Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
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 The Cosby Show, 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.
In honor of the upcoming school year, we’ve compiled four hilarious episodes of NBC sitcoms — including some favorites from NBC’s “Comedy Night Done Right” era (2006-2013) — for a special “Back to School” Must See #TBT.
The Cosby Show, Season 2, Episode 1: “First Day At School”
Original Air Date: September 26, 1985
The phrase “First Day At School” should automatically evoke early childhood memories of plaid skirts, sharpened pencils and wholesome family values. The Cosby Show nails all this and more with its trademark humor in its second season premiere.
Stream “First Day At School.” [Hulu Plus]
A Different World, Season 1, Episode 1: “Reconcilable Differences”
Original Air Date: September 24, 1987
American audiences loved the Huxtable clan so much that we insisted on following Denise (Lisa Bonet) to college in the spin-off series, A Different World. In the series premiere, Denise has to adjust to university life and awkward living arrangements.
Stream “Reconcilable Differences.” [Hulu Plus]
30 Rock, Season 3, Episode 5: “Reunion”
Original Air Date: December 4, 2008
It’s one thing to tackle your insecurities on the first day of school. It’s a completely different battle to revisit your awkward younger self as an adult. Liz Lemon thinks she’s going to have to face her high school bullies at a class reunion in this episode, but then she discovers that she was the biggest mean girl the whole time.
Stream “Reunion.” [Netflix]
Community: Season 1, Episode 23: “Modern Warfare”
Original Air Date: May 6, 2010
If A Different World tackled the strange anomie of being a teenager thrust suddenly into an adult world with kindness and grace, then Community did so with absolute manic absurdity. In “Modern Warfare,” Jeff awakes from a nap to discover that Greendale Community College has been overturned by a high-stakes paintball challenge. What follows is mayhem, hilarity and a long-awaited hook up.
Stream “Modern Warfare.” [Hulu Plus]
Like what you see? Follow Decider on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation, and sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know about streaming movies and TV news!
Photos: NBC
