Roseanne Halloween Episodes, Ranked

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Roseanne was the self-proclaimed Queen of Halloween — and her titular sitcom made the spook-tacular holiday an annual tradition beginning with Season 2.

Each fall from 1989 to 1996, millions of viewers tuned in to see how the Conners would ring in All Hallow's Eve, and were seldom disappointed with the result. Whether the occasion was marked by cool costumes, elaborate pranks or an inspired film homage, fans knew to expect something out of the ordinary.

With Roseanne now streaming on Peacock, we at TVLine have gone back and rewatched all eight Halloween specials, sorting them from worst to best. Browse our ranking below, then hit the comments and tell us which episode you consider the biggest treat of all.

#1. "BOO!"

Season 2, Episode 7 (WATCH)

The show's initial salute to Halloween was also its best, hands down. Watching Roseanne tirelessly try to scare Dan was a real treat the first time around — whether she was faking an electrocution or leading him to believe that his in-laws were on their way to Lanford for an extended, three-week stay. Added bonus: the Conners' Tunnel of Terror!

#5. "Trick or Treat"

Season 3, Episode 7 (WATCH)

Despite a number of great costumes (Becky's disfigured prom queen, Darlene's demon spawn, Dan's Three Stooges getup), the episode itself never really gets into the Halloween spirit. In this Chuck Lorre-penned installment, the usual ghoulish antics take a backseat to a conversation on gender roles, specifically about men and their chauvenistic tendencies — and the subplot about Dan not wanting DJ to dress up as a witch because it's a "girl's costume" hasn't aged particularly well.

#2. "Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down"

Season 4, Episode 6 (WATCH)

Let's hear it for Deadgar Bergen and Mortuary Snerd! And for Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who wrote the third annual fright fest. Even better than George Clooney putting in one last appearance as Booker was Roseanne scaring the beejeezus out of next door neighbor Kathy by laying a gutted Dan out on the kitchen table.

#4. "Halloween IV"

Season 5, Episode 7 (WATCH)

Turns out Zoe Perry has a knack for playing younger versions of mother Laurie Metcalf's most iconic roles. Long before she assumed the part of Young Mary on Young Sheldon, Perry played Young Jackie in this Christmas Carol-inspired episode, during which Roseanne gets visited by the Ghosts of Halloweens Past, Present and Future. Also perfectly cast is a then-unknown Sara Rue (Mom) as Teenage Roseanne.

#6. "Halloween V"

Season 6, Episode 6 (WATCH)

It's not the worst salute to All Hallow's Eve, but it's definitely the least inspired. The pranks are almost all too mean (e.g., Dan having a coworker pretend to rob The Lunchbox at gunpoint, Roseanne being tricked into thinking David is cheating on Darlene), and the A-plot (Nancy's upset because Dan doesn't like her) isn't specific enough to the holiday. It's a solid "C," at best.

#3. "Skeleton in the Closet"

Season 7, Episode 6 (WATCH)

The comedy's last truly great Halloween outing came in its third-to-last season, when all conspired to prank Roseanne not once, but twice. First, she was led to believe that Fred was gay, before finding him in bed with Dan and realizing the whole thing was a ruse. Her suspicison about Beverly being bald was also "proven" — until every other family member wandered into the kitchen sporting a baldcap. As for costumes, the show never quite topped Roseanne as Prince and Leon as then-First Lady Hillary Clinton.

#7. "Halloween: The Final Chapter"

Season 8, Episode 5 (WATCH)

The writers must have been on a long, strange trip when they thought up this one. We're not sure what's weirder: Roseanne talking to the ghost of Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia, or the psychedelic dance number that follows in his honor. The best thing this one has going for it is the montage of trick-or-treaters, which includes Ed McMahon (with a foreshadowing Halloween jackpot?) and Sarah Chalke (who was not playing Becky No. 2, but looked familiar enough for Mark to mumble something about "déjà vu.")

#8. "Satan, Darling"

Season 9, Episode 7 (WATCH)

It's not the worst episode from all nine seasons ("Roseambo," anyone?), but it's a close second. A pointless Absolutely Fabulous crossover monopolizes the first half of this eighth and final Halloween installment, which eventually morphs into a godawful Rosemary's Baby parody. But the strangest moment of all is when Roseanne comes across a coven of witches, which includes Marlo Thomas and... Arianna Huffington? Yeah, none of this makes a lick of sense.