Seth MacFarlane’s iconic animated sitcom, Family Guy, has graced our screens for over two decades, delivering its signature blend of humor to a global audience. Focusing on the everyday adventures of the Griffin family and their Quahog cohorts, it’s natural that holiday-themed episodes would become a part of the show’s repertoire. While Family Guy took its time diving into Thanksgiving, the series has since delivered a collection of memorable and uniquely funny holiday episodes.
Let’s settle in and explore every Family Guy Thanksgiving episode, ranked from lowest to highest IMDb rating, offering a guide for your holiday viewing.
5. “Into Harmony’s Way” (Season 12, Episode 7) – IMDb 6.4
“Into Harmony’s Way” sees Peter Griffin and Quagmire discover their surprising musical chemistry, leading them to embark on a singing tour. However, the allure of the stage and inflated egos soon threaten to unravel the duo’s friendship.
While billed as a Thanksgiving episode, the holiday theme is subtly woven in. Thanksgiving only truly surfaces at the episode’s conclusion. A running gag involves Lois’s comical struggle with turkey carving, highlighting her dependence on Peter and escalating into a frenzy involving a vacuum cleaner. The Thanksgiving element is triggered when Peter and Quagmire’s tour jeopardizes their holiday plans, much to Lois’s dismay. Despite the minimal Thanksgiving focus, the episode is punctuated by humorous musical numbers and a memorable, somewhat bizarre, ending. For viewers seeking overt Thanksgiving themes, this episode might feel light on holiday spirit but still offers classic Family Guy comedic moments.
4. “Shanksgiving” (Season 18, Episode 8) – IMDb 6.5
“Shanksgiving” revolves around Peter’s desperate attempt to avoid Lois’s family’s Thanksgiving visit. Dreading the Pewterschmidt family gathering, Peter concocts a plan to get himself and his friends arrested, envisioning a peaceful jail stay as preferable to holiday hosting duties. His scheme, however, takes an unexpected turn when the friends find themselves navigating the complexities of prison life and joining gangs for protection.
The Thanksgiving backdrop is more of a catalyst than the central plot of this episode. The narrative primarily focuses on the misadventures of Peter, Quagmire, Cleveland, and Joe behind bars. We do get glimpses of Lois dealing with her family, including amusing scenes of them playing Heads Up!, where Lois’s parents struggle hilariously with the game. Memorable comedic moments include Peter and Chris’s clumsy attempt to extend their kitchen table and a cameo by Superintendent Chalmers’s twin brother from The Simpsons. While Thanksgiving serves as the initial premise, the episode leans heavily into prison humor and buddy antics.
3. “Peter’s Sister” (Season 14, Episode 6) – IMDb 6.5
“Peter’s Sister” introduces Peter’s estranged sister, Karen, voiced by Kate McKinnon, into the Family Guy universe during Thanksgiving. Peter’s long-lost sibling, who he’s intentionally avoided due to childhood bullying, resurfaces and resumes her torment. Encouraged by Meg, Peter decides to confront his sister, leading to a wrestling match to settle their sibling rivalry once and for all.
This episode cleverly integrates the world of professional wrestling into the Family Guy narrative, portraying Karen as “Heavy Flo,” a prominent wrestler. It also provides context for Peter’s often-harsh treatment of Meg, culminating in a surprisingly touching moment between them as Meg aids Peter against Karen. Karen’s bullying, initially played for laughs, quickly reveals a darker, more genuinely cruel side to her character. The episode is peppered with classic Family Guy cutaway gags, including a darkly humorous take on Superman’s dating life and a twisted sequel concept to The Nightmare Before Christmas titled Happy Fourth of July, Jack Skellington. While the latter cutaway doesn’t directly tie into Thanksgiving, the episode overall delivers a unique blend of family dynamics and over-the-top wrestling humor within a Thanksgiving framework.
2. “Thanksgiving” (Season 10, Episode 6) – IMDb 6.8
It took a decade and two series cancellations before Family Guy delivered its first official Thanksgiving episode, simply titled “Thanksgiving.” The episode unfolds as the Griffins host a holiday feast for friends and family, including the Swansons, still grieving the presumed loss of their son Kevin, believed to have died in Iraq five years prior on Thanksgiving Day. The holiday gathering takes a dramatic turn when Kevin unexpectedly appears at the door, revealing he was not dead but in a coma.
This episode masterfully portrays the quintessential dysfunctional family Thanksgiving dinner. It showcases strained relationships between Joe and Kevin, Quagmire and his father, and the usual Griffin family chaos. The narrative takes a comedic twist when Kevin’s fabricated coma story is exposed, yet culminates in a genuine moment of reconciliation between Kevin and Joe. The episode escalates into further absurdity with the arrival of a second Kevin claiming to be the “real” Kevin Swanson, a plot point never revisited in the series. Despite the unresolved twin Kevin mystery, “Thanksgiving” successfully introduces storylines surrounding Kevin’s PTSD and addiction, adding layers to his character development in subsequent episodes. It’s a quintessential Family Guy take on holiday family gatherings, balancing heart and irreverent humor.
1. “Turkey Guys” (Season 13, Episode 5) – IMDb 6.8
“Turkey Guys” kicks off with Peter and Brian in a predicament: post-drunken revelry, they discover they’ve devoured the Thanksgiving turkey the night before the holiday feast. This sets them on a frantic quest to find a replacement turkey on Thanksgiving Day, a task that proves far more challenging than anticipated and strains their friendship along the way.
This episode is essentially a classic buddy road trip comedy, Family Guy-style. Peter and Brian’s turkey hunt takes them on a series of increasingly outlandish misadventures – car crashes into lakes, theft of the last frozen turkey, ejection from a bus, and even a zoo break-in for a live turkey (questionable zoo turkey exhibits aside). Meanwhile, back at home, Stewie hilariously attempts to tutor Chris in becoming the “man of the house” in Peter’s absence, with predictably unsuccessful results. Episodes centered around Peter and Brian’s escapades are often among the series’ best, and “Turkey Guys,” with its blend of madcap adventure and holiday panic, is a standout Thanksgiving offering.
