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23 Thanksgiving TV Episodes To Stream While You're Chopping & Basting
When you're in the throes of prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, you will likely need some sort of entertainment to fuel the long hours of chopping, stirring, and basting that it takes to put on a feast. These 23 Thanksgiving TV episodes to stream will certainly keep you in a festive mood despite the hand cramps you'll inevitably get from wielding a knife for hours on end.
From Will & Grace to Grey's Anatomy, most television series will feature a Thanksgiving special at some point, and they are usually filled with a healthy does of family drama to make you feel just a tiny bit less alone when your mother-in-law thumbs her nose at your yams. Thanks to the modern convenience of streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, you can selectively enjoy each of these episodes at your leisure when turkey day rolls around. Watch one, watch two, or watch all 10 Friends Thanksgiving episodes in one sitting — may there be no shame in your Thanksgiving streaming game.
Go ahead and grab a glass of something refreshing while that turkey is in the oven and stream a few Thanksgiving TV episodes. Fortunately, the tasty meal you're preparing will be worth the effort. And if it's not, at least you got to indulge in some classic sitcom laughs along the way.
1. 'Friends' Season 1, Episode 9 "The One Where Underdog Gets Away"
It is totally possible to spend all of Thanksgiving Day binge-watching Thanksgiving episodes of Friends. You'll spend a solid 30 minutes laughing as the gang gets locked out of Monica and Rachel's apartment on Thanksgiving and thanking your lucky stars that you're nice and cozy in your own home on the holiday enjoying the hilarity.
2. 'How I Met Your Mother' Season 3, Episode 9 "Slapsgiving"
This episode of How I Met Your Mother features the third of the seven "official" slaps that Marshall gives Barney as part of their "Slap Bet" throughout the iconic series' 9-season run. When Marshall and Lily host their first holiday as a married couple, Lily obsesses over making everything perfect as the crew's first Thanksgiving together is filled with faux-pas galore.
3. 'New Girl' Season 1, Episode 6 "Thanksgiving"
When Jess invites the music teacher she has a crush on over to celebrate Thanksgiving, she realizes that her roommates weren't planning on having a large, celebratory dinner and things get awkward fast. Obviously, hilariously awkward moments are what New Girl does best, but the show also teaches some very important lessons about Thanksgiving — namely, you can't thaw a turkey in the dryer.
4. 'Friends' Season 3, Episode 9 "The One With The Football"
Obviously, there will be many Friends Thanksgiving episodes on this list. There are so many of these episodes that Friends Thanksgiving episodes will play in theaters this year in honor of the 25th anniversary, including "The One With The Football" where the gang plays touch football on Thanksgiving Day. Of course, touch football turns to tackle on a dime as an old sibling rivalry between Monica and Ross reignites. This episode is basically you and your siblings as adults at Thanksgiving, so it's perfect to turn on when you're all together celebrating the holiday.
5. 'Gilmore Girls' Season 3, Episode 9 "A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving"
The holidays just wouldn't be complete without a visit to Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Rory spend Thanksgiving at four separate Thanksgiving celebrations where they work very hard to eat just a little at each meal. If you've ever bounced around to different Thanksgiving festivities in one day, you know exactly how this feels. You might also know how Lorelai felt during her extremely strange visit to her parents house with her daughter that day despite not currently speaking to them — we've all been there.
6. 'Will & Grace' Season 4, Episodes 9 & 10 "Moveable Feast, Part 1 & 2"
Season 4 of Will and Grace offers a two for one Thanksgiving episode that is chock full of laughs. Will, Grace, Jack, and Karen all want to spend Thanksgiving together, but they also want to see their respective families. Will devises a plan to spend one hour at each Thanksgiving celebration, but his use of a kitchen timer (Ding!) and strict adherence to the one-hour rule proves to be a bit much for the gang to handle.
