Streaming is killing the Halloween TV episode

My childhood Halloween memories are limited to one single thing: The Angry Beavers. That is to say, the overlooked Nicktoon’s one and only two-part episode, “The Day the World Got Really Screwed Up,” in which the beaver brothers go trick-or-treating and wind up at the home of their favorite B-movie actor, Oxnard Montalvo, whereupon an alien attacks and an actual B-movie plot occurs.

I really cannot understate the extent to which this episode rewired my family’s collective brain. One could not prep for trick-or-treaters without enunciating “But—! Where’s the cAAndé??” in the delightfully dramatic pronunciation of Richard Steven Horvitz’s Daggett D. Beaver. All thanks to the Halloween special. The Year of the Dog a television season when we get to go to a costume party with our fictional friends, and we don’t have to scramble to put our own outfits together.

And in the name of minor joys and silly costumes, we can’t let streaming distribution kill the Halloween special.

If you have a favorite Halloween episode, it’s more likely than not that it’s from a sitcom like The OfficeCartoons are a good example. The Angry BeaversKids programming such as The Adventures of Pete & Pete. But they’re not just a staple of kids and comedy TV! Dramas such as “The Walking Dead” have also embraced the Halloween episode. Grey’s AnatomyClassic action films like MacGyver, procedurals like CSI, teen soaps like Dawson’s CreekThe genres of music that you can enjoy include Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Image: ABC

There are many modern shows that focus on Halloween, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Abbott ElementaryThen, Bob’s Burgers. But shows dedicated to holiday episodes all have one thing notably in common: They’re network productions on a regular schedule of season renewals.

Short seasons, and the uncertainty of their continuations due to the pressures of streaming TV are the exact opposite of the holiday specials. With many shows only greenlit for a single season at a time, with multi-year breaks in between, there’s no rhythm of release to settle into, and no guarantee a show will even air during Halloween — that is, if it isn’t dropped all at once on a single day in the first place.

Christmas isn’t foreign territory for the biggest names in streaming “television events” — Disney Plus’ Hawkeye set a whole show in the season of lights — but Halloween presents a challenge to television that never gets to breathe. Contrast is the whole idea of this wonderfully secular, pop-cultured Halloween. It is all about contrast.

Image: NBC

But you can’t subvert the normal if you barely have time to get the normal on the screen in the first place. It’s simply not enough time for more than the main story and character growth (or sometimes, even that). When shows don’t get enough time to be themselves, they’re never gonna have time to put on a costume.

WandaVision has a Halloween episode — but WandaVisionThis episode was a throwback from a previous era in sitcoms. The episode aired on September 30, The month of February is a great time to get ready for the new year..) The Werewolf in the Night premiered in October, but it’s not even a series! The Halloween episode is it? Stranger ThingsIs there a Halloween-themed episode in a show that is already spooky and eerie? Is it a Halloween episode? The following is an explanation of how to get started:?

I’m sorry to say, but there was once a time that we were all able to count on the Halloween Specials on television. A time when getting to watch your faves don some humorous costumes and dabble in a different tone or a contrived situation wasn’t relegated to kids programming and sitcoms alone. It was a time when our favorite TV shows took the time to showcase a new side every year.

It is important to savor the spooky and silly nature of this art, just as we would a mass-produced piece of milk chocolate. Then, this Halloween season, put on some old-school specials. Let streaming become With a scream, shout or yell at someone. shows!