Top 7- Best Christmas episodes of TV
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Christmas time. It is now December (not when I'm writing this but when you read it, it should be) which means that the Christmas embargo has been lifted and we can celebrate as much as we want. The puff pastry mince pies may have been around for weeks now in my house but I now feel prepared to fully embrace Christmas in it's entirety. So following on from last year, here are the top 7 Christmas themed episodes of shows. Right, let's festive!
7. Community- Comparative Religion
For the first (and certainly not last) Christmas episode from Community, we have the study group celebrating Christmas/Festive/December 10th the only way they know how; by getting in a fight with the school bully. Not only does this episode give us an amusing set of jokes about Jeff getting in a fight for the first time, we also get the start of a long running joke in the group about everyone's religion, including Pierce and his Neo-Budhism. It's a silly but lovable start before the show became so high concept, not that that's a bad thing.
6. Arrested Development- Afternoon Delight
An episode that fits so well into the world of Arrested Development, I often actually forget that this episode is a Christmas episode. It's for this reason that the episode isn't higher but as an episode of TV, it's as delightful as the show gets. Gob alienates people, George Michael is uncomfortable and we get two duets of Afternoon Delight, a song that's far more sexual than you initially realise. Plus, Buster is in his Army phase. It's an episode that's a great example of what makes the show so good, only now it's Christmas.
5. Inside No. 9- 12 Days of Christine
Probably the furthest thing from a Christmas episode on this list, I'm counting it because it's definitely set at Christmas and Christmas is referenced in the title. It's the only thing stopping it going any further down the list though because I don't exaggerate when I say that this is one of the best episodes of TV we've had in years. It follows Christine as she goes between 12 different days of her life in a confusing manner that is only wrapped up at the end. And it's the ending that makes this episode perfect. It pulls at the heart strings like nothing I've ever seen, to the degree that I knew the ending and still started crying at the end. It's not a strictly enjoyable Christmas episode but it's incredible and deserves to be seen by everyone.
4. Father Ted- A Christmassy Ted
3. Community- Regional Holiday Music
Hey look, more Comunity. Fair warning, it's not the last we'll see of it on this list but it's still great. In this episode, the Glee club end up in a mental hospital so the study group are asked to fill in, but they hate Glee. What follows is a cross between a musical episode and Invasion of the Body Snatchers that's hilarious but teaches us some important messages about Christmas. It also has a great special guest in SNL star Taran Killian as the Glee club coach who is enthusiastic to a sinister level. On any other show than Community, this would be the best Christmas episode of the show. But it's not, despite the high quality.
2. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia- A Very Sunny Christmas
1. Community- Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas
Yeah, Community is at the top but I'm pretty sure that even those who don't love Community will admit that this episode is a perfect capsule of everything that makes Christmas and Christmas themed things great. It is a large departure from the norm, considering that it's animated but it's typically joyous in it's parodying of pop culture. This episode has some amusing songs, some lovely fourth wall breaks and what are a few of the most deeply touching moments from the whole show. It almost makes me want to journey with Abed into a new and wonderful animated land everyday, but that would make it less special because that's exactly what this episode is. It's truly special and magical, the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas day, along with Die Hard of course.
7. Community- Comparative Religion
For the first (and certainly not last) Christmas episode from Community, we have the study group celebrating Christmas/Festive/December 10th the only way they know how; by getting in a fight with the school bully. Not only does this episode give us an amusing set of jokes about Jeff getting in a fight for the first time, we also get the start of a long running joke in the group about everyone's religion, including Pierce and his Neo-Budhism. It's a silly but lovable start before the show became so high concept, not that that's a bad thing.
6. Arrested Development- Afternoon Delight
An episode that fits so well into the world of Arrested Development, I often actually forget that this episode is a Christmas episode. It's for this reason that the episode isn't higher but as an episode of TV, it's as delightful as the show gets. Gob alienates people, George Michael is uncomfortable and we get two duets of Afternoon Delight, a song that's far more sexual than you initially realise. Plus, Buster is in his Army phase. It's an episode that's a great example of what makes the show so good, only now it's Christmas.
5. Inside No. 9- 12 Days of Christine
Probably the furthest thing from a Christmas episode on this list, I'm counting it because it's definitely set at Christmas and Christmas is referenced in the title. It's the only thing stopping it going any further down the list though because I don't exaggerate when I say that this is one of the best episodes of TV we've had in years. It follows Christine as she goes between 12 different days of her life in a confusing manner that is only wrapped up at the end. And it's the ending that makes this episode perfect. It pulls at the heart strings like nothing I've ever seen, to the degree that I knew the ending and still started crying at the end. It's not a strictly enjoyable Christmas episode but it's incredible and deserves to be seen by everyone.
4. Father Ted- A Christmassy Ted
As one of my favourite shows ever made, I'm surprised that I almost forgot this classic special. It was actually the very first episode of the show I ever watched and it was an excellent introduction for sure. For a start, it being twice as long means that it essentially becomes two seperate episodes in which the first is about the priests trying to escape from the lingerie section of a department store and the second is about Ted winning an award and being very, very happy about it. It has the same running jokes that make the show great, the classic chemistry and some excellent lines from Dougal. It's Catholics proving they can still do Christmas best, aside from three others.
3. Community- Regional Holiday Music
Hey look, more Comunity. Fair warning, it's not the last we'll see of it on this list but it's still great. In this episode, the Glee club end up in a mental hospital so the study group are asked to fill in, but they hate Glee. What follows is a cross between a musical episode and Invasion of the Body Snatchers that's hilarious but teaches us some important messages about Christmas. It also has a great special guest in SNL star Taran Killian as the Glee club coach who is enthusiastic to a sinister level. On any other show than Community, this would be the best Christmas episode of the show. But it's not, despite the high quality.
2. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia- A Very Sunny Christmas
Being probably the most morally corrupt show on TV at the moment, no one expected a Christmas episode from it which is exactly what makes this such a special episode. It is one of the show's funniest episodes and also has some of their most depraved antics including Charlie attacking Santa, Mac hurling stones at trains and animated Frank being torn apart by animated Elves as a moral message? It's as evil and disgusting as the show gets and twice as long which means it's incredible. Sure, not necessarily the best jumping in point for the show and not a very happy episode but it's hilarious and will certainly make you smile.
1. Community- Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas
Yeah, Community is at the top but I'm pretty sure that even those who don't love Community will admit that this episode is a perfect capsule of everything that makes Christmas and Christmas themed things great. It is a large departure from the norm, considering that it's animated but it's typically joyous in it's parodying of pop culture. This episode has some amusing songs, some lovely fourth wall breaks and what are a few of the most deeply touching moments from the whole show. It almost makes me want to journey with Abed into a new and wonderful animated land everyday, but that would make it less special because that's exactly what this episode is. It's truly special and magical, the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas day, along with Die Hard of course.
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