The 19 Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes, Ranked

6 days ago 13

If there’s one happening much dysfunctional than gathering astir the meal array to inquire weird relatives you (thankfully) spot lone erstwhile a twelvemonth to walk the mashed potatoes and reason astir politics, it’s watching the fictional characters of your favourite TV shows and sitcoms bash the same. Whether they’re disagreeing astir religion, bringing a narcoleptic to dinner, oregon serving up a broadside of salmonella with their turkey, here’s our definitive usher to the champion Turkey Day-themed TV episodes. Let the arguments begin.

19. The Office – “WUPHF.com”

Though Christmas tends to beryllium the bigger vacation for the employees of Dunder Mifflin, this occurrence sees Dwight attempting to erase the puerility trauma caused by his household creating competing “hay festivals” each Thanksgiving wherever helium was ne'er crowned king. In bid to close that wrong, helium turns the parking batch into his ain festival, each with the extremity of yet taking that hay crown helium believes helium deserves. Because, really, isn’t that what the tone of the vacation is each about?

Where to stream: Netflix

18. All successful the Family – “The Little Atheist”

Archie Bunker ne'er met a idiosyncratic helium didn’t disagree with—perhaps nary much vehemently than his wide son-in-law, Mike Stivic. No substance what the occasion, simply placing these 2 wrong shouting region of each different was usually each it took to ignite a screaming match. And successful the lawsuit of “The Little Atheist,” the quarrel successful question revolved astir Mike’s alternatively carefree cognition toward the religion of his unborn child. Archie wants him to beryllium baptized and raised arsenic a Christian; Mike thinks his kid should beryllium allowed to marque up their ain mind. Even 40 years later, the occurrence inactive hits location for its precise straightforward—and familiar—approach to dealing with in-laws.

17. South Park – “Helen Keller! The Musical”

South Park has ne'er played by the rules, which is portion of its enduring popularity. It’s besides what makes South Park’s mentation of a “Thanksgiving episode”—an irreverent philharmonic accumulation of The Miracle Worker, implicit with pyrotechnics and a daredevil turkey—hardly surprising, arsenic it’s coming from the brilliantly disturbed minds of Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

16. Orange Is the New Black – “Fucksgiving”

Piper Chapman is astir to acquisition her archetypal Thanksgiving portion being incarcerated but is besides anticipating a sojourn from her fiancé, Larry. Before helium arrives, immoderate of the inmates statesman dancing—and erstwhile Piper and Alex articulation in, the spot of harmless amusive spirals into a assertion that the 2 women had been spotted doing much than dancing successful the shower, and Piper is sent to solitary confinement. While Larry frantically tries to find retired what happened to Piper, Piper is disquieted that she’ll walk the adjacent respective months retired of sight. But her clip unsocial with a moldy bologna sandwich for meal proves to beryllium a turning constituent for her … and her narration with Alex.

15. Seinfeld – “The Mom & Pop Store”

Like immoderate occurrence of Seinfeld, determination are aggregate plots happening successful “The Mom & Pop Store,” but they’re each happening astatine Thanksgiving time, and galore of the episode’s precocious points revolve specifically astir the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Among the highlights: Elaine helps her boss, Mr. Pitt, triumph a accidental to aviator the Woody the Woodpecker balloon by correctly identifying a opus connected a vigor contention … but Jerry aboriginal punctures the balloon erstwhile helium drops an Empire State Building statue retired the bureau model of frenemy Tim Whatley (Bryan Cranston, successful an aboriginal role). The occurrence was inspired by real-life footage of a deflated Woody Woodpecker balloon making its mode down the parade way but is astir apt amended known for the Midnight Cowboy-inspired plotline that sees George purchasing (maybe) Jon Voight’s LeBaron convertible and Jerry walking astir the metropolis successful a brace of slippery cowboy boots.

14. Bob’s Burgers – “Turkey successful a Can”

Thanksgiving has go a large woody for Bob’s Burgers, which present has a sizable postulation of hilarious, holiday-themed episodes. But the show’s 2nd one, “Turkey successful a Can,” edges retired the contention for its inventive mixing of genres. Bob is preparing the vacation vertebrate for a peculiar three-day brine erstwhile it mysteriously finds its mode into the toilet. While everyone denies having thing to bash with the turkey’s relocation, they’re each inactive suspects—so Louise goes each Forensic Files and launches a full-scale probe to retired the culprit. Meanwhile, Bob has to edifice to a one-day brine but buys an other “decoy” turkey to assistance place the blameworthy enactment (which leads to an awkward brushwood with the butcher).

13. M.A.S.H. – “The Yalu Brick Road”

M.A.S.H. was ever up of its time, daring to spell places fewer different bid of the clip would. Case successful point: seeing Klinger (Jamie Farr) service up a Thanksgiving feast with an unexpected dose of salmonella that sickens astir of the camp. The episode, which was written by Mike Farrell (who played Captain B. J. Hunnicutt), is simply a shining illustration of M.A.S.H.’s quality to propulsion wit from the astir (literally) achy places—and 1 of the episode’s champion lines belongs to Rizzo (G. W. Bailey): “You cognize however you consciousness aft you devour excessively galore blistery dogs and portion excessively overmuch inexpensive booze ... I privation I felt that good.”

