Best Hanukkah TV episodes ranked: 8 of the most popular Chanukah shows - from Rugrats to Friends and The O.C.

Chag Sameach, Chanukah is around the corner and that means there are plenty of TV specials to enjoy.

To help you choose what to watch this year, we’ve reviewed a selection of TV episodes and handpicked the best of the bunch.

Eight episodes are included on this list, one to watch every night in Hanukkah, with varying degrees of festival storylines. From the Rugrats, to Friends and The Goldbergs, there’s something for everyone.

Here is our guide to the best Hanukkah TV shows and where you can watch them.

Rugrats “A Rugrats Chanukah”

This iconic special from Rugrats sees our favourite babies retell the story of Hanukkah, coining the perfect phrase “A Maccababy’s gotta do what a maccababy’s gotta do!”. It also features Tommy’s Grandpa Boris and friend Shlomo who went to school together in Russia and have since fallen out after Boris got featured in a newspaper and upstaged him, will they make up in time for the Hanukkah play at the Synagogue?

Rugrats is available to watch on Paramount +.

Friends - “The One With The Holiday Armadillo”

One of the most memorable Friends episodes, The One With the Holiday Armadillo follows Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer) as he tries to teach his son Ben about Hanukkah. Ross has to dress up as an Armadillo, Santa’s part-Jewish friend from Texas after the costume shop runs out of Santa suits.

You can watch Friends on Netflix.

Saturday Night Live, 1994 - Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song

Whilst this is a clip from an episode, Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah song is bound to be on your Hanukkah playlist and this is how it came about. Sandler penned the masterpiece after feeling there were a lack of Hanukkah songs out there, in it he names famous Jewish people including David Lee Roth, Goldie Hawn and The Three Stooges.

You can watch the clip on YouTube below.

The O.C - “Best Chrismukkah Ever”

So, technically, Seth Cohen celebrates Chrismukkah, but the episode does show him explaining how he navigated growing up with a Jewish dad from New York and a wealthy Christian mum from Orange County. There are four Chrismukkah episodes throughout The O.C., with Seth being just as enthusiastic each time around.

You can watch The O.C on Apple TV.

Elena of Avalor - “Festival of Lights”

Elena’s friend, Rebecca of Galonia, is Disney’s first Jewish Princess who finds herself, her brother Prince Ari and her Bubbe stranded in Avalor over the Festival of Lights. To help her friend, Elena puts on a Hanukkah celebration like no other - including catchy songs your kids will love.

You can watch some episodes of Elena of Avalor on Disney Plus, or purchase episodes on Google Play, and Amazon Prime Video.

Glee - “Glee Actually”

This episode of Glee features Jewish half-brothers Jake and Noah Puckerman perform a rousing rendition of “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”.

You can watch Glee on Disney Plus.

Hey Arthur - “Arthur’s Perfect Christmas”

Whilst this episode also covers Christmas, the heartwarming special follows Francine as she explains to Muffy why she had to skip her Christmas party to celebrate Hanukkah with her family. She highlights the important significance of the holiday and helps Muffy learn that not all friends celebrate the same traditions but that doesn’t mean they’re any less important.

You can watch Hey Arthur on Amazon Prime Video.

The Goldbergs - “A Christmas Story”

In this episode from 2015, Beverly Goldberg (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is going all out to celebrate “Super Hanukkah”. Complete with a Hanukkah bush, decorations and Chinese food for dinner, she wants their holiday this year to “sizzle and pop!”

You can watch The Goldbergs on All4 or Amazon Prime Video