7. 'Friends' Season 4, Episode 8 "The One With Chandler In A Box"
Could there be more Friends Thanksgiving episodes? Actually, yes, and one of the most iconic of the Thanksgiving episodes happens to be "The One With Chandler In A Box." Chandler sets out to gain Joey's forgiveness for kissing his ex-girlfriend by shutting himself in a box for the same amount of time that Joey was locked in their entertainment center when their apartment was robbed. All the while, Monica is attempts to make Thanksgiving dinner, gets an ice chip in her eye, and ends up inviting her ex-boyfriend's son to dinner.
8. 'This Is Us' Season 1, Episode 8 "Pilgrim Rick"
Fans of This Is Us already know why this heartwarmingly real show is a mega hit, but in case you need a reminder, streaming "Pilgrim Rick" on Thanksgiving Day will have you feeling all the feels right alongside the Pearsons. The episode is full of flashbacks to a defining Thanksgiving in the Pearson family when a broken down vehicle leads to a 3.4 mile hike, an overnight stay at a motel, and the family begins their tradition of watching Police Academy 3 and eating cheese dogs.
9. 'New Girl' Season 2, Episode 8 "Parents"
I'm sure many children of estranged parents has wished to be in Jess' shoes at some point, trying to rekindle their parent's relationship and get them back together. When her parents unknowingly both show up for Thanksgiving at the same time, Jess' plan to "parent trap" her parents hilariously backfires, but the sweet New Girl fashion. It may be the Thanksgiving episode to best describe what some adult children face when trying to juggle two families at the holidays.
10. 'Friends' Season 5, Episode 8 "The One With All The Thanksgivings"
This may be the first Friends episode to have a member of the crew wearing a turkey on their head, but it certainly isn't the last. "The One With All The Thanksgivings" finds the gang reminiscing on their worst Thanksgivings, including a flashback to a 1980's Thanksgiving featuring Monica, Rachel, Chandler, and Ross back in the day. I'm sure you probably have a few Thanksgivings you'd love to forget about as well.
11. 'Will & Grace' Season 2, Episode 7 "Homo For The Holidays"
The holidays are prime time for deep, dark family secrets to emerge thanks to the stress of the season making pretty much everyone feel on edge. This is especially true when your friends and family begin to mix — such as when Will and Grace learn that Jack has never told his own mother he's gay. Jack's mom has a bombshell of her own to drop at Thanksgiving dinner and although it's surprising, the show handles this type of complicated family interaction with all of the lightness you know and love about Will and Grace.
12. 'Modern Family' Season 6, Episode 8 "Three Turkeys"
America's favorite sitcom family may be saying goodbye this year after 11 hilarious seasons, but you can still enjoy streaming past episodes like the season 6 Thanksgiving episode, "Three Turkeys." Claire turns Thanksgiving dinner duties over to Phil, but after a power outage interrupts his cooking, the family drops in on Gloria and Phil unexpectedly where they try to cover up the fact that weren't actually in Mexico like they had said, and the antics that follow are genuinely relatable for anyone who has ever tried to avoid their family on a holiday.
13. 'Friends' Season 6, Episode 9 "The One Where Ross Got High"
During Monica and Chandler's first Thanksgiving as a couple, Ross is forced to explain that his parents don't like Chandler and that he's the reason why. This is also the episode with Rachel's infamous trifle. Who knew trifle's had a layer of beef? I'm willing to bet if you made the same dish for your family, it would go over about as well as it did for Rachel, although it may not be as funny when they take a bite.
14. 'How I Met Your Mother' Season 5, Episode 9 "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge Of The Slap"
When Marshall bequeaths a slap to Ted and Robin as thanks for picking up his forgotten turkey at the Port Authority, they fight over who gets to administer the slap to Barney. It's pretty much like how your family fights on Thanksgiving, except in the end, the slap is then gifted over and over again throughout the gang until the fourth slap of the slap bet is surprisingly given by Marshall.
15. 'New Girl' Season 6, Episode 7 "Last Thanksgiving"
A reflective episode of the New Girl crew's previous Thanksgivings together after the poignantly realize it will be their last one under one roof, flashbacks show the group celebrating Thanksgivings past. This episode is equal parts sweet remembrance and laughable antics, perfect for watching while prepping to celebrate this Thanksgiving.
