Watch These Thanksgiving Specials of Your Favorite Old Shows
Want to add a little nostalgia to your Thanksgiving celebration? Try revisiting these beloved Thanksgiving specials that perfectly capture the joy and chaos of the holiday. These Thanksgiving-themed episodes celebrate family and friendship, bringing a mix of laughs, heartwarming moments, and plenty of hilariously relatable family drama. From awkward dinners and family squabbles to unexpected guests — and, of course, the occasional kitchen disaster — these episodes remain timeless no matter how many years go by.
That Girl
“Thanksgiving Comes But Once a Year, Hopefully,” Season 2, Episode 11 (1967)
In this Thanksgiving episode from the feminist TV classic That Girl, Ann (Marlo Thomas) and her boyfriend Donald (Ted Bessell) want to spend Thanksgiving together, but their respective parents have other ideas. Ann ends up hosting dinner at her apartment and trying to honor each family’s traditions — with comically frustrating results.
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“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”
(1973)
No matter how old we get, it wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang. This animated classic reminds us of the importance of friendship and gratitude when poor Charlie Brown is tasked with putting together an unconventional Thanksgiving dinner for his friends.
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The Bob Newhart Show
“Over the River and Through the Woods,” Season 4, Episode 11 (1975)
Thanksgiving takes an unexpected turn for Bob (Bob Newhart) when his wife, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette), goes out of town, leaving him without plans for the holiday. Bob’s friends drop by and soon decide to have their own casual celebration. It’s a Thanksgiving to remember that involves a lot of random food and a series of drunken, comedic antics. And it’s a memorable and hilarious look at a nontraditional Thanksgiving that still manages to bring people together.
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Good Times
“Grandpa’s Visit,” Season 4, Episode 9 (1976)
As Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) and her children prepare for Thanksgiving, James Sr.’s estranged father, Henry Evans (Richard Ward), arrives with an unexpected guest — his loud-talking, live-in girlfriend, Lena (Pauline Myers). Grandpa Evans hasn’t been in touch with the family for years, bringing tension and mixed emotions for everyone, especially Florida, who is scandalized by the unmarried couple living together.
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WKRP in Cincinnati
“Turkeys Away,” Episode 1, Season 7 (1978)
Feeling left out after recent changes around the station, WKRP station manager Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) comes up with a unique promotional event and arranges a Thanksgiving turkey drop. In one of the most iconic Thanksgiving TV moments, the publicity stunt — dropping live turkeys from a helicopter over a crowded shopping area — goes horribly, hysterically wrong as Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) reports from the ground.
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Cheers
“Thanksgiving Orphans,” Season 5, Episode 9 (1986)
When no one except Diane (Shelley Long) has Thanksgiving plans, Carla (Rhea Perlman) agrees to host a Thanksgiving potluck at her house, leaving Norm (George Wendt) in charge of the turkey. Predictably, dinner is delayed when the turkey takes forever to cook, leaving everyone hungry and grumpy. As tensions rise among the motley crew, unexpected guests show up, the petty bickering starts, and the result is perhaps the most epic food fight in the history of television.
Watch on Paramount+
Seinfeld
“The Mom and Pop Store,” Season 6, Episode 8 (1994)
In typical Seinfeld fashion, the show about nothing takes a comedic look at how Thanksgiving isn’t always what we expect. The episode becomes ridiculously complicated with mishaps and misunderstandings. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) tries to determine whether he’s actually invited to a pre-Thanksgiving party, George (Jason Alexander) tries to confirm that actor Jon Voight previously owned the convertible he wants to buy, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gets her boss a balloon-holding spot in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Kramer (Michael Richards) tries to save a sketchy mom-and-pop shoe repair business.
Watch on Netflix
Friends
“The One Where Underdog Gets Away,” Season 1, Episode 9 (1994)
“The One With the List,” Season 2, Episode 8 (1995)
“The One With the Football,” Season 3, Episode 9 (1996)
“The One With Chandler in a Box,” Season 4, Episode 8 (1997)
“The One With All the Thanksgivings,” Season 5, Episode 8 (1998)
“The One With Ross’s Sandwich,” Season 5, Episode 9 (1998)
“The One Where Ross Got High,” Season 6, Episode 9 (1999)
“The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs.” Season 7, Episode 8 (2000)
“The One With the Rumor,” Season 8, Episode 9 (2001)
“The One With Rachel’s Other Sister,” Season 9, Episode 8 (2002)
“The One With the Late Thanksgiving,” Season 10, Episode 8 (2003)
Over the course of its 10-year run, Friends gave us 10 memorable episodes about Thanksgiving, making it impossible to choose a favorite. There’s the runaway Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon in Season 1, Chandler in a box in Season 4, and the Geller Bowl sibling rivalry between Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica (Courteney Cox) during a touch football game that derailed Thanksgiving in Season 3. Cameos by Brad Pitt in Season 8 and Christina Applegate in Season 9 were filled with quotable lines and laugh-out-loud moments, while the gang’s last Thanksgiving in Season 10 — reluctantly hosted by Monica and Chandler (Matthew Perry) — remains a poignant reminder of the passage of time. Finally, while it might not have been a Thanksgiving episode, Ross’ Season 5 meltdown over his stolen leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich with the gravy-soaked bread, known as the “Moist Maker,” remains the stuff of comedic legend.
Every Thanksgiving Friends episode served up plenty of laughs alongside the unforgettable (and sometimes inedible) Thanksgiving meal, reminding us that old friends are priceless — even when things don’t turn out the way we planned.
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