The Best Thanksgiving Sitcom Specials
Sitcoms let the audience get comfortable with characters like no other genre. We get to spend so much time with the cast that they start to feel like members of our own family. And with Thanksgiving on the horizon, it would be a shame not to honor our TV loved ones. Check out these Thanksgiving sitcom specials that keep viewers thankful.
1. “Thanks, Man” (King of Queens)
The spirit of Thanksgiving says to trust and show generosity to those in need. But that doesn’t stop Doug and Carrie from being suspicious when a man with an eyepatch asks to stay at their house during the holiday. The mysterious stranger (played by Nick Offerman) claims that his car has broken down and he needs a place to stay while he waits for his friend. Watch Nick Offerman give an excellent performance from years before he stepped into his most famous role of Ron Swanson.
2. “The Apparent Trap” (Frasier)
Freddy doesn’t appear on the show often, but it always puts Frasier on his back foot when he does. This time around, both Freddy and his mother (Frasier’s ex-wife), Lilith, come to celebrate the holiday with the Cranes. Little do the adults know that young Frederick has big plans to get his parents back together. But who cares about Thanksgiving and broken relationships when viewers can watch Niles fail at a PlayStation game?
3. “Everybody Hates Thanksgiving” (Everybody Hates Chris)
Rochelle puts a stop to the Thanksgiving free ride in the Rock home. Everyone has to contribute this year, so Chris gets the task of making the all-important mac & cheese. On the adult side of the episode, Julius has to figure out how to live up to his much more successful little brother, played by Wayne Brady.
4. “Turkey Day” (Kenan & Kel)
Who among us has not had the temptation to eat the entire Thanksgiving turkey by ourselves? Kel brings this dark fantasy to reality in “Turkey Day” when he gobbles up the entire main dish. Kenan and Kel have to find a replacement turkey quickly before the whole night becomes a disaster. Kel Mitchell’s physical comedy elevates this basic premise into a masterpiece among Thanksgiving sitcom specials.
5. “Thanksgiving” (Reba)
Having a non-traditional family structure always makes for an interesting Thanksgiving (and interesting Thanksgiving special). Reba has to share Thanksgiving with her ex-husband and his new wife, Barbra Jean. For the good of the kids, they agree that Barbra Jean will cook and host the dinner, but at Reba’s house. This episode has all the family conflict one could ask for while still managing to come in sweet at the end.
6. “The Big Thanks for Forgiving Episode” (Half & Half)
No other holiday puts relationships to the test like Thanksgiving. Everyone gathers for dinner with the girls’ grandma prepared for conflict. Spencer gets on Mona’s bad side when he lets slip some of her college secrets to her mom. Dee Dee tries her hardest to understand why Grandma Thorne treats her so much worse than she treats Mona. But in the end, everyone’s able to work out their issues and come together just like a family should.
7. “Thanksgiving” (The Bernie Mac Show)
Enjoy a time capsule from when simply mentioning vegetarianism equaled a punchline in Thanksgiving sitcom episodes. Vanessa has taken a liking to one of her teachers, who invites the whole Mac family over for Thanksgiving dinner. Bernie has to deal with a meatless Thanksgiving and come to terms with Vanessa growing up and being influenced by unfamiliar ideas.
8. “6 Hours Til Hedonism II” (Workaholics)
Most people want to spend their Thanksgiving at home with their family. The boys from Workaholics, however, want to get out of the country for a tour of disgusting, outrageous hedonism. Too bad that requires a passport, so their happy Thanksgiving depends on forging a new one. Watch this to learn the answers to all the big Thanksgiving questions, like which body part a tie should color match.
9. “The Hunters” (According to Jim)
Instead of getting the Thanksgiving turkey from the grocery store, why not hunt it in the wild? Because things can go very wrong, and Jim learns that the hard way. He has to eat humble pie for Thanksgiving when a legendary wild turkey named Angry Pete fires a crossbow bolt into Jim’s dark meat.
10. “There’s the Rub: Part 1” and “There’s the Rub: Part 2” (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
For those who really love Thanksgiving sitcom episodes, this two-parter should sate that appetite. Every family member has something to learn from this year’s Thanksgiving gathering. Will learns the finer points of dealing with women from Uncle Phil. Carlton and Hillary learn the true meaning of charity. And Uncle Phil learns what happens when he’s not careful about the type of massage parlor he visits.
