I have a lot to be thankful for. I've got a great family, awesome friends, I make a mean chocolate pie.
And of course, my true love...
Television.
Top Ten Thanksgiving Episodes
Will and Grace, "Lows in the Mid Eighties"
Like most long-running sitcoms, Will and Grace has a few great Thanksgiving episodes, but none more amazing than this flashback-centered episode. It showed how Jack met Will, how Karen met Stan, and how Will met himself when a disastrous trip home with his then-girlfriend Grace led him to come out of the closet. It's hilarious, it's sweet, it's got amazing 80's wigs, what more could you ask for?
Best line:
Will: I'm not gay.
Jack: This well worn copy of the Dreamgirls soundtrack begs to differ.
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| So does that haircut. |
Friends, "The One with All the Thanksgivings"
Another show with a plethora of great Thanksgiving episode choices, the one that remains my favorite is this multiple-flashback gem, where Thanksgiving stories leave Chandler (the "King of Bad Thanksgivings") depressed, Monica trying to cheer him up with a turkey on her head, and the couple's first I-love-yous. Aw! (Plus, more bad 80's wigs!)
Best line:
Phoebe: I've got a Thanksgiving story that's worse."
Chandler: Worse than 'More turkey, Mr. Chan-deh-ler'?
Phoebe: Oh, did the poor little rich boy have a problem with the butler? Yes, mine's worse!
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| Everything is funnier with a fez. |
Mad About You, "Giblets for Murray"
I don't remember this show all that well, despite the fact I know my family watched and liked it, but I do remember this episode really specifically. The Thanksgiving dinner takes on a life of its own as Jamie and Paul try to make all of their various relatives happy, and end up going through like five turkeys due to comedy-of-errors style miscommunication and Murray the dog.
Best line:
Jamie: (Asking Paul to go to the store for brussel sprouts) Come on Fran's alone, she's feeling vulnerable, and she loves brussel sprouts.
Paul: So let her eat a valium.
Roseanne, "We Gather Together"
Roseanne was better known for its great Halloween episodes (I'm still traumatized by the thing with Dan's hand in the disposall) but this great episode, which featured both sets of in-laws and Jackie trying to hide her new career as a cop, was hilarious and sweet. I adore Roseanne's mother, who is just the most perfect charactature of the passive-aggressive mother ever on television, and makes this episode with her guilt-inducing whining.
Best line:
Roseanne: I don't think you should tell Mom about you being a cop.
Jackie: Why not?
Roseanne: Because I don't want Mom to drop dead of a heart attack at the dinner table!
Dan: Why not?
How I Met Your Mother, "Slapsgiving:
There's singing. There's screaming. There's slapping. It's the perfect Thanksgiving! I won't lie, I love the saluting thing Robin and Ted do (I don't say it out loud, but you can bet my brain goes "General Knowledge"!) and guest star Owen Bean is great at the perception of Robin's older date, but you just don't get better than the awesome slap and even more awesome song about the slap. God dammit, Jason Segel, I love you.
Best line:
Marshall: Why is your right cheek twitching?
Barney: It's not.
Marshall: Maybe it's because Future Me slaps Future You so hard it reverberates back to the present, shattering the Time-Slap Continuum!
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| Marry me, you fabulous psycho. |
Cheers, "Thanksgiving Orphans"
Shouldn't all Thanksgiving dinners begin with a food fight? The one at Carla's did, after a slow-cooking turkey, missing dates, and Diane being...well, Diane. A classic Thanksgiving episode made perfect by the appearance of the long-awaited Vera, whose face we still couldn't see due to all the pumpkin pie covering it.
Best line:
Diane: What could be more enjoyable than opening your heart this holiday season?
Carla: Opening yours with a can opener?
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| Um, your wife is lovely. |
The West Wing, "Sibboleth"
A powerful episode that still manages to be really funny, with CJ choosing a turkey for the President to pardon and the guys with not much to do until a group of stowaway Chinese immigrants are found seeking asylum. This is West Wing at its best.
Best line:
CJ: The most photo-friendly of the two gets a Presidential pardon and a full life at a children's zoo. The runner-up gets eaten.
Bartlet: If the Oscars were like that, I'd watch.
Gilmore Girls, "A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving"
This classic Girls episode sees Lorelai and Rory attending four different Thanksgiving dinners, after they can't bear to tell anyone no. It's fast-talking, banter-y holiday fun!
Best line:
Lorelai: Who's that?
Rory: It's Lane. It just says 'bible kiss bible'.
Lorelai: What does that mean?
Rory: No idea. Good band name, though.
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| Can't you just feel yourself talking faster? |
Everybody Loves Raymond, "No Fat"
When Marie goes on a diet, she demands a healthy thanksgiving dinner, which means (dun dun dun!) Tofurkey.
Best line:
Ray: Where's your dog, Robert?
Robert: I don't think Shamsky would eat this.
Ray: Yeah, but we could eat him.
The Cosby Show, "Cliff's Wet Adventure"
Cliff is forced to make four trips to the store for things Claire forgot. Trust me, it's hilarious. Just watch the clip from 1:30 and tell me you haven't heard your parents have the exact same conversation:
Best line:
Russell: (starting grace) Heavenly Father...
Cliff: You got that right.
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