A Definitive Guide to the Best St. Patrick’s Day TV Episodes
The luckiest day of the year is almost here. That’s right, St. Patrick’s Day is on the way, which means folks across the world are ready to raise a toast to those sneaky leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, and pots-o-gold.
Though this moment of green-soaked bacchanalia isn’t the most obvious cause for small-screen celebration, there have still been plenty of excellent TV tributes to the Irish holiday. So if you’re looking for a new way to celebrate the occasion, grab a pint and hit play on these essential St. Patrick’s Day television episodes.
2 Broke Girls: "And the Kilt Trip" (Season 3, Episode 19)
Caroline (Beth Behrs) tries to join in on the festivities with Max (Kat Dennings) and the rest of the diner crew but longs to spend the day partaking in her own St. Patrick’s Day tradition. Unwarranted kisses from “Blarney Bill” at a dive bar versus spending the day at The Plaza Hotel? We’re right there with you, Eloise… We mean, Caroline. Available on The Roku Channel — Jillian Fabiano
30 Rock: "The Funcooker" (Season 3, Episode 14)
Sketch show producer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) faces the fallout after stars Tracy and Jenna (Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski) curse and doze off, respectively, while hosting the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. And she gets jury duty. Available on Peacock and Hulu — Aubry D’Arminio
30 Rock: "St. Patrick's Day" (Season 6, Episode 12)
Liz and her boyfriend Criss (James Marsden) plan to avoid the revelers in New York City by staying inside, ordering Thai food, and laughing at excerpts from Angela’s Ashes. Sadly, they lack the luck of the Irish — and Liz’d ex, Dennis (Dean Winters), ends up crashing their un-party. Available on Peacock and Hulu — Aubry D’Arminio
9-1-1: "Boston" (Season 5, Episode 12)
Not all seasonal celebrations are joyous ones, and Maddie and Chimney (Jennifer Love Hewitt and Kenneth Choi) found that out the hard way in this disastrous episode. In it, Maddie has been recovering from postpartum depression during a break from Chim, and the two reunite at a Patty’s Day parade in Boston… where of course disaster strikes the partying crowd. Available on Hulu — Amanda Bell
The Afterparty: "High School" (Season 1, Episode 5)
The kooky murder-mystery testimonials continue in the style of a teen drama as the reunion attendees revisit a scandalous high school party incident that took place on — you guessed it! — St. Patrick’s Day. Available on Apple TV+ —- Amanda Bell
Beverly Hills, 90210: "The Leprechaun" (Season 9, Episode 19)
Don’t write a check your local leprechaun can’t cash. That’s the moral of the story in this festive episode, which finds the Peach Pit at the center of a lot of action, from a threatened foreclosure to a fake leprechaun that unwittingly ends up in a knife fight to a touching moment of communal charity. Available on Paramount+, Pluto TV, and Prime Video. — Amanda Bell
Bewitched: "The Leprechaun" (Season 2, Episode 27)
Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) may have some strange relatives, but it turns out Darrin (Dick York) is kin to some magical folks himself — namely, a down-on-his-luck leprechaun named Brian O’Brian (Henry Jones), who desperately needs to retrieve his pot of gold from their neighbor’s home if he ever wants to get his immortality back. Avaialble on Roku Channel and Tubi. — Amanda Bell
Boardwalk Empire: "Nights in Ballygran" (Season 1, Episode 5)
But of course a dark drama set in the era of Prohibition would have a killer St. Patrick’s Day episode. In this case, those in search of celebretatory libations are willing to pay a pretty penny, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be on their best behavior. Available on Max — Amanda Bell
Bob’s Burgers: "Flat-Top O' the Morning to Ya" (Season 10, Episode 16)
After a few too many green beers, Linda Belcher (John Roberts) dyes all of the ground beef at the restaurant green. Sure, Saint Patrick’s Day is great for shamrock shakes, green beer, and maybe even green eggs, but green beef? Not so much. Linda decides to make free sliders to give away to the hungry and (very) drunk people at the St. Patrick’s Day festival. Thankfully, Linda has the luck of the Irish on her side, and all the party-goers end up going to the restaurant after for more food. Available on Hulu — Jillian Fabiano
Charmed: "Lucky Charmed" (Season 5, Episode 17)
Cheers: "Bar Wars VII: The Naked Prey" (Season 11, Episode 19)
The Cheers gang and their nemesis at Gary’s Old Towne Tavern compete over which bar will make the most sales on St. Patrick’s Day. When the battle ends, only one bar is left standing (hint, hint). The best bit: Cheers owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and the gang sing “Getting to Know You” a cappella…and in the nude. Available on Paramount+ — Aubry D’Arminio
Futurama: "Luck of the Fryrish" (Season 3, Episode 10)
restaurant green. Sure, Saint Patrick’s Day is great for shamrock shakes, green beer, and maybe even green eggs, but green beef? Not so much. Linda decides to make free sliders to give away to the hungry and (very) drunk people at the St. Patrick’s Day festival. Thankfully, Linda has the luck of the Irish on her side, and all the party-goers end up going to the restaurant after for more food. Available on Hulu — Jillian Fabiano
How I Met Your Mother: "No Tomorrow" (Season 3, Episode 12)
If you think that Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) would do anything other than “go big” for Saint Patrick’s Day, then you are sadly mistaken. Barney and Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) go to a bar to “party like there’s no tomorrow.” (In reality, they party until there’s no recollection of the night.) While the pair is out, Ted discovers that for one night only, the universe rewards him for every bad deed that he does. And it was legend — wait for it — dary. Here’s to waking up like Barney the morning after St.Patrick’s Day this year! Sláinte! Available on Hulu — Jillian Fabiano
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: "Charlie Catches a Leprechaun" (Season 11, Episode 8)
In this episode of It’s Always Sunny, Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) catches what he thinks to be a leprechaun, which unfortunately for Charlie (and the poor man) turns out to be just a normal person. We guess drinking a gallon of paint doesn’t help with a leprechaun search. Available on Hulu — Jillian Fabiano
The Office: "St. Patrick’s Day" (Season 6, Episode 19)
The March holiday is a huge deal to the denizens of Scranton, Pennsylvania. So manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and his employees at the Dunder Mifflin paper company are extra bummed when new hard-charging CEO Jo Bennett (Kathy Bates) makes them stay late. Now, if only they could find a way to sneak out… Available on Peacock — Aubry D’Arminio
The Real O’Neals: "The Real Lent" (Season 1, Episode 3)
Nothing gets more Irish than ABC’s sitcom, The Real O’Neals, centered around an Irish Catholic family. While preparing for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, Pat O’Neal (Jay R. Ferguson) is faced with a big problem: Not only does his daughter Shannon (Bebe Wood) not want to participate in the parade, she also gets her first period. We don’t think he added this to the list when planning out the day’s festivities! Available on Hulu — Jillian Fabiano
The Simpsons: "Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment" (Season 8, Episode 18)
St. Patrick’s Day becomes a dry affair for Springfield after Bart accidentally imbibes and the town enacts Prohibition. Bart won’t have it, of course, and decides to take up bootlegging to keep the brew flowing for himself and all his friends. Available on Disney+ — Amanda Bell
