Pop Xulture Newsletter # 19
Lists of Thanksgiving TV Episodes. 11/22/23
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I’m sharing some lists of fun Thanksgiving themed TV episodes. And in case you missed it (or want to re-read), you can check out my Thanksgiving article imbedded in a previous Newsletter here: “Thanksgiving and Citizen Kane.” First, lets briefly go through what I’ve been working on…
Xurrent News
I’m putting the finishing touches on an exclusive article for y’all about Christian media. TV and film with religious messaging has traditionally suffered from low production value and poor storytelling. But there are opportunities for artists and audiences to enhance the quality. I should have that published for you in the next couple weeks.
In the last Newsletter I mentioned that I published an article titled “1993 Film Favorites, Part 5: Finding Contentment in The Nightmare Before Christmas” with Christ and Pop Culture (CAPC). It’s probably the final piece in my series celebrating pivotal films that turned thirty this year. Nightmare is noteworthy for many reasons – it revitalized and set a new standard for stop-motion animation, was Oscar-nominated, innovated groundbreaking techniques, etc. – but I saw the theme of contentment as especially important. Is contentment accessible, and if so, how do we get it? Read the article to find out!
I’m working on a variety of projects right now but my main focus around this time of year is compiling research for my annual ’80s vs. the current year article. I’ve been doing this with CAPC since 2020 and it’s always a lot of work but very fun and rewarding too. Here is last year’s: “1982 vs. 2022: Greed vs. Giving.” Look for this new one around the tail end of December or the first couple days of January.
Xomposition Exclusive
As I mentioned above, I’m sharing some lists of Thanksgiving episodes. I hate when recipes give you a novel of prologue so if you just want the lists scroll down. No hurt feelings! But if you want an idea for a new tradition, read this next section.
The Tradition
Thanksgiving is a good reminder to keep gratitude at the forefront of our minds, but it can also be tough if we don’t have friends or family to celebrate with or if we’ve lost loved ones. A few years ago, we finished a traditional Thanksgiving dinner but as we headed home, we wanted to do a little something special with our nuclear family.
My wife and I landed on watching some TV episodes with our kids. This has become a tradition we look forward to because we spend time together, usually discover new shows, laugh together, and sometimes pause to discuss or explain. This would work with a small group (even remotely by using Teleparty or something like it) or by yourself.
Discovery of the Beloved
Something we didn’t expect was how this practice forcibly drove discovery. There are a few episodes our kids had never seen (shows like Friends and Cheers) that we now come back to year after year. But, in some cases, after watching a Thanksgiving episode we liked the show so much we started watching every season. This was true for shows like The Goldbergs, Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Bob’s Burgers because of this tradition. As a bonus, here is “Every Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving Episode, Ranked” from Vulture.
List of 2022 Fogle Thanksgiving Episodes Watched
Not in any particular order, here is the list of Thanksgiving episodes we watched last year:
WKRP in Cincinnati: “Turkeys Away” (S1, E7). I hadn’t heard of this show which aired from 1978-1982, but when I saw this episode was ranked # 65 on “TV Guide’s Top 100 Episodes” (yes, of all time), I had to watch it. Any spoilers would ruin it for you so just watch it!
Gilmore Girls: “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving” (S3, E9). I was aware this show existed but always thought it was a formulaic teen-ish soap opera. I was shocked by the rapid-fire dialog (a modern His Girl Friday?), wit, and sheer number of humorous situations. Of all the new episodes watched this was the hardest to be dumped into with no background on characters or prior events, but it was still enjoyable.
The West Wing: “Shibboleth” (S2, E8). I kept hearing good things about the show (I think Aaron Sorkin is one of the best writers alive) so I was primed for bias on accepting the episode. But it exceeded expectations. The episode gets its name from the fascinating story in Judges 6, applied to a situation where President Bartlet must decide if dozens of Chinese refugees found in a conex box are being honest.
The Simpsons: “Bart vs. Thanksgiving” (S2, E7). Some of the older Simpsons episodes aren’t all that funny, but they usually pack a moralistic punch or societal critique. This episode is well rounded because not only does Bart feel remorseful for the bad stuff he’s done, but Marge and Homer realize they punished him too severely.
Friends: “The One with All the Thanksgivings” (S5, E8). Currently at a 9.0 on IMDb, this episode is a classic. Although a few portions may be a little “iffy” in 2023, the mix of the group telling worst Thanksgiving stories, coupled with nostalgic flashbacks, is gold. Now every few weeks my son will say, “More turkey, Mr. Chandler?” and we laugh and laugh.
Bob’s Burgers: “Now We’re Not Cooking with Gas” (S10, E8). Admittedly, Bob’s humor is weird and not for everyone, but man is it relatable if you’ve got kids. Since Bob is a chef, he always wants to make the Thanksgiving meal perfect, which, of course, rarely happens. This one, summarized well by AV Club, is hilarious but really interesting to watch Bob make a family meal while excluding his family. Lessons to be learned.
A Bunch of Thanksgiving Episodes
A few years ago, I pulled together a list of Thanksgiving episodes. I can’t vouch for how magnificent each episode is, but it’s a substantial list for you to check out:
Bob’s Burgers (S4, E5)
Parks & Recreation (S3, E7)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (S1, E10 and S2, E7)
Friends (S5,8 and S6, E9 and S8, E9)
Fresh off the Boat (S2, E8)
Roseanne (S2, E9)
The West Wing (S2, E8 and S3, E7 and S4, E10)
Everybody Hates Chris (S2, E8)
Cheers (S5, E9)
The Simpsons (S2, E7, etc.)
The Office (S7, E9)
The Mindy Project (S1, E6)
Boy Meets World (S4, E10)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (S4, E8)
Modern Family (S3, E9 and S6, E8, etc.)
The Goldbergs (S9, E8)
Black-ish (S3, E7)
Full House (S1, E9)
Garfield’s Thanksgiving (special)
That ’70s Show (S1, E9)
How I Met Your Mother (S3, E9)
Seinfeld (S6, E8)
Xoncluding Thoughts
Did I miss your favorite Thanksgiving episode? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! And if you celebrate the holiday, have a great Thanksgiving!
Thanks, in Him,
-Chris (the Bearded Wonder) Fogle
gonna have to check these out! especially the top 100 one!