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30 greatest Thanksgiving episodes of all time

By Reed Gaudens

385848 12: Actors (l-r): Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay star in NBC's comedy series "Friends" Episode: "The One Where Chandler Doesn''t Like Dogs." (Photo by Warner Bros. Television)
385848 12: Actors (l-r): Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay star in NBC's comedy series "Friends" Episode: "The One Where Chandler Doesn''t Like Dogs." (Photo by Warner Bros. Television) /
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This Is Us
Photo Credit: This Is Us/NBC Image Acquired from NBC Media Village /

5. This Is Us

Episode: Season 1, Episode 8, “Pilgrim Rick”

What’s on the menu: Most of the shows on the list stick to the usual suspects at the Thanksgiving dinner table. But This Is Us is nothing if not an innovator. In “Pilgrim Rick,” we’re introduced to the Pearson’s unconventional traditions, which includes hot dogs wrapped in a slice of American cheese and topped with saltine crackers. Then the family takes a 3.4-mile walk, watches Police Academy 3, and a very lucky someone has the pleasure of dressing up as the infamous Pilgrim Rick. Hey, you’ve had weirder Thanksgivings.

It all started when Jack and Rebecca were taking the Big Three to visit Rebecca’s family for the holiday. Due to car troubles, they were sidelined at a seedy motel where they crossed paths with the strange front desk manager and had to make do with what little resources they had. Unfortunately, the family’s present-day holiday wasn’t much better, as much as they revere this memory now. Randall confronts Rebecca about withholding information about William, and it’s the explosive family feud that still hurts to this day.

Why we’re thankful for it: Even though the fight between Randall and Rebecca is heartbreaking to watch, the flashbacks in “Pilgrim Rick” pad the pain with a heartwarming tale. The peaks and valleys of living in a close family are the heart of This Is Us, and if you make it through a holiday season without a little flare up, you’re one of the lucky ones. In its first season, the television phenomenon reminds us that holidays are what you make of them, but the most important thing is who you spend them with. We want to spend Thanksgiving with the Pearsons.

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