It’s almost time for Turkey Day, and in addition to feasting on all things indulgent and smothered in gravy, there will be some much needed recovery time that will be perfect for bingeing your favorite TV shows. While Christmas movies tend to steal most of the spotlight, let’s not forget the best Thanksgiving-themed TV episodes out there.
It’s time to talk turkey and get down to the bottom of what the most-watched Thanksgiving episodes are. USDish analyzed IMDb data and viewership numbers to determine which Thanksgiving TV show episodes are most popular and found that 10 out of 15 were episodes from Friends. The One with the List from S2 E8 was the overall number one most popular Thanksgiving episode with 32.9 million views and an IMDb rating of 8.5. In fact, Friends episodes took the first 10 spots on the list.
The Big Bang Theory S7 E9 was next with The Thanksgiving Decoupling clocking 18.9 million views and an 8.9 score on IMDb (not bad), while episodes from House, How I met Your Mother, and This is Us rounded out the top 15.
More interesting findings:
- 4 out of the 15 episodes were categorized as comedy, while 13 out of the 15 episodes were romance.
- The average running time of all the Thanksgiving holiday episodes on our list is 24 minutes.
- The episode titled “Pilgrim Rick” from This is Us became instantly iconic and the show is now the second most-searched show in the U.S. during Thanksgiving
If all that turkey talk has you craving some festive entertainment from your favorite shows, keep reading to see where you can stream each of the episodes that made the ranks.
How to Stream
Friends – HBO Max ($9.99/month)
The Big Bang Theory – HBO Max ($9.99/month)
House – Streaming Free on Peacock, included with Prime Video
How I Met Your Mother – HBO Max ($9.99/month)
This is Us – Hulu ($6.99/month)