Thanksgiving Day, regardless of intention, can be stressful for many. Between trying to help cook and diffuse family tensions, the last thing you need is a dispute over the TV remote.
90s fan-favorite sitcom FRIENDS (technically) has a Thanksgiving episode in each of its ten seasons, bringing it to a total of around three and a half hours of Thanksgiving-centric content. Every year, Max (formerly HBO Max) sections out a “Friendsgiving” collection of these episodes for convenience, and I’ve indulged every year.
I’m currently on my sixteenth rewatch of FRIENDS, so I’d consider myself something of an expert at this point. Whether you’re preparing to stream all three and a half hours or just trying to pick a handful to keep the family and friends argument-free this year, here’s your ranked guide to FRIENDS Thanksgiving episodes.
10. “The One With the List” (Season 2, Episode 8)
Every season of FRIENDS has a Thanksgiving episode, but this episode is where the “technically” clause comes in. Focused largely on the Ross and Rachel lore, this episode hardly counts as a Thanksgiving one. Monica’s attempts to make Thanksgiving-themed food with “Mockolate” let this episode make it onto the list of Thanksgiving ones, but it wouldn’t rank above any of the others. Solid episode, but hardly Thanksgiving-centric.
9. “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister” (Season 9, Episode 8)
Being the second-to-last Thanksgiving episode in the series, the formula had been perfected by this point. The reason this episode ranks so lowly has far more to do with the excellence of the other ones rather than the lack of anything in this one and is still a must-watch. Bonus points for featuring a sister-fight. If anyone in the family particularly likes to pick fights, it might help to turn this one on to keep tensions low and appease the instigators.
8. “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs” (Season 7, Episode 8)
An excellent episode with the cutest dog and cutest recurring actor (looking at you, Eddie Cahill), but somewhat forgettable among the humor of the other Thanksgiving episodes. Character growth and plot-moving scenes galore, though! It also features what may just be the best family gathering game–promise extra dessert to anyone who hits all fifty states first try, and watch the chaos unfold.
7. “The One With Chandler in a Box” (Season 4, Episode 8)
Though this episode does feature a Thanksgiving dinner, the holiday aspects are overshadowed by the other plotlines–incredibly entertaining ones. The lack of focus on Thanksgiving pushes this episode further down the list than I’d like it to be, but it’s one of the more plot-moving holiday episodes of the bunch, and it does let Monica say one of her most brutal quotes of all time though: “Fine, judge all you want to, but [to Ross] married a lesbian, [to Rachel] left a man at the altar, [to Phoebe] fell in love with a gay ice dancer, [to Joey] threw a girl’s wooden leg in a fire, [to Chandler] live in a box!”
6. “The One With the Late Thanksgiving” (Season 10, Episode 8)
Putting this episode in the lower half of the ranking pains me, but the other episodes are just too iconic to be put at this level. The last Thanksgiving episode of the series, the characters are more mature than they were in the other episodes on this list, but still not too mature to show up to Thanksgiving dinner on time and keep heads from getting physically stuck in doors. If there are kids that need to be entertained, just fast forward to the part with the floating heads, trust me.
5. “The One Where Underdog Gets Away” (Season 1, Episode 9)
It physically pains me to not rank this episode any higher–the perfect (PERFECT) nostalgic vibes, fall essence, and Thanksgiving plot–but as it’s the first season and ninth overall episode in the show, the classic FRIENDS humor isn’t quite there yet. If you only watch a handful of these episodes on Thanksgiving, make sure this is one, though. Tensions run high and result in major yelling matches–but what else is Thanksgiving, really? This one is so sentimental and sickeningly sweet, it’s adorable.
4. “The One With All the Thanksgivings” (Season 5, Episode 8)
I could’ve very easily been swayed to rank this episode higher, but the Thanksgiving-ness of the top three is undeniable. As a whole, FRIENDS fans aren’t huge on episodes told in series of flashbacks, but this episode differs in that every flashback story told is brand new, like in the actual flashback episode–it’s not taken from older episodes, like the infamous season 4 episode, “The One With The Invitation” (which even I’ll admit, is generally a fast-forward episode for me). It balances the perfect FRIENDS humor (Joey Tribbiani getting a turkey stuck on his head shouldn’t surprise you, but you’ll find yourself hunched over laughing) with the sweetest plot-moving Monica and Chandler moment.
3. “The One With the Football” (Season 3, Episode 9)
This episode just barely made it into the top three, but aside from season one’s Thanksgiving episode, this is one of the only other ones fully revolving around a holiday-specific event. Thanksgiving Day sports are always supposed to be leisure, but putting siblings together and saying “Let’s see who wins” rarely ends well. Monica and Ross’ unbelievably realistic sibling dynamic will have all the parents shaking their heads, and have the kids choosing a side to support. Between that, Chandler and Joey fighting over a Dutch woman, and Phoebe and Rachel’s well-intentioned confusion, this episode cultivates the ultimate fall vibes while making the portrayal of Thanksgiving Day activities very realistic.
2. “The One With the Rumor” (Season 8, Episode 9)
You might think I’m ranking this episode so highly just because of the guest star, but you’d only be half correct. Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Will undeniably enhances this episode, but the humor of the plot is impossible to overlook. The story of the “I Hate Rachel Green Club” lends most of the comedy to the episode, but doesn’t overshadow the fact that this is a Thanksgiving episode. The cultivated fall vibes in Monica’s apartment are particularly impressive in this episode, as is the platter on the dinner table. Brad Pitt’s performance of the smug yet insecure Will is guaranteed to remind you of an uncle or family friend–just make sure the tensions between you and that person don’t escalate as quickly as they do between him and Rachel.
1. “The One Where Ross Got High” (Season 6, Episode 9)
Despite my love for every episode on this list, I could never dethrone this episode. I rewatch every Friendsgiving episode on Thanksgiving Day, never minding who else is paying attention, but I always make sure everyone else is watching this episode with me–it’s just too good. In consideration of any first-time watchers, I’m reluctant to reveal too much about the plot of this episode, but it’s just perfect. The Thanksgiving-ness is there, the fall vibes are there, the humor is there, and the conflict is most definitely there (between friends, between family, between just about everyone, apparently). Judy Geller is unlikely to be one of your favorite characters on this show, but she steals the spotlight in this episode in one swiftly delivered monologue. If you only watch one of these episodes on Thanksgiving, make sure this is the one, trust me.