There’s nothing like an episode of The Sopranos to make you grateful for your own normal-in-comparison family. (Assuming you don’t come from a mob clan, that is.) This episode is significant because Tony Soprano actually displays some degree of—gasp—morality, attempting to un-invite an associate, who recently committed a particularly gruesome crime, from his family’s Thanksgiving.
How I Met Your Mother, Season 3, Episode 9: “Slapsgiving”
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
It’s Marshall and Lily’s first Thanksgiving as a married couple, and they have the whole gang over to celebrate. While Lily frets over making the perfect meal, Robin and Ted deal with the residual sexual tension from their recent breakup as Robin tries to move on with a new man who’s also in attendance at the dinner (who, at the age of 41, is, by everyone else’s standards, ancient). The most amusing events of the night, however, revolve around Barney and Marshall: After losing a slap bet to Marshall, Barney is living in perpetual fear of when Marshall will enact his payment and bring on the third slap.
The West Wing, Season 2, Episode 8: “Shibboleth”
In one of the best plotlines ever, C.J. is given two turkeys and forced to choose between which one will be pardoned and sent free after a ceremony, and which one will be eaten on Thanksgiving. Elsewhere in the White House, they’re dealing with illegal immigration, school prayer, and the be-all-end-all carving knife, making for an all around action-packed, hour-long episode that isn’t to be missed.
Gilmore Girls, Season 3, Episode 9: “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
In this episode of the quintessential fall girl show, we get a humorous look into the Gilmores’ stacked holiday, as Lorelai and Rory try to keep up with the four Thanksgiving Day dinners they’ve committed to. Current and former boyfriends collide; Lorelai, Emily, and Richard, in true Gilmore fashion, implode over the dinner table; and Rory reveals a plot-twisting college decision.
Friends, Season 5, Episode 8: “The One With All the Thanksgivings”
FriendsPhoto: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios