It’s the time of year to give thanks, and one thing we are all thankful for is Thanksgiving episodes of our favorite television shows. Come relive some of your favorite Turkey Day TV moments. Turkeys away!
-- Andrea Reiher, Zap2it(NBC, the WB, ABC)
This famous “Bewitched” episode sees our favorite housewitch transport her family to the time of the pilgrims. When Darren is put on trial as a witch, Samantha ironically uses her nose-twitching powers to prove his innocence. (ABC)
When Emily goes out of town for Thanksgiving, Bob, Howard, Jerry and Elliot get drunk. Bob’s subsequent phone call to order Chinese food is regarded as a golden sitcom moment. “Moo goo goo goo? Maybe I’m ordering Chinese baby food.” (CBS)
“The Un-underground Movie” sees the Brady clan making their very own pilgrim movie with Greg as director. They all learn a valuable lesson about killing natives and taking their land. Oh, those Bradys! (ABC)
Angel lurks, Willow feels guilty, Buffy makes a bear and Xander gets the funny syphilis. But the episode really belongs to Spike, who graces us with his feelings about Thanksgiving:
“I just can’t take all this namby-pamby boo-hooing about the bloody Indians ... You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That’s what conquering nations do. That’s what Caesar did, and he’s not going around saying, ‘I came, I conquered, I feel really bad about it.’ The history of the world is not people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story.” (The WB)
Who doesn’t love “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”? When Peppermint Patty invites herself over, Charlie, Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock throw together a Thanksgiving dinner. That Peppermint Patty. Always butting in. (CBS)
When Carla has everyone over for dinner, of course a food fight erupts. The episode featured a rare glimpse of Norm’s wife Vera (played by George Wendt’s real-life wife Bernadette Birkett) -- she takes some mashed potatoes to the face on her way in. (NBC)
Debra tries to make everyone eat tofurkey (tofu turkey) because it’s better for them. It goes over like gangbusters. (CBS)
In “No Nukes is Good Nukes,” hippie parents Steven and Elyse get arrested at an anti-nuke rally on Thanksgiving. Sha-la-la-la-la-la. (NBC)
“Friends” was quite possibly the perennial pinnacle of Turkey Day episodes. Underdog gets away, Joey has VD, the football game, the Geller cup, Chandler’s in a box, Monica dates Richard’s son, Phoebe is an 1862 medic, Monica gets thin, Chandler loses a toe, Joey puts a turkey on his head, Rachel makes a trifle, Phoebe fantasizes about Jack, Ross has to name all the states, Brad Pitt guest stars, Rachel’s sister shows up and Monica and Chandler get the news they can adopt a baby. It’s a big holiday for “Friends.” (NBC)
The three men must band together for the Tanners’ first Thanksgiving without Pam. (ABC)
Our Stars Hollow gang only did one Thanksgiving episode, but it was a doozy: “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving.” You can’t go wrong with Jackson deep-frying a turkey and a holiday meal with the Kims. (The WB)
The Van der Woodsens crash the Humphreys’ Thanksgiving. Everybody say it with us: “Awk-ward.” Meanwhile, Blair isn’t dealing too well with her father’s absence. “Blair Waldorf Must Pie” is one of our favorite “Gossip Girl” episodes (and one of our favorite episode titles). (The CW)
When Marion gets upset because all her family wants to do is watch football, she tells the story of the first Thanksgiving (with “Happy Days” cast members playing the parts). (ABC)
“How I Met Your Mother” is giving “Friends” a run for its money in the Thanksgiving episodes department. Barney volunteers in a soup kitchen, the Slap Bet, “Let’s Go to the Mall,” Slapsgiving part I and now Slapsgiving part II. (CBS)
Dog Murray and neighborhood grocer Kim conspire to make Jamie and Paul go through five turkeys on their Thanksgiving. And yes, that is Jamie throwing a turkey out the window. (NBC)
“Roseanne” had some real doozies for Thanksgiving. Jackie tries to hide from her parents that she’s a cop, Roseanne and Jackie find out their father’s been cheating on their mother for years and then later they find out their mother is a lesbian. Happy Thanksgiving! (ABC)
Bart goes on a rampage in “Bart vs Thanksgiving,” but eventually (shockingly) apologizes to his sister Lisa for ruining everything and the family has a nice meal together. Awwww. (FOX)
Anything titled “Helen Keller: The Musical” is a winner in our book. When the kids have to perform “The Miracle Worker” for their Thanksgiving Extravaganza, they replace Helen Keller’s dog with a pet turkey. Timmy also picks out a disabled turkey and names it “Gobbles.” (Comedy Central)
“Shibboleth” and “Indians in the Lobby” are two excellent Turkey Day offerings from “The West Wing.” Our personal favorite plot is CJ and the turkey pardoning, if only for this exchange:
CJ: “The more photo-friendly of the two turkeys gets a Presidential pardon and a full life at a children’s petting zoo; the other one gets eaten.”
President Bartlet: “If the Oscars were like that, I’d watch.” (NBC)
“Will & Grace” had plenty of Thanksgiving hilarity, but the best was “Homo for the Holidays,” where the gang has to keep the secret that Jack is gay from his mother. The tables turn when Jack finds out his father isn’t who he thinks it is. Jack’s mom Judith is played by the wonderful Veronica Cartwright. (NBC)
While some shows may have the market cornered on the quantity of good Thanksgiving episodes, “WKRP in Cincinnati” has the No. 1 all-time best Thanksgiving episode in “Turkeys Away!” If you haven’t seen it, please find it online. It provided us with such gems as:
Les: “Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting the ground like bags of wet cement!”
and
Mr. Carlson: “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” (CBS)
