Whether you like watching TV alone, before you celebrate the holiday with your family, or watch accompanied by your loved ones, there are some amazing, wholesome, funny, and heartwarming Thanksgiving films out there. Something my parents, brother, and I enjoy doing on Thanksgiving is watching TV together before the rest of my family arrives at my house. Of course, we watch the classic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and football all day, but we also love flipping through the different Thanksgiving movies on, or watching a Thanksgiving episode of one of our favorite shows.
Thanksgiving Events
Before I get into the shows and movies, Thanksgiving television would not be the same without these three major televised events. The biggest event being the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has been an annual event in New York City since 1924. The first parade began as the employees of the new Macy’s store in NYC wanted to boost their holiday sales. So, they organized the event, arranged floats, and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. From the huge, extravagant floats, inflatables, balloons, to the marching bands, performers, and celebrities, over the past century the event has grown greatly, in advancements and viewership. Every year, the parade is shown on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and can also be found on select streaming services.
While it is a fall and winter staple, there are also NFL football games on every Thanksgiving. It is a tradition for most Americans to watch these games with their families all day, and is especially exciting if your favored team is playing.
The final annual televised event is the 2024 National Dog Show on NBC. While this may be more popular to some than others, my family loves dogs and we like to have the dog show on the TV, kind of in the background, every year. The dogs are so cute and I love when they do all of their different tricks and routines.
Movies
Now, to get into the different movies spreading the Thanksgiving spirit, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a classic movie to watch in the fall. Throughout my childhood, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was a must-watch on the morning of Thanksgiving day. The 1934 film, March of the Wooden Soldiers was another staple in my house. Both of my parents adore this movie and TV networks usually play it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. While they aren’t for everyone, and can be a bit too cheesy for most, if you are into Hallmark movies, A Family Thanksgiving is right up your alley. If you love comedy, action, and crime movies, Four Brothers with Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, and Garret Hedlund is for you. It is possible that you are a parent, stressed out about hosting and trying your best to cook and clean. The funny, animated children’s film Free Birds is about two turkeys and would be a great source of entertainment for your kids while you prepare. In the year 2000, Friendsgiving came out, with comedic film stars including Brooklyn Nine-Nine fan-favorite, Chelsea Peretti. It is a comedy about celebrating the holiday with your found family. This movie resonates with people of all ages but especially with teens and young adults valuing friendship in every season.
TV Shows
There are a number of shows rated with having the best Thanksgiving episodes. Some people even argue with others about which is the ultimate episode. After doing research and surfing many websites, here is a list I compiled of the All-Time Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes:
- Friends (Season 5, Episode 8: “The One With All the Thanksgivings”)
- Gilmore Girls (Season 3, Episode 9: “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
- New Girl (Season 1, Episode 6: “Thanksgiving”)
- Grey’s Anatomy (Season 2, Episode 9: “Thanks for the Memories”)
- This Is Us (Season 1, Episode 8: “Pilgrim Rick”)
- Seinfeld (Season 6, Episode 8: “The Mom & Pop Store”)
- Black-ish (Season 3, Episode 7: “Auntsgiving”)
- Gossip Girl (Season 1, Episode 9: “Blair Waldorf Must Pie!”)
- The Mindy Project (Season 1, Episode 6: “Thanksgiving”)
- Modern Family (Season 6, Episode 8: “Three Turkeys”)
- The Sopranos (Season 3, Episode 8: “He Is Risen”)
- How I Met Your Mother (Season 3, Episode 9: “Slapsgiving”)
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 1, Episode 10: “Thanksgiving”)
Does your family watch any of these rerun episodes, movies, and Thanksgiving Day events? If not, maybe now is the year to start! Besides, who doesn’t like sitting on the couch watching TV?
Now, go home, watch some TV, eat lots of turkey and sides, and spend time with your loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the break, because when we get back we’ll be looking towards the many festivities of the Christmas season.