Thanksgiving is coming up soon and since I will be taking a week off from posting during Thanksgiving Week, the Thanksgiving Episodes lists start this week with the Top 10 Thanksgiving Episodes (pre-1995)!
Close Calls:
Happy Days "The First Thanksgiving"
The Brady Bunch "The Un-Underground Movie"
The Bob Newhart Show "An American Family"
Thanksgiving episodes have a little bit less of a bar to clear to get on the list than Halloween because there's less of them but Newhart still had a fun enough one to place #10 which centers on Dick inviting all the Thanksgiving parade workers to dinner at the inn without telling his wife.
9. That Girl "Thanksgiving Comes But Once a Year, Hopefully" (November 23, 1967)
Any episodes of That Girl than involve Ann's parents interacting with Ann and Donald are fun and this one is extra fun with Donald's parents involved. We've all been there with everyone having their own customs and preferences for Thanksgiving dinner, this is a fun tribute to that.
8. Roseanne "We Gather Together" (November 21, 1989)
Roseanne did almost as many Thanksgiving episodes as Halloween episodes but the first was the best in both cases. This episode has a similar plot to That Girl with both Roseanne and Dan's parents coming to Thanksgiving dinner and causing extra havoc.
7. Bewitched "Samantha's Thanksgiving to Remember" (November 23, 1967)
The Stephens (and Gladys Kravitz and Aunt Clara) go back in time to the first Thanksgiving thanks to a botched Aunt Clara spell. I don't always love the historic-themed Bewitched episodes, but this one was pretty clever and a very unique sitcom Thanksgiving episode.
More Friends episodes will appear next week but the only one that aired before 1995 was the first season one that had the funny conceit of a Macy's balloon getting loose as part of the episode. More importantly, it was one of the first chances to see all the friends together in the same place for an extended time - the best kind of Friends episodes.
5. The Wonder Years "The Ties That Bind" (November 14, 1990)
A tear-jerker episode of The Wonder Years (are you surprised?) This episode was centered on patriarch Jack perhaps not making it home for Thanksgiving from a work trip. It shows the whole family's reaction but it's most about the relationship of Jack and Norma and it has a beautiful ending where very little is said but a whole lot is conveyed.
4. Cheers "Thanksgiving Orphans" (November 27, 1986)
We're into the all time classics now. This is the famous "food fight" episode and one of the few Cheers episodes that has significant scenes with the majority of the cast outside the bar. It's a great to see the cast acting so silly and has the great (non) reveal of Norm's wife, Vera.
3. WKRP in Cincinnati "Turkeys Away" (October 30, 1978)
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" is probably the most famous line from any TV Thanksgiving episode in history. WKRP in Cincinnati is not an amazing show, but this is an amazing episode with a well-intentioned radio stunt going horribly wrong. And the show manages to make it hilarious without us ever seeing the actual stunt.
2. Mad About You "Giblets for Murray" (November 17, 1994)
This episode aired on NBC immediately before the Friends episode at #6. The complete scrambling to make a good Thanksgiving dinner in a Manhattan apartment with no help from the dog uses the show's best comedic instinct to maximum effect. The scene of Jamie tossing the turkey out the window is a truly hilarious moment.
The best classic Thanksgiving episode is also one of the best episodes of all time of The Bob Newhart Show. With Emily away for Thanksgiving, Bob invites his buddies over to watch football an they all get roaring drunk. If you haven't watched Bob Newhart play a drunk scene, do yourself a favor and watch this episode (but maybe after watching some episodes with Newhart as a straight man because that makes it that much better).
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at 2000s sitcoms Welcome to New York!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 Thanksgiving Episodes (1995-Present)
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