a yearly tradition done very well by the people behind Regular Show.

Rocko’s Modern Life — "Sugar Frosted Frights"

Rocko and Heffer are putting on their costumes for a night out on Halloween, but much to their disappointment, Filbert has no interest in joining them due to his Great Aunt Gretchen horrifying a young Filbert about the horrors of Halloween. As a result of this early trauma, Filbert has never had Halloween candy, and after finally being convinced to join the gang, he takes his first bite. As a result of the sugar rush, Filbert goes on a candy-seeking rampage, threatening the good times of Rocko and Heffer.

Rugrats — "Candy Bar Creep Show"

The Rugrats have given us a few great Halloween episodes during their historic run, but the first is always the one that hits you right in the Halloween feels. It’s Tommy, Chucky, Phil, and Lil’s first Halloween, and, being babies, they are very confused about the antics the adults are engaging in. Funny outfits, screaming for fun, oh, and the wonderful discovery of Reptar Bars. Determined to get their own despite having no teeth, the baby gang ventures out of the playpen once again to search the parents’ haunted house for this coveted treat.

The Simpsons — "Treehouse of Horror V"

While they may not have been the first to do so, The Simpsons put out the best Halloween specials by far. Every season, fans of the series eagerly anticipate a new entry in the Treehouse of Horror series. There have been many, but the best one is easily number 5. We get an incredible parody of The Shining, Homer accidentally travels back in time and, of course, screws up the present repeatedly, and Lisa and Bart must escape with their lives when the school faculty develops a taste for children’s flesh.

South Park — "Hell on Earth 2006"

Another series with consistently great Halloween episodes, South Park’s best spooky outing has to be “Hell on Earth 2006.” Parodying the popular at the time show My Super Sweet 16, Satan wants to throw the biggest Halloween party in history, but acts like a spoiled brat when he doesn’t get exactly what he wants for the party, such as a Ferrari cake. Every notable celeb is invited to this party, including the deceased. Satan acting like a 16-year-old girl, Butters is trying to get the Notorious B.I.G. into the party, and Christian priests trying to sneak in make this one hell of a Halloween romp.

SpongeBob Squarepants — "Scaredy Pants"

On Halloween night, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob a story about the Flying Dutchman, which scares SpongeBob and leaves him afraid of everything, and thus SpongeBob is labeled “SpongeBob Scaredypants.” SpongeBob, with the help of his pal Patrick, decides to turn the tables on the residents of Bikini Bottom and try to scare them themselves. This doesn’t go exactly as planned, as the others are more confused by SpongeBob and Patrick’s antics. After multiple attempts at scaring people, things take a turn for the worse when the actual Flying Dutchman appears.

Friends — "The One With The Halloween Party"

Monica and Chandler throw a Halloween party in their apartment, and of course, madness ensues from every angle. Chandler and Ross engage in a debate of who can beat the other up, Phoebe’s twin sister’s fiancé starts to fall in love with her, and Rachel’s patience is being tested by the nonstop children trick-or-treating. Throw in ridiculous costumes and a great appearance by Sean Penn, this is a classic episode for the ages.

Curb Your Enthusiasm — "Trick or Treat"

If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it's that Larry David and holidays don’t mix. When Larry is visited by trick-or-treaters, he notices they are not wearing costumes. As a result, Larry refuses to give them candy as they are not following the Halloween rules. The kids continue toilet-papering his house, which only adds to the stress David faces on this Holiday.

Beavis and Butthead — "Bungholio: Lord of The Harvest"

Upon discovering they can get free candy for dressing up and going door to door, Beavis and Butthead head out on Halloween night. Since their costumes are no more than underwear on their head or nacho cheese in their hair, they mostly come out empty-handed, until, of course, they come to Tom Anderson’s house. Beavis makes his way into the house and proceeds to devour every piece of candy in the bowl, which in turn leads to his alter ego, The Great Cornholio, being unleashed on the unsuspecting town.

Has Beavis bit off more than he could chew, and can Butthead reel in his friend before the night is over? As you can probably imagine, yes to the first and no to the second.