Holiday specials are some of the best episodes for television series, especially sitcoms. They are usually a mix of filler and a surprisingly good plot, making the focus directed at whatever holiday is in that season. It’s not uncommon for holiday episodes to be back-to-back, especially if they’re in the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas order. Since Halloween has come and gone, it’s time to focus on the holiday that glorifies turkey and pilgrims; Thanksgiving. With Turkey Day right around the corner, here’s a list of the best Thanksgiving episodes in TV history, ranked.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Bob’s Burgers (Season 6, Episode 4)
20th Century Fox Television
This series has a lot of touching moments for an animated show about a family running a burger joint, and this Thanksgiving episode is the perfect mix of touching family moments, as well as hilarious scenes. It’s titled “Gayle Makin’ Bob Sled”, and the plot revolves mostly around that. Linda’s sister, Gayle, using Bob as a sled. When Bob goes out to get an injured Gayle to bring her back for Thanksgiving dinner, his car gets snowed in, and they have to make the trek back on foot and on sled. Bob constantly calls Linda to guide her through the process of his perfect turkey, and the episode is a perfect example of family coming together for the holidays.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 New Girl (Season 1, Episode 6)
Newsweek states that the hit sitcom New Girl has five Thanksgiving episodes, and each one is special in its own way, and prime television for this time of year. Despite the multiple episodes, the one that makes this list is the first one to air in the series, titled “Thanksgiving.” It’s so good because this is the gang’s first holiday together, and Jess goes out of her way to make it special, despite Nick, Coach, and Schmidt expressing that they’d rather not play into all of her shenanigans. The episode leads to a dryer fire after the gang decides to defrost the frozen turkey in the most dangerous way possible.
6 Gilmore Girls (Season 3, Episode 9)
Warner Bros. Television
This Thanksgiving episode is titled, “A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving”, and throughout the day, the Gilmore girls go to four different dinners. Lorelai doesn’t bat an eye at the thought, proudly stating that this is what her and Rory have prepared themselves for with how much they eat on a daily basis. First, they head to Lane’s, where they choke down tofurkey; next is Sookie’s, where they watch her husband, Jackson, deep-fry their turkey in front of his entire family. Then, they head to Luke’s, where a few other patrons have gathered in his diner to celebrate the day, and finally, the grandparents house. It’s there at that last dinner, where Lorelai discovers that Rory has applied to more colleges than just Harvard, and it almost ruins the night.
5 How I Met Your Mother (Season 3, Episode 9)
20th Century Fox Television
If you’re a fan of How I Met Your Mother, then you’re well-versed in the Slapsgiving tradition. In this Thanksgiving episode it explores how the tradition came to be, with Marshall setting the ground rules against Barney. The episode is full of laughs and touching moments, with Ted and Robin also growing closer as they form their inside joke.
4 Gossip Girl (Season 3, Episode 11)
Warner Bros. Television
Elite Daily has an entire list of every Thanksgiving episode from this iconic show, ranked on how much drama is held in each season. The one that makes this list is “The Treasure of Serena Madre”, which features the “Mmm Whatcha Say” meme that still makes the rounds on social media to this day. Serena gets exposed for having an affair with the congressman; Eric insults the sweet potatoes; Jenny is the epitome of teen angst, and Rufus is oblivious to it all, once again.
3 This Is Us (Season 1, Episode 8)
In this series’ first Thanksgiving episode, a lot is jam packed into the 45 minutes it ran. Titled “Pilgrim Rick”, the episode explores the complexity of families during the holiday season, and the drama it can bring. Randall is made the focus of the episode, as he finds out that his adopted mother knew his birth father for his entire life, and things get tense at dinner time when they start doing Jack’s beloved traditions. Randall is rightfully upset, and Rebecca scrambles with what to say, as Kevin and Kate watch on in surprise.
2 Friends (Season 6, Episode 9)
It wouldn’t be a proper list if Friends wasn’t included, especially since it has ten different episodes regarding the holiday. A contender for this list is “The One With the Football”, where a competitive game of the sport breaks out between the friends. However, the one featured on this list is “The One Where Ross Got High”, a hilarious episode that has back-to-back laughs. Rachel makes a dessert that turns out to be savory, and Ross and Monica get into it, as they start spilling secrets to their parents, the next more shocking than the last.
1 WKRP in Cincinnati (Season 1, Episode 7)
MTM Enterprises
Quite possibly one of the funniest episodes regarding Turkey Day, WKRP in Cincinnati takes the top spot on this list. This episode is full of some of the funniest dialogue ever, especially when Les Nessman starts to give a play-by-play of what’s happening during the Turkey Drop. “The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! The crowd is running for their lives!” will make you laugh until you can’t breathe, so please give it a watch if you haven’t yet.
