Christmas Specials is typically a time for TV shows to spread holiday cheer, though some festive episodes have leaned into the darker sides of the season. Although beloved classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas have become an annual viewing for families around the world, other viewers prefer to watch a Christmas special that doesn't shy away from the challenges of the holidays. While it can sometimes be jarring to watch a particularly dark Christmas special, it's also important that TV shows don't lose their individuality just because Christmas is considered a time of joy and togetherness.
Many of the greatest Christmas specials of all time tackle dark subjects and aren't afraid to tackle terrifying themes or produce stories of sad sentimentality. While hopeful holiday specials have their merit, there's something endearing about a Christmas special that goes against genre conventions and tries to buck the typical festive formula. While All These Christmas Specials Were Surprisingly DarkThat's not why they shouldn't go down in history as some of the best Christmas episodes television has to offer.
10
“The doctor, the widow and the wardrobe”
Season 2, Episode 8: Doctor Who (1963 – present)
The iconic BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who has had many Christmas specials throughout its long and illustrious history. Although special episodes were not a mainstay of the original series, after the show was revived in 2005 they became a regular occurrence around Christmas and New Year's as Doctor Wholoving families would gather to watch this annual occurrence. While Doctor who is Christmas specials were often light-hearted affairs and occasionally touched on darker subjects, as in “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.”
This Christmas special saw the Doctor land on Earth in 1938 and introduced Madge Arwell, who helped get the Eleventh Doctor back to his TARDIS. As the years passed, Madge's husband disappeared in World War II, and the episode touched on themes of loss, sadness, and sacrifice. While there were some light-hearted moments and sentimental Christmas scenes, “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe” showed the bittersweet circumstances many face at Christmas and the sad realities that keep families from getting together during the holidays.
9
“Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”
Community was a sitcom that was never afraid to tackle all kinds of genres, and it was exciting to watch its creative twist on the tropes of a Christmas special. “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” brought to mind beloved specials from the past as it utilized a stop-motion animation style similar to classics like the 1964 TV special Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. However, rather than acting as a fun change of pace for this live-action series, the stop-motion style was written into the episode's premise as a psychological delusion that Abed suffered after learning that his mother wasn't visiting for Christmas. .
This unique mix of Christmas cheer and mental health emergency has made the of the community Christmas Special is a dark homage to beloved stop-motion specials while highlighting themes around the loneliness of Christmas. This thematically rich concept leaned towards the of the community focus on the families found, as the study group came together to help Abed in his time of need. As a clever way to parody the ridiculousness of overly sentimental Christmas specials, Community managed to maintain its signature style whilst delivering its own poignant festive episode.
8
“Christmas Story”
Season 2, Episode 4: Futurama (1999 – present)
The science fiction animated series Futurama used its futuristic 30th century setting to satirize contemporary culture, and Christmas was not immune to this. Season 2's Christmas special Futurama showed Fry's sense of nostalgia for the Christmases of his past and learning the new Christmas traditions, which had lost their Christian association years before. Santa's work has also been automated in the world of Futurama, as a robotic St. Nick was developed by Friendly Robot Company to distribute toys worldwide.
However, in a dark twist, the robot Santa Claus turned into a mad killer as his internal programming was very rigid and he planned to kill everyone he considered to be on the naughty list. With many references to famous Christmas specials of the past, such as the ice skating children of A Charlie Brown Christmas“Xmas Story” mixed festive fun with violent excess. As the first Christmas Fry spent in the future“Xmas Story” was anything but calm.
7
“Sabrina’s Christmas Wish”
2014 Christmas Special: BoJack Horseman (2014 – 2020)
The depressed, drug-addicted former BoJack Horseman star doesn't feel like the best candidate to lead a lively sitcom Christmas special. That's why BoJack Knight made the smart decision to have an episode within an episode for their 2014 holiday special, which saw BoJack and Todd rewatching an old Christmas special of the popular 90s BoJack sitcom Riding around. This was called “Sabrina Christmas Wish,” and using this clever, self-referential concept, it could comment on the ridiculousness of Christmas TV episodes while also paying homage to them.
BoJack himself summed up the hypocrisies of Christmas specials when he called them “cynical money grab by greedy corporations“pushing”sentimental trap for stupid idiots who would rather spend Christmas watching a fake family on TV than actually trying to talk to their own idiot families.” However, this Riding around The episode ended up being quite sentimental, as young adoptee Sabrina (Sarah Lynne) had never had a Christmas before and asked Santa to bring her parents back. With equal parts humor and emotion, “Sabrina’s Christmas Special” was one of the BoJack Horseman best episodes.
6
“A Very Sunny Christmas”
Season 6, Episodes 13 and 14: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005 – Present)
It's hard to imagine a worse group of people to spend Christmas with than the gang of It's always sunny in Philadelphia. This was certainly the case with the festive special “A Very Sunny Christmas,” which showed the dark side of the holidays at Paddy's Pub. From Dennis and Dee reliving the horrors of their childhood as Frank presented them with empty boxes covered in wrapping paper to Mac discovering that he used to rob his neighbors' houses on Christmas morning, there were many dark revelations in “A Very Sunny Christmas.”
