Family Guy: Ranking all 4 Thanksgiving episodes from good to sweet

Even the Griffins can be thankful.

FAMILY GUY: Meg discovers her tears produce delicious cookies, and her, along with her
siblings, enjoy a profit until the success makes her too happy to cry. Meanwhile, Peter and the guys launch a “male talk show” in the “Baking Sad” episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, Dec. 3rd (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. FAMILY GUY © 2023 by 20th Television
FAMILY GUY: Meg discovers her tears produce delicious cookies, and her, along with her siblings, enjoy a profit until the success makes her too happy to cry. Meanwhile, Peter and the guys launch a “male talk show” in the “Baking Sad” episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, Dec. 3rd (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. FAMILY GUY © 2023 by 20th Television

Family Guy has served hilarious if small, helpings of Thanksgiving episodes over the past few years. Unfortunately, we didn't get one this year since the animated comedy has been pushed back to 2025 for its 23rd season. While we're grateful for the show and its team, it still grinds our gears that Fox decided to make us wait for Family Guy's return. Well, at least we got two holiday specials until then.

Until we see the Griffins dance up the stairs again and watch Peter stuff his face with Lois's home cooking, we're ranking the Thanksgiving episodes as they fed some structured narratives and character insights. When Family Guy originated as a show just to fill in air time with mostly carefree comedy, no one thought it'd be as successful as it is now.

Without further adieu, here's how the Family Guy Thanksgiving episodes ranked. They're perfectly chaotic, but they hold a lot of sweet family muses. But that's the show for you, as it boils down to these ingredients.

For context, our least favorite would be first, with the best being the last. And, yes, we're perfectly well aware that Thanksgiving has passed, but some are still in celebration mode.

All 4 Family Guy Thanksgiving episodes ranked

"Shanksgiving" (Season 18)

In "Shanksgiving," Peter and his friends cook up a scheme to get out of the Thanksgiving festivities by getting arrested and spending the night in the local jail. But the plan backfires in the guys' faces when they find out that the jail is filled with other guys with the same idea. Instead of the safe jail, Peter, Cleveland, Joe, and Quagmire are taken into custody at the maximum-security prison.

Being the weekend, the group won't be released until Monday, which places them into prison survival mode, which means being initiated into the gangs and turning on each other. Naturally, Lois is angry about the entire ordeal, as she should be, because who wants to spend Thanksgiving in jail? The whole contemplation is unfathomable.

Let it be known that whatever ideas Peter comes up with, should never be taken into account.

Ranking: Good

"Peter's Sister" (Season 14)

In "Peter's Sister," we meet the long-lost relative of the Griffin family, Karen, a female wrestler voiced by the talented and hilarious SNL star Kate McKinnon. After the initial shock, most of us want to learn more about our family members, but Peter and Karen don't have a close relationship, and for good reason.

Karen is downright abusive and cruel to her brother, and while he's no saint himself, Peter doesn't deserve her treatment. Seeing how her father suffers from Karen in the Ring, Meg costumes herself as "Teen Laqueefah" and conquers her aunt. When Peter asks why she would do that for him, as he hasn't treated her that great, Meg explains simply that he's her dad and deserves better.

Following their brief connection, Peter returns to treating Meg disrespectly. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Ranking: Good

"Turkey Guys" (season 13)

"Turkey Guys" has Peter and Brian on the trail for a Thanksgiving turkey. As no shock to us, Peter forgets to pick one up prior to the holiday. In essence, this episode should've been another Stewie and Brian adventure, given the fact that the duo has had many over the years. Canonically, it would've made sense, and it was a missed opportunity for Brian and Stewie to engage in a musical number, as they have done many times.

On the other hand, "Turkey Guys" offered a chance for Peter and his dog to bond and reconnect. And while the journey gave a number of disagreements, the original chemistry was very much alive. When they do get a turkey, he happens to be a live one, which makes the situation inhumane. Luckily, Peter didn't have it his heart for the turkey to be sacrificed, as the two have formed trust.

Unfortunately, a hammered Chris was the one who ended Mr. Turkey, which was a shock.

Ranking: Better

"Thanksgiving" (season 10)

The first Thanksgiving episode is a memorable one. Joe's son, Kevin, returns home after going AWOL following trauma in Iraq. While AWOL is an offense of the US Armed Forces, as you leave your official duty to serve, many troops have done it due to what they encountered in battle. Kevin is no different, but his choice conflicts with that of his father and other guests at the Griffin home. While Kevin did what was illegal, Joe also broke the law when Kevin was a child, letting a man who shoplifted soup to feed his family; it's even worse when they're homeless and seek refuge in a shack.

It opened Joe's eyes to see such despair, and although the man commited a crime that was automatically slapped with a five-year prison sentence, the policeman let him go, and the situation wasn't brought up until Kevin mentioned it.

On a lighter note, Stewie sees himself as a balloon in the less popular (and non-existent) JCPenney Thanksgiving Day Parade. The scene semi-parallels the Bart Simpson balloon in "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," as the beloved character missed the moment he was on TV.

And, no, Stewie was never a balloon in the Macy's Parade. It would've been awesome though.

Rating: Sweet

You can watch every episode of Family Guy on Hulu. Until December 2nd, you can get the streamer for 99¢ for a year with their Black Friday special.