Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and the holiday to-do list is growing every day. How many people will a 25-pound turkey feed? What's a good, big-batch dessert that's not pumpkin pie? All that planning and preparation can suck the fun right out of Turkey Day. That's why we turn to the little (or big) box in the living room to keep our spirits up before, during and after the feast. Below, we spotlight the best Thanksgiving episodes from your favorite TV shows that will keep you feeling festive even when the thought of a 30-person feast is giving you palpitations.
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Our list comprises 80 Thanksgiving-themed episodes from 21 TV shows new and old, plus where to stream them. You'll find chaotic feasts from "Friends" and "Roseanne" — classic sitcoms that churned out fabulous Thanksgiving specials every year like so much butter. There are also some swankier picks from award-winning drama series ("Mad Men"), animated favorites ("Bob's Burgers") and long-forgotten bangers ("Felicity"). Consider this compilation your cheat sheet to maintaining the Turkey Day spirit.
Whether you're looking for heartwarming family drama, rich people behaving badly or, let's be real, Barbra Jean's best, most meddlesome Thanksgiving chess moves, the following 80 episodes will get you there. Many of the picks below might just make you feel a little bit better about your own dysfunctional family this holiday season. So gobble up, loosen that belt and make room for the best Thanksgiving episodes TV has to offer.
"Friends"
NBC
Season 1, Episode 9: "The One Where Underdog Gets Away" Can't beat Season 1.
Season 3, Episode 9: "The One With the Football" The only Thanksgiving Day football game we'll be watching.
Season 4, Episode 8: "The One With Chandler in a Box" Chandler hooks up with Joey's girlfriend and pays the price.
Season 5, Episode 8: "The One With All the Thanksgivings" An all-time-great flashback TV episode in which Courteney Cox shines.
Season 6, Episode 9: "The One Where Ross Got High" Chandler attempts to win over Monica and Ross' parents.
Season 7, Episode 8: "The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs" Phoebe smuggles her furry little friend all over town.
Season 8, Episode 9: "The One With the Rumor" Brad Pitt, then married to Jennifer Aniston, guest stars as the co-founder of the "I Hate Rachel Green" Club.
Season 9, Episode 8: "The One With Rachel's Other Sister" Christina Applegate cameos as Rachel's meddling sister.
Season 10, Episode 8: "The One With the Late Thanksgiving" A fond farewell.
"Reba"
The WB
Season 4, Episode 9: "Thanksgiving" Barbra Jean wants to host Thanksgiving and, naturally, Reba says no. A compromise solution leads to one too many cooks in the kitchen.
Season 5, Episode 9: "Invasion" When Barbra Jean writes letters to her brother pretending to be Reba, he shows up at Reba's Thanksgiving dinner hoping his feelings for her will be reciprocated.
"How I Met Your Mother"
CBS
Season 1, Episode 9: "Belly Full of Turkey" Barney volunteers on Thanksgiving Day, to everyone's surprise.
Season 3, Episode 9: "Slapsgiving" A masterpiece.
Season 5, Episode 9: "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap" Everyone wants a go at Barney's poor face.
Season 6, Episode 10: "Blitzgiving" Ted is the hostess with the mostest.
Season 7, Episode 11: "The Rebound Girl" Robin has a sad girl T-Giving.
Season 9, Episode 14: "Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra" The epic conclusion to the long-running bet, complete with a deep dive into the history of Slapsgiving.
"Gilmore Girls"
The WB
Season 3, Episode 9: "A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving" It's a Turkey Day marathon as Rory and Lorelai attend a handful of disparate celebrations.
Season 6, Episode 10: "He's Slippin' 'em Bread...Dig?" Surprise! It's Rory's dad!
"Grey's Anatomy"
ABC
Season 2, Episode 9: "Thanks for the Memories" Izzie makes a valiant effort to gather her fellow interns for a Thanksgiving feast.
Season 10, Episode 10: "Somebody That I Used to Know" Meredith's Thanksgiving guest list is a war zone of interpersonal conflicts among doctors.