However, the darker aspect Always sunny special holiday was Charlie learning the truth about how his mother paid for Christmasas a litany of 'Santa Claus' visited his mother in her room and presented young Charlie with his gift. With A Christmas carolFrank's scheme that eventually brought the gang together, Always sunny They spent the holidays the only way they knew how, by being absolutely chaotic and unpacking more childhood trauma than anyone should have to deal with during the festive season.
5
“White Christmas”
2014 Christmas Special: Black Mirror (2011 – present)
While most TV shows use the Christmas special as an opportunity to spread holiday cheer, that would never be the case for Black Mirror. This dark anthology series consistently explored the sinister side of technology and left viewers emotionally devastated with its dark, existential episode endings. “White Christmas” was no different, as it told three dark stories of Matt (Jon Hamm) and Joe (Rafe Spall) in a remote cabin on Christmas Day.
In typical Charlie Brooker fashion, the script for “White Christmas” was one of the most intense and soul-destroying episodes ever Black Mirror. From characters being “locked out” in real life as they are completely ostracized from society to male sexual predators spying on women being seduced, the entire Christmas special has become difficult to watch. However, the most anxious aspect of “White Christmas” was its shocking conclusion, which revealed that Joe was destined to experience time at 1,000 years a minute in unimaginably cruel punishment for his crimes.
4
“Marge isn’t proud.”
Season 7, Episode 11: The Simpsons (1989 – present)
The Simpsons had a lot of great Christmas episodes, with the pilot “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” being set during the holidays. However, one episode that took a much darker turn was Season 7's “Marge Be Not Proud,” which featured Bart stealing a video game from a local store and Marge's shock and devastation upon discovering it. Although Christmas was usually a joyous time, a dark shadow hung over it this year. Bart struggled to reconcile with his heartbroken mother.
This episode showed what the first seasons of The Simpsons did very well as it combined humor with heart and presented a highly sentimental story about the nature of trust, understanding and poor decision-making. As Bart tried to make peace with Marge, he was once again accused of shoplifting, only for Marge to discover that his gift to her was a framed photo of herself, paid for in full. This kind gesture caused the pair to reconcile when Marge gifted Bart with the lackluster video game. Lee Carvallo's Placement Challengemuch to his disappointment.
3
“The Night of the Meek”
Season 2, Episode 11: The Twilight Zone (1959 – 1964)
The Twilight Zone The Christmas episodes always put a dark spin on the holidays as they maintain the show's unique take on existentialism, philosophy, and social commentary. The best of them all was “The Night of the Meek,” which followed a drunken department store Santa named Henry Corvin. As a depressed man with little to live for, Henry gets the chance to spread Christmas cheer when he discovers Santa's real bag of magical toys.
While stories of The Twilight Zone Usually it starts off lighthearted and ends darkly, this episode was the opposite as it contained an uplifting and happy message about the wonders of Christmas. This festive Christmas episode was a true classic of the original series and stood in stark contrast to the dark and pessimistic conclusions of so many other non-Christmas-themed episodes. “The Night of the Meek” was also remade for the 1985 revival series of The Twilight Zonealthough Rod Serling's original monologue was changed.
2
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”
Season 2, Episode 8: Six Feet Under (2001 – 2005)
Six feet under never been the happiest TV showas it has often delved into the darker sides of human psychology. Just like the story of the Fisher family, who run a funeral home in Los Angeles, almost every episode began with death, and the Christmas episode “It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” was no different. This episode begins with a seasonal Santa working at a mall, only to be distracted by a group of children while riding his motorcycle and die after colliding with a car.
This shocking opening set the tone for the episode “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” as the Fisher family was forced to work on Christmas because the mall Santa’s family paid extra to hold the funeral that day. Christmas also marked the first birthday of the family patriarch, Nathaniel, who also died in a car accident during the holidays. With so many raw emotions and unspoken family traumas, this Six feet under The Christmas episode was really dark.
1
“Fish”
Season 2, Episode 6: The Bear (2022 – present)
No Christmas special better represented the chaotic nature of dysfunctional families that come together during the holidays than The Bear. The second season episode, “Fishes,” was set five years before Carmy opened The Bear restaurant and highlighted the discomfort and tension in the Berzatto household. With many high-profile guests, including Jamie Lee Curtis, John Mulaney, and Bob Odenkirk, this outrageous episode gave a unique look at the family dynamics that informed much of the series and the psychological trauma that virtually every character on the show carries.
“Fishes” was one of the best episodes of The Bear for the way it built toward its grand conclusions, as characters cried, family members broke down, and dinner guests got extraordinarily drunk. As a truly exhausting TV watching experience, The Bear Christmas Special evoked memories of every bad Christmas dinner viewers have ever attended, as the tension of too many families together at once caused old wounds to open and the darker sides of family life to be shown with a level of realism rarely seen on television.