You Have To Watch These Classic Thanksgiving TV Episodes
Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family and friends. Okay, it’s also about the food. Once you’ve pushed yourself away from the table and cleaned up the last scraps of turkey, you may want to watch some classic television. To remain in the holiday spirit, consider streaming these three classic Thanksgiving episodes from everybody’s favorite shows.
Everybody Loves Raymond – “Fighting In-Laws”
Everybody Loves Raymond is a highly accurate representation of the dynamic between a close-knit Italian family. Debra Barone, as an outsider, never quite fits in, but she indeed begins to take on some of the Barone family’s more interesting character flaws, like wild overreactions.
During a classic Thanksgiving episode, Debra’s parents show up from Connecticut to enjoy the festivities with the Barones. There is a problem though, the couple is experiencing trouble and is planning to attend a marriage counseling camp in New Jersey following the holiday. They don’t want Debra to know, but Raymond Barone finds out accidentally. When he tells Debra while she’s seasoning the turkey, a classic TV moment is born, complete with Debra dropping the turkey multiple times.
The episode is the ninth episode in the fifth season of the show. You can stream the episode on Amazon Prime.
Friends – “The One With All the Thanksgivings”
The writers of Friends never missed an opportunity to utilize holidays as a storyline. During the series’ 10 season run, there were multiple Thanksgiving episodes. In Season 1, the gang contends with a locked door after the Underdog float gets away. In Season 2, Monica has to come up with a series of recipes for a product called “mocklate.” In Season 3, Monica and Ross revive their sibling rivalry, and in Season 4, Chandler locks himself in a shipping crate to show his commitment to his friendship with Joey. There are plenty more, but the single greatest Friends’ Thanksgiving episode comes in Season 5.
During the fifth season of the show, fans get plenty of backstory about the friends. Fans learn that Chandler lost a toe at the hands of Monica. They also find out that Chandler was the catalyst for Monica’s weight loss. The single best scene, however, comes when Monica dons a Turkey on her head to make Chandler laugh, only to have him reveal that he loves her.
“The One With All the Thanksgivings” is the eighth episode of the fifth season of Friends. Those interested in reliving the classic TV moment can do so now on Netflix.
The Wonder Years – “The Ties That Bind”
The Wonder Years was ahead of its time in many ways. The introspective series takes a look at childhood events through the eyes of an adult Kevin Arnold. While many of the show’s episodes hit fans hard right in the feelings, no episode manages to garner as much respect as “The Ties That Bind”.
In the classic Thanksgiving episode, Jack Arnold gets a promotion because he wants his wife to have a new stove. The promotion is not without sacrifices, and he finds himself traveling more than he would like. Norma Arnold, the family’s matriarch, tries to keep it together and put on a brave face, but it’s obvious she misses her husband. Jack, who is pretty gruff the entire series, shows his true self when he flies home just to spend an hour in an airport with his family. Sure, the episode isn’t hilarious, but it does embody the spirit of Thanksgiving.
The famed episode is the seventh episode in the show’s fourth season. For those interested in reliving the feel-good moment can stream the show on Hulu.