Halloween 2K26 - Dharma and Greg Halloween Episodes
Halloween 🎃Every holiday season, I get nostalgic for ’90s television. I blame the marketing gurus who programmed all those themed holiday blocks back in the day because they clearly got their hooks into me. Even now, it just doesn’t feel like Halloween unless I spend at least a little time watching old sitcoms from the ’90s.
My recaps are pretty simple. I’ll provide a spoiler-free synopsis, talk about how well the episode actually uses Halloween or spooky themes, and then grade it based on two things: the strength of the Halloween atmosphere and whether I’d want to watch it again.
This time around, we’re taking a look at Dharma & Greg.
Season Two, Episode Six – “A Closet Full of Hell”
Original Air Date: October 28, 1998
Synopsis
Dharma and Greg discover a secret room in their new apartment filled with dolls. Things get a little more unsettling when two new dolls suddenly appear that look exactly like them.
Halloween Thoughts
This episode aired right around Halloween, but it isn’t actually a Halloween episode.
That being said, it does lean heavily into spooky imagery, and an attic full of creepy dolls is certainly doing some of the work for us.
There’s nothing genuinely frightening here. This is still a light Chuck Lorre sitcom, after all, but Dharma completely losing her mind over the possibility that the dolls might somehow be alive makes the episode a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t really put me in the Halloween spirit. There are no fall references, no real Halloween decorations, and none of that cozy seasonal atmosphere I’m usually looking for when I put together one of these watchlists.
Still, as a spooky sitcom episode, it’s worth a watch.
Halloween Theme: C
Re-Watchability: B
Season Three, Episode Six – “The Very Grateful Dead”
Original Air Date: October 26, 1999
Synopsis
Dharma believes she may have been possessed by the spirit of a deceased neighbor who never fully lived the life she wanted.
Halloween Thoughts
While I'd argue that none of the Dharma & Greg episodes that aired around Halloween ever fully embraced the holiday itself, at least this there are costumes in this one, but only a brief portion of the episode actually connects them to Halloween. What the writers do embrace is the supernatural.
The episode plays around with the question of whether something genuinely strange is happening to Dharma, and that gives the story a fun little spooky edge. I always appreciate when a sitcom is willing to leave the door cracked open just enough for the supernatural to possibly be real.
Unfortunately, this episode didn’t do much for me overall.
It’s not bad, and there are some entertaining moments, but when I’m putting together a Halloween watchlist, there are plenty of other episodes I’d reach for first.
Halloween Theme: C
Re-Watchability: C
Season Five, Episode Seven – “Used Karma”
Original Air Date: October 30, 2001
Synopsis
Dharma begins worrying about karma after buying a used car, especially when Greg’s personality starts resembling that of the car’s deceased former owner.
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Halloween Thoughts
This is easily my favorite of the three episodes.
Once again, it barely qualifies as a Halloween episode. There’s one small scene featuring costumes and some decorations in the background, but the holiday itself is largely irrelevant to the story, but what saves it is the supernatural premise.
The episode is genuinely funny, and it does a good job of making you wonder whether Greg is actually being influenced by the car’s previous owner or whether everyone is just reading too much into his behavior.
It’s one of the stronger episodes from the show’s fifth season, and I absolutely recommend watching it.
I just wouldn’t recommend it specifically because you’re looking for Halloween atmosphere.
Halloween Theme: C
Re-Watchability: A
Final Ranking
- “Used Karma”
- “A Closet Full of Hell”
- “The Very Grateful Dead”
Dharma & Greg is an interesting case when it comes to Halloween television because the show repeatedly aired supernatural-themed episodes around the holiday without ever really committing to Halloween itself.
You won’t find elaborate haunted houses, neighborhoods filled with trick-or-treaters, or the wall-to-wall decorations you get from shows like Roseanne or Home Improvement. Instead, Dharma & Greg seems more interested in ghosts, karma, creepy dolls, and the possibility that something supernatural might actually be happening.
That makes these episodes enjoyable October viewing, but not necessarily essential Halloween viewing.
If you only watch one, make it “Used Karma.”