Every Thanksgiving, thousands of American families gather around for a holiday meal that could either end with feelings of tenderness and warmth for our relatives, or, more likely, shouting matches about the state of the world and its politics with our distant family members at someone else's house. Our favorite television series tend to follow suit. Of course we all want to know how iconic fictional families celebrate one of the more tense holidays of the year, whether they're gathering around a large table uptown with their media magnate patriarch (as was the case for the Roy family in season one of HBO's Succession this year), or dredging up the truth behind some old hijinks (see the episode of Friends where Ross got high). Thanksgiving can really bring out the best or the worst of us, but we're thankful that these fictional families are probably, hopefully more dysfunctional than our own.
Master of None, "Thanksgiving"
Master of None's Denise, played by Lena Waithe, goes home for Thanksgiving and struggles with coming out to her family in this Emmy-winning episode of the series cowritten by Waithe. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
Grey's Anatomy, "Thanks for the Memories"
Meredith Grey goes home for Thanksgiving but ends up avoiding her family by returning to the hospital. Relatable. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
Friends, "The One Where Ross Got High"
Ross is forced to tell everyone why his parents, Jack and Judy, don't like Chandler, and when he tries to escape Thanksgiving he is invited to spend it with Janine and a pack of dancers.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, "Talking Turkey"
Will's mother visits for Thanksgiving and puts the kids to work on preparing a meal, but as you might predict, things don't exactly go according to plan. Photo courtesy of Everett Collection.
Gilmore Girls, "A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving"
Rory and Lorelai try to fit in four Thanksgiving dinners; Lorelai finds out Rory applied to more colleges than just Harvard; and Lane has her first kiss. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
Gossip Girl, "The Treasure of Serena Madre"
As Thanksgiving hits the Upper East siders of Gossip Girl, Blair suspects her mother is lying to her, Vanessa ditches dinner with her family to hide in Dan's loft, and Rufus discovers that Lily has been lying to him about her mother Cece's health. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
The O.C., "The Homecoming"
Ryan visits his estranged brother in prison, and Marissa tags along to see where he grew up. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
Black-ish, "Auntsgiving"
Almaviligerais, Pops' older sister, unexpectedly shows up to the house for Thanksgiving, which excites everyone except Ruby. Bow and Dre go on their last vacation before their new baby arrives, and the kids try to figure out why Ruby hates Almaviligerais so much. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
Succession, "I Went To Market"
Kendall begins to plot a vote of no confidence against Logan, Tom questions his prenup, and cousin Greg gets stuck in the car for a long ride with his estranged Grandpa Ewan, setting up a catastrophic chain of events to unfold during the remainder of the season. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
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