The turkey has been cleared, the pie has been devoured, and the dishes are done, man. And now, your father-in-law wants to talk politics. Your options include feigning a disaster in another room, straight up ignoring him, or faking a pressing bathroom break. Or, you could turn on a Thanksgiving-themed movie or TV show and have everyone gather ’round, shut up and watch it together.
Movies
Thanksgiving movies might not be as abundant as Christmas flicks, but there are still some holiday-related titles streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu that you can use as an excuse for not talking to anyone for a few hours. Not all movies are appropriate for families, however, so keep that in mind before you assemble your loved ones.
(Unfortunately, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, arguably the best Thanksgiving movie of them all, does not appear to be included with any of the main streaming subscription services; it is available for rent or purchase, and on DVD from Netflix.)
Dutch (1991)
Ed O’Neill has a new girlfriend and is not about to muck up the holidays for her. So of course he volunteers to pick up her kid (a young, pre-Empire Records Ethan Embry) from boarding school. He’s a brat straight out of hell and their trip home for Thanksgiving is accordingly awful.
Available on: Netflix
Son-in-Law (1993)
If you’ve ever brought home someone that your family didn’t approve of, or that you thought they’d hate, it might be time to reunite with the curly-headed dude you either love or love to hate.
Available on: Netflix
Deadfall (2012)
Who says thrillers can’t be Thanksgiving movies? In this crime caper, two siblings (Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde) are fleeing authorities after a failed heist. With a blizzard stymying their escape, they plan to meet at the Canadian border and separate. They reunite in a tense Thanksgiving meal scene that may rival your last memorable holiday gathering.
Available on: Netflix
Addams Family Values (1993)
You can watch the first Addams Family movie beforehand if you feel like it, but the sequel is the one with the Thanksgiving theme. Wednesday Addams leads a retelling of the First Thanksgiving where the Native Americans win in a way only Christina Ricci in white makeup and a dark wig can do it.
Available on: Amazon Prime, Hulu
Rocky (1976)
What do you mean this isn’t a movie about Thanksgiving? Fine, it’s not, but there’s another one of those fantastic family meal scenes that makes us all feel like we’re in this together. Also, Dec. 3 marks the 40th — yes, 40th — anniversary of the first Rocky‘s theatrical release so you can toast to that milestone.
Available on: Amazon Prime, Hulu
The Last Waltz (1978)
On Nov. 25, 1976, five thousand music fans gathered at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom for Thanksgiving dinner, followed by what was slated as the final concert for The Band, complete with appearances by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, and more — and Martin Scorsese was there to film what many consider the best concert documentary ever made.
Available on: Hulu, Amazon Prime
Kristy (2013)
Thanksgiving can be scary. Like when you’re a college student who can’t afford to fly home to be with your family for the holiday, and instead have to fend off a sadistic group of cultish serial killers all by yourself.
Available on: Netflix
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Sure, there’s a heavy Christmas emphasis in this movie, but it all begins on Thanksgiving Day with Macy’s big parade. Kris Kringle saves the day by filling in for a drunk Santa Claus, setting the rest of the story in motion.
Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime
ThanksKilling 3 (2012)
Calling all fans of ThanksKilling 1 and ThanksKilling 2, the third installment of what sounds like a terrifying series of Thanksgiving-themed movies starring raunchy puppets battling a killer turkey is available to stream this year.
Available on: Amazon Prime
The Spirit of Thanksgiving
If you’re the kind of person who gets a kick out of watching a yule log burn merrily on a fire on your TV, this might be for you, as you can “Relax into the spirit of the holiday season with magical sights, music and sounds that celebrate Thanksgiving.”
Available on: Amazon Prime
TV
While there are no doubt many TV shows with classic Thanksgiving episodes, not all of them are bound to be streaming online. We’ve gathered up a few suggestions to get you started, however.
Mystery Science 3000 Turkey Day Marathon
The MST3K Turkey Day Marathon will start at noon ET on Thanksgiving, with creator Joel Hodgson (and new Satellite of Love test subject Jonah Ray) counting down the top six MST3K episodes (as voted by fans). It will be on ShoutFactoryTV.com and on the free Pluto.TV app, which works with Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, mobile devices, and others.
Hulu
Looking for TV episodes about Thanksgiving? Hulu has quite a few, so if you don’t have a certain TV show in mind, simply searching “Thanksgiving” and clicking “Episodes” will bring up a plethora of results, for everything from Son of Zorn to Hey Arnold!.
Netflix
Friends
Season 1, episode 9 – “The One Where Underdog Gets Away”; Season 2, Episode 8 — “The One With the List”; Season 3, Episode 9 — “The One With the Football”; Season 4, Episode 9 — “The One With Chandler in a Box”; Season 5, Episode 8 — “The One With All The Thanksgivings”; Season 6, Episode 9 — “The One Where Ross Got High”; Season 7, Episode 8 — “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs”; Season 8, Episode 9 — “The One With the Rumor”; Season 9, Episode 8 — “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister”; Season 10, Episode 8 — “The One With the Late Thanksgiving”
Bob’s Burgers
Netflix: Season 3, Episode 5 – “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal”; Season 4, Episode 5 — “Turkey in a Can”; Season 5, Episode 4 — “Dawn of the Peck”; Season 6, Episode 4 — “Gayle Makin’ Bob Sled”
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Season 4, Episode 8 — “Pangs”
Cheers
Season 5, Episode 9 — “Thanksgiving Orphans”
How I Met Your Mother
Season 1, Episode 9 – “Belly Full of Turkey”
Season 3, Episode 9 – “Slapsgiving”
Season 5, Episode 9 – “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap”
Season 6, Episode 10 – “Blitzgiving”
Family Guy
Season 10, Episode 6 – “Thanksgiving”
Gilmore Girls
Season 3, Episode 9 – “A Deep–Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
New Girl
Season 1, Episode 6 – “Thanksgiving”
Season 2, Episode 8 – “Parents”
Season 3, Episode 10 – “Thanksgiving III”
Season 4, Episode 9 – “Thanksgiving IV”
The League
Season 3, Episode 8 – “Thanksgiving”
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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