The 10 Best Thanksgiving Sitcom Episodes
On November 17, 2010, In Daily List, by teagueb

Television likes to celebrate the holidays as much as the rest of the world—especially when said holiday is non-secular. So it makes sense that TV (in the US, anyway) would embrace Thanksgiving—it’s not especially religious, it’s one of the big holidays, it happens in the Fall, and it’s seriously all-American. It might be surprising that there aren’t more Thanksgiving cartoon specials (as there are for Christmas, say), but series TV more than fills in the gap. And this makes sense for classic dramas—The Waltons, The West Wing, etc. But it’s sitcoms, working with both humor and some reverence at the same time, that really celebrate the holiday with style.

Here are ten of the most memorable episodes, from shows that didn’t give funny the holiday off, for which any TV fan gives thanks.

http://daily.likeme.net/2010/11/17/the-10-best-thanksgiving-sitcom-episodes/

I agree with "Turkeys Away" being in the number one spot on this list. It was one of the most hilarious TV episodes of all time. However the Bob Newhart Show episode should be second (not fourth) rather than the Cosby Show ep which should be further down the list.

Christopher Titus' show where his bi-polar mom crushed her medication in with the turkey so when everyone passed out, she could escape.

At least Bewitched made the list.

There's a great Thanksgiving episode of Barney Miller where Lugar exerts emotional blackmail over Barney to invite him over for dinner, to avoid sitting at home alone with his "little Cornish Hen" and "Dumont" TV. :lol:

om glad my fave friends thanksgiving ep made the list i liked the all in the family and cosby show eps too

My favorite episode is from the Beverly Hillbillies and is called "The Thanksgiving Spirit". It's where the Clampetts travel to Hooterville to spend the holidays with the casts of "Green Acres" and "Petticoat Junction". The last scene where everyone is seated for dinner and Jed says grace and gives thanks to all of his friends is a very touching moment.



http://www.maggiore.net/greenacres/museum/images/mus138.jpg

There's a great Thanksgiving episode of Barney Miller where Lugar exerts emotional blackmail over Barney to invite him over for dinner, to avoid sitting at home alone with his "little Cornish Hen" and "Dumont" TV. :lol:

I remember that. :lol: That was a good ep. My favorites are "Turkeys Away", "Over the River and Through the Woods" and "An American Family" from The Bob Newhart Show, "Samantha's Thanksgiving to Remember" from Bewitched, and The Garfield Thanksgiving episode. :cool: :D

The Boy Meets World Thanksgiving episode belongs on that list. It's probably the one of the best episodes of the series

And another good Thanksgiving episode is the second season "That Girl"episode "Thanksgiving Comes But Once A Year,Hopefully".Lots of great gags in this one,in which Ann has Thanksgiving Dinner for her ,Donald,and BOTH their parents.A noteworthy,funny scene is when she uses a hammer and chisel(!)to cut slits in the pie.

It would never make any list, but my favorite is Supermarket Story from Season 1 of King of Queens.

there are quite a few Thanksgiving eps besides of course the classic "Turkeys Away." from WKRP and the episode of Cheers which ends with a huge food fight. The W and G where Will goes to Vince's and Jamie Lynn Sigler plays a lesbian and Vince's mother gives them grief and then Lows in the Mid Eighties where Will comes out at Thanksgiving to Grace and her family. On Friends , TOW Ross Gets High, TOW Rachel's Other Sister, and of course TOW the Rumor is my favorite.

"You had a club. Who was in this club." Rachel
"Me and Ross." Will points to Ross
"No Need to Point , She knows who Ross is." Ross

My favorite is the Perfect Strangers episode "Wild Turkey" in which Larry loses Jennifer's wedding ring, suspects it's been eaten by one of the turkeys Balki bought, and the search eventually goes to the neighbors next door. The two cousins disguise themselves as a full service operation and try to find the ring in the neighbors' dinner!

Television likes to celebrate the holidays as much as the rest of the world—especially when said holiday is non-secular. So it makes sense that TV (in the US, anyway) would embrace Thanksgiving—it’s not especially religious, it’s one of the big holidays, it happens in the Fall, and it’s seriously all-American. It might be surprising that there aren’t more Thanksgiving cartoon specials (as there are for Christmas, say), but series TV more than fills in the gap. And this makes sense for classic dramas—The Waltons, The West Wing, etc. But it’s sitcoms, working with both humor and some reverence at the same time, that really celebrate the holiday with style.


