5 TV shows and movies to binge-watch with your families on Black Friday
Get ready for food, football and family, because it's Thanksgiving weekend.
Whether you're hosting a feast, traveling to see family and friends or just enjoying some time off from work, one of the biggest holidays of the year deserves good TV and movies to go along with the turkey and stuffing. Think of a Thanksgiving binge-watch as a side you can't overcook.
We have five TV series and movies that should be in your streaming queues this weekend, whether you want something holiday-related, family-friendly or dark and violent and just for you. Just don't forget to schedule in some turkey-induced napping, too.
If you need quintessential Thanksgiving viewing: 'Friends'
If you're hanging with a big crowd of family members with different ages and TV tastes, a very safe bet is to scroll through Netflix to find one of the famous Thanksgiving episodes of "Friends," which are easy crowd-pleasers. Which one you pick depends on the vibe of your get-together. Everyone's nerves a little frayed by meal prep? Maybe don't go with Season 1's "The One Where Underdog Gets Away," for example. That might be a little too tense.
Stream it on Netflix.
If you're ready for a Christmas movie: 'It's a Wonderful Life'
Is Thanksgiving officially over for you? Perfect, then let's get in the holiday spirit. There are many Christmas movies to choose from, including a dozen or so cheesy Hallmark-style rom-coms, but we'll stick with a time-honored classic that is Christmasy and will make you feel thankful. "Wonderful Life" is always plain wonderful and easy for a big group to enjoy.
Stream it on Amazon Prime.
If you're in the mood for catch-up viewing: 'Watchmen'
Does the long weekend mean you have some time to kill, maybe by yourself? Have you been recently overwhelmed by the sheer volume of television? Take this time to catch up on HBO's "Watchmen," which will air its seventh episode of a nine-episode season on Sunday. The first six are streaming now and are best enjoyed as a package. The series is loosely inspired by the seminal graphic novel and takes place in an alternate universe where Robert Redford is president and squids rain from the sky. In our current Marvel-saturated culture, it asks a lot of questions about why we're so obsessed with costumed heroes.
Stream it on HBO Go/Now.
If you're in the mood for catch-up viewing but you want a comedy: 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'
"Watchmen" is exquisitely made, but it's not exactly heartwarming holiday fare. If that's what you are more in the mood for, now is the perfect time to catch up on Amazon's "Maisel" before Season 3 debuts on Dec. 6. Rachel Brosnahan continues to delight as a 1950s housewife turned stand-up comedian in the series, which has brighter colors and bigger jokes than most TV.
Streaming on Amazon Prime.
If Disney+ has you in an animated musical mood: 'Anastasia'
If you subscribed to Disney+ when it became available on Nov. 12, you may have spent countless hours down a rabbit hole of childhood favorites like "The Lion King" and "Cinderella," but Disney didn't make all of the animated classics out there. "Anastasia" fits perfectly in with other 1990s animated musical favorites, as a princess story with a supernatural villain and a great soundtrack. The slightly ahistorical story (we have yet to take a Russian history class that says Rasputin had a talking bat for a sidekick) also has a great voice cast, including Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lloyd and Kelsey Grammer.
Stream it on HBO Go/Now.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black Friday: 5 TV shows, movies to watch over Thanksgiving weekend
