Though Thanksgiving is a huge holiday in the USA, it isn’t celebrated in every country (this is being written in England, one of said countries). This can make watching a Thanksgiving episode of your favorite show a little confusing, as you miss most of the jokes while trying to decipher what the holiday actually consists of.Thankfully, like most problems in life, this can be solved by planting yourself in front of the TV and watching various episodes of your favorite sitcoms.
Before you know it, you’ll be popping a turkey in the oven and gathering your friends to give thanks.
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ - The Gang Squashes Their Beefs
Like everything onIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, the way they celebrate Thanksgiving isn’t exactly traditional. Rather than gathering their friends to give thanks, the gang gathers the many, many people who have beef with them in an attempt to finally squash that beef.
This episode didn’t teach us more about the food eaten on Thanksgiving unless it’s tradition to eat squash and beef on Thanksgiving. But it did give us a good insight into how easily bickering can break out on Thanksgiving. Granted, it probably doesn’t normally end in a huge fire, but the gang likes to do things their own way.
‘Friends’ - The One With the Rumor
Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) is one of TV’s best fictional chefs, so it makes perfect sense that the Thanksgiving feasts laid on by her always look so delicious. In the case of “The One With the Rumor,” we also get to see the food coma that comes with devouring all that delicious food.
RELATED:Not at the Table: 10 Movies to Prepare You for Family Gatherings This Holiday SeasonThis episode is also filled with helpful tips and tricks, such as always remembering to wear your turkey-eating pants and to double check whether or not your old friend hates the mother of your daughter before inviting him to celebrate Thanksgiving with you.
‘Family Guy’ - Thanksgiving
The “Thanksgiving” episode ofFamily Guyserves as a warning more than anything else. A warning that you will likely have to invite people you don’t really want there and sit through awkward conversations when all you really want is to dig into the pumpkin pie.
The Griffin family are sidelined to just quips and the occasional cutaway as the episode focuses on the Swanson family and the shock return of Joe’s son, who was believed dead. Sure, it’s a touching moment, but it’s not exactly what the Griffins had in mind when they invited their neighbors around for the holidays.
‘The Simpsons’ - Bart Vs. Thanksgiving
Given that it’s been on the air for over thirty years now, The Simpson family have celebrated Thanksgiving a number of times, with certain episodes beingmore memorable than others. However, there’s no episode more informative than “Bart Vs. Thanksgiving.”
RELATED:9 Funniest Thanksgiving Episodes From 90s SitcomsMost crucially, the episode taught us about centerpieces, including the importance they hold and how easily they can send a sibling into a jealous rage. It also highlights the importance of forgiveness and celebrates what Thanksgiving is clearly all about: family.The Simpsonsis notorious for having disarmingsweet moments like this.
‘Modern Family’ - Three Turkeys
Modern Familytook pride in its honest, often unflattering depiction of modern life and its Thanksgiving episodes were no different. In particular, the “Three Turkeys” episode provided audiences with an honest look at the pressure that comes with hosting the family for Thanksgiving dinner.
Claire (Julie Bowen) doesn’t trust Phil (Ty Burrell) and Luke (Nolan Gould) to prepare the turkey, so she secretly cooks a back-up turkey, which devastates Phil and Luke when they find out. Of course, we can forgive Claire because we know just how demanding her family could be. Phil and Luke deserve her trust for sure, maybe just not on Thanksgiving.
‘Friends’ - The One with All the Thanksgivings
“The One with All the Thanksgivings” is a perfect episode ofFriends, and that’s not just because we get to see the wild haircuts Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Ross (David Schwimmer) rocked in their youth. It also gives us a thorough look at everything that can happen on Thanksgiving (although we guess losing a toe isn’t all that common).
RELATED:10 Best Thanksgiving Movies That Your Kids Will LoveWe see heartbreak, disappointment, gestures of love, apologies, forgiveness, the importance of friendship, and even a woman with a turkey on her head. And that’s without even mentioning the mounds of delicious food seen in the episode.
‘Family Guy’ - Turkey Guys
The “Turkey Guys” episode ofFamily Guyreiterates the importance of this holiday and how much it means to families across America. In it, we see Peter and Brian get drunk the night before Thanksgiving and eat the entire turkey.
They wake up horrified to find what they’ve done and, knowing how much the holiday means to their family and friends, set off on an epic quest to find a new one. As is always the case withFamily Guy, crude jokes come before emotions, but it’s nice to see how happy everybody is when Peter and Brian eventually return home with a turkey.
‘How I Met Your Mother’ - Slapsgiving
OK, so this isn’t exactly a traditional Thanksgiving episode, but it still assisted our learning in more ways than one. First of all, the gang has put on a hell of a spread that had our mouths watering, but it also occurred to us that it’s not so much about what you do to celebrate but instead, it’s about who you celebrate it with.
RELATED:10 Longest-Running Balloon Floats In ‘Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’It doesn’t matter if you’re eating dinner and playing board games or celebrating the first ever Slapsgiving, as long as you’re with the right people you’ll have a perfect day. The story may be over, butHow I Met Your Motheris still dishing outlife lessons.
‘The Simpsons’ - Holidays of Future Past
It’s easy to forget how touchingThe Simpsonscan be, but Holidays of Future Past is the show at its most heartwarming. The story takes place thirty years in the future, when Bart and Lisa, both struggling with parenting and relationships, return home to celebrate Thanksgiving.
There they finally realize just how good a job both their parents did of raising them and finally show Homer and Marge the appreciation they (mostly Marge) deserve. It seems Thanksgiving is the one and only day the Simpson family can actually get along.
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ - No Fat
The importance of tradition is made clear in the “No Fat” episode of beloved sitcomEverybody Loves Raymond, in which Raymond (Ray Romano) is absolutely horrified to learn that his mother isn’t going to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving this year.
Even worse, Marie is planning to replace the turkey with a tofu turkey, something Raymond cannot understand or support. As if often the case withEverybody Loves Raymond, the episode is filled to the brim with laughs, an extortionate amount of bickering and eventually the family gather to enjoy Thanksgiving together. Come on Ray, a tofu turkey isn’t the end of the world. That would be if Marie decided not to make any cranberry sauce.
