The best Thanksgiving-themed TV episodes
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Here's a countdown of TV's top 15 takes on Turkey Day. Did your favorite show make the list?
- Natalie Morin
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In the world of holiday-themed TV, Thanksgiving episodes are some of the most interesting plot lines of the year. Dysfunctional families come together; friendships are tested; new (and sometimes unwanted) guests join the dinner table; secrets are bound to come to light.
With such an array of Turkey Day stories, it's difficult to identify the episodes that stand out most. Luckily, PrettyFamous, an entertainment data site by Graphiq, crunched the numbers to find the best Thanksgiving-themed episodes over the years.
To do so, PrettyFamous ranked each episode based on its Episode Smart Rating. This is a score out of 100 that weighs an episode's IMDb score and votes to create a holistic look at its quality and popularity. Ties were broken by the Smart Rating of the TV show as a whole, which is a score out of 100 that weighs a TV show's IMDb ratings, IMDb votes and Emmy wins. Let's take a look at the top 15.
Note: Descriptions for each episode are sourced (with minor edits) from Gracenote.
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Episode Smart Rating: 82.53
TV Show Smart Rating: 89.6
Episode premiere date: 11/21/2005
Ted and Robin are surprised to run into Barney when they volunteer at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving.
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Episode Smart Rating: 82.58
TV Show Smart Rating: 89.08
Episode premiere date: 11/23/2009
On the eve of Thanksgiving, the team treats an exceptionally brilliant physicist who traded his career for a job as a courier; a mix of strange symptoms nearly stumps the doctors; the doctors wrestle with strained personal relationships.
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Episode Smart Rating: 82.88
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/17/1994
Monica and Ross cook Thanksgiving dinner for themselves, but everyone else shows up.
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Episode Smart Rating: 83.11
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/21/2002
Rachel has a bone to pick with her self-centered sister (Christina Applegate) on Thanksgiving; Monica protects her good wedding china; Joey forgets to join his TV cast mates for the Thanksgiving parade.
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Episode Smart Rating: 83.66
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/20/2003
Monica prepares a Thanksgiving feast for the gang, then becomes enraged when everyone shows up late; Phoebe convinces Rachel to enter Emma in a baby beauty contest.
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Episode Smart Rating: 84.43
TV Show Smart Rating: n/a
Episode premiere date: 11/20/1973
Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving. With the help of Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock, he attempts to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner.
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Episode Smart Rating: 85.83
TV Show Smart Rating: 84.55
Episode premiere date: 11/23/1999
Buffy confronts Angel about his secret visit to Sunnydale on Thanksgiving Day; Angel battles a demon.
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Episode Smart Rating: 87.87
TV Show Smart Rating: 89.6
Episode premiere date: 11/19/2007
Lily and Marshall celebrate their first Thanksgiving as a married couple; Barney awaits the consequences of a slap bet.
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Episode Smart Rating: 88.57
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/20/1997
To atone for kissing Joey's girlfriend, Chandler agrees to stay inside a shipping crate during the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Episode Smart Rating: 88.9
TV Show Smart Rating: 91.67
Episode premiere date: 11/21/2013
When the gang decides to spend Thanksgiving at Mrs. Wolowitz's house, Sheldon protests; Leonard and Penny deal with an error from her past.
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Episode Smart Rating: 89.85
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/19/1998
As the gang digests Monica's huge Thanksgiving meal, everyone reminisces about their worst Thanksgiving ever.
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Episode Smart Rating: 89.87
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/21/1996
Emotions become the feast of the day when the gang plays a game of touch football on Thanksgiving; the turkey is left stewing when the losing team calls for a rematch.
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Episode Smart Rating: 90.38
TV Show Smart Rating: 89.6
Episode premiere date: 11/22/2010
The gang, minus Ted, parties all night with The Blitz (Jorge Garcia), an old friend from college; Ted is forced to spend Thanksgiving with Zoey.
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Episode Smart Rating: 93.38
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/22/2001
Monica encounters a high-school friend (guest star Brad Pitt) and invites him to Thanksgiving dinner.
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Episode Smart Rating: 93.83
TV Show Smart Rating: 91.13
Episode premiere date: 11/22/2009
Dexter uses Thanksgiving to get a closer look at Trinity's life; Rita prepares dinner for a packed house; Batista gets closure on an old case; Debra has an idea about her shooter.
More like this...
- Natalie Morin
In the world of holiday-themed TV, Thanksgiving episodes are some of the most interesting plot lines of the year. Dysfunctional families come together; friendships are tested; new (and sometimes unwanted) guests join the dinner table; secrets are bound to come to light.
With such an array of Turkey Day stories, it's difficult to identify the episodes that stand out most. Luckily, PrettyFamous, an entertainment data site by Graphiq, crunched the numbers to find the best Thanksgiving-themed episodes over the years.
To do so, PrettyFamous ranked each episode based on its Episode Smart Rating. This is a score out of 100 that weighs an episode's IMDb score and votes to create a holistic look at its quality and popularity. Ties were broken by the Smart Rating of the TV show as a whole, which is a score out of 100 that weighs a TV show's IMDb ratings, IMDb votes and Emmy wins. Let's take a look at the top 15.
Note: Descriptions for each episode are sourced (with minor edits) from Gracenote.
Episode Smart Rating: 82.58
TV Show Smart Rating: 89.08
Episode premiere date: 11/23/2009
On the eve of Thanksgiving, the team treats an exceptionally brilliant physicist who traded his career for a job as a courier; a mix of strange symptoms nearly stumps the doctors; the doctors wrestle with strained personal relationships.
Episode Smart Rating: 83.11
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/21/2002
Rachel has a bone to pick with her self-centered sister (Christina Applegate) on Thanksgiving; Monica protects her good wedding china; Joey forgets to join his TV cast mates for the Thanksgiving parade.
Episode Smart Rating: 83.66
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/20/2003
Monica prepares a Thanksgiving feast for the gang, then becomes enraged when everyone shows up late; Phoebe convinces Rachel to enter Emma in a baby beauty contest.
Episode Smart Rating: 84.43
TV Show Smart Rating: n/a
Episode premiere date: 11/20/1973
Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving. With the help of Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock, he attempts to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner.
Episode Smart Rating: 88.57
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/20/1997
To atone for kissing Joey's girlfriend, Chandler agrees to stay inside a shipping crate during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Episode Smart Rating: 88.9
TV Show Smart Rating: 91.67
Episode premiere date: 11/21/2013
When the gang decides to spend Thanksgiving at Mrs. Wolowitz's house, Sheldon protests; Leonard and Penny deal with an error from her past.
Episode Smart Rating: 89.87
TV Show Smart Rating: 92.23
Episode premiere date: 11/21/1996
Emotions become the feast of the day when the gang plays a game of touch football on Thanksgiving; the turkey is left stewing when the losing team calls for a rematch.
Episode Smart Rating: 90.38
TV Show Smart Rating: 89.6
Episode premiere date: 11/22/2010
The gang, minus Ted, parties all night with The Blitz (Jorge Garcia), an old friend from college; Ted is forced to spend Thanksgiving with Zoey.
Episode Smart Rating: 93.83
TV Show Smart Rating: 91.13
Episode premiere date: 11/22/2009
Dexter uses Thanksgiving to get a closer look at Trinity's life; Rita prepares dinner for a packed house; Batista gets closure on an old case; Debra has an idea about her shooter.
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