Viewers have gobbled these episodes up for years.
The turkey has been cooked, the table cleared of all crumbs and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade wrapped several hours earlier so now it’s time to relax and watch some television as everyone settles in for a good night’s sleep.
But what does one watch as Tryptophan, an amino acid that makes people sleepy, makes its way through your system?
Thankfully, many television shows have a dedicated Thanksgiving episode that airs around this time of year, providing a source of joy for fans.
Whether you’re in search of something nostalgic like the various Thanksgiving-themed episodes of “Friends” or something with a bit more drama like the original “Gossip Girl” there is something on for everyone such as the legendary “Slapsgiving” episode from CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” to the eternally emotional NBC instant classic “This is Us.”
Below, find The Post’s guide to some of the best Thanksgiving-themed episodes to rewatch after eating dinner.
“The One With All the Thanksgivings” — “Friends” 1998
It comes as a no-brainer that “Friends” is at the top of this list given the 2023 death of beloved actor Matthew Perry.
The 1998 episode (season 5) starts with Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) complaining about how his divorce and subsequent eviction left him feeling like he was having the worst Thanksgiving ever. The comment prompts every member of the group to tell tales of their bad holiday experiences.
As the episode continues it is revealed that Joey, (Matt LeBlanc) once got his head stuck in a turkey that he was using in an attempt to scare Chandler (Matthew Perry).
During Monica’s turn, it is revealed that Chandler once called her “fat” and then a few years later she accidentally severed his toe after dropping a knife while trying to seduce him.
Despite being only one of three Thanksgiving episodes in the series (the other two are featured in Season 3 and 8), It is arguably one of the many iconic episodes of the franchise due to the fact both Monica and Joey don a turkey headpiece.
“Prangs” – “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” 1999
Debuting in 1999 during the show’s fourth season, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” gives a new meaning to “having the Thanksgiving spirit.”
In the episode, Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) Thanksgiving feast is interrupted by an army of Chumash Indians, the original inhabitants of the fictional town of Sunnydale as they seek to right the wrongs that were done to them.
According to the episode’s Wikipedia page, the real-life Chumash lived along the California Central Coast and numbered around 20,000 people before the initial contact with European explorers.
The tribe survives today as the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash.
“Blair Waldorf must pie!” – “Gossip Girl” 2007
What is Thanksgiving without a side of drama?
In the ninth episode of “Gossip Girl’s” first season, viewers are treated to a sizable helping of Upper East Side drama when Daniel Humphrey (Penn Badgley) asks long-time crush Serena Van Der Woodsen and her family to have dinner with them blithely unaware of the fact that both their parents used to date.
Meanwhile, self-proclaimed Queen of the UES Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) spirals out of control when she is told that her beloved father will not be attending their dinner even though he left Blair’s mom for a man.
Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) also comes in for a rude awakening after it was revealed that his father had overdosed on pain medication and tried to urge both his parents to accept the fact that he had a problem.
For those who wish to have a second helping of UES drama, there is another Thanksgiving episode in the series’ third season, which has been dubbed the most “iconic episode of all time.
“Thanksgiving” — “New Girl” 2011
The Zooey Deschanel-led sitcom “New Girl” had 5 Turkey day-themed episodes over the course of its 7-year run though two stand out in infamy.
In 2011, the show aired the first-ever Thanksgiving episode in which Jess (Deschanel) invited her long-term crush and fellow teacher Peter (Justin Long) to her dinner.
As it usually does, things get out of hand and Jess somehow ends up on the floor cradling a turkey.
In the second episode, airing in 2012, Jess’ divorced parents (Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner) show up at the same time as Jess attempts to restore her broken family.
“Slapsgiving” — “How I Met Your Mother” 2007
It was legend … wait for it … dary.
The infamous “Slapsgiving” episode aired in 2007 as Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel) deal with their first Thanksgiving as a married couple and as several other characters are forced to deal with the fallout of their actions.
The episode is the ninth episode in the third season and inspired two other episodes “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap” and ” Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra.”
“Thanksgiving” — “Masters of None” 2017
In this very recent and poignant Thanksgiving episode in the Netflix drama, Dev (Aziz Ansari) spends the holiday at his friends Denise’s (Lena Waithe) house with her family.
Told through a succession of flashbacks leading to the present day, viewers learn that Denise, at one point, struggled to come to terms with the fact she was a lesbian before ultimately coming out to her mother (guest star Angela Bassett) and tells the story of how her mother struggled to accept her daughter’s lifestyle.
Waithe later admitted that the episode partially mirrored her own life.
“A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving” — “Gilmore Girls” 2002
One of the most beloved shows of all time aired its Thanksgiving show as the ninth episode of the show’s third season.
In the episode, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) are expected to attend four separate Thanksgiving dinners but as they do, the elder Gilmore learns that Rory has applied for college without telling her.
“Three Turkeys” — “Modern Family” 2014
The hilarity of multiple award-winning “Modern Family” continues in the Thanksgiving episode.
In the episode, the ever-expanding Dunphy household attempts to navigate the holidays as Phil (Ty Burrell) and Luke ( (Nolan Gould) are put in charge of the dinner by a hesitant Claire (Julie Bowen).
Sensing disaster looming on the horizon, the Matriarch prepares a secret second turkey.
After losing power to the whole house, the family relocates to Clair’s father’s house as he and his wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) are supposed to have left for the holidays.
“Pilgrim Rick” — “This is Us” 2016
It wouldn’t be the holidays without a tear-jerking episode of the hit NBC show “This is Us.”
In the episode that aired as part of the show’s first season, various members of the Pearson clan set out to build new traditions for the family holiday while in the past, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and his family are waylaid in getting to his wife’s (Mandy Moore) home.
“I Went to Market” — “Succession” 2018
If anyone knows how to cause drama on any given day, it’s the Roy family.
In the show’s first season, Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) tries to issue a Vote of No Confidence against his father Logan (Brian Cox) while cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) travels up to Canada to collect his uncle Ewan Roy (James Cromwell).
The subsequent dinner that unfolds is one for the ages as Logan and Ewan remain silent toward each other while Kendall, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) attempt to further their own personal agenda.
The episode culminates when Logan hits one of his associates during a game called “I Went to Market” after forgetting his lines.
“Thanksgiving Orphans” — “Cheers” 1986
Things go wild in the holiday episode of “Cheers.”
The Thanksgiving episode which aired during the show’s fifth season made television history after TV Guide ranked the episode as number seven on its 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
In the show, Sam (Ted Danson) has plans with his girlfriend Wendy but ultimately ends up with his friends in an epic food fight which eventually ends when Diane (Shelley Long) chastises the group for their behavior though it doesn’t have much effect as the fight resumes shortly after.
“Talking Turkey” — “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” 1990
In the first season’s twelfth episode, Will Smith‘s on-screen mom gives her son a taste of what it’s like to do a hard day’s work when she comes to visit her sister for Thanksgiving.
In an attempt to impress her sister, Vivian (Janet Hubert) attempts to cook a meal while her husband invites Will’s English teacher.
As it usually happens, the initial attempt to cook dinner ends in failure only for the sisters to come together at the last moment and present a truly extraordinary miracle.
“Huangsgiving” – “Fresh Off the Boat” 2015
It wouldn’t be a holiday if there wasn’t just a sprinkle of sibling rivalry.
The same can be said in the show’s second-season Thanksgiving episode where Jessica Huang (Constance Wu) attempts to outperform her sister’s traditions by enlisting the help of her family to help set up.
However, even the best-laid plans can be led astray as several things end up going wrong and Jessica is forced to make things up as she goes along.
article credit
