Whether you’re snuggling up with someone special this New Year’s Eve or nursing a hangover on January 1, you’ll surely need some top-tier content to see you through the holiday weekend. Here, we’ve rounded up television’s 15 best New Year’s specials, covering everything from soapy dramas to family-friendly sitcoms (and some not-so-family-friendly sitcoms).
Slide into the conversation pit with the Drapers, reminisce on bad dates with the Golden Girls, and check out a suitably lavish party at Blair Waldorf’s. Tune in, and you’ll feel the New Year’s spirit in no time.
30 Rock, “Klaus and Greta” (Season 4, Episode 9)
There’s something really perfect about the way that 30 Rock approached the holidays, and this episode is no exception. After leaving a voicemail for his childhood love, Nancy (Julianne Moore), on a drunken New Year s Eve, Jack (Alec Baldwin) is determined to erase the message at any cost.
Meanwhile, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) starts a fake relationship for publicity with James Franco (playing himself), who also happens to be in love with a body pillow. Suffice it to say that you’ll be in tears of joy by the end.
Absolutely Fabulous, “Happy New Year” (Season 3, Episode 2)
BFFs Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are about to go out for New Year’s Eve when Patsy’s older sister Jackie (Kate O Mara) turns up in need of a place to stay. Madcap and hilarious and so ’90s: What’s not to love?
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest
This is clearly not a regular TV show, but if you find yourself at home on New Year’s Eve, why not order some takeout and watch the ball drop? The telecast features New Year’s Eve celebrations in New York, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico, as well as musical performances, firework shows, dance parties, and Ryan Seacrest. What more could you ask for? Sure, it’s all a little cliché, but it never gets old. Consider making a drinking game out of it, and taking a shot every time you spot someone alarmingly underdressed for the weather.
Friends, “The One With the Routine” (Season 6, Episode 10)
Joey, Monica, and Ross (Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer) join Janine (Elle Macpherson) at Dick Clark’s New Year’s celebration, but struggle to get themselves on TV for their friends to see—that is, until they put on the routine. A classic for a reason.
Golden Girls, “Dateline: Miami” (Season 7, Episode 7)
As Dorothy prepares to go out on a date with the infamous cad Dr. Cagan, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia start to reminisce about disastrously bad dates of their own. One of them is a double-date featuring Rose and Blanche on New Year’s Eve with two brothers (their second time dating siblings). Before the ball drops, Rose is comforting a widower who keeps trying it on with her, while Blanche discovers her date is an ex-priest—and a virgin.
Gossip Girl, “The End of the Affair?”(Season 5, Episode 11)
“Just because we can’t be together doesn’t mean I won’t love you.” Keep a box of tissues within reach: for a holiday-themed episode, this one is definitely on the somber side. In a series of flashbacks, Blair (Leighton Meester) finally tells Serena (Blake Lively) what happened after the car crash with Chuck (Ed Westwick)—and we find out why Blair is marrying Louis (Hugo Becker). But it wouldn’t be Gossip Girl without a lavish party—this time, on New Year’s Eve.
How I Met Your Mother, “The Limo” (Season 1, Episode 11)
It’s New Year’s Eve, and Ted (Josh Radnor) has decided to change things up a bit by renting a limo for all his friends to ride around town in as they party hop across the city. What unfolds is wacky and wild, and features a Moby look-alike—and while the whole gang seems unlikely to be united as the ball drops, they somehow find their way back. And yes, there’s a kiss!
Mad Men, “The Doorway (Part Two)” (Season 6, Episode 2)
Coming off the show’s most cinematic finale, the sixth season premiere of Mad Men is split over two episodes—and it’s action-packed. The Drapers, the Rosens, and another couple celebrate New Year’s Eve together in the Drapers’ apartment, lounging in the conversation pit to view slides of Hawaii. Then, Don absconds to his affair with Sylvia Rosen. As they lie in bed, she asks what he wants for the year ahead. His response? “I want to stop doing this.” The style-shifts from season to season are delightful here too—Megan’s bouffant in particular.
Modern Family, “New Year’s Eve” (Season 4, Episode 11)
Jay (Ed O’Neill) invites Gloria (Sofía Vergara), Claire (Julie Bowen), Phil (Ty Burrell), Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) to a hotel in Palm Springs for New Year’s—a place he hasn’t visited since the ’70s and, from the look of it, hasn’t changed much in that time. Trying to make the most out of the trip, each couple sets off on their own adventures, determined to end the year right. Meanwhile, back at home, Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Alex (Ariel Winter) are babysitting Luke (Nolan Gould), Manny (Rico Rodriguez), and Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons). What could possibly go wrong?
My So-Called Life, “Resolutions” (Season 1, Episode 16)
We only got one season of the beloved ABC show starring Claire Danes and Jared Leto, but the NYE episode is one of its most memorable. While everyone is busy with their New Year s resolutions, Rickie (Wilson Cruz) finds himself homeless again.
The O.C., “The Countdown” (Season 1, Episode 14)
The New Year’s episode of The O.C. takes the show’s trademark soapy drama to an entirely different level. Marissa (Mischa Barton) tells Ryan (Ben McKenzie) she loves him, and he…thanks her? Meanwhile, Kirsten’s (Kelly Rowan) 25-year-old sister Hailey (Amanda Righetti) comes to town and throws a raging party at the Cohen household within 24 hours of her arrival.
The Office, “Ultimatum” (Season 7, Episode 13)
Two things are happening in this episode of The Office. First, Pam (Jenna Fischer) has built a New Year s resolutions board in the office, triggering everyone to ponder their pasts and their potential for the future (topped off with some hijinks). But while all that’s going on, Michael (Steve Carell) is doing the one thing that he needs to do to make all of his future New Years perfect: trying to win Holly Flax (Amy Ryan) as his own, once and for all. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t work out exactly as he’d hoped.
Peep Show, “New Year’s Eve” (Season 7, Episode 6)
Consider Peep Show a kind of follow-up to Absolutely Fabulous, but with two bumbling Gen X bros; this New Year’s Eve episode is no exception to Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy’s (Robert Webb) usual cringe-worthy comedic antics.
That ’70s Show, “That ’70s Finale” (Season 8, Episode 22)
The series finale of That ’70s Show is jam-packed with memories (and a cast that’s been no stranger to controversy, but let’s set that aside for now), as well as the making of a perfect New Year’s Eve: changed minds, fresh starts, and promise for the year to come.
The X-Files, “Millennium” (Season 7, Episode 4)
Worlds collide in this NYE episode, a crossover with The X-Files creator Chris Carter’s other TV series Millennium. FBI special agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) level up the monster-of-the-week episode formula and meet Millennium protagonist Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), investigating a group that’s attempting to resurrect the dead and ignite an apocalypse as they meet the 2000s.