12. Gilmore Girls – “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”

After 3 seasons of watching Lorelai and Rory Gilmore regularly indulge successful immoderate junk nutrient they tin find, their appetites for overconsumption are yet enactment to the trial erstwhile they accidental yes to 4 abstracted Thanksgiving meal invitations—each 1 a small antithetic than the past (it kicks disconnected with a tofurky). The existent dainty successful the episode, however, isn’t successful seeing whether the mom-daughter squad tin propulsion it disconnected and inactive beryllium lasting astatine the end, but witnessing a precise drunk Sookie (played by Melissa McCarthy) springiness america what mightiness beryllium our precise archetypal glimpse astatine the raucous drama chops she has since go famous—and Oscar-nominated—for.

11. The Simpsons – “Bart vs. Thanksgiving”

The Simpsons whitethorn person the marketplace cornered connected Halloween, but this occurrence taps into the Thanksgiving spirit—family arguments and all—when Bart accidentally breaks a array centerpiece that Lisa made and runs distant from home. After spending the vacation astatine a stateless shelter, Bart develops a deeper appreciation for his family. He returns location to marque amends with his distraught sister, and the household each gathers unneurotic to excavation into a circular of leftovers.

10. The Sopranos – “He Is Risen”

The Sopranos was ne'er a feel-good benignant of show, and nary magnitude of holidays spent with household (blood oregon otherwise) was going to alteration that. In this peculiar episode, the holidays person arrived and caused a spot of chaos arsenic Carmela prepares to big a increasing fig of guests—including Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano), who is butting heads with Tony implicit a fig of issues, including a greeting that Tony took arsenic disrespectful—and Ralph viciously murders 1 of the strippers astatine the Bing. While the occurrence does diagnostic excessively overmuch Jackie Jr. (any magnitude of Jackie Jr. is excessively overmuch Jackie Jr.), it makes up for it by introducing Aaron Arkaway, Janice’s fellow and Christian songwriting partner. Arkaway suffers from narcolepsy and can’t support his eyes unfastened during dinner, but helium is excited to denote the quality that “He is risen” to everyone who enters the Soprano home. And you thought your household had problems.

9. The Wonder Years – “The Ties That Bind”

There comes a clip successful each kid’s beingness erstwhile they yet recognize that their parents person identities beyond conscionable “mom” and “dad,” and that there’s an full past to that narration that they’ll apt ne'er cognize oregon understand. That infinitesimal comes connected Thanksgiving Day for Kevin Arnold. When his father, Jack, asks for a rise astatine enactment truthful that helium tin bargain his woman a caller stove, his brag agrees and adjacent offers him a promotion. Except the promotion comes with a catch: Jack volition request to walk a batch of clip connected the road, including Thanksgiving Day. Though Kevin’s ma attempts to enactment connected a blessed face, Jack’s lack is profoundly felt passim the family—especially erstwhile it comes clip to carve the turkey. But the usually thrifty Jack surprises the full household erstwhile helium forks implicit immoderate superior currency to alert location astatine the past minute, not to stock meal with his family, but simply to walk an hr with them astatine the airdrome earlier turning close backmost around. Somehow, it’s much than enough.

8. Mad Men – “The Wheel”

Of each the alleged “difficult men” who person travel to specify the latest Golden Age of television, Mad Men’s Don Draper/Dick Whitman mightiness beryllium the astir complicated—and with bully reason. He’s got an envy-worthy advertizing career, a woman and kids who emotion him, and the cleanable suburban home, but it’s not capable for Draper. As a antheral who is hiding who helium truly is from the world, it’s due that his seemingly cleanable veneer would travel crashing down astir Thanksgiving. After Don makes it wide to his woman that helium doesn’t privation to walk the vacation with her family, Betty—in 1 of her archetypal acts of defiance against her husband—takes their kids and leaves without him portion Don is astatine work. Over astatine Sterling Cooper, Don learns that his younger member Adam has killed himself (largely owed to Don’s rejection of his past, oregon transportation to his biologic family). At the aforesaid time, he’s tasked with pitching Kodak connected their latest innovation: a photograph projector that Don calls “the Carousel.” It’s during his presumption to Kodak, wherever helium uses images of his ain household to wow institution reps by showing them the value of the instrumentality they person created, that Don yet (maybe) realizes what’s genuinely important and rushes location to beryllium with his household … lone to find an bare house. Like truthful galore of Mad Men’s champion episodes, it’s some a harbinger of what Don’s aboriginal volition look similar and a metaphor for the beingness helium has built for himself: an charismatic bundle with thing inside. (Peggy, too, deals with the hard decisions that travel with balancing idiosyncratic and nonrecreational lives.)

7. Bewitched – “Samantha's Thanksgiving to Remember”

Two words: Witch hunt! To assistance get Samantha and Darrin Stephens into the vacation spirit, her beloved Aunt Clara decides to usage the family’s magical powers to nonstop them backmost successful clip to the Pilgrims’ earliest days successful Plymouth, Massachusetts. But what could beryllium a fascinating past acquisition turns into a life-or-death concern erstwhile Darrin lights a lucifer helium has brought with him from the (then) contiguous time and is accused of witchcraft. Then it's up to Samantha to prevention her husband. Innovative drama similar this serves arsenic a large reminder of conscionable however entertaining (and cutting-edge) Bewitched was.

6. It’s Always Sunny successful Philadelphia – “The Gang Squashes Their Beefs”

The pack from Paddy’s Pub isn’t known for their altruism, but successful the sanction of Thanksgiving—and a fistful of forgiveness-related clichés, similar “bury the hatchet” and “wipe the slate clean,” which they instrumentality precise literally—they determine to big a meal and invitation conscionable a fewer of the hundreds of radical they’ve wronged implicit the years. The McPoyles are determination (thankfully), arsenic are Bill Ponderosa and Gail the Snail, with Rickety Cricket showing up later. But if you deliberation this meal ends peacefully, you’ve intelligibly ne'er seen an occurrence of Sunny.

5. Friends – “The One With All the Thanksgivings”

Over the people of its 10 seasons, Friends seldom met a vacation it didn’t privation to enactment its idiosyncratic stamp connected successful immoderate mode (see: The Holiday Armadillo), but the bid had a peculiar affinity for Thanksgiving. Its creators produced plentifulness of turkey-themed filler implicit the years, each with its charms (and acceptable of fans). But play 5’s fowl-fest is loaded with amusive flashbacks arsenic the pack shares stories astir their worst-ever Thanksgivings, and besides moves Monica and Chandler’s budding romance guardant astatine the aforesaid time. Plus, a earthy turkey is utilized arsenic headgear successful a mode that Mr. Bean would beryllium arrogant of.

4. The West Wing – “Shibboleth”

President Jed Bartlet knows a batch of things astir a batch of things—including that it takes a precise peculiar weapon to decently carve a Thanksgiving turkey. So helium sends Charlie connected a chaotic goose (turkey?) pursuit to find just the close one, explaining the value that a carving weapon holds successful a household and however it should beryllium passed down from begetter to lad … past helium gifts Charlie with his ain family’s carving knife. (OK, it’s benignant of sappy, but it works.) The item of the episode, however, is erstwhile C.J. is enactment successful complaint of deciding which of 2 turkeys is the much photogenic and, arsenic such, much deserving of the yearly statesmanlike turkey pardon. Seeing the usually chill C.J. sauntering into her office, lone to find a brace of turkeys hanging retired there, is worthy the terms of admission.

3. Cheers – “Thanksgiving Orphans”

Before Friends had the NBC monopoly connected Thanksgiving, determination was Cheers. In this classical episode, Carla has the location to herself arsenic her many, galore kids are disconnected with their dad, Nick. So, arsenic everyone else’s plans statesman to autumn apart, she agrees to big dinner—as agelong arsenic it’s potluck. But arsenic is truthful often the lawsuit with this benignant of setup, things don’t spell according to plan. In particular? Norm’s turkey … which seems lone to get colder the longer it cooks successful the oven. As hunger strikes and tempers boil, the occurrence turns into an epic nutrient fight—one successful which the closest we ever get to seeing Norm’s woman Vera is ruined erstwhile she is deed successful the look with a pumpkin pie.

2. Master of None – “Thanksgiving”

While cooking snafus, long-simmering sibling rivalries, and heated dinner-table debates are astir arsenic precocious arsenic the stakes get successful a emblematic Thanksgiving episode, Master of None utilized the vacation arsenic a touchstone for Denise’s coming-out story. Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe cowrote the episode, which follows the Thanksgivings their characters person shared unneurotic since childhood. It besides offers a moving past of Waithe’s character, Denise, coming to presumption with her ain sexuality and yet coming retired to her parent (played by Angela Bassett), who gradually grows to judge her daughter. Ansari and Waithe won the 2017 Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for “Thanksgiving,” and Bassett earned a motion for Outstanding Guest Actress successful a Comedy Series.

1. WKRP successful Cincinnati – “Turkeys Away”

WKRP successful Cincinnati mightiness not beryllium arsenic well-remembered contiguous arsenic immoderate of its precocious 1970s/early '80s sitcom counterparts, but it should be—if lone for delivering what is undoubtedly television’s greatest-ever Thanksgiving episode. In an effort to drum up immoderate PR for the holidays, WKRP presumption manager Arthur Carlson comes up with the worst publicity stunt of each time: Drop unrecorded turkeys retired of a helicopter. As if buttoned-up quality manager Les Nessman’s unrecorded play-by-play of the chaos weren’t enough—"Oh my God, they’re turkeys!” “They’re crashing to the world close successful beforehand of our eyes!” “Oh, the humanity!” “The turkeys are hitting the crushed similar sacks of bedewed cement!”—it’s Carlson’s last admittance that steals the episode: “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” You’ll person to fork implicit $1.99 to rent it connected Apple TV, but it’s the cleanable mode to extremity a Thanksgiving meal.


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