Top 10 Thanksgiving Episodes You Can Stream Right Now

If there are two characters in the TV universe that could possibly make it to four Thanksgiving dinners in one day, and do it charmingly, it would have to be Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. I can’t possibly think of any other twosome that would be able to do it with the quickness of these two.

That’s the rub for our favorite mother-daughter duo in Gilmore Girls’ third-season episode “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving.” They’ve been invited to Thanksgiving dinner by Lane, Luke, Sookie, and Lorelai’s parents Emily and Richard, and they insist on making every single one, damn it!

And with the beautiful fast-paced acting and hilarity that made Gilmore Girls such a special piece of TV history, they pull it off. They even have to shove down some tofurkey at the Kim household. Yikes. But they do it and finally get to Emily and Richard’s for the grand finale where Rory reveals to them all that she’s applied to Yale. “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving” is everything great about the show all rolled into one big tofurkey and shoved in a vat of bubbling oil. Perfect for eating. Yum!

[Stream “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving” on Netflix]

Forget for a moment, if you can, How I Met Your Mother’s horrifically bad series finale and think back to a simpler time when the show was still one of the very best sitcoms on TV. Season Three found the series at the height of its popularity. Barney Stinson had become a thing in pop culture and millions of folks tuned in every week to join Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney at MacLaren’s for a few drinks.

It was during that third season that viewers were treated to one of the very best Thanksgiving-themed episodes in a long time and one that would go on to be, arguably, the best episode of HIMYM’s impressive nine season run.

“Slapsgiving” works to converge several storylines – Marshall and Lily’s first Thanksgiving as a married couple, the first time Robin and Ted show off their “Major” salute, and Robin wanting to bring her new boyfriend to dinner – but the storyline of real import here is the infamous Slap Bet.

Marshall plans to unleash his third slap across Barney’s face during Thanksgiving and the sense of dread throughout the episode is palpable. The very best (and most memorable) moment, however, comes at episode’s end when Marshall unleashes the mighty slap and follows it with a tune of his own creation (“You Just Got Slapped”) at the piano. Classic Mother!

[Watch “Slapsgiving” on Netflix]

“The Ties That Bind” is quintessential Wonder Years. Heartfelt and family-focused, the episode shows Jack gunning for a promotion to help pay for Norma’s new stove (and the myriad other bills bearing down on the family). Thankfully, his boss gives him a big promotion and the raise he asked for. Unfortunately, it means that Jack has to be away on business during Thanksgiving.

Norma tries her best to make it all work without Jack at the helm, but the family has a hard time coping with Dad away. We’ll leave the sweet conclusion for you to discover, but suffice to say you should get your tissues ready now.

[Watch “The Ties That Bind” on Netflix]

The best Cheers episodes are always the ones where the entire gang can get together, personalities can clash, and the funny can start flowing. “Thanksgiving Orphans” just happens to have all of those qualities in spades.

After reluctantly deciding to have everyone over for Thanksgiving dinner at her place, Carla plays host to Norm (who ends up there after a huge fight with his wife), Woody, Cliff, Sam, Frasier, and Diane. Things don’t go quite as planned, however, as Norm’s turkey can’t seem to cook quickly enough, Diane gets tipsy and toasts everyone she’s ever admired in her entire life, and the whole thing devolves into a food fight.

It’s classic Cheers in the very best way. In 1997, TV Guide named “Thanksgiving Orphans” the seventh greatest television episode of all time and, after watching it again, it’s easy to see why.

[Watch “Thanksgiving Orphans” on Netflix]

Yeah, that’s right. We’re including ALF in our list of great Thanksgiving episodes. Deal with it. The Alien Life Form from Melmac is, indeed, his lovable self in this two-part episode that finds the Tanner family forced to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the Ochmonek’s house after ALF at their entire turkey. It’s a cute diversion with the focus on Mr. And Mrs. Ochmonek putting on a little show of their own, but the “very special episode” part of “Turkey in the Straw” comes courtesy of a drifter named “Flakey” Pete.

The homeless Pete has been hanging around the neighborhood, sustained by the fact that ALF has been leaving out food and clothes for him. Willie eventually finds the guy in his garage and, rather than call the cops, offers to help him out, but Pete doesn’t believe it. Instead, he soon discovers ALF and makes a call to the Alien Task Force. They offer a reward if he turns in the little furry guy and, while the Tanners are at the Ochmoneks, goes inside to chat with ALF.

Spoiler alert (as if you didn’t already know where this was going): Pete doesn’t end up turning in ALF once he finds out what the Alien Task Force wants to do with him. And there’s your Thanksgiving message.

[Stream “Turkey In The Straw” on Amazon Instant]

Like most great episodes of Friday Night Lights, there are some major emotional highs and lows in “Thanksgiving.” The episode not only finds several major characters dealing with crossroads in their lives, but it also has to handle a major on-field showdown, family drama, and serve as the fourth season finale. That’s a lot for a show to handle, but if anyone can do it Jason Katims has certainly proved he’s the man for the job.

