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When it comes to the fourth Thursday of November each year, nothing beats the smell of a well-seasoned turkey roasting in the oven and the sound of the best Friends Thanksgiving episodes blaring from the TV.
Even if you've watched reruns of the late '90s/early 2000s NBC sitcom hundreds of times already, the always-hilarious one-liners of Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Monica (Courtney Cox), the ubiquitous chemistry of Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and the unpredictable antics of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) never get old. And while Friends is always a good idea, it's especially great to have on while enjoying freshly made Thanksgiving apps and a festive co*cktail.
As longtime fans of Friends know, the show creators gave special attention to Turkey Day for nine out of the show's 10 seasons. In fact, Friends Thanksgiving episodes are responsible for some of the best scenes and most quotable lines of the entire series. After all, it's impossible to even think about the game of football without remembering the crew's hilarious and ultra-competitive pick-up game. We also bet when you see a raw turkey you're immediately tempted to stick it on your head along with a pair of giant glasses ala Monica (of course, we really don't recommend this).
Long story short, Friends Thanksgiving episodes are always a good idea to get into the Thanksgiving mood. But where to start? To paraphrase the iconic theme song, we are here for you. Check out our ranking of Friends Thanksgiving episodes in the order we believe you should enjoy them — from best-ever, cannot-miss episodes (number 1) to still-amazing episodes that you can wait to watch after the pumpkin pie is served (numbers eight and nine). As a reminder, you can stream all Friends Thanksgiving episodes on HBO Max, Amazon and Vudu.
9
Season 4, Episode 8: "The One With Chandler in a Box"
While it seriously pains us to watch Joey and Chandler fight, the idea of Chandler sitting in a box for six hours is seriously amusing. Besides that, there's Monica's very awkward run-in with Richard's son, who ends up coming to Thanksgiving dinner. This episode isn't very festive, but it sure is funny.
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8
Season 7, Episode 8: "The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs"
Much of the episode revolves around everyone trying to keep Chandler, who has a lifelong fear of dogs, from finding out that Phoebe has been hiding a pup in the apartment for days. The best part just may be that the dog's name is Clunkers!
7
Season 6, Episode 9: "The One Where Ross Got High"
When the Geller parents decide to come over for Thanksgiving, Monica and Chandler have to figure out how to tell them they live together. Things get trickier though when the Gellers announce that they don't like Chandler because they think he smoked pot in college (even though in reality, it was Ross). The tense evening leads to Monica and Ross screaming secrets about each other to their parents, Rachel screwing up her dessert trifle, Phoebe declaring her love for Jacques Cousteau, and Joey announcing that he just wants to leave.
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6
Season 9, Episode 8: "The One With Rachel's Other Sister"
While watching a Thanksgiving parade on TV, Joey realizes he's supposed to be on the Days of Our Lives float, which sends him spiraling. To make things more interesting, Rachel's openly hostile sister Amy (Christina Applegate) shows up and puts everyone on edge during Thanksgiving dinner. Rest assured, things end on a positive note, even though Chandler and Monica's wedding china gets destroyed.
5
Season 1, Episode 9: "The One Where the Underdog Gets Away"
As the show's first Thanksgiving episode ever, the plot revolves around each character being unable to spend the holiday with their families for various reasons. Rachel can't afford a plane ticket home, Joey's family is afraid of getting VD after seeing him on a poster advertising the disease, Chandler is averse to the holiday because of his parents' divorce, and Monica and Ross's parents are on vacation.
4
Season 8, Episode 9: "The One With the Rumor"
There's so much going on in this episode that makes it the cream of the crop. A special visit from Monica's old friend Will Colbert (Brad Pitt) takes a hilarious turn for the worse when it's revealed that Will used to be in an "I Hate Rachel" club with Ross. To make matters funnier, high school rumors about Rachel (and Ross) resurface. Meanwhile, amid all of this drama is Joey, who is in the fight of his life trying to eat every morsel of the gigantic turkey Monica made.
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3
Season 10, Episode 8: "The One With the Late Thanksgiving"
When Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, and Joey all come back an hour late for Thanksgiving dinner, Monica and Chandler refuse to let them in to mess with them. While peeking their heads through Monica's door, Joey's head accidentally gets stuck. In an effort to free him, he ends up crashing into the Thanksgiving dinner that Monica made for everyone. Ultimately, Monica decides she's not that upset after receiving amazing news over the phone.
2
Season 5, Episode 8: "The One With All the Thanksgivings"
If you've ever had a Thanksgiving go horribly wrong, then this episode will speak to your soul. Together, the entire crew commiserates over their worst holiday experiences in a hilarious throwback episode that features Ross' Mr. Kotter mustache and Chandler's wild Flock of Seagulls hairstyle. The end of this episode includes one of the most memorable moments from the series – a.k.a. when Monica shows up with a turkey on her head in an attempt to make Chandler feel better. That scene alone scores this episode major must-watch points.
1
Season 3, Episode 9: "The One With the Football"
Not a huge surprise to dedicated Friends viewers, but this one takes the number-one spot. If you're getting pressured to switch the TV over to the actual football games happening on Thanksgiving, we propose this as a healthy compromise. Competitive sports fans and football enthusiasts will especially appreciate Ross and Monica's intense rivalry over the sport. A few minutes into their pre-dinner game, Phoebe, Rachel, Joey, and Chandler quickly discover why Monica and Ross's parents once banned them from playing the game together.