16. 'The Office' Season 7, Episode 9 "WUPHF.com"
If you're planning your own Hay Festival to celebrate Thanksgiving (because who isn't doing that?) you'll most definitely want to stream this episode of The Office while you wait to see who gets crowned Hay Festival King. Although there is not technically a Thanksgiving meal featured in the episode, witnessing Dwight's quirky celebration in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot is sure to get you in the mood to celebrate with your family.
17. 'Friends' Season 7, Episode 8 "The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs"
Chandler's fear of dogs is revealed during this Thanksgiving episode of Friends when Phoebe sneaks a dog into the apartment. Meanwhile, Ross tries to no avail to name all 50 states in a hilarious attempt to avoid interacting with Rachel's crush Tag during their Thanksgiving get-together. This could be a fun game to play with your favorite uncle this Thanksgiving if you want to try to stump him as much as Ross was stumped by this task.
18. 'Parenthood' Season 2, Episode 10 "Happy Thanksgiving"
The Bravermans are such a strong family unit that even the chaos and stress of putting together the perfect Thanksgiving doesn't break their spirit. Well, it almost does when Julia ignores her child in favor of perfecting a pumpkin pie. After all, high expectations can turn even the most doting parents into a snappy mess on a holiday. Stream this episode if you're looking to gain a little insight that lets you know you're not the only family whose Thanksgiving dinner gets a little tense at times.
19. 'Friends' Season 8, Episode 9 "The One With The Rumor"
Don't you just wish Brad Pitt would show up at your Thanksgiving table this year? I sure do. Thankfully, you can live vicariously through the crew on Friends as they welcome Rachel and Monica's old classmate, played by Pitt, to dinner. He can't quite keep his ill feelings toward Rachel to himself however, and reveals he and Ross were the root of a rumor about Rachel back in high school.
20. 'That 70s Show' Season 1, Episode 9 "Thanksgiving"
Watching Kitty Forman host Thanksgiving just makes me wish I had grown up in the '70s. When Laurie returns home with a friend from college in tow, things get understandably shaken up, and the nerves that Kitty was already feeling preparing for Red's mother to arrive skyrocket. Kitty is basically every woman on Thanksgiving who is nervously awaiting her mother-in-law's arrival and wants everything to be just perfect. Streaming this episode on Thanksgiving will definitely make you feel less alone if you're in Kitty's shoes.
21. 'Friends' Season 9, Episode 8 "The One With Rachel's Other Sister"
Christina Applegate guest stars on this memorable Friends Thanksgiving episode, "The One With Rachel's Other Sister." In addition to the arguments that ensue when Rachel's sister shows up to Thanksgiving dinner, Monica and Chandler bicker over using their wedding china for Thanksgiving dinner. This is the exact same argument I've witnessed my own parents having year after year about not ruining the "good" dishes that we only use on holidays.
22. 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 2, Episode 9 "Thanks For The Memories"
Although Grey's Anatomy is clearly a primetime drama, the show knows how to cash in on relatable situations that most people can find at least some humor in — something beautifully showcased in the Thanksgiving episode in season 2, "Thanks For The Memories," when it appears nobody is going to show up to Izzy's thoughtfully planned out Thanksgiving dinner. While Meredith, Alex, and Christina hide out at the hospital, Burke steps in and helps Izzy put together a fantastic Thanksgiving spread, creating a lasting memory for the whole crew.
23. 'Friends' Season 10, Episode 8 "The One With The Late Thanksgiving"
Friends rounded out the show's final season with an epic Thanksgiving episode that is one of the show's most memorable. After the gang convinces Monica and Chandler to host yet another Thanksgiving, they lock Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey out of their apartment when the four show up an hour late to Thanksgiving dinner. Although I'm sure I would never do such a thing to my own friends, I can completely understand where Monica is coming from. She worked hard and is totally under-appreciated, but so goes just about every Thanksgiving when you host the feast year after year.
