Throwback Thursday: ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Grimm’, and the Best of Halloween TV
The spooky season is upon us this week with our Throwback Thursday for October 25-October 31. Come along with us as we relive some of our favorite spooky TV shows and moments.
First off we look at TV moments themed around Halloween — whether they be scary or funny. Some of our favorite moments come from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Roseanne, and American Horror Story.
Finally, we dug up some lists to help you find the spooky of the season. Whether you are looking for specific episodes or TV shows these lists have got you covered.
Fasten your seatbelts…it’s going to be a bumpy ride through TV history.
Major TV Moments:
Roseanne Gives Birth to Jerry (Roseanne Season 8 Episode 5, “Halloween – The Final Chapter”) (October 31, 1995)
Roseanne has always been sitcom gold — even more so when it comes to iconic Halloween episodes. Each season the show would try to outdo itself, but the most memorable Halloween isn’t even the most spooky of the series.
On Season 8’s Halloween episode, Roseanne is due to have her baby and goes into labor. It is her favorite holiday and while in labor her pain meds cause her to go on a psychedelic trip.
This pain medication-induced trip sends Roseanne on a journey through Halloweens past and includes an appearance from the recently departed Jerry Garcia. This leads Roseanne to name her final baby, Jerry.
Be Careful What You Wear (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 Episode 6, “Halloween”) (October 27, 1997)
On a vampire-themed TV show, there is bound to be a spooky, fun episode or two. With Buffy the Vampire Slayer the most iconic Halloween themed episode comes from the show’s second season.
During “Halloween” Buffy and her friends find themselves inside an unusual costume shop after having been “volunteered” to take some kids trick-or-treating. Everyone becomes who their costumes are — i.e. Buffy becomes a clueless, hapless noblewoman — which creates some chaos as vampires threaten the group.
The episode never takes itself seriously, which makes this more of a comic relief episode than a spooky one. However, the Halloween force is in full effect with vampires, ghosts, and magic — oh my.
Dinner Date with Murder (American Horror Story Season 5 Episode 4, “Devil’s Night”) (October 28, 2015)
Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story is always about bringing forth the scariest elements of our world. One of the strongest episodes of this whole series comes during the fifth season.
This episode centers on the idea that one night a year, at the Hotel Cortez, dastardly spirits can all gather together in this realm and share a meal. We are talking the worst of the worst gathered around a table swapping stories and secrets.
It’s a fun and terrifying story that captures our attention because the cast of characters around the table are all people we’ve heard about for years. Some of the biggest names in serial killer history are present, including — Richard Ramirez, Aileen Wuornos, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy.
This is one dinner invitation you just might want to miss.
Premieres:
The premieres this week are a bit on the light side, but still worth mentioning. We don’t have that many TV shows that we’d classify as “spooky” but some of them are a bit darker.
Shows such as The Walking Dead, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and Grimm all premiered this week starting an era where TV frightened us a bit and kept us on our toes.
Just because it is the spooky season doesn’t mean that all the shows that get their start are going to be scary or horror in nature. This week we also saw the premiere of The Famous Jett Jackson and The League.
Here are a few TV shows that premiered this week in TV History:
- 1982 – St. Elsewhere
- 1993 – The Jon Stewart Show
- 1993 – Diagnosis: Murder
- 1994 – Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
- 1998 – The Famous Jett Jackson
- 2000 – As Told By Ginger
- 2009 – The League
- 2009 – Pit Bulls & Parolees
- 2010 – The Walking Dead
- 2011 – Grimm
- 2018 – Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Tell-Tale TV Archives:
Our website is well known for the fun and exciting lists our writers come up with. During this part of the year, we always try to provide ideas for TV viewers to get their spook on.
While digging through our archives we found a list of spooky TV shows to get us in the Halloween spirit, and a list detailing our favorite Halloween-themed episodes.
Finally, last year one of our writers ranked the scariest TV shows currently available to viewers. Grab a blanket, some popcorn, a viewing buddy, and prepare to be scared.
2017
2018
2019
A Ranking of the 13 Scariest TV Shows You Can Watch Right Now
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What are some major TV premieres, finales, or moments you remember? Sound off in the comments below and your choice just might be featured in a future Throwback Thursday column.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.