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November is that time of the year when, at least here in the Midwest, it gets a bit more dreary than weeks previous. Fortunately, in the United States, we have this convenient holiday at the end of the month to brighten up that dreariness: Thanksgiving. As most people know, it is a time of coming together as family and friends to value the camaraderie it brings, as well as to reflect on the past year in a positive light.

Now, thankfulness comes in many forms; whether it entails being thankful for your life and  opportunities, or—even better—being thankful that this holiday gives sitcoms a *wonderful* opportunity to showcase their characters making complete fools of themselves. A sitcom, short for situational comedy, is a type of TV show centered around the less-than-mundane everyday lives of an ensemble cast. This genre is unique from other types of shows as it tends to highlight some of the simple things that happen to individuals and is very much relatable to the audience, making sitcoms an easy watch over the holidays. In light of that observation, I have compiled a list of ten popular sitcoms, and we’ll explore how their respective Thanksgiving episodes fare in the grand scheme of insanity.

10. That 70s Show: “Thanksgiving” (S1:E9)
I personally may be a little biased even including “That 70s Show” in this list; because—just like the characters in the show—I, too, live in Wisconsin. Except, of course, it’s not the 1970s, and I’m not in high school. That being said, for the first seasonal episode of the sitcom, it’s not half bad, its saving quality being the off-screen feud between Kitty Forman and her mother-in-law, especially after she forgot to pick her up for Thanksgiving dinner.
6.8/10

9. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: “Talking Turkey” (S1:E12)
This classic show focuses on the life of a fictionalized Will Smith and his experiences living with his mother’s affluent sister and her family in Bel-Air. All in all, I’d say that this particular episode was the definition of success—that is, if you served dinner that consisted of liquid stuffing, cranberry sauce that was mopped up from the kitchen floor, charred yams, and a turkey that was frozen solid.
7.4/10

8. How I Met Your Mother: “Slapsgiving” (S3:E9)
Who knew that a story of a guy who was hopeless and awkward and desperate for love would morph into a TV show spanning nine seasons? Of course, living in New York with his friends during the decade-long emotional crisis helped tons. Complete with military puns, awkward pie baking moments, and the impending doom of Marshall’s inevitable threat to Barney’s skin routine, this Thanksgiving episode was face-slapping good.
7.9/10

7. Parks & Rec: “Harvest Festival” (S3:E7)
Local politics in middle-of-nowhere Indiana get a bit crazy under the semi-careful watch of Leslie Knope and her fellow colleagues. In this episode, under the looming shadow of a fake Wamapoke curse, the Pawnee Harvest Festival does more than showcase a small elderly horse and mitigate verbal threats to permanently move to Venezuela atop a Ferris wheel; it’s an easy, enjoyable watch that’s hard to hate.
8.1/10

6. Brooklyn 99: “Ava” (S3:E8)
Centered around the staff of the 99th precinct of the NYPD, this sitcom had potential for both thrill and absurdity, and it delivered. I personally really love this show—unlike many sitcoms that attempt to try and see how far their humor can go in terms of offensiveness without getting called out, “Brooklyn 99” stays funny and is very deliberate in their plotline choices. This episode is the epitome of unhinged, probably due to the fact that Boyle prancing around in a turkey costume, Captain Holt lying about throwing a wooden duck off a bridge, and Terry’s wife about to give birth in the precinct office (resulting in Jake panicking the entire time), all happen on the same day. And fire sprinklers. Can’t forget about the sprinklers.
8.3/10

5. The Office: “WUPHF.com” (S7:E9)
Like Parks and Rec, The Office is characterized by its mockumentary-style filmography, and showcases mundane events of the employees of the local branch of the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. “WUPHF.com” presents this mundanity quite nicely; for, if you’re not declaring yourself the Hay Festival King, then is it really Thanksgiving? For being the closest thing this show has to a Thanksgiving episode, it does the job—even if it does include flirting with widowed state senators.
8.7/10

4. New Girl: “Thanksgiving IV” (S4:E9)
Sharing an apartment in Los Angeles with three other people is bound to cause insanity, which is what New Girl is all about. In “Thanksgiving IV,” Thai Monopoly should have been the only crazy thing going on in this episode; however, if you pick someone else’s date out of a hat, it’s expected for (sweet) chaos to ensue.
8.8/10

3. Seinfeld: “The Mom and Pop Store” (S6:E8)
The quintessential show of the late 80s and early 90s, Seinfeld shows single New York life at its finest —and its ugliest. Whether your focus was Jerry experiencing FOMO from his dentist friends, Kramer getting bit in the arm by Jon Voight, or a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade float being punctured by a tiny statue of the Empire State Building, the dry, witty humor of Seinfeld is sure to appeal to audiences like me, who are incessantly sarcastic and have no soul.
9.0/10

2. Friends: “The One where Ross got High” (S6:E9)
What would Thanksgiving be without siblings ratting each other out to their parents—as grown adults? That, and beef sautéed with peas and onions obviously being a normal ingredient in any given dessert. From the New York based TV show known for its incredible ensemble cast of a tight-knit friend group and its hilarious holiday episodes, this one takes the cake; or, in Rachel’s case, the trifle. Did I mention that I love Jacques Cousteau?
9.2/10

1. Gilmore Girls: “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving” (S3:E9)
Ah, the pinnacle of Thanksgiving specials, crafted to near perfection. Of course, it’s bound to be immaculate since this show centers around the lives of a mother and daughter living in New England, resulting in that comfort of a TV show that most everyone can enjoy. If you’re looking for the perfect mix of wit, sarcasm, tension, and all-around good feelings, then look no further than this masterpiece of an episode—given that you don’t get utterly mangled by a cat you impulsively bought, anyways.
9.6/10

Despite their craziness, these episodes could very well apply to you this November, given the timely circumstances. However, regardless of how any of us personally celebrate the holiday, one thing remains certain: there may be no right or wrong way to ‘do Thanksgiving.’ In the end, the only thing that will truly matter are the core memories made that we’ll hold dear to us in the years to come.