For 10 years, the annual Thanksgiving episodes of Friends have been a beloved tradition for fans of the NBC sitcom. And even after the series ended in 2004, fans
continued to rewatch these holiday installments on DVD, compilations, and streaming.
While the series skipped a proper Thanksgiving episode in season two (though Mockolate entertained Courteney Cox’s Monica in preparation), the main plot
revolved around the love triangle between Rachel’s Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer’s Ross, and David Schwimmer’s Ross. Julie by Lauren Tom), the remaining
nine seasons bring fond memories. moments ranging from Rachel’s beef-filled snacks to an action-packed yet funny soccer game to a cameo appearance from Aniston’s real-life husband, Brad Pitt, who plays the villain her high school nemesis.
These mostly self-contained episodes also advance storylines (Monica and Chandler, played by the late Matthew Perry, discover that they are having a baby and Chandler declares his love for Monica) and reveal other New details about the six friends. These are the episodes where viewers meet Rachel’s sister Amy (Christina Applegate) for the first time and learn why Chandler hates Thanksgiving, and the souvenirs Rachel kept from her relationship with Ross. and how Chandler and Monica first met (a bad start leading to him losing his toe).
Following Perry’s death, the Friends Thanksgiving episodes took on an even more poignant role as fans revisited the late actor’s performances – some of which mostly took place in a box.
Here’s The Hollywood Reporter’s list of Friends Thanksgiving episodes, all of which are streaming on Max, ranked from least to most popular. Not every Friends Thanksgiving episode can be a winner. This season is a bit thin on memorable moments, with the story revolving around discovering that Chandler doesn’t like dogs (and Ross doesn’t like ice cream) after he’s been faking the fable for years.
Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) secretly dog-sat at Monica and Chandler’s apartment and when the pet was discovered, the puppy was sent to Ross’s place (theoretically – Monica broke down and took her back ). Chandler feels bad and wants to take the dog back, but when he tries to rescue her, she comes back.
The episode is largely more memorable for both Ross’s struggle to name all 50 states and his determination to eat dinner until he can (he returns to the apartment late at night muttering “Delaware” and sits eating turkey in the dark when Chandler notes that he listed Nevada twice) and Joey’s (Matt LeBlanc) line on the memorable quote “that’s a moo spot.” Rachel’s assistant Tag (Eddie Cahill) shows up at Monica and Chandler’s house after he breaks up with his girlfriend, and Rachel wonders if she should take action. “The important question is ‘Does he like you?’” Joey said. “Because if he doesn’t like you then it’s all a joke. … Yeah, it’s like a cow’s opinion, nothing important. That’s moo.” — Hilary Lewis