Celebrate Thanksgiving With These 10 Turkey-Filled Friends Episodes
Many people like to skip over celebrating Thanksgiving aside from day of festivities, but those who choose to do so will miss out on some of the most iconic Friends episodes. Airing a special each season, there are ten total episodes detailing the way our six favorite friends celebrate the food-filled holiday. From competitive football matches to a savory trifle to a raw turkey worn as a hat, these episodes will make you laugh and smile while reminiscing on years past.
"The One Where the Underdog Gets Away" (Season 1, Episode 9)
The show's first Thanksgiving episode revolves around each character being unable to spend the holiday with their families for a variety of reasons. Chandler (Matthew Perry) is averse to the holiday because of his parents' divorce, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) can't afford a plane ticket home, Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) family is afraid of getting a VD after seeing him on a poster advertising the disease, and Monica and Ross's (David Schwimmer) parents are on vacation. The gang rounds up a heartwarming friendsgiving proving that there is family in platonic relationships.
"The One With the List" (Season 2, Episode 8)
Monica (Courteney Cox) is asked to develop Thanksgiving-themed recipes for Mockolate, including a synthetic chocolate substitute that Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) thinks is what "evil must taste like."
“The One with the Football” (Season 3, Episode 9)
A sibling rivalry is reignited after watching football on TV and a competitive Monica and Ross resurface. Thanksgiving dinner is postponed when the gang decids to play a friendly game of "touch" football.
"The One With Chandler in a Box" (Season 4, Episode 8)
It pains us to watch Joey and Chandler fight, but the idea of Chandler sitting in a box for six hours is seriously amusing. Monica has a very awkward run-in with Richard's son who ends up coming to the Thanksgiving dinner. This episode serves up a plateful of comedy.
“The One With All the Thanksgivings” (Season 5, Episode 8)
Season 5’s Thanksgiving special is loaded with fun flashbacks as the gang shares stories about their worst-ever Thanksgivings all while digging into Monica and Chandler’s budding romance. This special episode has been marked by its iconic use of a raw turkey.
"The One Where Ross Got High" (Season 6, Episode 9)
The Geller parents decide to come over for Thanksgiving, forcing Monica and Chandler to figure out how to tell them they live together. The Gellers announce that they don't like Chandler because they think he smoked pot in college, even though it was actually Ross. The tense evening leads to Monica and Ross revealing each other’s secrets in a screaming match in front of their parents. Rachel screws up her dessert trifle, Phoebe declares love for Jacques Cousteau, and Joey announces that he just wants to leave.
"The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs" (Season 7, Episode 8)
Everyone tries to keep Chandler from finding out that Phoebe has been hiding a pup in the apartment for days, due to his lifelong fear of dogs. The dog's name is Clunkers!
“The One With the Rumor” (Season 8, Episode 9)
Jennifer Aniston’s then-husband Brad Pitt makes a cameo in this season’s Thanksgiving special, playing an old classmate of Ross’ who were co-founders of the “I Hate Rachel Green” club. He can’t contain his disdain for her and the truth eventually comes out which includes the rumor he spread about her and the one she spread about Ross. As tensions rise amid the group, Phoebe is on her own wavelength, developing a crush on Pitt regardless of his naughty history.
"The One With Rachel's Other Sister" (Season 9, Episode 8)
While watching a Thanksgiving parade on TV, Joey realizes he's supposed to be on the Days of Our Lives float, sending him into a spiral. Rachel's openly hostile sister Amy shows up and puts everyone on edge during Thanksgiving dinner. Things end on a positive note, even though Chandler and Monica's wedding china gets destroyed.
"The One With the Late Thanksgiving" (Season 10, Episode 8)
When Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, and Joey all arrive an hour late for Thanksgiving dinner, Monica and Chandler refuse to let them in to mess with them. Joey's head accidentally gets stuck while peeking his head through Monica's door. In an effort to free himself, he ends up crashing into the Thanksgiving dinner that Monica made for everyone.
Friends is streaming on Max.
