The Remote: Ten spooky TV episodes to watch this Halloween

Ryan Pait

Staying in instead of heading out on Halloween?

Dressing down instead of dressing up?

Feeling too old to trick or treat? (You should be, you weirdo.)

Here are 10 great Halloween-themed episodes of TV to watch if you’re staying in on All Hallows’ Eve.

“Bob’s Burgers”

“Full Bars”

“Full Bars” sees Tina, Gene and Louise heading to the rich part of town in search of full-size candy bars on Halloween.

Meanwhile, Bob and Linda attend a Halloween party where a prized guest ends up dead — and Bob’s the main suspect.

Like all episodes of this wonderful show, “Full Bars” overflows with sharp pop culture references.

Unlike most other shows, however, “Bob’s Burgers” doesn’t let these references overtake the entire episode.

It does its own thing, and that thing is hilarious.

“Community”

“Epidemiology” and “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps”

Both of these episodes showcase the best of what “Community” has to offer: genuine, laugh-out-loud humor and a nice dose of weirdness.

“Epidemiology” sees the students of Greendale turned into zombies, and the study group must fight their way through them to the musical stylings of ABBA.

“Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” features the group telling each other horror stories, with the stories reflecting each character’s psyche.

Funny and smart!

“Friends”

“The One with the Halloween Party”

An oldie but a goodie, “The One with the Halloween Party” is a classic example of why “Friends” was the coolest.

“The One with the Halloween Party” features Chandler in a bunny suit, Phoebe’s evil twin and Ross dressed as Sputnik.

You can’t ask for much more than that.

“Modern Family”

“Halloween”

I give “Modern Family” a lot of crap, and for good reason — it’s a hollow shell of what it used to be.

But the “used to be” of it is so good: take “Halloween,” for example.

“Halloween” sees the Dunphy-Pritchett-Delgado clans uniting to put on a haunted house, with truly funny results.

Sofia Vergara’s attempt at an American accent is the undisputed highlight.

“The Office”

“Halloween”

The original “Office” Halloween episode — and what a good one it is — sees Michael struggling to fire an employee while also struggling to get compliments on his elaborate and expensive costume.

The episode features classic “Office” awkwardness and bittersweetness, the kind that made this show the best of the best when it was on.

“Parks and Recreation”

“Greg Pikitis” and “Halloween Surprise”

“Greg Pikitis” sees Leslie Knope (and her portrayer, Amy Poehler) at her manic best as she tries to catch a kid who keeps vandalizing the town on Halloween.

“Halloween Surprise,” on the other hand, sees Leslie dressed as Rosie the Riveter (by far one of the cutest things in world history) and making a huge life decision.

There’s also a great joke about a fart attack, so this show really just has everything anyone could ever need.

“Spongebob Squarepants” “Chocolate with Nuts” and “Graveyard Shift”

It’s not possible for me to make a Halloween-themed TV list without including “Spongebob.”

I’ve seen these episodes countless times. You probably have too.

And they’re still funny.

“Chocolate with Nuts” isn’t Halloween-themed, per se, but it does feature Spongebob and Patrick trying to sell chocolate bars in order to become rich.

“Graveyard Shift” sees Spongebob and Squidward paralyzed by fear when they hear the urban legend of the Hash-Slinging Slasher.

Is “Spongebob” for kids? Sure.

But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t wildly hilarious to watch it as an adult.