I Am Thankful For Thanksgiving Episodes

There’s something special about your favorite show producing a holiday episode. It’s a reminder that you exist in the same universe. Sure, you have to pay bills and put gas in the car and do the laundry while they get to wrap things up in 30 or 60 minutes and not resurface for another week, but at least we all celebrate the same holidays. Sort of. We rarely get Independence Day episodes because network shows are on hiatus, and it seems like Arbor Day get short shrift, but Thanksgiving is generally well-represented (so conveniently situated during November sweeps) and for that, I am thankful. Here are my favorite Thanksgiving episodes from recent years.

1. Friends, “The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks“: To be honest, all of the Friends Thanksgiving episodes rank among my favorites, but I”m trying to limit myself to just one on this list and this is it. We see the genesis of Thin Monica and her decision to become a chef (thanks, Chandler), Ross’s budding relationship with Carol (“She plays for both teams!”), Rachel’s original nose, and how Chandler lost the tip of his toe (thanks, Monica), and Phoebe’s past life as a nurse in WWI. It’s a mythology episode, if you will, and I love those.
2. Gilmore Girls, “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving“: I know Lorelai and Rory like to eat, but four Thanksgiving dinners in a row is a lot even for them! From Tofurkey at Lane’s house to deep-fried turkey at Sookie’s (much to the chef’s chagrin) to a traditional meal at Luke’s to a formal dinner at the grandparents’, the day was already stuffed without the revelation that Rory had applied to Yale.
3. Will & Grace, “Moveable Feast”: Another multiple dinners episode, this time involving the four friends stopping off at various family members’ dinners for pre-set amount of time with plans to enjoy their own Thanksgiving meal afterward. Instead the quartet end up making the rounds a second time to make amends and Rosie devours the turkey back at the apartment.
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Pangs“: Leave it to Joss Whedon to bring a dose of reality to the warm, fuzzy holiday. In this episode, the first Thanksgiving after mom Joyce’s death, Buffy is desperately trying to recreate the perfect family dinner for Dawn and her friends. Unfortunately, the town of Sunnydale has disturbed an ancient Shumash burial ground and now tribesmen have returned from the dead to take their revenge.
5. Chuck, “Chuck Versus the Nemesis“: PINEAPPLE! Chuck started out with a high concept that required tremendous suspension of disbelief (nerd gets government secrets downloaded into his brain) but it worked thanks to characters we loved. This holiday episode gave us a chance to get to know them better and gave us some answers about why Chuck received the Intersect and Bryce’s involvement. It also gave us a new code word should an emergency erupt at the local Buy More.