The TV Roundtable Readers’ Choice wishes to see by how large of a margin WKRP In Cincinnati will win the Thanksgiving poll
After we sent out the call for you to nominate your favorite Thanksgiving episodes for the Thanksgiving edition of the TV Roundtable, you responded with dozens of great choices, which we whittled down to our 10 favorites below, including the famous episode of WKRP and nine other episodes that will lose to the famous episode of WKRP. Unless you guys vote for ALF. Please don’t vote for ALF. Do you want to do that to our writers? (Don’t answer that.)
Your nominees are below! We will announce the winner in the Wednesday Roundtable.
3rd Rock From The Sun, “Gobble Gobble Dick Dick” (season 2, episode 10; originally aired 11/24/1996): The wacky alien family the Solomons fear that the world is ending when everybody starts leaving town and/or stocking up on food, but, no, it’s just Thanksgiving, and they’re going to provide their satirical bent to the holiday.
ALF, “Turkey In The Straw, Parts 1 and 2” (season 3, episodes 6 and 7; originally aired 11/14 and 11/15/1988): No, but seriously, you guys, don’t vote for this episode of ALF with David Ogden Stiers as a character named Flakey Pete.
Bewitched, “Samantha’s Thanksgiving To Remember” (season 4, episode 12; originally aired 11/23/1967): Samantha sends her whole family back to the first Thanksgiving via some manner of witchery, and Darrin is accused of witchcraft, because that’s exactly what’s happened at our recent family Thanksgivings.
Cougar Town, “Here Comes My Girl” (season 1, episode 9; originally aired 11/25/2009): The episode that saved the sitcom. Here’s the episode that convinced lots of critics to give this low-key hangout sitcom a second look, because nothing’s more fun than watching friends be awful to each other at Thanksgiving. (Where’s Friends, you ask? We already covered it twice in the Roundtable. It deserves a break today!)
Full House, “The Miracle Of Thanksgiving” (season 1, episode 9; originally aired 11/20/1987): The sappy, crappy sitcom digs into its own mythology with an early episode that deals with the death of Danny Tanner’s wife and how that affects everybody’s Thanksgiving plans. Also: The Olsen twins were still babies when this was made. Don’t you feel old now?
Happy Days, “The First Thanksgiving” (season 6, episode 12; originally aired 11/21/1978): Nobody gives two shits about the first Thanksgiving because they’d rather watch football, so Mrs. Cunningham makes them all listen to the story of said first Thanksgiving, and then the cast has to play all the parts. That’ll learn ‘em.
The O.C., “The Cold Turkey” (season 4, episode 3; originally aired 11/9/2006): The series’ fourth and final season celebrates Thanksgiving the right way, with Summer coming home to Newport from Brown and Julie having to spend the holiday alone when she’s not welcome in Casa del Cohen. You know you love teen soaps, guys, and you should hear David Sims go on about this.
Party Of Five, “Thanksgiving” (season 1, episode 10; originally aired 11/14/1994): Thank you, one person who nominated this exemplary Party Of Five episode, because we loved this episode (in which the kids confront the drunk driver who killed their parents), and while we will be saddened when it finishes in last place (okay, it will be this or Bewitched), we thank you for reminding us of how awesome it was.
Roseanne, “We Gather Together” (season 2, episode 9; originally aired 11/21/1989): Another TV Roundtable Readers’ Choice vote, another episode of Roseanne that will get trounced by something else. Which is really too bad, because this is another great episode, with Jackie and her Mom carrying on an all-day argument and Dan receiving a huge shock.
WKRP In Cincinnati, “Turkeys Away” (season 1, episode 7; originally aired 10/30/1978): But, c’mon. This has to win, right? Not only is it one of the most famous Thanksgiving episodes ever, but it’s one of the most famous episodes of TV, period. Don’t you want to find out what we think of “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”? You know you do.
That’s all! Vote below!