We adore embracing the holiday spirit with our beloved sitcom ensembles. Iconic shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Full House, Frasier, and more have gifted us with countless memorable Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes. However, there’s a special charm to the New Year’s Eve celebrations, making them stand out. As we bid farewell to the decade, we’ve compiled a list of must-watch episodes featuring the Central Perk gang or the crew at Monk’s Cafe. Whether you’re looking for a lead-up to 2023 or a midnight viewing, these are the top 5 New Year’s Eve episodes from your favorite ’90s sitcoms.
1. Friends: “The One With the Monkey” (Season 1, Episode 10)
Friends has some of the best holiday episodes, and this particular one is from the first season. In this episode, the friends agree not to bring any dates to their New Year’s Eve party, but, predictably, they all end up breaking that pact. Rachel finds Paolo, Monica invites Fun Bobby, Chandler brings Janice, Phoebe meets the charming David, and Joey connects with a single mother while shopping. Meanwhile, Ross adopts Marcel, the Capuchin monkey. It’s a chaotic celebration with this quirky group and their interesting dates.
2. Full House: “Happy New Year” (Season 4, Episode 13)
In this classic ’90s sitcom episode of Full House, Joey is feeling down because he doesn’t have a date for New Year’s Eve. To cheer him up, he volunteers to babysit the girls. Little does he know, Danny and Jesse secretly record him for a video dating service, which might seem a bit intrusive. However, everything turns out well when Joey meets a fantastic girl. This heartwarming and funny episode adds a special touch to the holiday season with the lovable Full House cast.
3. Boy Meets World: “Train of Fools” (Season 3, Episode 10)
We absolutely love this comedy that doesn’t get the attention it deserves, especially this New Year’s episode. The young group of friends, without any way to get to their New Year’s Eve party, end up spending the evening in an old subway car. It’s not only hilarious but also shares a heartfelt story about what’s truly important in life. It’s quirky, cute, and genuinely funny.
4. Mad About You: “New Year’s Eve” (Season 4, Episode 9)
Paul was supposed to record the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square at midnight, while Jamie had plans to attend the Mayor’s ball. However, as is typical in sitcoms, things didn’t go as expected for this group. In the final minutes of the year, chaos ensued, turning their evenings into a hilarious and quirky mess. This episode is so funny that we’d love to spend New Year’s Eve with this cast again and again.
5. Frasier: “RDWRER” (Season 7, Episode 12)
This episode screams ’90s vibes, and we’re totally obsessed with the holiday special. Frasier spills the beans to Roz about his family’s wild New Year’s Eve. Instead of sticking to the original plan, they end up in Sun Valley and crash a party hosted by one of Frasier’s wine club pals. Naturally, Niles, in his typical fashion, hops onto the wrong Winnebago at a truck stop, and you can imagine the hilarious chaos that follows. These guys are anything but ordinary, but their New Year’s adventure is downright funny.
