Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Thanksgiving is a time for family, but ever since Friends came to Netflix back on January 1, 2015, it’s also been a time to binge-watch the antics of Chandler, Joey, Ross, Rachel, Monica and Pheebs. As part of NBC’s vaunted Thursday night line-up of Must See TV in the late ’90s and early Aughts, each of the show’s 10 seasons featured a special Thanksgiving-themed episode that also aired on Thanksgiving night itself. Many of these special episodes are considered among the most hilarious in the whole series, particularly “The One With All The Thanksgivings” and “The One Where Ross Got High,” but they all remain pretty spectacular in our book.
Now, without further ado, here’s your complete guide to every Thanksgiving episode of Friends!
"The One Where The Underdog Gets Away" (S1E9)
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 17, 1994
The first Thanksgiving episode of the eventual 10-year run of Friends is one of the most memorable of the bunch, thanks to two major plot points: Joey’s appearance in an ad campaign as a venereal disease ridden playboy, and one of the earliest references Ugly Naked Guy (not to mention his Ugly Naked Gal!).
"The One With The List" (S2E8)
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 16, 1995
Who’s up for some Fishtachios? This Thanksgiving episode is the least Thanksgiving-y of the bunch, an error that Marta Kaufman and David Crane would correct the following year in “The One With The Football.”
"The One With The Football" (S3E9)
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: November 21, 1996
Watching and playing football is a time-honored Thanksgiving tradition for many an American family. However, when the characters on Friends decide to play touch football, Monica and Ross get a little too competitive for comfort.
"The One With Chandler In A Box" (S4E8)
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 20, 1997
“Va fa Napoli!” Why is Chandler in a box for this entire episode? We barely remember the reasons —it has been 19 years since this episode first aired, after all— but what we do remember is that Chandler and Joey have a friendship that is unbreakable. (Fun fact: This episode was directed by a guy named Peter Bonerz. Yes, Bonerz!)
"The One With All The Thanksgivings" (S5E8)
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: November 19, 1998
If you’re going to watch one Friends Thanksgiving episode, it should probably be this one. It’s the one with the high school flashbacks, hilarious jokes, and Monica wearing a turkey on her head. It’s a literal classic.
"The One Where Ross Got High" (S6E9)
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: November 25, 1999
We’ll level with you: this is one of our favorite Friends episodes if only for the meat truffle. THE MEAT TRUFFLE! So gross, and so absurdly funny.
"The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs" (S7E8)
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 23, 2000
Pop quiz: Can YOU name all fifty states? The string of episodes that saw Rachel dating her assistant, Tag, are very forgettable. This episode ends with their first kiss, which is not nearly as interesting as what was to follow the very next Thanksgiving…
[Watch “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs” on Netflix]
"The One With The Rumor" (S8E9)
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 22, 2001
This episode should probably be titled, “The One With Brad Pitt In It.” At its airing, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were Hollywood’s golden couple. So, the whole, “I hate Rachel Green” thing was cute in that, “Oh, he doesn’t hate her! That’s his wife in real life” way. Was this foreshadowing to what would happen IRL to the couple? If you view it that way, you probably have an US Weekly subscription.
"The One With Rachel's Other Sister" (S9E8)
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 21, 2002
The other sister, in case you forgot, was played by Christina Applegate. PS, if you see the Days Of Our Lives float in the Thanksgiving parade, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Dr. Drake Ramoray.
"The One With Late Thanksgiving" (S10E8)
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 20, 2003
The plot of this episode is a bit meta, and the gang more or less admits that last year’s Thanksgiving was a flop (which is kind of the same way audiences felt about “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister”). So get your cranberry sauce ready (Chandler’s favorite!), because this is the last of the Friends Thanksgiving episodes!
