Our Favorite Thanksgiving Moments From Our Favorite TV Shows
For most, Thanksgiving means a few things: family, food, and… pop-culture hilarity. It’s no surprise that a holiday that involves sipping hard cider, red wine, and other boozy drinks in the presence of a bevy of distant relatives with strong opinions and stronger food comas has spurred countless specials and sitcom shout-outs over the years. From the timeless Thanksgiving antics of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, to the instant classics that were the Friends holiday episodes, these are some of our favorite Thanksgiving moments in pop culture history.
1993 - Addams Family Values
Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate our past with food, laughter, songs, and maybe dance. Sometimes that means Thanksgiving plays. Who could forget the magical moment in the classic 90′s film, Addams Family Values, when Wednesday and Pugsley Addams told all those WASPS the real story behind Thanksgiving?
1973 - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
After pure Thanksgiving chaos with the entire Peanuts gang, Snoopy and Woodstock retreat to the backyard to cook up a traditional Thanksgiving meal to share with one another. Proving the most important part about Thanksgiving is the food and the company.
1998 - Friends, “The One with All the Thanksgivings”
After these six friends retell some of their worst Thanksgiving memories, and dredge up the night Chandler lost his toe to a malicious trick played by Monica. Monica goes to Chandler to apologize. Trying to make him laugh, Monica puts a turkey on her head and does a little shake. Pretty sure Monica never thought Chandler would finally tell her he loved her with a turkey on her head, but sometimes you just need a little turkey and laughter on the holidays to realize what matters the most.
2011 - New Girl, “Thanksgiving”
After Jess invites her longtime crush from work to her apartment for an epic Friendsgiving feast, she quickly learns that nothing about Thanksgiving goes the way she planned. This all begins with the conundrum of getting a massive turkey into their tiny oven. Good thing Schmidt’s got a good backhand.
1997 - Seinfeld, “The Butter Shave”
In one of the creepier turkey moments in pop culture history, Newman fantasizes about eating Kramer and pictures Kramer as a turkey, leading to one of the most scarring and hilarious scenes in Seinfeld history.
1997 - Rugrats, “The Turkey Who Came To Dinner”
When the Rugrats’ parents have a live turkey delivered for Thanksgiving, the Rugrats crew, of course, let the turkey loose and plan a Thanksgiving parade with an epic Turkey float. With parades like this, who needs Macy’s?
2003 - Pieces of April
April invites her estranged family to her apartment for Thanksgiving. This movie proves that cooking for your family on Thanksgiving can be rough. Poor April, she just can’t win.
2000 - West Wing, “Soft on Turkeys”
Can you imagine what goes on behind the White House doors when it comes to the big day? Might be chaos. Especially when the president has to pardon not one but two turkeys.
2007 - How I Met Your Mother “Slapsgiving”
One of the more rewarding 30 minutes from the many seasons of How I Met Your Mother, Slapsgiving. It was legen-wait for it- dary.
1990 - Simpsons, “Bart vs. Thanksgiving”
In the Thanksgiving classic, Bart learns the value of his family when he runs away from home only to realize how terrible life would be without his family… and his cranberry sauce.
2013 - Bob’s Burgers
The show references “My Neighbor Tortoro” in an episode where Bob Belcher sips on a little too much absinthe and hallucinates the turkey magically growing ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner.
2002 - Gilmore Girls, “A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
People love deep frying a turkey. In this episode of Gilmore Girls, Jackson goes one turkey too far when he fries everything; vegetables, biscottis, shoes, and, even, his lawn. Proving that deep fried food is good, but sometimes it’s just too much.
1963 - Julia Child
The master of the kitchen knows how to cook anything. So, of course, we’d take her advice on how to get that turkey ready for Thanksgiving. Even if she told us to dance with it. We call this move the Julia Child Shake.
1984 - Butterball Commercial
A juicy turkey is all that everyone wants on Thanksgiving. In this commercial, Marion is cooking her first turkey and the whole family is worried about it being dry but they don’t know her little secret — it’s a Butterball.
1987- Full House
Who can forget the Full House episode where they discover their turkey is completely frozen right before carving —classic Joey and Uncle Jesse shenanigans!
2013 - Arrested Development, “Thanksgiving Miracle”
When the Funkes cook a last minute Thanksgiving dinner, they really “duck” it up.
2010 - Mad Men
In this scene from Mad Men, Betty and the Draper kids attend Thanksgiving dinner at Henry’s mother’s house where Sally refuses to eat her sweet potatoes. She’s forced a big spoonful and it comes out flying.
2013 - It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The gang tries to squash their beefs with those they’ve wronged in the past but things don’t end up like they envisioned. Frank concludes what they’re really thankful about.
Looking for more Thanksgiving favorites? Look no further!
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