I would have to disagree on this point. Thanksgiving is a very religious holiday- it originated in America as a day when the Pilgrims gave thanks to God for all His blessings and for providing food and friendship with the Native Americans (who traded know-how cultivation tips with them) and safety and good health in the new land they had come to.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving specials explains this very nicely- "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving". Of course, you don't have to wait for this day in November- you can (and should) give thanks to God every day!:)

Another favorite for me is "The Miracle of Thanksgiving" episode of Full House.
And "Turkey in the Straw" (Parts 1 and 2) on ALF.
And "A Thanksgiving Story" on Saved By the Bell: The College Years.
And "Thanks for Giving" on Saved By the Bell: The New Class.
And "The First Thanksgiving" on Happy Days.
And definitely "Turkeys Away" on WKRP in Cincinnatti.
And the "Turkey Day" episode of Boy Meets World. (Though I hate that term for the holiday- it's about more than just turkey. It's about thanking the One who made the turkey for us to eat.)
And though I haven't watched a ton of it, Friends most always had some classic Thanksgiving episodes and I liked their annual tradition of playing touch football- those episodes were fun.
And Home Improvement had a number of fun Thanksgiving episodes too.
And the "Thanksgiving with The Four Tops" episode of Webster.:) :cool:

And certainly one of the most poignant episodes ever set at Thanksgiving- "The Leap Home" (Parts 1 and 2) of Quantum Leap.
And I tend to think of "The Outsiders" as sort of a Thanksgiving episode for MacGyver. (lol- well, MacGyver wakes up surrounded by an Amish family who is caring for him after he gets injured and when they ask him if he knows what happened, he replies, "I died...and went to Thanksgiving?"
:lol:
And the "Homecoming" episode of The Incredible Hulk.
And the "Peking, March 1910" episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. (Which has a framing story set at Thanksgiving, circa 1993.)
And "No Nukes is Good Nukes" episode of Family Ties.
And Alvin & The Chipmunks- "A Chipmunk Celebration"
And "B.C. - The First Thanksgiving"
And "Garfield's Thanksgiving"
And "Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet" and "Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special"
And "This is America, Charlie Brown- The Mayflower Voyagers"

And the "Wild Turkey" episode of Perfect Strangers and pretty much any other Thanksgiving related episode of any other show I like- lol.:) :cool:

I tried the link but it doesnt work but from what I've read here, I also thought the Friends Thanksgiving episodes were funny and I still like The Simpsons Thanksgiving episode as well.
Im trying to think of some more but I cant. Are there a lot of Thanksgiving sitcom episodes?

The Middle has always had some very enjoyable Thanksgiving episodes. :cool:

The Slapsgiving thanksgiving episodes on HIMYM!

I liked the Thanksgiving episodes of Home Improvement and Everybody Loves Raymond.

"WKRP in Cincinatti": 'Turkeys Away'
Friends: "TOW Underdog Gets Away"-the 1998 Thanksgiving episode-"TOW Ross Got High"-"TOW the Rumor"-"TOW the Late Thanksgiving"
The Bob Newhart Show: "Over the River and Through the Woods"

Mama's Family "An Ill Wind"

quantum leap the leap home part 1 and part 2

My faves were all the Roseanne ones, and Family Ties where the Keaton's spent Thanksgiving in jail.

Friends "TOW Rachel's Other Sister"

"Kenan & Kel" had a good Thanksgiving episode too. The best cartoon one must be the one from "Hey Arnold".

My Favorites:

3rd Rock From The Sun - Gobble Gobble Dick Dick
Family Ties - No Nukes Is Good Nukes
Married With Children - A Bundy Thanksgiving
WKRP In Cincinnati - Turkeys Away
Cheers - Thanksgiving Orphans
Cosby Show - Cliff's Wet Adventure
Frasier - A Lilith Thanksgiving
Roseanne - All of them!
Reba - Thanksgiving
Home Improvement - All of them!
Everybody Loves Raymond - No Fat; Turkey Or Fish; The Bird
Friends - All of them!
Garfield's Thanksgiving
Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Frasier-A Lilith Thanksgiving

I like "The Wood, The Bad, & The Hungry" episode of Home Improvement in season 6!!!