What are the best TV shows to watch this Thanksgiving?

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 18: (L-R) Actors Kelly Bishop, Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham attend the premiere of Netflix’s ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life’ at the Regency Bruin Theatre on November 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Thanksgiving is an important day in the US calendar, celebrating the spirit of unity and giving thanks for the things we are grateful for. For instance, if you’re a Pilgrim, that could be a wholesome harvest or a particularly shiny hat buckle.

As a national holiday, it also means that there is lots of time in between eating to get really into the spirit of the day by consuming plenty of episodes focused on it.

TV is as much of a staple of Thanksgiving as the turkey itself. Watching football alone is a Thanksgiving tradition but where would we be without our Thanksgiving-oriented drama and sitcoms too?
What would the world be without the iconic GIF of Monica Geller dancing with a turkey on her head?

Fortunately for you, we’ve compiled a handy list of all the best standalone Thanksgiving episodes, from Gilmore Girls all the way through to South Park, meaning that you don’t have to spend too much time scouring the Internet for the best Turkey Day treats.

Of course, we couldn’t leave out Friends. Quite frankly, this list was almost entirely Friends so if you’re not a fan of the Central Perk sextet, you can at least give thanks for my restraint.

Pick and choose whatever episode tickles your fancy or, if you really want to make the most of the holiday (and you like Friends), you could watch all five in one sitting.

Either way, fill yourself up on turkey, stuffing and three kinds of potatoes (lumpy mashed, mashed with peas and onions, and tater tots, obviously) and settle in for two and a half hours of pure Thanksgiving joy.