Put on your yarmulke, it’s time for Hanukkah! From Friends to The Goldbergs, there are plenty of Hanukkah-themed TV episodes to watch this season, whether you’re Jewish or not.
The Festival of Lights often gets overlooked in between viewings of Seinfeld’s “The Strike” episode, which celebrates the made-up holiday of Festivus (for the rest of us!) and Christmas movie classics, like Home Alone and Love Actually.
Us Weekly rounded up the eight best TV episodes that pay tribute to the holiday — that happen to coordinate with the eight nights of Hanukkah — including moments from The O.C. and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
If you want to see a more comical spin on Hanukkah, start by streaming Friends’ “The One With the Holiday Armadillo.” During the show, Ross (David Schwimmer) dresses up as an armadillo after his attempt to get a Santa suit does not work out. He dons the silly costume to try and teach his son Ben about his Jewish heritage.
“I’m the holiday armadillo. I’m a friend of Santa’s,” Ross tells Ben, before telling him the importance of the Jewish holiday. “He sent me here to wish you a merry Christmas.”
He adds: “I’m Santa’s representative for all the southern states and … Mexico!”
The O.C., on the other hand, combined both Christmas and Hanukkah to create Chrismukkah in all four seasons of the series. Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) looked forward to the joint holiday every year — as did many fans of the drama — but season 1’s “The Best Chrismukkah Ever” is the best episode of all.
Saturday Night Live recruited Adam Sandler to create the iconic “Hanukkah Song” in 1994, which can be used to set the scene for any Hanukkah celebration. Plus, Rugrats explained the traditional tale of the season through the eyes of the babies, showing a humorous side to the timeless traditions of the holiday.
Of course, no Hanukkah night is complete without lighting the menorah, which is front and center during Brothers & Sisters season 1 episode, “Light the Lights.”
Schitt’s Creek also got into the festive spirit with its season 4 holiday special, titled “Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose.” In the episode, Eugene Levy’s patriarch aimed to recreate his interfaith brood’s holiday cheer with an intimate Christmas and Hanukkah celebration in their hotel room.
“I don’t think we did break during that scene. I think there was something that came over us that was very, like, the spirit of the holiday,” Emily Hampshire, who played motel clerk Stevie, exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2021 of the festive episode. “We all really got into that and got into watching Mr. Rose freak out but seeing how kind of sensitive it was for him. I think we actually kept it together then.”
Scroll down for a list of Hanukkah-approved TV episodes that the whole family will enjoy.
