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There’s no better way to get into the spooky season spirit than by cozying up with a blanket and settling in for some Halloween favorites on TV. Of course, a good place to start is watching all the classics like Hocus Pocus and the Halloweentown films on Disney+. But what comes after that? With a little digging, you can find the best Halloween episodes from beloved TV shows. Luckily, there are plenty of shows on Netflix that fit the bill.

Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in the Stranger Things Halloween episode on Netflix
Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in the ‘Stranger Things’ Halloween episode | Netflix

Best Halloween episode for ’80s fans: ‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Episode 2

Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters! Or the kids of Hawkins, Indiana, dressed as the Ghostbusters. That’s arguably the best part of the Stranger Things Halloween episode — “Trick or Treat, Freak.” Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) dress in some pretty impressive Ghostbusters costumes for school, only to find out that nobody does that anymore. Still, they work up the nerve to ask Max (Sadie Sink) to trick-or-treat with them. Elsewhere, the Hawkins teens head to a Halloween party, and Hopper (David Harbour) finds the Upside Down leaking into the right-side-up.

Best Halloween episodes in a sitcom: ‘New Girl’ Season 2 Episode 6 and season 3 episode 6

If you’re looking for Halloween-themed laughs, try these two New Girl episodes: “Halloween” and “Keaton.” In “Halloween,” the gang goes to a haunted house event where Jess (Zooey Deschanel) works as a zombie. They’re all dressed in hilarious costumes as they each set out on their own romantic missions.

Meanwhile, in “Keaton,” Jess throws a Halloween party. However, CeCe (Hannah Simone) refuses to come if Schmidt (Max Greenfield) attends. Hoping to help Schmidt through an existential crisis, his roommates catfish him by pretending to be his idol, Michael Keaton.

Best Halloween episodes in a baking show: ‘Nailed It! Halloween’

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‘The Office’ Halloween Episodes: Pam and Jim’s Best Costumes, Ranked

What’s better than a Halloween episode in a baking show? A whole season of Halloween episodes in a baking show. OK, it’s only four episodes, but you get the idea. Nailed It! Season 7, a.k.a. Nailed It! Halloween, features a spooky set and ghoulish desserts in every episode. Nicole Byer returns to host the show, along with pastry chef Jacques Torres as a judge. Mary Mouser, Tone Bell, Emmy Raver-Lampan, and Chelsea Peretti serve as guest judges.

Best low-key Halloween episodes: ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 6 Episode 7 and season 5 episode 17

Perhaps you’re looking for the best Halloween episodes that don’t scream “Halloween.” For that, we recommend turning to the ultimate fall comfort show: Gilmore Girls.

Gilmore Girls doesn’t really have a Halloween special, but Lorelai (Lauren Graham) sort of celebrates the holiday in season 6’s “Twenty-One Is the Loneliest Number.” Babette (Sally Struthers) and Morey (Ted Rooney) are going all out decorating their house for Halloween, and they convince Lorelai to do something scary. Lorelai wants to do a mad scientist scene where she pulls link sausages out of Luke (Scott Patterson). For the most part, though, this episode is about Lorelai and Rory (Alexis Bledel) not being able to celebrate Rory’s 21st birthday together because of their big fight.

Another sort of Halloween-y Gilmore Girls episode is “Pulp Friction.” In this one, Rory goes to a Quentin Tarantino-themed party where everyone dresses up as characters from his films. It’s a birthday party, not a Halloween party, but the costumes give the same Halloween feel.

Best teen Halloween episode: ‘Riverdale’ Season 4 Episode 4

Riverdale is very campy, bizarre, and not for everyone’s taste. But we can’t deny that it has some very well-executed episodes. Season 4’s Halloween episode, aptly named after the holiday, does a great job of making viewers feel unsettled. The town’s residents all receive videotapes of their houses being watched on the eve of Halloween. Meanwhile, Veronica (Camila Mendes) fights off an escaped asylum patient, Betty (Lili Reinhart) gets phone calls from someone claiming to be a serial killer, and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) gets locked in a coffin. Plus, of course, there are costumes.

Now, head on over to Netflix and start binge-watching. Happy Halloween!

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