The 100th episode of a sitcom is considered a huge milestone for several reasons, including marking when a series will likely be put into syndication. However, Streaming has changed the importance of syndication since shows on a streaming platform can be watched or rewatched at any time. Also, most TV shows today tend to have shorter and fewer seasons, not getting anywhere near the 100-episode milestone. This is why it can be interesting to look back at comedy shows that did hit the 100-episode mark.

To celebrate hitting 100 episodes, some the best sitcoms to celebrate themselves and remind fans of their history, although the best ones also demonstrate that the series still has more stories to tell.

10 Season 5, Episode 28 (finale), “Company Picnic”

The Office

The Office made its fifth season finale feel special by taking everyone out of the office and setting the episode outdoors at a company picnic. Two former guest stars return: Amy Ryan as Michael’s love interest, Holly Flax, and Idris Elba as Charles Miner. The episode, written by Paul Lieberstein and Jennifer Celotta, features a comedic sketch about the history of Dunder Mifflin, serving as a meta way for the show to celebrate itself.

While Pam and Jim discover they are pregnant in this episode, it isn’t even one of the most defining episodes for Jim and Pam’s relationship.

These are all things that elevate the episode, but The Office has other episodes that are more iconic and memorable. While Pam and Jim discover they are pregnant in this episode, it isn’t even one of the most defining episodes for Jim and Pam’s relationship. “Company Picnic” is a serviceable 100th episode, but other shows go bigger and better.

9 Season 6, Episode 10, “Second Chunce”

Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope finds herself at an inflection point in Parks and Recreation’s 100th episode - it’s her last day as a Pawnee City Councilor after being recalled. Leslie considers a last-minute bid to run when another councilor has a sex scandal, but ultimately, she decides to dream bigger. This episode flips the script of what I expect from a 100th episode – Leslie’s accomplishments are being undone, ending on a fresh and potentially better start, but it’s not a straightforwardly joyous event like a wedding.

“Second Chunce” was written by Amy Poehler and showrunner Michael Schur, which makes sense as they know Leslie better than anyone. Parks and Recreation has more iconic episodes than this, and it feels like they did not take full advantage of celebrating the show in its 100th episode. This is more of a closing of a chapter as Parks and Recreation heads into a new era at the end of its sixth season with the Parcs and Rec's season 7 three-year time jump.

8 Season 5, Episode 4, “The 1000th Show”

Frasier

Frasier’s 100th episode is a meta celebration, as Frasier Crane realizes his 1000th radio broadcast is approaching and convinces the station to organize a public event at Seattle’s Space Needle. The episode is a love letter to Frasier as a character and the city of Seattle, with the episode actually filmed on location in Seattle and featuring much of the city’s iconic imagery.

What made this episode special was its self-referential nature.

It honored Frasier’s journey from Cheers to his own show while showcasing the real-world impact of the series on the city it was set in. Frasier was one of the early sitcoms to turn its 100th episode into a major event, which future sitcoms would build on. The episode was co-written by Christopher Lloyd, who later co-created Modern Family. It perfectly blended humor, nostalgia, and a celebration of its devoted audience.

7 Season 5, Episode 12, “Girls Versus Suits”

How I Met Your Mother

“Girls Versus Suits” brings Ted tantalizingly close to meeting the Mother. He’s dating her roommate, but he finds himself drawn to Mother’s possessions around the apartment. The show had to address the mother in some way, but what the episode is best ed for is Barney’s elaborate musical fantasy sequence, “Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit,” when a girl gives him an ultimatum between the suits and herself.

Written by How I Met Your Mother series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and directed by the show’s recurring director Pamela Fryman, this episode could have been far more self-referential and meta. There is a very fun guest appearance by Project Runway’s Tim Gunn playing himself as Barney’s personal tailor. While the episode is memorable for Barney’s showstopping musical number, the rest is solid yet fairly standard HIMYM fare. Interesting, "Girls Versus Suits" is Neil Patrick Harris' favorite episode.

6 Season 5, Episode 3, “The One Hundredth” or “The One with the Triplets”

Friends

Friends celebrated its 100th episode with the culmination of Phoebe’s surrogacy storyline as she gave birth to the triplets. “The One Hundredth” is set entirely at the hospital, making it a rare Friends episode not to feature any of the regular sets. The show gave Phoebe a chance to show her dramatic side when she says a private goodbye to the three infants she carried to term for her brother.

