7 TV Thanksgiving Dinners We Would (and Wouldn’t) Want to Eat (PHOTOS)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Thanksgiving”
Verdict: Eat
Amy Santiago has many wonderful qualities, but cooking ability isn’t one of them. Thankfully, Thanksgiving is saved when the squad ditches Amy’s plan and orders some takeout at the precinct. Sure, it’s not a traditional dinner. But this Brooklyn Nine-Nine feast looks appetizing enough, especially for poor, starving Terry. NOINE-NOINE!
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Two Turkeys”
Verdict: Please, please don’t eat
To be fair, the Santiago side of the table is probably fine… but who wants to eat the Peralta-Santiago dinner after Jake’s dad cut his thumb off carving the turkey? That’s gotta be a pretty serious health hazard. You’d be better off chowing down on some takeout, a la the first Nine-Nine Thanksgiving episode.
How I Met Your Mother, “Slapsgiving”
Verdict: Does it even matter?
Honestly, the turkey in this one is barely important, though it should be noted that this is Marshall and Lily’s first Thanksgiving as a married couple. The real core of this episode is Barney’s ever-present terror that Marshall’s going to slap him as per the rules of their slap-bet (and Marshall’s slap countdown website), and, of course, Ted and Robin’s drama. The food does seem pretty good here, though, what with Lily’s stuffed mushrooms and Bob’s Jell-O shots.
Modern Family, “The Last Thanksgiving”
Verdict: More of a flop than Luke’s famous Jell-O mold
Modern Family’s had plenty of Thanksgiving episodes, but its most recent holiday installment sees Haley trying to cook dinner for her parents. If this seems like a bad idea, that’s because it most definitely is; the stuffing is rock-hard, the pie filling is sour, the turkey’s not done on the inside and Luke’s Jell-O mold isn’t, well, molded. Alex’s arrogant chef ex-boyfriend might be able to save the food, but it’s definitely not worth the general annoyance of having him around.
Fresh Off the Boat, “Huangsgiving”
Verdict: “Very dry, but edible.” — Jenny Huang
Jessica (Constance Wu)’s overjoyed when her mother calls her — and not her sister, Connie — to host Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, nothing goes according to plan because Louis gets a little tipsy, and the turkey’s definitely not cooked by dinnertime. Nonetheless, with the help of an air fryer and some sisterly love, everything gets back on track. And hey, Jenny calls the turkey “edible!”
This Is Us, “Six Thanksgivings”
Verdict: Eat some, leave some
Maybe don’t eat Toby’s first attempt, but the Cracker Barrel and Popeye’s stuff seems okay! As always with This Is Us, the focus isn’t really on food, but on the family, and there’s plenty of heart to go around here — even if Rebecca’s Thanksgiving with Miguel’s kids doesn’t go so well.
Friends, “The One With All the Thanksgivings”
Verdict: Why eat the turkey when you can put it on your head?
We don’t actually see the dinner to which the friends are referring, but apparently it was pretty good. Most of the episode, though, focuses on the worst Thanksgivings these pals have had. That said, there’s still plenty of fun to be had when Monica, trying to make amends with Chandler, sticks a turkey on her head — and he tells her he loves her for the first time.
Ah, Thanksgiving. That holiday tailor-made for hot air balloon parades, watching football, being reunited with relatives and, most importantly, stretching one’s stomach to its absolute limit.
Or at least that’s the way most of them seem to go on TV… well, except for the times when they don’t. Sometimes, half the fun of a good Thanksgiving episode is watching all the chaos unfold. The family drama, the burned turkeys, the slaps (if you’re Marshall; not so much if you’re Barney). Unfortunately, much as in real life, chaos doesn’t always produce a tasty dinner.
Here are 7 TV Thanksgiving dinners from notable holiday episodes, along with our verdict on whether or not they’d be worth tasting.
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