Friends Thanksgiving Episodes Ranked Worst To Best
Running from 1994 to 2004, "Friends" was and still is one of the most successful and beloved TV shows of all time. It centers around six friends named Ross Geller, Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing, and Phoebe Buffay, as they deal with love, loss, and living in New York City.
They also celebrated their fair share of holidays, and when it comes to television, these themed episodes can be some of the most popular ones. For "Friends," a lot of that popularity came with the Thanksgiving episodes.
There are plot lines with family members, a wooden box, a dog, a balloon, tardiness, tattle-telling, football, a rumor, and flashbacks, and they are all special in their own way. Which of all of these is the best of the best, though? We ranked them all, from worst to best, and we invite you to take this as your sign to rewatch all of them now!
The one with Rachel's other sister is not the best
Over the years, fans got to know the main characters' family members, including Rachel Green's sisters: Jill, who is played by Reese Witherspoon, and Amy, who is played by Christina Applegate. One year, Amy shows up on Thanksgiving, which sort of ruins the holiday for everyone. She is just a not-very-nice person! Plus, the conversation centers around who will take custody of Emma if Ross and Rachel die, and no one wants to think about them being gone — especially not on such a celebratory day.
As the eighth episode of the ninth season, "The One With Rachel's Other Sister" regularly ranks low (such as on lists by Vulture and Good Housekeeping), when it comes to the best and worst of these themed holiday episodes of "Friends." As some comic relief, it does feature Joey realizing that he is supposed to be on a float for "Days of Our Lives."
The one with Chandler and the dog is not the funniest ever
Since "Friends" focuses on six main characters, there are always several plot points happening at once. On Season 7, Episode 8, "The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs," we see Chandler, well, not liking dogs. He finds out that Phoebe has been hiding one in the apartment for days.
This is funny, but there are so many other moments from this TV show that are much more memorable. Therefore, this is another Thanksgiving episode that belongs at the bottom of this ranking. And we are not alone in this thinking, as People put it at the very bottom of their list of worst-to-best Thanksgiving episodes.
Meanwhile, Ross is being Ross and won't eat until he names all 50 states, and Rachel is dealing with her boyfriend Tag, who is definitely not the best of all of her exes.
The one with the Underdog balloon got upstaged over time
Next up, we have the first Thanksgiving episode on "Friends," which is titled "The One Where the Underdog Gets Away." Yes, that is part of the story, as this particular balloon gets away from the Thanksgiving Day Parade, but more importantly, this episode shows each character not being able to spend the day with their own families.
The Gellers are on a trip, Joey is scarred from becoming the face of VD, and the gang spends the holiday together. Things go awry, though, when they head up to the roof, lock themselves out of the apartment, and miss out on a proper meal. They make do, of course.
As mentioned, this is the first of its kind, as it is only the ninth episode of the entire series. Still, it was outdone over the years, earning it a similar middle-of-the-road spot from publications such as Collider and Parade.
The one with Chandler in a box is pretty memorable
While one person sitting in a box for hours sounds like it could get boring, the characters on "Friends" bring it to life and make it a stand-out episode. "The One With Chandler in a Box," which is the eighth episode of Season 4, leads to Chandler sitting in a box after a fight with Joey. He kissed Joey's girlfriend, Kathy, who shows up, and Chandler waves to her by sticking one finger out of the box.
Another notable moment includes Monica running into Tim Burke, who is the son of Richard — her ex-boyfriend, portrayed by Tom Selleck.
This is sort of a middle-of-the-road episode: It is not full of the best Thanksgiving scenes, but there are certainly those that are liked less. As Parade puts it, it can go on your watch list, but you will not be missing out too much if you are in a food coma the entire time.
The one with the lateness features a special scene
Thanksgiving is a time for loved ones to come together and enjoy tons of yummy food. However, it takes a lot of work to pull off a successful Thanksgiving meal. So, it makes sense that Monica and Chandler did not want to serve as hosts, yet they were talked into it during Season 10, Episode 8.
Even after the convincing, though, everyone shows up late, so the couple decides to just not let them inside at all. This results in Joey getting his head stuck in the door, which is a very Joey moment.
"The One With the Late Thanksgiving" is another episode that is pretty good but not the best. It does, however, feature two very special components: It is the last of all the Thanksgiving episodes, and it is the one where Monica and Chandler find out that they are going to be adoptive parents.
The one with the weed is a fan favorite
Family is a big part of holidays and is, once again, part of this Thanksgiving episode from Season 6 of "Friends." People even named it the best Thanksgiving episode out of all of the ones centered around this time of the year!
In it, Jack and Judy Geller come over for Thanksgiving, which causes Monica and Chandler to worry about telling them that they live together. It's explained that the Gellers don't like Chandler, because they think he smoked pot in college. It turns out, it was actually Ross who did, though, leading to a title of "The One Where Ross Got High." Eventually, the Geller siblings blurt out secrets about one another, like little kids.
Of course, this is also the moment when Rachel makes a dish that is half English trifle and half Shepherd's pie. The birth of Rachel's Thanksgiving trifle gives us this classic line: "Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Beef? Good."
The one with the football game captures this holiday in a fun way
A good amount of this series takes place inside the well-known apartment, but something amazing happens in "The One With the Football," as the action is taken outside for some sporty fun.
Most Thanksgiving episodes of "Friends" show Monica freaking out over the meal, but in the ninth episode of the third season, all she cares about is this football game. It has always been known that she in particular likes getting her way and can be competitive, but Monica takes it to another level here! In fact, her parents made her and Ross stop playing football, because she broke her brother's nose once.
Since football is synonymous with this holiday, whether people are watching and cheering on their favorite teams or throwing around the pigskin themselves, this main storyline makes this a fan favorite episode. It even received the number-two spot on Us Weekly's ranking of the top Thanksgiving moments from "Friends."
The one with Brad Pitt is a classic
Okay, it is time for the second place spot, which goes to "The One With the Rumor." Collider, Us Weekly, and Good Housekeeping all actually consider this to be the best of the best, as well.
What makes this episode from Season 8 so iconic is Brad Pitt as a guest star. In the show, his character used to be friends with Monica and was in an "I Hate Rachel" club with Ross. The two even spread a rumor around the school. For audiences, this was a hilarious part for Pitt to play as he was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time (via People). It just added to why this episode was so iconic.
Of course, food is also featured as well, and in particular, Joey is attempting to eat every last bite of the Thanksgiving turkey. While that makes our stomachs hurt just thinking about eating that much, it does get us very excited for this year's meal. It will be here before we know it!
The one with the flashbacks is the best of them all
So, what is the best Thanksgiving episode from one of the best television series of all time? We believe the answer is Season 5, Episode 8, as each of the main characters share their worst experiences from the holiday.
Everyone knows Chandler is not a fan of Turkey Day, and that is because it was then that his parents announced they were getting a divorce. That would put a damper on things, but what about Thanksgiving 1992? That is when Joey got a turkey stuck on his head, and to try and make Chandler feel better, Monica puts one on her head, too. This iconic moment of Monica with a turkey on her head will go down in television history, and is still sent around as GIFs on Thanksgiving day.
It was a hard job, but we have rounded them all up and ranked them, and Vulture and CinemaBlend both also agree that "The One With All the Thanksgivings" is the best of these episodes.