Celebrating Thanksgiving usually entails a day of eating, answering uncomfortable questions from your family about your career and romantic life, hearing about your grandma’s bunion surgery, and, if you’re lucky, a well-earned doze in front of the TV. This year, given the social distancing guidelines, you may bypass the family time and go straight to the couch.
Regardless of your plans for Turkey Day, when that second helping of turkey starts to settle in your belly and your eyelids start to feel heavy, it’s time to shove your cousin (or cat) over on the couch, settle in, and turn on one of these classic Thanksgiving-themed episodes.
“The One With the Rumor,” Friends
FriendsSeason 8 Epsiode 9
This iconic episode guest stars Brad Pitt (then married to Jennifer Aniston) as Rachel’s former classmate who was still bitter about being an ignored and overweight teenager who co-founded the “I Hate Rachel Green Club” with Ross back in high school.
Where to watch: Netflix
“Parents,” New Girl
Season 2 Episode 8
This is an adorable and realistic depiction of the family drama that inevitably comes with Thanksgiving. Here, Jess tries to reunite her divorced parents and, obviously, chaos ensues.
Where to watch: Netflix
“Homo for the Holidays,” Will and Grace
Season 2 Episode 7
This episode centers on Jack trying to come out to his mother over Thanksgiving dinner. It’s as messy and hilarious as it is touching.
Where to watch: Hulu
“Slapsgiving,” How I Met Your Mother
Season 3 Episode 9
HIMYM is all about running jokes, and this episode is full of them. The gang is going through a time of transition, since Ted and Robin just broke up and Lilly and Marshall were recently married, and things get rocky (and hilarious) as a result.
Where to watch: Hulu
“Turkey In a Can,” Bob’s Burgers
Season 7 Episode 6
The plot of this episode revolves around a turkey ending up in a toilet. That’s it. Its fantastic.
Where to watch: Hulu
“A Lilith Thanksgiving,” Frasier
Season 4 Episode 7
One of the few Frasier episodes that takes place in Boston, this episode sees Frasier and his ex-wife vying to get their son into a prestigious school, while Frasier’s dad tries to teach his grandson to play baseball. There are also some fantastic Niles cooking mishaps that make the episode worth watching.
Where to watch: Netflix
“Lockdown,” Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Season 2 Episode 7
There are several great Thanksgiving episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but this one, in which the squad gets locked inside the station due to an anthrax scare, takes the cake.
Where to watch: Hulu
“Thanksgiving,” Master of None
Season 2 Episode 8
This episode hits all the heart strings in all the right ways. It shows family Thanksgivings over the course of 30 years and tells the moving story of Dez’s bestfriend coming out to her mom.
Where the watch: Netflix
“WUPHF.com,” The Office
Season 7 Episode 9
In this episode, Dwight decides that a hay festival is just what everyone needs to get them in the holiday spirit. Meanwhile, Ryan tries to scam his coworkers out of a lot of money. Good stuff!
Where to watch: Netflix
