The Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes of All Time, Ranked
Don't you love when all your favorite characters sit around the table to celebrate?
'Friends'
Thanksgiving episodes are a television staple. Whether it’s a drama using the holiday to expose deep-seated family trauma or a sitcom using a turkey to tell someone they love them, these episodes often end up being the most memorable hours of a series' run.
But which are the best of all time? We decided to rank them to see.
Let's dive in.
10. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Episode: "The Gang Squashes Their Beefs" (Season 9, Episode 10) Cast: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jimmi Simpson.
Most sitcoms try to do a heartwarming holiday special; Sunny went the opposite direction, which is why we love them. In an attempt to wipe the slate clean, the Gang invites every enemy they've made over nine seasons to a single Thanksgiving dinner to get everything off their chests. It's a wild ride.
9. The West Wing
Episode: "Shibboleth" (Season 2, Episode 8) Cast: Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney.
This episode is the perfect of Sorkin-esque wit with genuine heart and the Thanksgiving season. While President Bartlet navigates a complex diplomatic issue regarding Chinese asylum seekers, all while C.J. Cregg has to choose between two turkeys—Troy and Eric—for the presidential pardon. The scene where Bartlet drafts the "runner-up" turkey into military service to save it from the oven is one of the show's most charming moments.
8. Bob's Burgers
Episode: "Turkey in a Can" (Season 4, Episode 5) Cast: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal.
Bob Belcher cares about nothing more than his Thanksgiving turkey, so when someone keeps dumping the bird in the toilet, he loses it. Bob’s descent into madness as he interrogates his family (and the deli guy) is comedy gold.
7. Cheers
Episode: "Thanksgiving Orphans" (Season 5, Episode 9) Cast: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, George Wendt.
I am a massive fan of Cheers, which I think is the gold standard for all sitcoms. This episode has the main cast with nowhere else to go on Thanksgiving, so they gather at Carla’s house for a disastrous dinner of frozen peas and an undercooked bird. The tension simmers until it explodes into the most famous food fight in TV history. It cannot be beat.
6. The Sopranos
Episode: "He Is Risen" (Season 3, Episode 8) Cast: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Joe Pantoliano.
Leave it to The Sopranos to make Thanksgiving about palpable dread. The feud between Tony and Ralphie Cifaretto spills over into the holiday, and the dinner scene is a masterclass in awkwardness, fueled by Janice’s new romance with Ralphie and Tony’s simmering rage.
5. WKRP in Cincinnati
Episode: "Turkeys Away" (Season 1, Episode 7) Cast: Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, Richard Sanders, Frank Bonner.
When Station Manager Arthur Carlson decides to execute a publicity stunt by dropping live turkeys out of a helicopter over a shopping center, the result is a disaster described in horrified detail by newsman Les Nessman. It’s a moment of pure absurdity that has never been topped and makes me laugh so freaking hard.
4. Friends
Episode: "The One Where Ross Got High" (Season 6, Episode 9) Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles.
Friends owned Thanksgiving, but this episode is the crown jewel. It features Rachel making a trifle that contains beef sautéed with peas and onions, and Ross and Monica ratting each other out to their parents in a rapid-fire shouting match. It's an all-time good episode of TV and shows what made Friends one of the best sitcoms of all time.
3. Succession
Episode: "I Went to Market" (Season 1, Episode 5) Cast: Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Nicholas Braun, Matthew Macfadyen, Hiam Abbass, James Cromwell.
The Roy family Thanksgiving is exactly as toxic as you’d expect. Logan Roy is recovering from a stroke, the kids are plotting a vote of no confidence, and Greg is trying to navigate the minefield between his grandfather Ewan and Logan. It culminates in Logan hitting his grandson with a can of cranberry sauce. Yeah, that's about what we expect from them.
2. Master of None
Episode: "Thanksgiving" (Season 2, Episode 8) Cast: Aziz Ansari, Lena Waithe, Angela Bassett, Kym Whitley.
This show does not get enough credit for being so amazing. This Emmy-winning episode breaks the mold by chronicling a series of Thanksgivings over 30 years. We watch Denise (Lena Waithe) grow up, discover her sexuality, and eventually come out to her mother (played powerfully by Angela Bassett). It's so beautiful and really makes you love the holiday, too.
1. Mad Men
Episode: "The Wheel" (Season 1, Episode 13) Cast: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery.
While technically a season finale that only has a snippet of Thanksgiving, I think this might be the best Mad Men episode of all time. The emotional anchor of "The Wheel" is the Thanksgiving Don Draper skips. Instead, he delivers the "Kodak Carousel" pitch—using photos of his own family to sell a slide projector—creating a moment of pure, nostalgic longing. The episode ends with Don coming home to an empty, cold house, realizing the fantasy he just sold to the client is one that only exists in advertising.
Summing It All Up
These are my picks for the best Thanksgiving episodes of TV, but I bet you have some you think need to be on here.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
