Every ‘Friends’ Thanksgiving Episode Ranked!

As Thanksgiving day approaches, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane and rewatch the festive Friends episodes!

Happy Thanksgiving from your favorite group of Friends! Thanksgiving day shouldn’t be all about football unless you’re competing in the “Geller Cup.” It can be about spending time with friends and family to make memories that will last forever. Friends gave us iconic episodes during its 10-season run. Here’s a ranking of Thanksgiving episodes based on IMDb ratings.

10. “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs” – Season 7
IMDb rating: 8.0

Ross: I hate to lecture you guys but it’s kind of disgraceful that a group of well-educated adults, and Joey, can’t name all the states. You ever see a map, or one of those round colorful things called ‘a globe’?

Chandler: Magellan? You got 46 states.

This is the episode when the group discovers Phoebe has been hiding a dog in her room at Monica and Chandler’s apartment, forcing Chandler to admit he hates dogs. At the same time, Ross drives himself crazy when he can’t name all 50 states after Chandler challenges the group to name them all in six minutes. Rachel also invites her new assistant, Tag (Eddie Cahill), to Thanksgiving dinner after he breaks up with his girlfriend.

9. “The One Where Underdog Gets Away” – Season 1
IMDB rating 8.1

Chandler: [rushes in] Oh my god! Underdog has broken loose and is flying over the city!
Joey: The balloon?
Chandler: No, no… The actual cartoon character…

This is definitely a chaotic first Thanksgiving episode. Monica offers to host dinner for the group after her parents go out of town; however, the group has other plans. Chandler reveals he hates Thanksgiving and will only come to Monica’s feast if Funyuns and grilled cheese are served. Rachel can’t afford to go on her family ski trip, so the group buys her a plane ticket. Additionally, Joey finds out he can’t go home because his family thinks he has a venereal disease. On Thanksgiving day, a balloon from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade breaks loose, and the group runs to the roof to get a better look. They get locked out, causing Rachel to miss her flight and their dinner to be ruined. But at least they have Chandler’s grilled cheese sandwiches and Funyuns!

8. “The One With the List” – Season 2
IMDb rating: 8.4

Rachel: Ross kissed me.
Phoebe: No!
Monica: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Tensions are high after Ross kisses Rachel. With Joey and Chandler’s help, Ross makes a list of pros and cons to help him decide whether to stay with his girlfriend Julie (Lauren Tom) or be with Rachel. Ross eventually tells Rachel he chooses her. However, Rachel finds the list and is fuming. Meanwhile, Monica gets a job making Thanksgiving-themed recipes with a disgusting synthetic chocolate substitute, Mockolate.

7. “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister” – Season 9
IMDb rating: 8.7

Amy: Ok, how about this? If you guys die, and the crazy plate lady dies then do I get the baby?
Chandler: No, if crazy plate lady… if Monica dies then I would get Emma, right?
Rachel: Well, actually…
Chandler: Actually, what?
Ross: It’s just that in that case then Emma would go to my parents.
Chandler: What?
Amy: [to Chandler] Hurts, doesn’t it?

Rachel’s older sister Amy (Christina Applegate) crashes Monica’s Thanksgiving dinner, where she insults everyone. Meanwhile, Joey forgets that he was supposed to be at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with the cast of The Days of Our Lives and enlists Phoebe to help him come up with a lie explaining his absence. This is also the episode when Chandler convinces Monica to use their wedding china, and she does everything she can to protect it, despite the group’s antics.

6. “The One With the Late Thanksgiving” – Season 10
IMDb rating: 8.8

Ross: [Chandler announces that he and Monica decided not to host Thanksgiving this year] That doesn’t sound like you. That’s Monica talking.
Chandler: No, no, we made this decision together.
Ross: She’s putting words in your mouth.
Joey: Don’t you put words in people’s mouths. You put turkey in people’s mouths.

Joey, Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe convince Monica to top last year’s Thanksgiving when Monica and Chandler try to get out of hosting. However, on Thanksgiving day, the girls enter Emma into a pageant, and the guys go to a hockey game, causing everyone to be late for the feast.

5. “The One With the Football” – Season 3
IMDb rating: 8.9

Chandler: Hey Joey, where do Dutch people come from?
Joey: Uh… well the Pennsylvania Dutch come from Pennsylvania.
Chandler: and the other Dutch come from somewhere near the Netherlands right?
Joey: Nice try, see the Netherlands is this make believe place where Peter Pan and Tinkerbell come from.

The group decides to play football instead of watching it and learns that Ross and Monica were banned when they were younger from playing the game after fighting over “The Geller Cup.” During the heated game, Joey and Chandler flirt with a Dutch woman who walks by. The game soon turns into guys versus girls, and Monica and Ross become increasingly competitive.

4. “The One With Chandler in a Box” – Season 4
IMDb rating: 9.0

Chandler: The meaning of the box is threefold. One, it gives me the time to think about what I did. Two, it proves how much I care about my friendship with Joey. And three… it hurts!

After Chandler kisses Joey’s girlfriend, Joey punishes him by making him spend Thanksgiving in a box. Meanwhile, Monica hurts her eye and falls for the eye doctor, who happens to be her ex-boyfriend’s son. The group also draws names for Secret Santa, and no one wants Rachel because she returns everything she gets.

3. “The One With All the Thanksgivings” – Season 5
IMDb rating: 9.0

Rachel: You know what we should do? We should play that game where everybody says what they’re thankful for.
Joey: Oh. I should be thankful for the wonderful fall we’ve been having.
Everybody: YEAH.
Joey: I remember one day I was at the bus stop and this cool fall breeze came blowing out of nowhere and totally lifted this chick’s skirt. Oh. And I’m also thankful for thongs.

The one with everyone’s worst Thanksgiving. Through flashbacks, we see the group’s past Thanksgivings. We see Chandler’s parents telling him they are getting divorced, Joey getting a turkey stuck on his head, and Phoebe remembering her past lives. We also flashback to younger Rachel, Chandler, Monica, and Ross to a Thanksgiving when Chandler calls Monica fat, and Monica cuts off Chandler’s toe. We also get the iconic scene of Monica putting a turkey on her head with clown glasses, causing Chandler to tell Monica he loves her.

2. “The One Where Ross Got High” – Season 6
IMDb rating: 9.1

Ross: It tastes like feet!
Joey: Well, I like it.
Ross: Are you kidding?
Joey: I mean, what’s not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good!

Monica admits that she hasn’t told her parents that she and Chandler are dating because they don’t like him. They believe Chandler smoked pot in college after Ross told them he did to cover up that it was him. Chandler and Monica try to persuade Ross to tell his parents the truth that he was the one who smoked pot and not Chandler. Meanwhile, Rachel is in charge of the dessert and makes her famous “meat trifle,” which everyone pretends to like.

1. “The One With the Rumor” – Season 8
IMDb rating: 9.2

Will: [about how he hated Rachel in high school] It wasn’t just me. We had a club.
Rachel: You had a club?
Will: That’s right. The I Hate Rachel Green Club.
Rachel: O my God! So what? You all just join together to hate me? Who else was in this club?
Will: Me and Ross.

Monica invites Ross’ old friend Will (Brad Pitt) to Thanksgiving dinner, but he hates Rachel. Meanwhile, Joey convinces Monica to cook a whole turkey and says he will eat the entire thing. At dinner, everyone, especially Phoebe, comments on how good-looking Will but all Will can concentrate on is his hatred for Rachel. Will reveals that in high school, he and Ross created an “I Hate Rachel” club. They reveal that they started a rumor that Rachel had both male and female reproductive parts, and Rachel reveals she told everyone Ross made out with the librarian.