All 10 ‘Friends’ Thanksgiving Episodes (Episode Guide)

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and that means it’s Friends-giving.

Friends managed to give fans a Thanksgiving episode practically every year the entirety of its run.

Some of these episodes are some of the most iconic episodes in Friends history and have some memorable moments and guest stars. No matter how many times you watch a rerun on television or stream them on HBO Max, it just doesn’t get old. Take a look at all 10 Friends Thanksgiving episodes below to get into the spirit.

Season 1, Episode 9 “The One Where Underdog Gets Away”

The first season kicked off a tradition that would continue through the final season 10 years later, and it was as entertaining as ever. The ninth episode of Season 1, “The One Where Underdog Gets Away,” sees the gang’s individual Thanksgiving plans are ruined. This includes everyone getting locked out of the apartment after going up to the roof after hearing that the Underdog balloon escaped the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Instead of a Thanksgiving meal, everyone splits a grilled cheese and tomato soup, thanks to Chandler, and reflects on how their friendship is more important than everything.

Season 2, Episode 9 “The One With the List”

Not technically a Thanksgiving episode, but it does include a subplot in which Monica has to produce a number of recipes using Mockolate, a synthetic chocolate substitute which they hope to capitalize on for Thanksgiving. Monica finds it difficult to incorporate the ingredient in good recipes, considering it’s pretty bad, and it becomes a major fail.

Season 3, Episode 9 “The One With the Football”

This is perhaps one of the most memorable episodes of Friends ever. While everyone is celebrating Thanksgiving and watching football, it’s decided that they should play their own game of football. However, Monica and Ross tell them that they would get a little too competitive playing football growing up, competing in what they called the Geller Bowl for the Geller Cup. This included Monica breaking Ross’ nose one year, leading their parents to throw the cup in the lake, forbidding them from playing football again.

Eventually, they give in, go to the park, and pick teams. Rachel gets bored and wanders off, Joey and Chandler fight over a girl, and once Monica’s team has the lead, they do a trade-off, only for Ross and Monica to soon dive for the ball and fight over it. Hours later, while everyone else leaves to have dinner, the siblings are still fighting over the ball in the dark.

Season 4, Episode 8 “The One With Chandler in a Box”

This episode had it all, from friendships to relationships and much more. It saw Joey and Chandler’s friendship in shambles over a girl, and as punishment, Joey has Chandler spend six hours in a box, the equivalent amount of time Joey spent locked in the entertainment center when the robber locked him in.

Meanwhile, Monica gets ice in her eye while making Thanksgiving dinner, but is reluctant to go to the optometrist since it’s Richard. Luckily, the doctor on-call was his son, and Monica invited him over for dinner.

Season 5, Episode 8 “The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks”

Another classic Friends Thanksgiving episode with everyone reminiscing about past Thanksgivings. Chandler talks about his parents’ divorce, Joey recalls a time he got a turkey stuck on his head, Phoebe talks about nursing soldiers in a past life where she lost an arm, Monica talks about when Chandler betrayed her, and Rachel reveals a secret about Monica that could ruin their relationship with Chandler.

Season 6, Episode 9 “The One Where Ross Got High”

It seems like every Thanksgiving episode had its own special and iconic moment. Season 6 saw Chandler trying to win over Monica’s parents as Rachel tries to make a trifle that ends in disaster after accidentally putting beef in it thanks to some sticky recipe book pages. Meanwhile, Ross eventually reveals that his parents believed Chandler was smoking pot in college when they visited, when it was actually Ross.

This later leads to a hilarious back-and-forth between Ross and Monica, where they tell their parents some secrets about the other that they’ve been keeping for years, Rachel learns she wasn’t supposed to put beef in the trifle, and so much more. Luckily, after all that, Jack and Judy tell Chandler he’s a wonderful human being, and Joey ends up eating the trifle.

Season 7, Episode 8 “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs”

Season 7’s Thanksgiving episode was as chaotic as ever. While Rachel’s assistant, Tag, shows up to Thanksgiving dinner, Phoebe sneaks a puppy into the apartment, forcing Chandler to confess he’s afraid of dogs. After Joey accidentally reveals that Rachel likes him, Tag sees his car being stolen and runs off.

Luckily, Tag comes back and finishes his conversation with Rchel, and they end up kissing. Elsewhere, Chandler reveals a game where you try to name all 50 states, and Ross forbids himself from eating any Thanksgiving dinner until he completes it, which takes him hours, and he doesn’t even get them all.

Season 8, Episode 9 “The One With the Rumor”

Brad Pitt guest starred in Season 8’s Thanksgiving episode as an old friend from high school, who comes for Thanksgiving dinner. Even years after high school, his character, Will, holds a grudge against Rachel, who was horrible to him and made his life miserable. So much so that he and Ross founded the “I Hate Rachel Greene Club” and started a rumor that she had both male and female parts.

Meanwhile, Monica wasn’t going to cook a turkey since barely anyone would be eating it, but Joey protested and said he’ll eat a whole turkey by himself. He does end up eating it by the end of the episode.

Season 9, Episode 8 “The One With Rachel’s Other Sister”

Fans meet Rachel’s sister, Amy, played by Christina Applegate, who visits out of the blue and asks for a hair straightener. She also knows nothing about her niece, remembers nothing about Ross, and doesn’t believe Monica is the same friend Rachel had in high school. She later decides that it’d be incredible if Ross and Rachel died so she could care for Emma, but they reveal that they had planned on asking Monica and Chandler.

Meanwhile, while watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Joey realizes he was supposed to be there for Days of Our Lives, and Monica is nervous about using her wedding china for dinner.

Season 10, Episode 8 “The One With the Late Thanksgiving”

The final Friends Thanksgiving episode saw Monica trying to top last year’s Thanksgiving and does everything she can to make it perfect. Despite her strict rules with everyone to not be late, Phoebe and Rachel enter Emma in a Tri-State baby beauty contest to win $1,000 while Ross and Joey go to a New York Rangers game, and they all arrive at dinner nearly an hour late. So Monica locks the door and doesn’t allow them in.

While the four decide to celebrate their own Thanksgiving, Joey gets his head stuck between the door and the chain, and once he’s free, he accidentally crashes into the Thanksgiving dinner. But Monica doesn’t mind, as she was answering a phone call from the adoption agency, and she and Chandler had been chosen by a girl in Ohio. Everyone sits down to Thanksgiving dinner and celebrates the good news.