11. “Belly Full of Turkey” (How I Met Your Mother)
Barney helping people in need? Unthinkable. At least, according to Ted and Robin. Selfishness turns to selfishness as working at a soup kitchen manages to bring out the dark side in everyone. Meanwhile, Lily meets Marshall’s family and panics at the thought of becoming one of them.
12. “Thanksgiving II” (The Middle)
The men in the Heck family have their own way of communicating. Or not communicating, to be more accurate. Mike invites his brother and father to Thanksgiving dinner at his house, and Frankie tries her best to get them to say more than two words at a time.
13. “Thanksgiving it to Me, Baby” (One on One)
Mayonnaise in the stuffing and mayonnaise in the yams. Don’t forget hot sauce in the sweet potato pie. Welcome to Flex’s Thanksgiving dinner. If that wasn’t horrifying enough, Breanna walks in on her divorced parents after they slept with each other. This episode questions whether having the family together at Thanksgiving lives up to the hype.
14. “Parents Just Don’t Understand” (All of Us)
For most people, when they think of the family coming together for Thanksgiving, they don’t see their dads trying to pick up women. Too bad for Tina, her dad (played by The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star James Avery) has nothing on his mind but hopping into bed with a woman who has no interest in him. On the less suggestive side, viewers also get a side plot about how to properly punish a child for destroying a precious Thanksgiving red velvet cake.
15. “Thank You” (That 70s Show)
The series’ second Thanksgiving special puts Eric under even more pressure than the first one. Red gives Eric the honor of taking Laurie’s seat at the adults’ table. But unbeknownst to Red, Eric’s hiding a failed math grade along with his teenage engagement to Donna. Get ready for Eric to face the same humiliation he suffers in every holiday of his life.
16. “Fried Turkey” (Girlfriends)
Fried Thanksgiving turkey: a meal equally dangerous and delicious. Both sides get their due on this Girlfriends episode, along with its little-known ability to spark romance. This episode has it all: comedy, romantic chemistry, things catching on fire, and even a guest appearance by Frasier star Kelsey Grammer.
17. “A Thanksgiving to Remember” (The Jamie Foxx Show)
Spending Thanksgiving at a fancy hotel sounds great, especially when a famous football player comes to visit. Jamie’s old friend “Ice Pick” Isaacs visits the King’s Tower for Thanksgiving and brings all the trappings of fame with him. Unfortunately, Ice Pick’s fortune turns sour when he’s cut from his team. Jamie has to spend his Thanksgiving evening talking Ice Pick down from a ledge. Viewers can be thankful that’s not happening at their holiday gathering.
18. “Turkey or Fish” (Everybody Loves Raymond)
The kitchen rivalry between Debra and Marie runs through the entirety of Everybody Loves Raymond, and that’s the kind of thing that doesn’t take a break for holidays. Instead of having turkey like everyone else, Debra wants to try something new: a Thanksgiving fish. And, of course, that’s something Marie can’t take sitting down, so check out this episode and enjoy this battle.
19. “Meet the Grandparents” (Raising Hope)
For Jimmy and his family, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner means ordering a pizza. But now that he’s a father, Jimmy wants to impress his daughter’s other grandparents with an all-American Thanksgiving with all the trimmings. But things get a lot less traditional when Hope’s grandparents kidnap her, cluing everyone in on where exactly Hope’s mom’s criminal behavior comes from.
20. “Thanksgiving” (New Girl)
The image of Zooey Deschanel in a ridiculous turkey costume alone makes this Thanksgiving sitcom episode worth watching. It doesn’t stop there because we’re also treated to her loudly (without realizing everyone can hear her) describing how much she wants to sleep with her crush using some choice Thanksgiving metaphors.
21. “Thanksgiving” (Suburgatory)
Tessa’s ideal Thanksgiving involves watching parade balloons get inflated and going to her favorite diner with her dad. But now that she and George live in the suburbs, this tradition has been replaced with the over-the-top antics of her rich new neighbors. If anyone wanted a Thanksgiving sticom special with protest streaking, go ahead and enjoy.
22. “Merry Thanksgiving” (Two and a Half Men)
No one would expect Charlie to be the one vying for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but love (or something less pure) does crazy things to a man. People in the Harper home snipe at each other on the best days, but the heat gets turned up when Alan’s ex-wife, Judith, and her parents visit. At the very least, viewers can be thankful that their family isn’t as dysfunctional as the one from Two and a Half Men.
