Entertainment Weekly picks the 30 best Christmas episodes to watch this year, from the Holiday Armadillo on 'Friends' to a snowy Stars Hollow on 'Gilmore Girls.'

ew.com The 30 best TV Christmas episodes, from sitcom specials to anthology installments Mary Sollosi 7–9 minutes

When the weather outside is frightful, watching TV is so delightful!

Short on time with the holidays just around the corner? Or maybe you need a breather from your umpteenth viewing of A Christmas Story (1983) and Elf (2003)? Whatever the reason, the small screen serves up some major festive cheer in bite-sized doses, packing in more comfort and joy per minute. In celebration of this holiday season, we’ve gathered a sleigh-full of the best Christmas episodes — from the holly jolly on Friends to the downright heartbreaking on Lost.

Check out our yuletide picks ahead!

  1. 30 Rock, “Christmas Special” (season 3, episode 6) Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin on ‘30 Rock’. Kent Eanes/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

What better subject for a Christmas TV show than the making of a Christmas TV show? And what better way to spend Christmas than with family? And what better family than Jack’s (Alec Baldwin) mom (Elaine Stritch)?! —Mary Sollosi

Where to watch 30 Rock: Hulu

  1. The Bear, “Fishes” (season 2, episode 6) Jeremy Allen White, Abby Elliot, and Jon Bernthal on ‘The Bear’.

Chuck Hodes/FX

At a Berzatto Christmas, the only things getting unwrapped are layers of family trauma. Set five years before the show’s main timeline, this yuletide episode of The Bear — featuring guest appearances from Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, and Gillian Jacobs — finds Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) attending a family dinner based on the Feast of the Seven Fishes, where forks are thrown and a car comes crashing in the living room. —J.M.

Where to watch The Bear: Hulu

  1. Black-ish, “Black Santa/White Christmas” (season 1, episode 10) (From left to right) Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Miles Brown, Yara Shahidi, and Marcus Scribner on ‘Black-ish’. Adam Rose/ABC/Getty Images

Black-ish took on the “Black people can’t be racist” argument in its first season’s Christmas episode, in which Dre (Anthony Anderson) insists that his office Christmas party needs a Black Santa (specifically him). —M.S.

Where to watch Black-ish: Hulu

  1. Black Mirror, “White Christmas” (2014) Rafe Spall and Janet Montgomery in the ‘Black Mirror’ special ‘White Christmas’. Hal Shinnie/Netflix

Black Mirror does Christmas! And it’s exactly what that sounds like! —M.S.

Where to watch Black Mirror: Netflix

  1. Doctor Who, “A Christmas Carol” (2010) Michael Gambon, Matt Smith, and Laurence Belcher in the ‘Doctor Who’ special ‘A Christmas Carol’. BBC

The classic novella has gotten plenty of small-screen adaptations, but none more singular than Doctor Who’s version — which was somehow very clearly Dickensian but also distinctly, unquestionably, entirely Doctor Who. —M.S.

Where to watch Doctor Who: Max

  1. Friends, “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” (season 7, episode 10) Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer on ‘Friends’. NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

Friends celebrated more than just Thanksgiving! If you can make it through the Hanukkah lesson from the Holiday Armadillo (a.k.a. David Schwimmer’s Ross) all the way to the arrival of Superman (Matt LeBlanc’s Joey) without once dissolving into a pile of Christmas giggles, you’re stronger than we are. —M.S.

Where to watch Friends: Max

  1. Ghosts, “Christmas Spirit” (season 2, episodes 9 and 10) (From left to right) Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rose McIver, Rebecca Wisocky, Richie Moriarty, Danielle Pinnock, Devan Chandler Long, Sheila Carrasco, and Roman Zaragoza on ‘Ghosts’.

Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

No one loves holiday rom-coms more than Sam (Rose McIver), who’s dead-set on playing Cupid for her sister-in-law (Punam Patel) and her plus-one (Andrew Leeds) at Woodstone Manor. But Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long) — a resident ghost full of venom toward Christmas — possesses Sam to spoil her Hallmark-type optimism.

