Thanksgiving has always made for great TV. In the heyday of network TV's fall lineup, a knockout Thanksgiving episode could define the new broadcast season. Classic sitcoms like Friends and Will & Grace turned out iconic Turkey Day installments year after year, leaning into the holiday's most absurd trappings: The ritual sacrifice of a giant stuffed bird, the annual gathering of estranged family members, the word 'gourd,' and, lest we forget, buckle hats. In TV world, Thanksgiving often goes horribly or hilariously wrong, or serves as a springboard for two characters to reconcile. But, sometimes, TV Thanksgivings aren't Shakespearean dramas. They're just plain awkward.
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In honor of all the discomfort that arises when family tiffs mix with obscene amounts of meat and potatoes, we've rounded up the 10 most awkward Thanksgiving dinners in TV history, from slightly tense interactions at the table to those more extreme revelations that leave everyone red-faced long after they've digested that third helping of stuffing. Whether it's rich people behaving badly in the luxury brownstones of Gossip Girl or future in-laws engaging in sheer fakery in Ginny & Georgia, these TV dinners are a cornucopia of #awkward. Feast responsibly.
Gossip Girl Season 1, Ep. 10: "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!"
The CW
Here's a recipe for disaster (and no, we're not talking about that homemade cranberry sauce you've never gotten quite right): Dan invites Serena's family over for a Thanksgiving feast, totally unaware of his dad's messy romance with Serena's mom. It's up to the grown-ups to, you know, act like grown-ups and stick a turkey leg in it.
Gossip Girl Season 3, Ep. 11: "The Treasure of Serena Madre"
The CW
We hate to double dip, but Gossip Girl excels at a good pressure-cooker Thanksgiving episode. Maybe it's the autumn in New York of it all, or maybe it's just that these Upper East Siders know how to make a beautiful mess of things. In Season 3, Serena finds herself spending the day with her boyfriend and his wife. The iconic dinner scene pretty much re-trends on TikTok every year.
Gilmore Girls Season 6, Ep. 10: "He's Slippin' 'em Bred...Dig?"
The WB
Normally, we'd say Stars Hollow is the ideal place to spend a cozy Thanksgiving. (Remember that pumpkin pancake recipe?) But in Gilmore Girls Season 6, Rory and Lorelai's hard-won truce unravels when Rory's father unexpectedly arrives. All that, plus Luke basically choking every time he tries to tell Lorelai about his own daughter, makes this episode peak awkward.
Friends Season 8, Ep. 9: "The One With the Rumor"
NBC
On the character alignment chart, Friends' Season 8 Thanksgiving episode would place in the 'chaotic good' zone. Brad Pitt, then married to Jennifer Aniston, cameos as Monica's old friend Will, who's gone from not to hot since she last saw him. Things get a little heated when it's revealed that Will and Ross co-founded the "I Hate Rachel Green" club in high school.
Modern Family Season 3, Episode 9: "Punkin Chunkin"
ABC
You'll get a painful case of second-hand embarrassment watching the Dunphys and Pritchetts muck up Thanksgiving. A massive argument divides the family into Dreamers and Realists. Somehow, Cameron's idiotic pumpkin catapult is supposed to settle the squabble.
How I Met Your Mother Season 3, Ep. 9: "Slapsgiving"
CBS
Season 3 begins How I Met Your Mother's running "Slapsgiving" gag: After winning a bet, Marshall gets to slap Barney as hard as he can 5 times throughout his life. This Thanksgiving, Barney pretty much curls up in a ball anticipating his third strike. But the awkwardness is emanating mostly from Ted and Robin, who hook up the night before the gathering.
That '70s Show Season 1, Ep. 9: "Thanksgiving"
FOX
Eric just cannot keep it together in That '70s Show's first Thanksgiving special. Laurie's gorgeous friend Kate tries to seduce him just as he's getting serious with Donna. Plus, the episode also marks the first time Red calls Eric a jacka** in the series. (I'm not crying, you're crying!)
Ginny & Georgia Season 2, Ep. 1: "Welcome Back, B******"
Amanda Matlovich/Netflix
Georgia's first Thanksgiving dinner with Paul's family is all shades of awkward, with a few harmless turkey puns doing absolutely nothing to lighten the mood. When she overhears Paul's parents say some not-so-flattering things about her, Georgia can't get out of that house fast enough.
Will & Grace Season 4, Ep. 9-10: "Moveable Feast"
NBC
The dysfunction is strong with this one. Will and Grace join Jack and Karen for a two-part Thanksgiving extravaganza in which the gang visits different family members (at their homes or jail cells) for an hour at a time. By the end of the exhausting tour, all they've managed to do is fight with their loved ones. Debbie Reynolds steals the show as Grace's domineering mother.
New Girl Season 2, Ep. 8: "Parents"
Ray Mickshaw/FOX
Rob Reiner and Jamie Lee Curtis (wearing a pilgrim hat) guest star as Jess' (Zooey Deschanel) divorced parents in New Girl's Season 2 Thanksgiving episode. Her attempt to parent trap them into getting back together backfires, and Schmidt enters into a ridiculous manliness content with his cousin, also named Schmidt.
