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For a solid 25 years, NBC ruled over Thursday nights and reigned over sitcoms with their “Must See TV” line ups. Between 1982 and 2006, NBC’s 8pm-10pm Thursday night schedule boasts such classic sitcoms as Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends and The Office, as well as lesser known outliers like Veronica’s Closet, The Single Guy and Boston Common.
Nobody does comedy like NBC used to, but thanks to streaming, you can catch a classic night of NBC Must See TV comedy any Thursday you want.
Enter Decider’s Must See #TBT. Every Thursday, we’ll focus on a specific time period (or theme) and deliver a custom Must See TV line up. This week, we’re getting into the Christmas spirit with episodes of Cheers, Frasier, The Office, and 30 Rock where our favorite characters are forced to spend the holidays on the job.
Cheers
Season 6, Episode 12: “Christmas Cheers”
Original Air Date: December 17, 1987
Rebecca forces everyone to work on Christmas Eve. You would think that would make for fun times and merriment, but the bar is full of depressed customers and the staff is stressed to the max.
[Watch “Christmas Cheers”]
Frasier
Season 1, Episode 12: “Miracle On Third Or Fourth Street”
Original Air Date: December 16, 1993
Frasier volunteers to work on Christmas so he can avoid spending the holidays with his family. However, Frasier gets more than he bargained for because it ends up being a trying night. The only restaurant open is a greasy spoon diner.
[Watch “Miracle On Third Or Fourth Street”]
The Office
Season 3, Episode 10: “A Benihana Christmas”
Original Air Date: December 14, 2006
When Michael gets his heart broken, Andy decides that it’s time for a trip to Benihana’s, or “Asian Hooters.” Elsewhere, Angela takes over the office Christmas party, so Karen and Pam join forces to throw a rival party. Sure, they aren’t working on actual Christmas, but the entire office is dragged into celebrating it together.
[Watch “A Benihana Christmas”]
30 Rock
Season 3, Episode 6: “Christmas Special”
Original Air Date: December 11, 2008
Jack is stuck with his cantankerous mother, Colleen (Elaine Stritch), after he accidentally hits her with his car. So, to get away from her, he demands that Liz and the TGS staff put on a live Christmas show.
[Watch “Christmas Special”]
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Photos: NBC
