From Gilmore Girls to Broad City, these television episodes' plots were all centered around the fact that it was a main character’s birthday. From there, events unfurl, and more often than not it’s a result of some plans for said birthday going horribly wrong and the rest of the characters scrambling to fix it.
Regardless, the end results are often some touching interactions, great character development, or just some hilarious chaos for the audience to enjoy. Whatever the draw may have been, these are the best episodes to watch either on or to get someone excited about their own birthday.
Not everyone can handle the truth, which is a problem if you want a roast for your birthday. Such is the case with Roger’s birthday, where the Smith family give him what they thought he wanted and do not hold back, going after his various addictions and promiscuity just to name a few things.
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Far from enjoying himself or the jokes at his expense, Roger lashes out in the most extreme (or in this case, Roger-like) way possible: swearing revenge on the entire family, going so far as to chase them into space and forcing them to roast each other. The Smiths eventually help Roger realize that being a part of a family means being able to tell each other the ugly truth and still loving each other at the end of the day, which leads Roger to conclude that his birthday was “fun” after all.
9Bunheads - “Movie Truck” (Season 1, Episode 6)
Who says you’re too old for birthdays? Michelle’s (Sutton Foster) mother-in-law, for one. But that doesn’t stop her from being determined to have a Vegas-style birthday party in the sleepy town of Paradise, California, especially when her fun-loving best friend and former fellow showgirl arrives in town.
Along with the socially awkward Truly (Stacey Oristano), the three women head out on the town, getting drunk and eating cupcakes straight from an ATM. Though Michelle ends the episode questioning the state of her life, she’s assured by her friend that she still has a nice life ahead of her, even if it’s not the one she originally planned.
8Parks and Recreation - “Eagleton” (Season 3, Episode 12)
Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) is what you might call a private person. Which in this case means that it takes years of prying and dumb luck just for his co-worker and friend, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) to figure out when his birthday is. Throughout the episode, Ron acts like a hunted animal, too scared to even go home out of fear that Leslie will surprise him with a party.
Just when it seems like he’s begrudgingly accepted his fate, Leslie does a 180 and throws him a party that suits him perfectly: a war movie and steak dinner for one. This episode showed not just how well Leslie knew Ron, but that she cared about him enough to curb her enthusiasm if it meant making him happy on his special day.
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Sometimes parents just forget things, like one of their kids' birthdays. On the same night as his sister’s graduation, David (Dan Levy) is taken out for his birthday as consolation for his family’s lapse in memory by his business partner, Patrick (Noah Reid).
What starts out as a platonic dinner at the café, soon becomes something more sweet and intimate when Patrick gifts David with something to commemorate their first sale at the store, showing the normally cynical David just how far he’s come and earning his sincere gratitude. The night ends with a romantic kiss, marking the beginning of one of the show’s most beloved relationships.
6Letterkenny - “Daryl’s Super Soft Birthday” (Season 1, Episode 2)
What are friends for? Apparently throwing you birthday parties that you definitely don’t want. From the time he was young, Daryl (Nathan Dales) has been thrown what his friends refer to as a “super soft birthday party” which have a particularly girly aesthetic and include things like a cupcake decoration station, feather boas, plastic tiaras and an actual pony dressed up as a unicorn.
Though the episode mines comedy out of Darry’s extreme resistance and his friends' over-the-top commitment to it, the episode’s emotional pay-off comes from Daryl admitting that he mainly goes along with the parties because his friends were never allowed to celebrate birthdays themselves, and this is his gift to them every year.
This series has always acted as something of a love letter to the real New York City. And this episode’s setting of St. Mark’s Place is no exception. Abbi (Abbi Jacobson) and Ilana (Ilana Glazer) head down this street for the latter’s birthday and just like everything else in this series, nothing but chaos ensues: they run into some obnoxious old friends, wind up in an epic chase when Ilana’s gift gets stolen, and even befriend a giant tree.
When things eventually settle down, however, the night ends with the two of them positively reflecting on the year they’ve had and excitedly making plans for the year to come.
4Modern Family - “Leap Day” (Season 3, Episode 17)
It’s always nice when a plan comes together, especially when it’s for someone you love. That’s usually not the way it goes on this show. Everyone in the Pritchett-Dunphy clan prepare to celebrate Leap Day, especially Cam (Eric Stonestreet) who happens to have a leap year birthday, for which he’s only had ten official ones.
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Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) decides to celebrate by throwing an epicWizard of Ozthemed party, that happens to coincide with a twister that hits Cam’s hometown that same day. When Mitch’s hasty backup plan ends with Cam falling apart over turning forty, he realizes that what his partner actually needs is a fun day at a local amusement park with their family to really enjoy his ‘tenth’ birthday.
3Bob’s Burgers - “Eat, Spray, Linda” (Season 5, Episode 18)
Some people just don’t like a yearly reminder that they’re getting older, like the Belcher’s matriarch, Linda. Despite her feelings, her family still tries to make it a nice day by doing a DIY spa day at home. Unfortunately, a series of bad luck unfolds when they send her out of the house to buy some more time while they set up.
She locks her keys in her car, ruins her clothes, gets lost by the side of the road, and has an unwelcome encounter with a skunk. Twice. Meanwhile, her family, inspired by places they go with her for fun, journey all over town to find her. In the end, Linda gets her spa day as well as a newfound pride in her own resilience and accepts that maybe getting older isn’t as bad as she thought after all.
2New Girl - “The Story of the 50” (Season 1, Episode 10)
No, actually this is not about a character turning 50, but rather 29. The title of this season oneNew Girlepisode refers to a running gag on the show where Schmidt (Max Greenfield) places money in a jar every time he says or does something his roommates find unacceptable. In this instance, he had done something on his birthday that cost him fifty dollars. Told through flashbacks, Jess (Zoey Deschanel) takes over the role of party planner as the loft mates and several of their friends go around town on a party bus.
Watching the comedic interactions on the bus as well as the various callbacks to the birthday traditions the gang started in their youth is already entertaining. But the sweetest parts arguably come from the moments shared between Jess and Schmidt, whose friendship seemed to be cemented in this episode. One moment, in particular, makes everything come full circle and explains why Schmidt owed so much money, and rightly so.
1Gilmore Girls - “Rory’s Birthday Parties” (Season 1, Episode 6)
Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Emily (Kelly Bishop) have never really been able to see eye to eye on anything, even, it seems, how to celebrate Rory’s (Alexis Bledel) birthday. Though it seems like mother and daughter have finally found some common ground, things take a turn for the worst when Emily oversteps and invites Rory’s snobby classmates from her private school to the party, something that causes a rift between her and Rory, as well as with Lorelai.
Though the women eventually reconcile and Rory gets the party she actually wanted, Emily is forced to accept that she needs to make more of an effort to get to know the girls.
