By: Grace McGrath
On Thanksgiving Day, my TV screen at home displays the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade while the family sets the table and prepares our meal. After dinner, my family members crowd around to watch the Thanksgiving rivalry matchups in the NFL shouting in joy or defeat. But when the day comes to an end, I spend the night watching some of my favorite Thanksgiving sitcom episodes. Equally chaotic and heartwarming, these four episodes hold a special place in my heart. Turning on these episodes is a perfect way to end the holiday!
“New Girl”
As a college student in her 20s, I appreciate watching characters spend time with their best friends and roommates in everyday life. Therefore, my first recommendation for a Thanksgiving sitcom episode is S1, Episode 6, of “New Girl” titled “Thanksgiving”. “New Girl” follows the story of Jess Day, a quirky teacher who moves in with three random guys: Nick, Winston, and Schmidt. The show follows their hilarious relationships and interactions. In this episode, Jess invites a guy she likes from work, and her roommates are not happy with her choice. As expected, the dinner goes wrong, and the episode has a crazy yet heartwarming ending.
“Friends”
Another entertaining roommate and best friend storyline is the one in “Friends.” This show follows the lives and relationships of six friends: Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey. There are multiple Thanksgiving episodes within this ten-season show, however, my favorite is S3, Episode 9 titled, The One with the Football. This episode showcases the comedic rivalry between siblings Ross and Monica in a game of touch football that all the friends join in on.
“The Office”
If you are looking for a different dynamic between characters, then I recommend “The Office.” The show follows the adventures of employees at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. There are no traditional Thanksgiving-themed episodes involving the characters celebrating the holiday, however, there are multiple that offer a similar spirit felt during this time. My favorite is S4, Episode 9, titled The Dinner Party. This episode is not a Thanksgiving dinner party, but everyone can find comedic relief in the chaotic interactions between characters. Michael, the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin invites couples Jim and Pam, and Angela and Andy over to his house for a dinner party. Dwight finds a way to get invited as well. The employees are exposed to Michael’s dysfunctional home life with his girlfriend, Pam.
“Modern Family”
Modern Family is the perfect show to watch with the company. The storyline follows three different but related families and their dysfunctional lives. There are many Thanksgiving episodes to choose from, but my top choice is S9, Episode 7, titled Winner Winner Turkey Dinner. This episode has different storylines between characters: Cam coaching a kids’ football game, Claire running a 10K turkey trot, Gloria trying to reach 100,000 steps in one week, and Mitchell dealing with a break-in. Jay recognizes each one’s accomplishments and deems them as winners, however in reality they are all lying.
Successful sitcoms perfectly capture the chaotic and comedic everyday lives of characters portraying friends and family. Thanksgiving is a holiday where the loved ones in your life come together to eat food and enjoy each other’s company. At the end of the night, turning on these episodes help end the night and capture the spirit of the holiday.