It’s Thanksgiving in Dillon and everyone has decided to spend the day chowing down at Coach Taylor’s house, but there are divisions amongst our characters. Tim Riggins has to make a major life-changing decision about the illegal operation he and his brother have gotten caught up in, Matt Saracen comes home from Chicago to surprise his girlfriend Julie Taylor and his best friend Landry Clarke, and Vince has to decide what kind of leader on (and off) the field he’s going to be.

That’s a whole lot of plot to sneak into a holiday episode and, in any other show’s less-capable hands it might turn out to be a big, huge mess, but these are the kinds of episodes where FNL thrives. It works beautifully, like orchestrated magic, and we’re just as satisfied emotionally as we would be physically if we were eating Thanksgiving dinner at Tami Taylor’s table. And, for one fine day, Landry Clarke gets to be the hero.

[Watch “Thanksgiving” on Netflix]

One of 2013’s breakout TV comedies, Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s first season was way funnier than it probably should have been. Bolstered by a standout performance by veteran actor Andre Braugher, solid work from Andy Samberg, and a great supporting cast of folks like Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, and Joe Lo Truglio, the show balanced fun characters with a truly silly look inside Brooklyn’s forgotten police department.

Landing about halfway through the show’s first season, “Thanksgiving” is a good turning point for the show and one that works to the strength of its ensemble cast. The squad spends the entire day playing Boyle Bingo, poking fun at Joe Lo Truglio’s Charles Boyle character, before they head over to Amy Santiago’s place for Thanksgiving dinner. She’s planning to ask Captain Holt to be her mentor, but never quite gets the chance, Terry is starving, and Boyle must do his best to save everyone’s holiday. It may not be the show’s best episode from its premiere season, but it’s a heck of a way to spend Thanksgiving.

[Stream “Thanksgiving” on Hulu]

As if Bob’s Burgers wasn’t already consistently funny enough, “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” sets out to ruin Bob’s favorite holiday by making him play cook while he rents out his wife and kids to the family’s landlord Mr. Fischoeder during an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner. It seems like the perfect scenario for some animated hilarity, but when Bob starts guzzling some Absinthe while on the job, things really start to spin out of control.

Add in some truly inspired guest voice work from Kevin Kline and Lindsey Stoddart, along with a Louise’s memorable Thanksgiving Song and you’ve got yourself a classic Turkey Day episode. Because what would Thanksgiving be without some Absinthe-fueled hallucinations of enormous foodstuffs and a giant anthropomorphic turkey?

[Stream “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” on Netflix]

Also known as “The One With The Thanksgiving Flashbacks,” the fifth-season Thanksgiving episode of Friends “The One With All The Thanksgivings” is often amongst the episodes that fans of the series choose as the show’s very best.

In it, we find our trusty group of friends sitting around recounting Thanksgivings of their past. Each character gives us a story of a horrible Thanksgiving past with Chandler starting things off with the time he find out his parents were getting divorced, Phoebe talking about a Thanksgiving she lived in a past life before switching her story to a more modern version where Joey gets a turkey stuck on his head, and Monica regales us with the tale of the time Ross brings Chandler home from college sporting his Flock of Seagulls hair.

This might be a trip down memory lane for the characters, but it’s all new to us and the results (even if you’re not necessarily a fan of the show) are hilarious. There’s a reason this episode is among fans’ favorites and it’s the same reason that it makes our list of great Thanksgiving episodes. It just works.

[Stream “The One With All The Thanksgiving Flashbacks” on Netflix]

Parenthood’s “Happy Thanksgiving” makes our list for many of the same reasons that Friday Nights Lights’ “Thanksgiving” does: Both shows know how to handle large ensemble casts, with multiple heavy storylines, and juggle them in a way that’s both refreshing and wholly entertaining. It should come as no surprise then that Parenthood also comes from the mind of Jason Katims. Although he doesn’t write “Happy Thanksgiving,” his fingerprints are all over this holiday gathering of the Braverman clan.

Adam gets some bad news about his job from Gordon (Billy Baldwin), Amber and Camille work on prepping Thanksgiving food, Drew is annoyed that Sarah invited Gordon to dinner, Crosby is trying his best to keep Jasmine’s mom happy, and Julia has a kitchen disaster while making pies and dealing with an increasingly petulant little Sydney.

Sounds like just another day with the Bravermans, right? Well, that’s true, but there’s always a nice, cathartic feel-good moment when the whole family gets together and that’s certainly true for “Happy Thanksgiving.” The family eats, they play a little football together (with Zeke, of course, as quarterback), and the Braverman siblings dance as the night rolls on. It’s classic Parenthood and part of what makes this episode so perfect for repeat Thanksgiving viewings.

[Stream “Happy Thanksgiving” on Netflix]

This article was originally published in November of 2014, but has been updated with the most recent streaming availabilities.