When it comes to holiday episodes, ’90s sitcoms did them best. These sitcoms were more family-based and had life lessons coated with humor. At the time, it felt wholesome and more intimate, as if viewers were joining the characters on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Sure, these shows may seem a bit cheesy now, but they all had memorable moments that many Reddit users remember today. The episodes on this list showed up numerous times on Reddit when searching for the best Thanksgiving episodes from ’90s sitcoms. They are classic episodes that many fans will remember and maybe even watch again because they were that good. 1 “Goodbye Normal Jeans” ‘King of the Hill’ (1997-) With Thanksgiving approaching, Peggy (Kathy Najimy) accidentally ruins Hank’s (Mike Judge) favorite jeans, setting off her insecurity just as Bobby begins excelling in Home Economics. Under his teacher’s guidance, Bobby (Pamela Adlon) repairs the jeans and cooks impressive dishes for the holiday. Surprisingly, Bobby receives nonstop praise from Hank. As Bobby keeps outshining her in the Thanksgiving preparations, Peggy feels increasingly sidelined. Although she doesn’t want to admit it at first, Peggy can’t help but feel jealous of the attention her son is receiving from Hank. One simple part of Thanksgiving that people often forget is the act of gratitude. As the Hill matriarch in King of the Hill, Peggy is already expected to take care of the house simply because she’s a woman. When she cooks extravagant meals or does the laundry, it’s not worth celebrating because it’s supposedly the norm. But when a male like Bobby does it, it’s apparently worth high praise. “Goodbye Normal Jeans” highlights this double standard, which understandably makes Peggy upset. Luckily, Hank quickly learns his lesson by the end. Dyah Ayu Larasati 2 “Homo for the Holidays” ‘Will & Grace’ (1998-2020) In “Homo for the Holidays,” Will (Eric McCormack) invites Jack’s (Sean Hayes) mother, Judith (Veronica Cartwright), to Thanksgiving dinner, angering Jack, who fears she’ll discover he’s gay. When Judith arrives early, the group learns she believes Jack once dated Grace (Debra Messing). During the holiday meal, Will urges Jack to come out, remembering Jack’s past advice. No better (or worse) time to come out of the closet than Thanksgiving. These festive dinners can be overwhelming for whatever reason. For Will & Grace’s very own Jack, it’s the fact that he couldn’t be honest about himself to his own mother. Hiding your true identity is one thing, but having to put on a facade during a family event is an even harder ordeal. In the end, the episode shows that a true parent would love and accept you for who you are. Dyah Ayu Larasati 3 “Turkey or Fish” ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ (1996-2005) The turkey isn’t just a meal served during Thanksgiving it’s a historical dish that symbolizes the relationship between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people during colonial times. Which is why, in “Turkey or Fish,” the Barones are shocked to learn that Raymond’s (Ray Romano) wife, Debra (Patricia Heaton), decided to switch from turkey to fish. Debra insists they create their own tradition by serving a different dish. Her ever-so-intrusive mother-in-law, Marie (Doris Roberts), decides to complicate things by inviting extra relatives and secretly bringing her own turkey. One of the running gags in Everybody Loves Raymond is Debra’s love-hate relationship with Marie. While it’s nothing much to do with hate, it has that passive-aggressive tension that only mothers-in-law/daughters-in-law are all too familiar with. Marie has always insisted that she knows what’s best for her son and that her ideas are better compared to Debra’s, hence the fish versus turkey idea. But Marie, with her being a fellow wife, eventually understands that Debra must’ve felt the pressure of Thanksgiving cooking, acknowledging her effort (even if her fishy efforts were in vain). Dyah Ayu Larasati 4 “The One With Chandler in a Box” Friends (1994-2004) While watching Friends, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) have always been a dynamic duo. So when their friendship is put to the test over a girl, things get weird on Thanksgiving. In order to earn Joey’s forgiveness, Chandler lies in a wooden box for six hours after kissing Kathy (Paget Brewster) while they were dating. This episode turns into a mixed bag of funny interactions, as everything happens at once in Monica’s (Courteney Cox) apartment. Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) have a little spat over gifts, while Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is concerned about the food. Monica embarrassed herself in front of Richard’s (Tom Selleck) son. But all eyes are on Chandler and Joey. Apart from all the romantic pursuits in Friends, no relationship is more sincere and genuine than Joey and Chandler’s friendship. To watch them get in a skurfuffle on Thanksgiving, although hilarious, is slightly heartbreaking to watch. But the real value of friendships is only tested when fights happen. Chandler definitely crossed a line, but he’s willing to make up for his actions to choose Joey over Kathy, serving as a true testament to his character and how he feels for his best friend. Amanda Guarragi & Dyah Ayu Larasati 5 “Talking Turkey” ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ (1990-1996) Whenever there is a family gathering in the Banks’ household, conversations get really intense. But that doesn’t stop the humor from coming through. In this Thanksgiving episode, Will’s (Will Smith) mother visits for the holidays and puts the kids to work preparing Thanksgiving dinner. After living the lavish lifestyle with the Banks, Will’s mother, Vy (Vernee Watson), takes notice and decides to teach the children what hard work means. She puts them to work in the kitchen, and it’s hilarious to watch all of them cook Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. Will does take charge, but it’s still such a mess, even though they take pride in their work. Amanda Guarragi 6 “Thanksgiving Orphans” ‘Cheers’ (1982-1993) Cheers is an under-appreciated sitcom. Many actors came out of that show and did some great work after they left. This Thanksgiving episode is considered one of the funniest because Diane (Shelley Long) puts the whole group together at Carla’s (Rhea Perlman) new home. While Diane is one of the few graduate students to be selected by one of her professors, Carla agrees to a potluck dinner, with Norm (George Wendt) in charge of the turkey. They all vow to make this the best Thanksgiving ever. But the guest list becomes a problem at the dinner table, it is still a memorable evening for all of them. It always happens that there are uninvited guests for holiday dinners, and those guests make it entertaining for the core family members. Amanda Guarragi 7 “Turkey Day” ‘Boy Meets World’ (1993-2000) Even though Boy Meets World relies heavily on how to educate Cory (Ben Savage), Shawn (Rider Strong) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) along with their audience, there is still some humor to be found. After learning about prejudice among the tribes of Africa, Cory and Shawn want to have their families celebrate Thanksgiving together. Cory and Shawn come from two different families, and it is explored in this episode. What this episode teaches audiences is that it doesn’t matter where you come from, as long as people are kind and supportive of one another. It deals with financial and family issues, which makes for a strong Thanksgiving episode. Amanda Guarragi 8 “Thanksgiving in Hawaii (Part 1)” ‘Sister, Sister’ (1994-1999) Tia and Tamara Mowry really did own the ’90s and their show Sister, Sister had some pretty funny episodes. This Part 1 had Terrence (Dorien Wilson) and his new girlfriend show up at the Hawaiian condo where Lisa (Jackée Harry) is staying during Thanksgiving. When Tia and Tamera escape to Hawaii, the sisters wanted to have a little getaway because the holidays are tough. Naturally, the escape doesn’t go well when Terrence shows up and turns everything upside down for the girls. His new girlfriend sends them spiraling and makes for a fun episode because of their reactions. Amanda Guarragi 9 “The Miracle of Thanksgiving” ‘Full House’ (1987-1995) Much like Boy Meets World, Full House was filled with life lessons and important conversations with family. This became a classic Tanner tradition where everyone pitches in to make the meal. But because it was their first Thanksgiving without their mother, the girls try to make it special by making their favorite dishes. It’s definitely an emotional episode, but watching Joey (Dave Coulier) and Jesse (John Stamos) try to cook is by far the most entertaining. Unfortunately, DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) doesn’t cook the turkey and as they are about to eat, it’s still frozen. When guests show up uninvited with a hot turkey, Danny (Bob Saget) plots to bribe them to save the day. Amanda Guarragi 10 “Bart vs. Thanksgiving” ‘The Simpsons’ (1989-) In the earlier seasons of The Simpsons, viewers were getting to know all the characters. Bart (Nancy Cartwright) was still very much a troublemaker and when he gets into an argument with Lisa (Yeardley Smith) on Thanksgiving, he runs away. Lisa has always been a straight-A student who is the more intellectual of her siblings.
https://collider.com/funniest-thanksgiving-episodes-90s-sitcoms/