Friends’ 100th episode was written series creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who balanced humor with genuine emotion as Phoebe struggled with the bittersweet reality of giving up the babies she carried. The title is technically “The One Hundredth," although people refer to it as “The One with the Triplets," breaking the show’s episode name formula. This highlights what an important milestone 100 was. The episode showed Friends' ability to mix absurdity—like Joey’s kidney stones—with touching moments, a signature of the show’s success.

5 Season 5, Episode 4, “Purple Rain”

Black-ish

Black-ish had many episodes that played with genre, and the show went all-in to create a unique 100th episode: a musical fantasy tribute to the music and cultural importance of Prince. Black-ish excelled at using its platform to entertain and inform, and in "Purple Rain,” the older Johnson family educate the twins on the legacy of Prince. No expense was spared in recreating iconic costumes and full musical sequences.

What made this episode special was how it blended nostalgia, humor, and heartfelt moments while continuing the show’s tradition of tackling Black history and culture. Black-ish fully committed itself to a standalone Prince episode, instead of having a major character moment, a bold decision for a 100th episode that paid off.

4 Season 6, Episodes 14 & 15, “The Highlights of 100"

Seinfeld

Seinfeld broke the sitcom mold by being a show about nothing, inventing the hangout sitcom. As such, it’s fitting that Seinfeld did not have a traditional 100th episode. Instead, the special two-part episode opens with Jerry breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience, talking about his pride in the show making it to episode 100. Aside from Jerry’s intro, there is no new footage. Instead, it is a highlight reel of some of the best clips from the show’s first 100 episodes.

“The Highlights of 100” reinforced Seinfeld’s cultural impact, making everyday minutiae relatably laughable. The clip show reminded audiences of its most iconic moments, from “No soup for you!” to Kramer’s wild entrances, solidifying the series' status as a pop culture phenomenon. However, as a non-narrative highlight reel, I can’t justify putting Seinfeld in the top three best 100th sitcom episodes.

3 Season 5, Episode 6, “Reagan”

New Girl

New Girl was built around the persona of Zooey Deschanel’s Jessica Day, so when Deschanel’s pregnancy led to Jess being temporarily written off New Girl season 5, it could have gutted the series. Instead, they pivoted and made some magic by bringing in Megan Fox to play Reagan, a character so different than Jess that the new energy was an exciting change of pace. “Reagan” happened to be New Girl’s 100th episode, making Reagan the new “new girl” in the loft.

New Girl so deftly turned what could have been a production nightmare into a fresh creative direction, an impressive feat. Instead of celebrating New Girl’s past, the show literally introduces a new “new girl” and looks towards the future, proving there is still a lot of humor to mine from the ing characters in Jess’s absence.

2 Season 5, Episodes 20 & 21 “100”

30 Rock

As a TV show about making a TV show, 30 Rock was always meta, and they really took advantage of it to highlight making it to 100 episodes. TGS is on the brink of cancellation, but Jack Donaghy negotiates for the chance to prove its worth at its 100th episode special. “100” pulls out all the stops, everything from a Tom Hanks cameo to a gas leak that saves the show.

In the most meta moment, Jack convinces Tracy Jordan that the only way for a movie actor to lose the public’s respect is to return to television, an allusion to Baldwin’s career at the time.

Written by 30 Rock creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, this two-part episode celebrates the show while also taking the zaniness up a notch. In the most meta moment, Jack convinces Tracy Jordan that the only way for a movie actor to lose the public’s respect is to return to television, an allusion to Baldwin’s career at the time. “100” is a perfect 100th sitcom episode.

1 Season 5, Episodes 9 & 10, “99” & “Game Night"

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Brooklyn Nine-Nine fittingly turned its 99th and 100th episodes into major milestones. Not released as a two-part episode but considered together, “99” and “Game Night” perfectly celebrate Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s past while opening new doors for the future. “99” is a road trip, following the tradition of many 100th episodes that take characters out of their usual locations. There are so many Easter eggs: Jake Peralta has the chance to go to the site of Nakatomi Plaza, the location of Die Hard, his favorite movie, and the whole squad stays overnight at a Boyle cousin cattle stud farm.

In “Game Night,” one of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's most powerful episodes, Rosa Diaz comes out to her parents as bisexual, and in a devastating but realistic storyline, they do not fully accept her identity. This is a major emotional moment for the show, which has always embraced diversity, when the squad steps in to Rosa's journey. Celebrating found family is a beautiful way to celebrate the show in its 100th episode while showing that the characters still have more facets to explore.