Thanksgiving is a time for the whole family to come together and be thankful for so much in their lives. The best thing about the holidays is that there is always the family drama that comes with it. It’s almost inevitable at this point. It could be something small or span over years.
There are some television series that have incredibly dramatic Thanksgiving episodes that have stayed with fans. There are series that are known for Thanksgiving episodes which are now considered essential viewing over the holidays. From family secrets to many misunderstandings and near-death experiences, Thanksgiving episodes bring drama.
A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving – Gilmore Girls (Season 3, Episode 9)
In true Gilmore Girls fashion, the ladies want to make the holidays special. In this episode Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Lorelai (Lauren Graham) work to accommodate four Thanksgiving dinners. Lorelai finds out Rory applied to more colleges than just Harvard. And it causes a long conversation that extends over the whole episode.
What’s difficult about this episode is that Rory has been set for Harvard since she was a little girl, but that was forced upon her by Lorelei. Once she speaks to her grandparents, there are other schools that may work a bit better for her. Even though it’s just an option, Lorelei questions everything including her own daughter.
Blair Waldorf Must Pie – Gossip Girl (Season 1, Episode 9)
In its very first season, Gossip Girl solidified itself as the series with the best Thanksgiving episodes. No other show had so much drama expertly integrated into a single-family gathering. When Dan (Penn Badgley) finds out that Serena (Blake Lively) and her family are celebrating Thanksgiving alone, he naively invites them to spend the holiday in Brooklyn with family.
In the meantime, Serena finds out about Blair (Leighton Meester) and Chuck’s (Ed Westwick) little rendezvous. And lastly, the Archibalds have a scare when Mr. Archibald ends up in the hospital.
He Is Risen – The Sopranos (Season 3, Episode 8)
This Thanksgiving episode is probably one of the most memorable of The Sopranos because it was a holiday. Tensions rise between Tony (James Gandolfini) and Ralphie (Joe Pantoliano) until circumstances demand that they resolve their differences. Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) then gets involved with Jackie’s (Jason Cerbone) son and ends up in trouble.
Thanksgiving dinner invitations are revoked because of Ralphie’s disrespect at the bar. But once a capo dies unexpectedly, Tony has to make a decision about Ralphie, even though he wanted to switch families.
Thanks for the Memories – Grey’s Anatomy (Season 2, Episode 9)
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Grey’s Anatomy has been on the air for a very long time, so the series is bound to have some emotional Thanksgiving episodes. In this one, the holiday sends the occupants of Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) house in different directions: Meredith escapes to the hospital, George (T.R. Knight) goes hunting with his family, and Izzie (Katherine Heigl) throws a dinner to which it appears no one is coming.
It seemed like no one wanted to celebrate the holiday this year because of their own issues, except for Izzie.
The Homecoming – The O.C. (Season 1, Episode 11)
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In the early 2000s, no other series could really compete with teen dramas. The O.C. was a massive hit and every character was a household name. In a way, it complimented Gossip Girl at the time. In this Thanksgiving episode, in its first season, Thanksgiving dinner at the Cohens descends into bedlam when unexpected guests arrive.
Ryan (Ben McKenzie) returns to his hometown when his brother calls on him for a favour. Fans get to see another side of Ryan early on in the series, which gets fairly intense over the holiday.
Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace – One Tree Hill (Season 8, Episode 9)
Between Gossip Girl and The O.C., another teen drama series also dominated on the WB for a while. One Tree Hill was one series that knew how to fold multiple storylines into a single episode and make it dramatic.
During this Thanksgiving, Chase (Stephen Colletti) is the only one manning the bar while his would-be-girlfriends bicker over at Nathan (James Lafferty) and Haleys (Bethany Joe Lenz). While that’s going on Brooke (Sophia Bush) sadly ruins her first turkey dinner, so Julien (Austin Nichols) takes her and her mother along to Scotts where Clay is still residing. There’s a mixture of odd pairings to make this a delicious holiday episode.
The Treasure Of Serena Madre – Gossip Girl (Season 3, Episode 11)
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This is when Gossip Girl was at its peak. From seasons one to four, the series was gaining momentum and this Thanksgiving episode is the most memorable from The CWs reign. Everyone is over at the Van der Woodsen’s for Thanksgiving dinner including Tripp Vanderbilt (Aaron Tveit) who is running for office. Serena is put in an awkward position as she is having an affair with him, and she is forced to sit across his wife at the dinner table.
Blair believes that her mother is pregnant and is keeping it a secret, Jenny (Taylor Momsen) gets even with Eric (Connor Paolo) in a cruel way. Rufus (Matthew Settle) also discovers that Lily (Kelly Rutherford) has been lying to him about Cece’s (Caroline Lagerfelt) health. And all this happens while “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo plays in the background. The dinner table scene is one of the richest scenes of the series.
Don’t Walk On The Grass – Desperate Housewives (Season 6, Episode 6)
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All mothers want the best for their daughters and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) gets into a scuffle with the principal after she removes Juanita from the Thanksgiving pageant. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) also discovers what Tom (Doug Savant) is really doing in university; Karl (Richard Burgi) gives Bree (Marcia Cross) a gift that Susan (Teri Hatcher) previously owned; Katherine (Dana Delany) continues her attempts to seduce Mike (James Denton) and Angie (Drea de Matteo) continues to hide her past life.
Of course, all things reach a boiling point in this episode when the secrets become too much in the suburbs.
Thanksgiving – Friday Night Lights (Season 4, Episode 13)
In this episode, Thanksgiving arrives the day before the big game, and it finds the Taylors (Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton) playing host to an extended family dinner. The Riggins (Derek Phillips and Taylor Kitsch) are there, Matt (Zach Gilford) is back from Chicago and Buddy (Brad Leland) is bringing his own turkey to deep-fry.
Fans get to see character dynamics shift off the field before the big game, and it builds anticipation for what’s to come. When new guests come in without really being invited, certain characters are tested.
Fade into You – The Vampire Diaries (Season 6, Episode 8)
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After Gossip Girl came to an end, vampires were one hundred percent in and The Vampire Diaries sure knew how to bring everyone in Mystic Falls together. Caroline (Candice King) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) prepare to host Friendsgiving at the dorm, and they receive some hopeful news about the Gemini Coven from Alaric (Matthew Davis) and Stefan (Paul Wesley). Tyler (Michael Trevino) helps Liv (Penelope Mitchell) and Luke (Chris Brochu) – new witches from the coven – after they share some dark information about what they’re capable of.
Dinner then takes a drastic turn as Jo (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe) reveals some painful details about her past while fighting for her life. There are many witchy moving parts to this episode; people travel back in time, others get dumped because they lied, and of course, the truth always comes out.
