Sitcoms are all about following characters through their everyday lives. From watching them struggle at work to deal with family problems at home, everyone has a sitcom they can relate to. There's never a shortage of conflict and when there are, sitcoms tend to lean into popular episode themes like the birthday episode.
The theme has been around since the dawn of the genre, with even I Love Lucy airing a birthday episode once or twice. The best part of the birthday sitcom episode is no two episodes are alike. From disastrous surprise birthdays to hilarious adult birthdays, there's no shortage of laughs and conflict.
The Goldbergs: "You're Not Invited" (Season 1, Episode 20) - 8.1
ABC's hit sitcom The Goldbergs set the bar high for itself when it aired a hilarious and memorable birthday episode during the show's first season. While Adam plans to spend his birthday playing laser tag with his friends, his older Barry convinces him to throw a secret make-out party so he can finally kiss his crush.
"You're Not Invited" taps into the hilarious and awkward birthday traditions of adolescence, especially since Adam's mom tries to crash the party to stop it from happening.
The Office: "Michael's Birthday" (Season 2, Episode 19) - 8.1
While The Office has aired a handful of birthday episodes, one of the most hilarious and underrated Office episodes is "Michael's Birthday" from season 2. Unlike most adults, Michael Scott is excited to celebrate his birthday but his coworkers are preoccupied worrying about another coworker's health. To cheer everyone up and celebrate his birthday, Michael takes everyone to an ice rink where chaos ensues.
Not only is "Michael's Birthday" a fun birthday-themed episode, but it's also one of the few times The Office left the actual office space during an episode. The scenes at the ice rink bring all the chaos and laugh fans of The Office had come to expect.
The Middle: "Floating 50" (Season 7, Episode 13) - 8.2
The Heck family had a record for terrible birthdays, often forgetting them all together leaving family members scrambling to make it up the birthday child. However, Mike was determined to celebrate Frankie's 50th birthday by throwing her a surprise party. Unfortunately, Mike forgets to put someone in charge of Frankie and she ends up snowed in inside Sue's college dorm.
"Floating 50" is a hilarious episode of The Middle that sees the Heck's try to break their bad luck, only to have their bad luck take on new forms. It's also a great birthday episode with an important moral message: make sure someone is in charge of the surprise birthday person.
New Girl: "Birthday" (Season 3, Episode 13) - 8.4
Not everyone likes to celebrate their birthdays and surprisingly New Girl's Jess falls into the category - often spending her birthday alone. Wanting to make her day special now that they're together, Nick organizes a surprise party for Jess after a disastrous day.
"Birthday" shows the pros and cons of throwing a surprise party, but the true thing that makes this episode great is the effort Nick puts into making sure Jess has a great day. It's one of the best and most memorable romantic gestures from Nick next to him proposing to Jess.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: "The Party" (Season 1, Episode 16) - 8.5
Brooklyn Nine-Nine wasted no time getting into the birthday spirit during its first season. "The Party" centers on the squad being invited to Captain Holt's birthday party at his house. Fearing his coworkers don't know how to act at an "adult party," Terry gives them a crash course in party etiquette which ends up backfiring.
"The Party" highlights the anxieties of being an adult who is invited to a boss's house to celebrate an occasion. It's hilarious and chaotic and also features Cheddar, the beloved corgi, making it a memorable episode of the show.
Parks And Recreation: "The Master Plan" (Season 2, Episode 23) - 8.6
In America, turning 21 is one of the biggest birthdays of all time, and it also happens to be the last "fun" one. However, April's 21st birthday is largely overlooked in Parks and Recreation because it coincides with the government being audited. Still, April sets out to have an epic party at the Snakehole Lounge which turns chaotic when jealousy begins to fly high.
While April's birthday might not be at the center of this episode, it's still considered a birthday-themed episode. While the episode teaches audiences to manage birthday expectations, it also serves as one of the most romantically chaotic episodes of the series with the characters breaking up and meeting new love interests left and right.
Friends: "The One Where They All Turn Thirty" (Season 7, Episode 14) - 8.6
Friends has dozens of classic episodes but one of the best remains season 7's "The One Where They All Turn Thirty." While the main plot revolves around Rachel's 30th birthday, the episode features flashbacks to how each of the other friends celebrated the big 3-0.
From drunken meltdowns about growing older to not even realizing it's their 30ths birthday, the episode is the perfect embodiment of what turning 30 feels like for many people. After all, Rachel's life plan meltdown is something everyone has experienced at least once in their life.
Modern Family: "Fizbo" (Season 1, Episode 9) - 8.7
Having been on the air for 11 seasons, it's no surprise that Modern Family aired its fair share of birthday-themed episodes. However, they were never able to top the comedy genius that arose from the season 1 birthday episode "Fizbo." While the Dunphys are determined to throw Luke an epic birthday party, Cam takes matters into his own hands crashing the party as Fizbo the clown.
Not only is the episode hilarious, but it's also the first appearance by Cam's Fizbo costume, a running gag that constantly makes appearances in later seasons. While the party ends in disaster, it's a nice reminder that sometimes all that matters is being surrounded by the people who love and care about you.
Schitt's Creek: "Grad Night" (Season 3, Episode 13) - 9.0
"Grad Night" is one of the best Alexis episodes of Schitt's Creek, but it also serves as a heartfelt and memorable birthday episode. The Rose family has a lot going on, so much so that they forgot David's birthday. While David plans to sulk in peace, he gets roped into going to dinner with Patrick which turns out to be a date he didn't know he really needed.
While there's no flashy party at the heart of this birthday episode, there is a lot of heart. Especially when it comes to Patrick's wholesome birthday gift to David which finally makes him realize that Patrick has feelings for him.
One Day At A Time: "Quinces" (Season 1, Episode 13) - 9.2
One Day At A Time ended season 1 with an iconic birthday-themed episode that has yet to be topped. The episode centers around Elena's quinceañera, a family affair that proves to be heartfelt, dramatic, and hilarious. The highlights of the episode include Lydia turning Elena's dress into a tuxedo and the entire family rallying around Elena when her father stands her up for the father-daughter dance.
"Quinces" is iconic for several reasons but one of the main reasons is because it showcases how other cultures celebrate major birthday milestones.