11 of the Best (and Nerdiest!)  Holiday TV Specials

Christmas is a lot.  Whether you’re having a great one, a terrible one, or none at all, it’s still is a gauntlet to get through.  Sometimes all you want is to turn your brain off and enjoy some dumb Holiday cheer. 

With literally hundreds of Christmas episodes, everyone has their own favorite list.  If you’ve spent the holidays getting kids Batman toys because "You like those comic books!"  and being asked when you’re having some kids of your OWN to take to see Star Wars, here’s some nerdy Holiday cheer to ease you into an eggnog stupor! 

Sense8, "Happy Fucking New Year"

This Christmas special was filmed as part of season two, and gave fans desperate for more, well...more!  Sense8 is a show about, above all else, connections.  The show about eight individuals connected through something they don’t quite understand uses its Christmas special to explore those connections, and catch us up to the characters lives since the end of season one.  The end result is heartfelt and tear jerking, so have some tissues ready! 

Bob’s Burgers, "The Bleakening (Part 1 and 2)"

Bob’s Burgers has lots of great Christmas episodes, and it was hard to choose a best one, but this season takes the cake.  A two part episode, it starts with a dream...Linda’s dream of having a party to bring back holiday cheer.  When her ornaments are stolen, it leads her to become obsessed with finding who stole them—a quest that ends up in a gay night club.  Especially relatable if you had “The Christmas Mom.” 

Supernatural, "A Very Supernatural Christmas"

Supernatural really has a knack for themed episodes, and this one is no different.  Dean and Sam take on a case where people are being sucked up the chimney and killed, and think they’re dealing with Santa’s evil twin, Krampus.  The story is some of Supernatural’s best, weaving in humor, horror, and a deep heart to make something really fudging great. 

Justice League, "Comfort and Joy"

If you missed the animated Justice League series of the early 2000s, or just find yourself disappointed with where DC seems to be taking the characters, this is a wonderful, pitch-perfect holiday episode to jump into.  Three vignettes show the antics of various Justice League members throughout Christmas day, and hits the perfect mixture of heroic adventure, holiday cheese, and sweet sincerity. 

Robot Chicken, "Robot Chicken's DP Christmas Special"

Robot Chicken has multiple Christmas episodes, and at 15 minutes a pop, this is the perfect show to throw on for the perfect anti-Christmas cheer.  Short, (not) sweet, and raunchy, this one is great if you’re a little burned out on playing the happy elf. 

Batman confronting kids for caroling about him smelling and the Grinch getting a terminal diagnosis for his enlarged heart means this one isn’t really meant for the little ones, no matter how brightly colored it is. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, "Yippie Kayak"

While Brooklyn Nine-Nine isn’t inherently geeky, it’s sure full of geeks, both in the show and in the writing room.  And only a true nerd can appreciate the beauty of this holiday episode, where Jake gets to act out his ultimate nerd fantasy: being held hostage on Christmas just like John McClane in Die Hard.  Like most episodes, the ensemble cast is put to full use as everyone tries to enjoy Christmas. 

Futurama, "X-Mas Story"

Christmas ain’t what it used to be.  This was the first Christmas special of the show, as Fry becomes homesick for Christmas and learns what Christmas in the future is: terrible.  He does his best to find the heart of Christmas, despite having to deal with the murderous Robo-Santa.  Like an abnormally high amount of Futurama episodes, you will probably need a box of tissues. 

Rick and Morty, "Anatomy Park"

Rick and Morty is a show wrapped in so many layers of cynicism and sincerity, you just know the Christmas episode is going to be good (and also terrible).  And it’s both!  Jerry tries to force the meaning of Christmas, only to be slapped in the face with his own hypocrisy when his parents show up with their new lover.  Meanwhile Rick slips away with Morty to go poke around in a hobo he’s been making into a microscopic theme park.  If you have never seen Rick and Morty, throw this episode on and you’ll know pretty much right away how you'll feel about the entire rest of the series. 

The X-Files, "How the Ghost Stole Christmas"

Guest starring Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner as a perfectly cast snarky ghost couple, this episode does everything The X-Files does right, in spades.  The show is a spin on gothic tropes, with Mulder and Scully exploring a haunted mansion on Christmas Eve.  Suspenseful, spooky, and just enough silly to blunt the edge, this is a stand out holiday episode. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Amends"

This Christmas episode comes at the peak of the Buffy/Angel drama, and finds Angel being tormented by past victims while the Scoobies try to save him.  Pulled together by dreams, Buffy and Angel grapple with the split natures of what they are while Angel is being pushed to kill Buffy.  This episode is Buffy at its peak. 

The Twilight Zone, "Night of the Meek"

This classic episode (remade in the eighties from the original run of the show) is Christmas cheer, Twilight Zone-style.  The story features a sad, drunk department store Santa who discovers his trash bag contains any gift someone needs.  Like most Twilight Zone episodes, he gets exactly what he deserves...but this time, that’s a good thing.