The Best Hanukkah TV Episodes

Hanukkah, the Jewish "Festival of Lights," has a rich and thrilling history. It's also a whole lot of fun to celebrate. Oil-fried delicacies like latkes and sufganiyot make all eight nights delicious, spinning dreidels for gelt is fun for young and old alike, and beautiful family traditions make the holiday deeply personal for all who celebrate. The fun doesn't end there, however — what's a holiday without holiday-themed entertainment?

When it comes to television, you might expect Hanukkah to get a raw deal. Virtually every television show seems to get at least one Christmas episode, after all — and often, one each season. But in fact, there are plenty of Hanukkah specials on the small screen for viewers of all ages to enjoy. Looking for something to watch between bouts of latke-frying and candle-lighting? You're in luck: From animated takes on the Maccabees to musical tributes to the Festival of Lights, we're here to take a look at the best Hanukkah TV episodes ever.

"Even Stevens" centers around the shenanigans of the delightful Stevens family. It stars Shia LaBeouf in his breakout role as youngest brother Louis, who gets in some serious trouble in Season 1's "Heck of a Hanukkah." Louis is excited for Hanukkah — especially the gifts. Despite his parents' best efforts to hide them, Louis manages to get his hands on the perfectly-wrapped treasure. Unable to help himself, he tears open each and every one. Things quickly get out of hand, and Louis ends up destroying the whole family's Hanukkah presents.

After being grounded, Louis, thinking he's a burden to his whole family, wishes he'd never born. This allows "Even Stevens" to meet "It's A Wonderful Life," as his many-times-great grandmother shows him what life would have been like if his wish came true. Of course, this eventually leads to the realization that Louis is right where he belongs: Alive, part of the Stevens family, and ready to celebrate Hanukkah. "Heck of a Hanukkah" also features fun games of dreidel and a heartwarming candle lighting sequence, reminding viewers of the importance of tradition and spending time together as a family.

"The Goldbergs" brilliantly tackles the anxiety of being Jewish in a society obsessed with Christmas in "A Christmas Story," a standout episode from Season 3. Matriarch Beverly Goldberg (Wendi McLendon-Covey) tries to get her family invested in Hanukkah, to no avail. So, she decides to take inspiration from her neighbors, who celebrate Christmas. Shocked to discover their family actually enjoys spending time together over the holidays, Beverly creates "Super Hanukkah" to try and get the rest of the Goldbergs on board. As a result, she essentially Hanukkah-izes every Christmas tradition. They're not stockings, they're Hanukkah socks! They're not candy canes, they're Hanukkah J's!

This doesn't go over well with everyone, however. Beverly's disappointed father Pops (George Segal) is quick to remind her and the rest of the family of the importance of Hanukkah's actual traditions. This results in a thoughtful and heartwarming reminder of what makes Hanukkah great, entirely outside the shadow cast by Christmas. It's a fantastically entertaining episode of television, and even features the wonderful Jewish-American tradition of having Chinese food for dinner on Christmas Day. The episode's greatest achievement, however, might just be dispelling the myth of eight nights of great presents: A hilarious sequence reveals that eight days of gifts isn't actually all it's cracked up to be.

The phenomenal musical dramedy series "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" tackles Hanukkah in "My Mom, Greg's Mom and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves!" First off, as Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) prepares her home for her mother's arrival, she notices that all her decorations have different spellings of Hanukkah, a wonderful and hilarious nod to the holiday's seemingly infinite variations. The episode that follows is very much about celebration, but also the anxiety of the holiday season — especially in relation to parental pressure. Rebecca has been seeking her mother's approval her whole life, a quest her move to California has complicated considerably. Her mother's first visit out West is a huge opportunity for Rebecca to prove how far she's come as a person.

As with every "Crazy-Ex Girlfriend" episode, we get some fantastic songs. Few in the entire series are better than "Where's the Bathroom?," sung by Rebecca's mother Naomi (Tovah Feldshuh). On top of being an all-around excellent episode of television and spectacular Hanukkah viewing, it gives us one of the greatest lyrics of all time: "A bishop in Wisconsin said something anti-Semitic, so the temple has decided to boycott cheddar cheese."

Admittedly, including this episode is a bit of a cheat, as we're only here to talk about one moment of this "Saturday Night Live" installment — but what a moment it is! This 1994 episode's host, Roseanne, and musical guest, Green Day, are not present: This scene is all about Adam Sandler. Sandler's "The Chanukah Song” made its debut during the Weekend Update sketch and changed the holiday forever. The song has remained an essential cultural touchstone ever since its introduction — at this point, there's a whole generation of Jewish kids who've never known the world without it. 

Before singing, Sandler explains that the holiday season always made him feel left out as a kid, as there were countless Christmas songs but just one ("I Have a Little Dreidel") for Hanukkah. So, he decided to write his own. "The Chanukah Song" names a whole host of Jewish celebrities, to help Jewish kids (and adults) feel less left out. Sure, Sandler argues, you don't have Santa, but you do have David Lee Roth, Goldie Hawn, and even Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. This undeniably catchy tune helps all those celebrating feel less alone, while also letting the laughter flow. Sandler's performance immediately established itself as a hilarious, touching, and legendary moment in Hanukkah-related television, while the song is an absolute must-listen every year. It's proved so influential, in fact, that Sandler has kept it regularly updated.

"The Nanny" stars Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, an unapologetically Jewish woman from Queens who ends up entangled with the high-class Sheffield family. Such a bold portrayal is still pretty rare on television screens, making the show a watershed moment in TV history. Beyond all that historical significance, "The Nanny" is also absolutely hilarious, and Fran is an irresistible lead.

Season 6's "The Hanukkah Story" is all about celebrating the first night of the Festival of Lights. Fran is devastated to learn her husband Maxwell (Charles Shaughnessy) has to leave town for the day, and is all the more distraught when he gets into an accident during a snowstorm. Luckily, a miracle occurs, much like the one at the heart of the holiday. This episode features all the staples of a great Hanukkah episode: A lesson in the origins of the holiday, the importance of family and traditions, and, of course, the anxiety that the holiday pales in comparison to the extravagance of Christmas. Drescher is in top form, and legendary musician Ray Charles even delivers a show-stopping musical performance. Now that's a Hanukkah special.

You might not expect to find a Hanukkah episode in "Dash & Lily." The show is, after all, about two young romantics, Dash (Austin Abrams), and Lily (Midori Francis), whose bond develops as they pass a notebook back and forth over the Christmas season. But this show pulls out all the wintry stops possible, meaning it had to have an episode centered around Hanukkah.

Things kick into action when news spreads of a band called the Challah Back Boys (a moment of appreciation for this fabulous pun) playing a secret show on the seventh night of Hanukkah. Dash sees this as an opportunity to get Lily to expand her horizons and build her confidence, so he invites her via the notebook. Once Lily arrives, the party really starts. She's greeted by a Jewish drag queen, who refuses to let her in until she reveals something in her life she'd describe as a drag. Once she's in, Lily is treated to klezmer punk music, which is, as Lily's friend comments, "lit." The rockers even take a break from singing to share the story of Hanukkah from a punk perspective, emphasizing that the holiday is all about fighting oppression. It's a wonderful surprise and a refreshing take on the classic Hanukkah episode.