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Happy Thanksgiving, This Is Us fans! Sadly, the NBC series ended in May 2022. So there won’t be a new Turkey Day episode to look forward to this holiday season. However, we can still reflect on the good (and bad) times that the characters had on the special day. And there’s one behind-the-scenes story from a Thanksgiving episode that will have you grateful for the cooked turkey on your dinner table.

Justin Hartley, in character as Kevin in the Thanksgiving episode of 'This Is Us' Season 1, wears a black Henley shirt, jeans, and the Pilgrim Rick hat.
Justin Hartley as Kevin | Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Thanksgiving was a big deal for the Pearson family in ‘This Is Us’

As fans recall, Thanksgiving became the Pearsons’ favorite holiday after a road trip gone wrong in This Is Us Season 1.

When the Big Three were young, they set off to spend the holiday with Rebecca’s parents. However, none of them were happy to be going. And thankfully for them, they blew a tire on their way. The family had to walk 3.4 miles to the nearest gas station for help. However, it was Thanksgiving, so aid was hard to come by. And they had to stay at a creepy motel for the night.

Jack being Jack, was determined to turn their awful day into a great one. He bought hot dogs, cheese, and crackers from the gas station and created a new Thanksgiving specialty — cheesy cracker hot dogs. Jack also swiped Police Academy 3 and a hat from the motel receptionist, Pilgrim Rick. And from that moment on, the Pearsons had new Thanksgiving traditions.

Every year, they go on a 3.4-mile hike, eat cheesy cracker hot dogs, watch Police Academy 3, and someone dons the Pilgrim Rick hat. And except for season 5, every This Is Us season has an episode dedicated to Thanksgiving.

One actor had a troubling experience while filming a scene for a holiday episode

Unfortunately, not every This Is Us cast member had a pleasant experience while filming the Thanksgiving episodes. During an interview with Insider, Hannah Zeile, who played Teen Kate, shared a funny behind-the-scenes story from a holiday episode.

As the article points out, the This Is Us cast is really eating during dinner scenes. But some foods are safer than others, like mashed potatoes, because, as Zeile said, “even if those things are cold, they are still going to taste good.” However, Niles Fitch, who played Teen Randall, didn’t stick to those rules while filming a Thanksgiving scene.

“I don’t know why Niles decided one year that he was going to pick up a full turkey leg and just take a huge bite into a turkey leg,” Zeile shared. “It was completely cold, and then it was almost raw inside.”

But Fitch kept on eating so as not to ruin the take. Zeile added, “He was trying so hard to keep a straight face, but his face was like — he just looked ill. When they finally cut, we were all dying laughing.”

After that horrifying experience, Fitch would “cut it open first before even daring to bite the meat” for future This Is Us Thanksgiving episodes.

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A complete list of the ‘This Is Us’ Thanksgiving episodes

To celebrate the holiday, we’ve compiled a list of the This Is Us Thanksgiving specials. Every episode is jam-packed with emotional moments and devastating reveals, so we suggest watching them with a box of tissues and a side of cooked turkey.

  • This Is Us Season 1 Episode 8, “Pilgrim Rick”
  • This Is Us Season 2 Episode 10, “Number Three”
  • This Is Us Season 3 Episode 8, “Six Thanksgivings”
  • This Is Us Season 4 Episode 9, “So Long, Marianne”
  • This Is Us Season 6 Episode 7, “Taboo”

All Thanksgiving episodes of This Is Us are available to stream on Hulu.

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