The five funniest Thanksgiving episodes to watch from your favourite shows
Thanksgiving celebrations have never really been limited to extravagant feasts and family gatherings. The annual tradition has also left its mark on showbiz, including streaming services like Netflix, which serve as the home of fan-favourite shows.
As a result, in the wake of the holiday season, we return with Thanksgiving episodes that have been etched in our memories year after year, offering seasonal respite and endless laughter.
While Netflix may remain a step ahead in curating content that defines the future of the entertainment world, it remains the one-stop solution for all things throwback, including shows that refuse to fade out with time.
So, in case you’re craving some timeless drama, chaos, and feasts that leave you hungry for more, here are the five funniest Thanksgiving episodes to watch on Netflix from your beloved shows.
The five funniest Thanksgiving episodes from your favourite shows
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – ‘Thanksgiving’
Thanksgiving is all about good food and gratitude, and although Amy has plenty of the latter in the holiday season episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, her cooking is a disaster. Despite that, she has organised a Thanksgiving feast, inviting everyone from the precinct, including Captain Holt, whom she wants to be her mentor. While the dinner plans don’t exactly pan out in the way she wanted, Jake, who has been long searching for an excuse to avoid Thanksgiving, leaves with Holt to investigate a robbery at the evidence locker.
Although it may have felt like Thanksgiving had backfired in every way possible for a hot minute, Boyle saves the day by ordering a variety of takeout meals instead, starting a new tradition, ‘Friendsgiving.’ As for Amy? The food may not have convinced Holt, but the eight-page document did.
Gilmore Girls – ‘A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving’
If finishing one turkey on Thanksgiving felt like a task even for Joey Tribbiani, imagine surviving four dinners in a day, because that’s what Lorelai and Rory commit to in Gilmore Girls. Each of these plans ends up in a variety of comical situations, dinner drama, drunken stories, and first kisses.
While there are many subplots in the episode to crack you up back-to-back, nothing beats Sookie’s regret over letting Jackson cook the turkey since every item on his menu book requires deep-frying this year, including the traditional roast that’s screaming KFC in the third season.
Gossip Girl – ‘The Treasure of Serena Madre’
Holiday traditions are holy, but guess what’s holier than Thanksgiving? A traditional meltdown! Gossip Girl and the holiday season are the perfectly unhinged pair who ask for nothing more than chaos. And this Thanksgiving memory from the third season, fortunately, brings plenty. The episode opens at an hour when Blair Waldorf is unusually sceptical about her mother, Jenny is caught up in a cold war with Eric, and Rufus discovers that Lily lies, too.
If you think these sound alarming, have you even met the mother of drama? In case you haven’t, she has entangled herself in an unlikely affair with her ex-boyfriend, Nate’s married cousin, Tripp, but nobody knows that their plates are full before the feast can even start.
Seinfeld – ‘The Mom & Pop Store’
Ever been to one of those Thanksgiving parties, despite not being able to recall whether you were invited or not? Well, Jerry did in the sixth season of Seinfeld, just out of compulsion. Jerry’s dentist hosted the party in his Upper West Side apartment, which included guests from Elaine, Kramer, and George as well.
While Jerry couldn’t recall if he was on the guest list, he did crash the party, thanks to a stubborn toothache that wouldn’t just go away and the lack of another dentist so close to Thanksgiving.
Friends – ‘The One with the Rumour’
There are many Thanksgiving episodes in Friends that live rent-free in our heads, but nothing hits home like ‘The One with the Rumour.’ This is one of those Thanksgivings that almost went without a turkey if not for Joey’s persuasion tactics. And we’ll let you find out the reasons why.
In case you’re unable to recall, this Thanksgiving episode is also about a special cameo, Will Colbert, played by Brad Pitt, who was in the I Hate Rachel Greene Club with Ross in high school. But if it still feels blank, just hit the play button already!