The holidays are here! One of the often overlooked joys of November and December is great holiday episodes of our favorite TV shows. Here’s a list of some you should enjoy over break with the family.
Boy Meets World – Season 4, Episode 10: “Turkey Day.” This is one of those schmaltzy “Boy Meets World” episodes, but it is a holiday after all. Cory and Shawn win a Thanksgiving dinner in a contest and decide they should split it evenly and have a Matthews/Hunter Thanksgiving dinner. Both sets of parents are uncomfortable though, since the Matthews have to go to the trailer park the Hunter family lives in to celebrate the holiday. There’s a lot of talk about class and sharing, but there are still funny and touching moments. Overall, it’s one of the best holiday episodes for the show.
How I Met Your Mother – Season 3, Episode 9: “Slapsgiving.” This episode acts as a sequel to season two’s unofficial Thanksgiving episode, which was the introduction to Robin Sparkles with “Let’s Go to the Mall.” After Barney lost a bet to Marshall in that episode, Marshall is allowed to slap him five times. When Lily declares Thanksgiving as a slap-free day though, Barney pulls out all the stops to annoy Marshall. You can probably figure out what happens from there. “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap” from season five is also a great Thanksgiving episode from “HIMYM.”
The O.C. – Season 1, Episode 11: “The Homecoming.” This episode features Kirsten being an alcoholic and Ryan and Marissa visiting Ryan’s brother in prison, but still manages to be laugh-out-loud funny. This is thanks of course to Adam Brody as Seth Cohen. Seth finally has to choose between Anna and Summer while the whole family is together. Let the awkward moments ensue!
Happy Endings – Season 3, Episode 4: “More Like Stanksgiving.” One of the best “Happy Endings” episodes ever. This episode reveals how the gang was once on MTV’s “The Real World.” Brad has dreads, Jane has pink Gwen Stefani-style hair, and there are a lot of hilarious 90s references. Oh, and Dave wears a fringe jacket to represent his one-sixteenth Navajo heritage.
Friends – You can’t go wrong with Thanksgiving and “Friends.” It’s one of the only sitcoms ever to have a yearly Thanksgiving episode, one in every season. My personal favorite is season five’s “The One with All the Thanksgivings.” Each friend talks about their worst Thanksgiving. The episode also includes two flashbacks to the 80s, and in the present, Chandler tells Monica that he loves her for the first time. Also Monica and Joey both have turkeys on their heads.
The season eight Thanksgiving episode is another one of my favorites. It features Brad Pitt as Rachel’s long lost enemy from high school. This one isn’t shown in syndication anymore though, so you’ll have to watch it online. The season 10 Thanksgiving episode is also one of the best, ending with Monica and Chandler finally getting a call from the adoption agency, one of the best moments of the final season.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving TV and turkey, Badgers!