"Gossip Girl"
The CW
Season 1, Episode 9: "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!" Serena's family spends Thanksgiving with Dan's, and the kids have no idea that Serena's mom and Dan's dad go wayyy back.
Season 2, Episode 11: "The Magnificent Archibalds" Death to Blair's mom's new beau.
Season 3, Episode 11: "The Treasure of Serena Madre" It's a typical "Gossip Girl" mess as Serena spends Thanksgiving with the married man she's been sleeping with, plus his wife.
Season 6, Episode 8: "It's Really Complicated" Dan and Serena's first joint Thanksgiving venture.
"Felicity"
ABC
Season 1, Episode 9: "Thanksgiving" Not all college kids go home for Thanksgiving break. Some gather for surprisingly well-appointed Friendsgiving feasts.
Season 2, Episode 8: "Family Affairs" Felicity comes under intense holiday pressure when a family member unexpectedly arrives.
Season 4, Episode 8: "The Last Thanksgiving" The gang spends what may be their final Thanksgiving together.
"Mad Men"
AMC
Season 1, Episode 13: "The Wheel" Don and Betty war over spending Thanksgiving with Betty's parents.
Season 4, Episode 1: "Public Relations" Desperate to make a good impression on the family of her new husband, Henry, Betty literally forces food into Sally's mouth at Thanksgiving dinner.
Season 5, Episode 9: "Dark Shadows" A depressed Betty sabotages Don and Megan.
Season 6, Episode 13: "In Care Of" Pete and Trudy's peaceful Thanksgiving Day farewell.
"Roseanne"
ABC
Season 2, Episode 9: "We Gather Together" Roseanne is determined to make her parents stay at a motel over Thanksgiving.
Season 4, Episode 10: "Thanksgiving '91" Nana Mary and a husband-less Bev drop in for Thanksgiving weekend.
Season 6, Episode 10: "Thanksgiving '93" Nana Mary reveals a long-kept secret about Bev's marriage.
Season 7, Episode 10: "Thanksgiving '94" Roseanne gets some alarming baby news from the prenatal clinic, and Nana Mary's arrival doesn't help matters.
Season 8, Episode 8: "The Last Thursday in November" DJ's Thanksgiving play at school turns into a wildly inappropriate "Pulp Fiction" spoof.
Season 9, Episode 10: "Home Is Where the Afghan Is" Roseanne decides to cater Thanksgiving this year, but the whole family learns that money doesn't buy happiness when drama erupts.
"That '70s Show"
Fox
Season 1, Episode 9: "Thanksgiving" Eric is thunderstruck by Laurie's gorgeous friend at Thanksgiving dinner, and Donna isn't having it.
Season 5, Episode 8: "Thank You" Eric struggles to keep Red from learning about his secret engagement to Donna.
Season 7, Episode 9: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" Kitty is heartbroken that the kids have their own Thanksgiving plans, so Red guilts Eric into staying home.
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
20th Century Fox
Season 4, Episode 8: "Pangs" Buffy encounters the spirit of a Native American warrior whose people were wiped out by settlers.
"Boy Meets World"
ABC
Season 4, Episode 10: "Turkey Day" It's a tale of two socioeconomic backgrounds as Cory and Shawn ask their families to come together for Thanksgiving dinner.
Season 5, Episode 8: "Chasing Angela" Angela and Shawn's emotional reunion will leave you in tatters.
"Fresh Off the Boat"
ABC
Season 2, Episode 8: "Huangsgiving" Jessica takes Thanksgiving a little too seriously.
Season 3, Episode 5: "No Thanks-giving" The anti-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving.
Season 4, Episode 7: "The Day After Thanksgiving" Black Friday hits the Huang family hard.
"Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
Fox
Season 1, Episode 10: "Thanksgiving" Amy hopes to find a way into Capt. Holt's good graces at Thanksgiving.
Season 2, Episode 7: "Lockdown" The station is plunged into chaos when Jake is left in charge.
Season 4, Episode 7: "Mr. Santiago" Jake makes a horrific first impression when he meets Amy's dad at Thanksgiving.
