This Valentine’s Day, we are going goblin mode. Yeah, I’m talking biggest sweatpants you can find, making your second home on the couch, and turning on the cheesiest (or chaotic) love episodes as a form of self-care. I mean, fancy dinners and chocolate hearts are so overrated, right? OK, maybe just go along with it for my sake.
V-Day calls for self-love and my definition of that is tuning out the outside world and getting my sitcom fix. Nothing beats the feel-good, hysterical moments of your favorite show when they are scrambling to find a date (or sabotaging their crushes’) on the Valentine’s Day episodes. And what better way to spend Feb. 14 than immersing yourself in an upbeat sitcom episode to distract yourself from the ooey-gooey displays of PDA all around you or to snuggle up with your Valentine? From Friends to The Office, get ready to binge the best Valentine’s Day sitcom episodes accompanied by those iconic candy hearts as a snack.
- The Office (Season 2, Episode 16) “Valentine’s Day”
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This episode truly embodies the ups and downs of the holiday. From confessing your feelings to your crush to adorable gifts from your (possible) S.O., the employees of the Dunder Mifflin company get it. Angela’s bobblehead gift to Dwight still takes the cake for best V-Day gift.
- Friends (Season 8, Episode 15) “The One With The Birthing Video”
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Ugh, I love a good Friends holiday episode. Nothing can top their Thanksgiving episodes, but the chaos of this friend group on Valentine’s Day is a close second. I don’t think a single date on this series ever went right, and this Valentine’s Day was no exception. Leave it to a graphic birthing video to screw up Chandler and Monica’s V-Day night in. Oh, and let’s not forget how Ross failed to mention to his girlfriend, Mona, that Rachel was living with him. Friends is one of those shows where the writing is always chaotic, which is why it’s the perfect show to watch when you need to lighten the mood.
- Parks And Recreation (Season 4, Episode 14) “Operation Ann”
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On Valentine’s Day, you’re either playing matchmaker or you’re the one being matched. For Ann, Leslie pulled out all the stops, aka trying to set her up at the V-Day mixer. Little did Leslie know that Ann already had a date with Tom, which was set up by April. Leave it to the day of love to bring together unlikely pairings.
- Modern Family (Season 1, Episode 15) “My Funky Valentine”
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ABC Modern Family is filled with OTPs. I just love the quirkiness and banter of Phil and Claire, Jay and Gloria, and Mitch and Cam. Of course, in true sitcom fashion, Valentine’s Day doesn’t go according to plan for these iconic couples. Phil and Claire plan a romantic night at a hotel. While Claire is trying to impress her husband with the little to no clothing she has underneath, her coat gets stuck in the escalator, putting her in a vulnerable position. Meanwhile, Gloria and Jay are at a comedy show and Jay gets called out for his age, so he walks out angry. Despite both couples’ romantic nights quickly turning sour, the universe still had some twists up its sleeve. Let’s just say there’s nothing like running into family on Valentine’s Day to really set the mood.
- That ’70s Show (Season 1, Episode 16) “First Date”
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With the That ‘90s Show reboot available to stream, now’s the perfect time to rewatch the original friend group as they come into age, especially on Valentine’s Day, just like us. This episode really captured the essence of Feb. 14 growing up: crushes, forbidden loves, rejection, and first date jitters.
Eric wants to gift Donna his class ring as a gift. Meanwhile, Hyde wants to tell Donna how he feels. Eric was the one who came out winning that night because he got to take Donna on a date. It’s OK, Hyde, we’ve all been there. However, it seems like Hyde got his karma because the waiter accidentally gave Donna mixed drinks, making her drunk on her and Eric’s first date. Don’t you just miss Valentine’s Day in high school? I don’t.
- New Girl (Season 1, Episode 13) “Valentine’s Day”
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FOX Jess is really a woman of the people. In this episode, she is single for the first time in six years, so she wants to have her fun with a one-night stand. And who better to be her wingman than Schmidt? After some very awkward flirting, she wound up with a handsome man named Oliver. Some convos later, she realized his main loves in life were tacos and lunch, so she had no emotional connection with him — score! Well, their night came to an end back at his house when his ex showed up, he started ugly crying, and Schmidt was stuck outside because his tires were popped. It was chaotic to say the least, but what else were we expecting from these group of roommates? This episode is the perfect one to watch if you’re bummed your Valentine’s Day mission fell through. Just like Jess, it happens.
- Gilmore Girls (Season 6, Episode 15) “A Vineyard Valentine”
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Now, I’m a Gilmore Girls stan through and through, but I have to say this episode was the weirdest one yet. It being so strange is what makes it worth the watch, though. Rory invites Luke and Lorelai to Logan’s family’s house in Martha’s Vineyard for Valentine’s Day. In true Luke nature, he’s grumpy the whole time and has disdain for Logan. Lorelai gets annoyed at this because she just wants a nice holiday while also having their wedding in the back of her mind. Meanwhile, Rory and Logan are having the time of their lives and acting very adult-like. TBH, it weirded me out when I watched it.
I will always be team Logan and his effort to make the holiday good for both Rory and Lorelai just further proves why. However, the cherry on top to the weird day was when Logan’s dad showed up, causing a fight between him and Logan. When it comes to love, you’re either a Rory or Lorelai. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which one is better.
- How I Met Your Mother (Season 6, Episode 16) “Desperation Day”
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I love when men think they are too cool for love, then prove themselves wrong. Barney is a prime example of this. In this episode, he deems Feb. 13 desperation day because he thinks women are dying to hook up with someone. Well, joke’s on him: He ends up falling for a woman and winds up on his first Valentine’s Day date. This episode is perfect to watch when you want video proof that good Valentine’s Days do in fact exist. Barney goes on a date, Zoey and Ted have a nice dinner together, and Marshall surprises Lily at her apartment where they watch Predator for the night. Everyone is happy in the end!
- Glee (Season 2, Episode 12) “Silly Love Songs”
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FOX OK, Gleeks. You know I had to do something for you. There are many lessons to be learned from this episode: Kissing booths are gross and never work out, and Katy Perry’s “Firework” should be everyone’s V-Day mantra. Finn sets up a kissing booth in hopes of kissing his ex Quinn, but she doesn’t want to. Of course, her boyfriend urges her to because he’s skeptical of Quinn and Finn’s relationship. I’ll just leave it there and you can find out what happens by watching the whole thing unfold.
As for Ms. Rachel Berry, she found love with herself this Valentine’s Day and displayed this with her rendition of “Firework.” When in doubt, ask yourself if you ever feel like a plastic bag. If so, you might need to belt out a love song this holiday.
- Friends (Season 1, Episode 14) “The One With The Candy Hearts”
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I’m sorry, I had to include another Friends episode in here. It’s one thing to be set up on a date, but it’s another to be set up on one with your ex. Cue the high-pitched voice of Ms. Janice. But nothing is as bad as it seems when you have a credit card that isn’t yours to spend and engrained candy hearts with you and your lover’s name on it. I propose watching this episode just so you can do your best Janice impression.
