The 7 Best Valentine’s Day Tv Specials To Unlock Your Inner Cupid

Like every major holiday, Valentine’s Day comes packed to the brim with numerous TV specials set during the most romantic time of the year.

Brilliantly exploring the idyllic undertones of the Valentine’s Day season, these TV specials manage to underscore the meaningful connection formed between two characters around the holiday. Far from being romantic in nature alone, these TV series also illustrate the potential to celebrate Valentine’s Day among friends and family members, allowing us each to embrace those nearest and dearest to our hearts.

While there’s no shortage of fantastic Valentine’s Day-themed TV episodes, only a select few linger on in our collective memory as truly exceptional holiday specials. From classic feel-good sitcoms to more modern metaware comedy series, here are some of our favorite Valentine’s Day specials to watch with that special person in your life this holiday season.

Three Valentines (Frasier)

Given its intrinsic focus on love and relationships, Valentine’s Day can prove a stressful time of the year for some, imparting a sense of stress and anxiety to a handful of people as they worry over how best to commemorate the holiday. Taking this simple idea and stretching it out to its fullest potential, “Three Valentines” balances out each of its three main narratives with heartfelt sensitivity and Frasier’s signature straight-faced comedic timing. With each character nervously wondering about how best to mark the festivities, “Three Valentines” underscores the quirky personalities of Frasier’s diverse main characters, as evidenced by Niles’ high-strung attempts to arrange a candlelit dinner to Martin and Daphne’s platonic discussion about love and relationships in general.

Early 21st Century Romanticism (Community)

As Community’s “Early 21st Century Romanticism” elegantly teaches us, Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be necessarily romantic in nature. In fact, just proving that you’re there for the people who matter most to you is enough to warrant celebration, whether that means bonding with your best friend, supporting a seemingly ostracized classmate, or inviting a disgraced community college professor to live in your apartment. Handling each of these storylines with consistent originality and zany wit, “Early 21st Century Romanticism” is yet another wondrous entry in Community’s holiday-centric TV specials.

The Tangible Affection Proof (The Big Bang Theory)

The very best relationships are based on mutual communication, affording each partner a chance to express their feelings in a cathartic, heartfelt manner. In this way, The Big Bang Theory’s “The Tangible Affection Proof” succeeds as an in-depth illustration of just how important communication is within a relationship, whether looking at Penny and Leonard, Sheldon and Amy, or Raj and Lucy. A first-rate Big Bang episode exploring the unique dynamic between each of the series’ respective couples, “The Tangible Affection Proof” also emphasizes the time, energy, and sacrifice it takes to make a relationship work (although it’s almost always worth the effort).

Valentine’s Day (New Girl)

It’s always entertaining to watch sitcom characters figure out their exact dynamic with one another. That being said, nowhere is this television phenomenon more glaringly apparent than New Girl’s early holiday episode, “Valentine’s Day.” As Jess navigates her first V-Day celebration as a newly-minted single person, she quickly grapples with her newfound outlook on loneliness and romantic attachments, wondering aloud what exactly she’s looking for in a relationship. If that weren’t enough reason to fall head over heels for this early New Girl episode, “Valentine’s Day” also marks the first time that Cece and Schmidt wind up together, kicking off a long and turbulent relationship characterized by break-ups, messy arguments, constant bickering, and – inevitably – marriage.

My Funky Valentine (Modern Family)

Modern Family has always managed to bring out the holiday spirit for every major event on the calendar, from the light-hearted scares of Halloween to the jovial nature of Christmas. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the series features a hilarious Valentine’s Day special with Season 1’s “My Funky Valentine.” Split into three interweaving main storylines, “My Funky Valentine” chronicles each of the series’ couples as they try to celebrate the holiday, only for each of their romantic nights to go horribly awry. Whether looking at Jay’s offended reactions to David Brenner’s stand-up routine or Cam’s passionate defense of Manny in front of an 11-year-old classmate, “My Funky Valentine” comes packed to the brim with hearty laughs around every predictably chaotic corner.

Desperation Day (How I Met Your Mother)

Technically speaking, this How I Met Your Mother special can be more accurately described as a Desperation Day-themed episode than it is strictly a Valentine’s Day special. Set the day before Valentine’s Day, “Desperation Day” involves Lily trying to reconnect with Marshall after he’s moved back to Minnesota, Ted’s anxiety about committing to a new relationship, and Barney confidently trying to hook up with desperate women who are alone for the holiday (giving the episode its aptly-earned name). As with all the greatest HIMYM episodes, “Desperation Days” expertly balances out its infectious humor with more serious thematic discussions, especially when showing Marshall’s difficulty grieving the loss of his father and Ted’s emotional uncertainties about his new girlfriend, Zoey.

The One with the Candy Hearts (Friends)

The very first Valentine’s Day special featured on Friends, “The One with the Candy Hearts” also happens to be among the best holiday-themed episodes ever featured on the series. Boasting three equally satisfying episode subplots, everyone has a chance to shine when it comes to “The One with the Candy Hearts”’s main storylines, from Ross’s brief reunion with Carol to Chandler abruptly dumping his blind date Janice amidst their Valentine’s Day celebration. An early episode from the series’ inaugural season, it’s one of the first Friends episodes that elevated the show from yet another NBC background filler into becoming one of the most defining sitcoms in modern television history.