Season 5, Episode 7: "Two Turkeys" You just can't force two families to get along like this!
"This Is Us"
NBC
Season 1, Episode 8: "Pilgrim Rick" Long-hidden Pearson family secrets come to light.
Season 3, Episode 8: "Six Thanksgivings" We jump between Jack's time in Vietnam and Miguel's first-ever Thanksgiving with the Pearsons.
Season 4, Episode 9: "So Long, Marianne" An emotional wallop centered on the Pearson family's first Thanksgiving together in Philadelphia.
Season 6, Episode 7: "Taboo" Rebecca makes a major announcement at Thanksgiving.
"Bob's Burgers"
Fox
Season 3, Episode 5: "An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal" Magical umbrella turkey. That's it.
Season 4, Episode 5: "Turkey in a Can" Poor Bob's prized turkey ends up in the toilet.
Season 5, Episode 4: "Dawn of the Peck" The turkeys strike back.
Season 6, Episode 4: "Gayle Makin' Bob Sled" Bob ventures out in a snowstorm.
Season 7, Episode 6: "The Quirk-ducers" Tina puts on an R-rated Thanksgiving play for the kids.
Season 8, Episode 5: "Thanks-hoarding" The one where Teddy has a hoarding addiction.
Season 9, Episode 7: "I Bob Your Pardon" The Belcher family exposes a mayoral scandal.
Season 10, Episode 8: "Now We're Not Cooking With Gas" Can Bob cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey when the gas goes out?
Season 11, Episode 7: "Diarrhea of a Poopy Kid" Gene gets the stomach flu during a notoriously food-heavy holiday.
Season 12, Episode 8: "Stuck in the Kitchen with You" Louise and Bob cook Thanksgiving dinner for a retirement home.
Season 13, Episode 8: "Putts-giving" The Belchers go to a mini-golf course on Thanksgiving.
"Master of None"
Netflix
Season 2, Episode 8: "Thanksgiving" Over a series of Thanksgivings from the '90s to the present, Denise faces the challenge of coming out to her family.
"Modern Family"
ABC
Season 3, Episode 9: "Punkin Chunkin" Mitchell doesn't believe Cameron's "punkin chunkin" story, so he constructs a catapult to prove the family wrong.
Season 6, Episode 8: "Three Turkeys" Phil and Luke take over Thanksgiving duties, and a nervous Claire readies a contingency plan.
Season 8, Episode 7: "Thanksgiving Jamboree" Cameron goes all out for his Thanksgiving celebration.
Season 9, Episode 7: "Winner Winner Turkey Dinner" Everyone brags about their individual triumphs this Thanksgiving, but the truth is that they all cheated.
Season 11, Episode 7: "The Last Thanksgiving" Haley attempts to cook Thanksgiving dinner for Phil and Claire, and Cameron and Mitchell's friends mistakenly assume they split up.
"The West Wing"
NBC
Season 2, Episode 8: "Shibboleth" It's Thanksgiving at the White House, and C.J. is on the hunt for the perfect carving knife.
Season 3, Episode 8: "The Indians in the Lobby" In desperation, President Bartlet places an anonymous call to the Butterball Hotline.
"New Girl"
Fox
Season 1, Episode 6: "Thanksgiving" Nick is green with envy when Jess invites her crush (played by Justin Long) over for Thanksgiving.
Season 2, Episode 8: "Parents" Jess tries to reunite her estranged mom and dad, "Parent Trap" style.
Season 3, Episode 10: "Thanksgiving III" A wild T-Day in the forest.
Season 4, Episode 9: "Thanksgiving IV" Schmidt attempts a "Bangsgiving," where everyone brings a single friend to dinner.
Season 6, Episode 7: "Last Thanksgiving" Jess and Nick negotiate their failed relationship during Thanksgiving, trying to decide whether to make the jump and try again.
"The Nanny"
CBS
Season 6, Episode 9: "Oh, Say, Can You Ski?" While on a ski trip to Aspen, Fran and Maxwell get stuck in a cave — which leads to some welcome baby news.