Also, this two-parter gifts us plenty of other Christmas miracles, such as Isaac’s (Brandon Scott Jones) and Nigel’s (John Hartman) first kiss. —J.M.

Where to watch Ghosts: Paramount+

  1. Hacks, “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular” (season 3, episode 7) (From left to right) Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdoo, Jean Smart, Lauren Weedman (top), and Jane Adams on ‘Hacks’.

John Johnson/Max

Nutcracker shrines, fake snow, designer gingerbread houses, Dyson Airwrap giveaways — just your average holiday party at Deborah Vance’s (Jean Smart) humble abode. She’s serious about hosting Late Night, so she must perfect the craft of entertaining guests, even if it means opening her home to her sworn enemy/sister, Kathy (J. Smith-Cameron). —J.M.

Where to watch Hacks: Max

  1. How I Met Your Mother, “How Lily Stole Christmas” (season 2, episode 11) Alyson Hannigan on ‘How I Met Your Mother’. NBC

Second only to “eating a sandwich” among narrator Ted’s (Josh Radnor) various sanitized revisions of his younger days is his tale of the time he called Alyson Hannigan’s Lily a “grinch” (decide for yourself what word he really used) at Christmastime. —M.S.

Where to watch How I Met Your Mother: Hulu

  1. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “A Very Sunny Christmas” (season 6, episode 13) Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, and Glenn Howerton on ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’. Patrick McElhenney/FX

Always Sunny’s holiday episode at the end of season 6 had to be twice as long to fit so much Christmas spirit into it. —M.S.

Where to watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Hulu

  1. Mad Men, “Christmas Waltz” (season 5, episode 10) Jon Hamm and Christina Hendricks on ‘Mad Men’. AMC

It was fun when Roger (John Slattery) wore a Santa suit, but Mad Men’s best yuletide hour had to be this bittersweet season 5 entry. Nobody wears heartache quite so gorgeously as Don (Jon Hamm) and Joan (Christina Hendricks) at a bar — or in a Jaguar — at Christmas. —M.S.

Where to watch Mad Men: AMC+

  1. The O.C., “The Best Chrismukkah Ever” (season 1, episode 13) (From left to right) Peter Gallagher (top), Kelly Rowan, Adam Brody, and Ben McKenzie on ‘The O.C.’. WB

Season 1’s episode surrounding Seth Cohen’s (Adam Brody) favorite holiday really was “The Best Chrismukkah Ever”! —M.S.

Where to watch The O.C.: Max

  1. Seinfeld, “The Strike” (season 9, episode 10) (From left to right) Jason Alexander, Jerry Stiller, Michael Richards, and Jerry Seinfeld on ‘Seinfeld’. Columbia Pictures Television

We apologize for referring to “The Strike” as Seinfeld’s Christmas episode. Happy Festivus, everyone. —M.S.

Where to watch Seinfeld: Netflix

  1. Ted Lasso, “Carol of the Bells” (season 2, episode 4) Jason Sudeikis on ‘Ted Lasso’. Apple TV+

Ted Lasso boldly dropped its season 2 Christmas episode in the middle of the summer, but the polarizing installment is packed with enough wholesome holiday sweetness (including a handful of 2003’s Love Actually references) to convince anyone it’s cold outside. —M.S.

Where to watch Ted Lasso: Apple TV+

  1. Will & Grace, “Jingle Balls” (season 4, episode 12) Debra Messing and Sean Hayes on ‘Will & Grace’. Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

The spirit and the glamour of Christmas are on full display in this Will & Grace episode, wherein Grace (Debra Messing) selflessly plays Santa Claus for Jack (Sean Hayes) by designing a gorgeous holiday window display at Barneys. —M.S.

Where to watch Will & Grace: Hulu

  • Balthazar@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    14 hours ago

    I enjoyed the Christmas episodes of Psych, especially Shaun guessing his presents from his dad.