Every Thanksgiving Episode of Friends ranked in honor of Matthew Perry

The Thanksgiving holiday is a little bit sadder for Friends fans this year, as the show’s eponymous cast lost one of their own with the tragic death of Matthew Perry in October.

Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, shocking not only his fans but his former cast members.

Loving tributes poured in for the 54-year-old over the weeks between his devastating death and the holiday season’s official beginning, but Thanksgiving is likely to be a tricky time for everyone who loved him because of the show’s iconic run of Thanksgiving episodes.

Over 10 seasons, the NBC series aired 9 episodes that were directly related to the holiday-though some were a little more memorable than others.

In honor of the late actor, here’s the ranking of the episodes from worst to best.

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The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs (Season 7, Episode 8)

Though Perry was iconic as Chandler Bing, the episode fell short when it came to the classic elements that worked for other episodes. The storyline didn’t really add much to the holiday spirit or even give anything to what came in later episodes. In addition, eagle-eyed fans picked up on a continuity error involving Ross (David Schwimmer) and a claim that he hated ice cream – despite his eating it more than once in the seasons prior.

The One With The Late Thanksgiving (Season 10, Episode 8)

Sadly, the series didn’t go out with a bang on its final Thanksgiving episode. With the main storyline focusing on the gang disappointing Monica (Courteney Cox) by all arriving late to dinner after strong-arming her into hosting, and everyone fighting as a result, there was a little bit of a disconnect from what made the show work so well.

However, there was one major redeeming factor, which came from the reveal at the end of the episode that Monica and Chandler were going to be parents.

The One With Rachel’s Other Sister (Season 9, Episode 8)

While Christina Applegate was delightful in the episode, guest-starring as Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) super self-absorbed sister Amy, the fact that it took so long to meet her other sister after a season six intro to Jill (portrayed by Reese Witherspoon) is criminal.

However, the episode certainly produced several laughs, especially after Chandler does the unthinkable to Monica with their wedding china.

The One Where Underdog Gets Away (Season 1, Episode 9)

Because this was the first-ever Thanksgiving episode, it gets credit as the one that set the standard.

However, when compared to the ones that came later, it doesn’t quite hold up as well when it comes to the comedy gold that the show was.

The One With Chandler In A Box (Season 4, Episode 8)

Could Chandler be in any more trouble? This episode saw Perry’s character spend the majority of his time in a box as a way of trying to make it up to Joey (Matt LeBlanc) for kissing his girlfriend Kathy.

While that led to some golden moments, the episode was slightly brought down by Monica’s storyline, which saw her awkwardly flirting with ex-boyfriend Richard’s (Tom Selleck) son.

The One With The Football (Season 3, Episode 9)

This episode was an absolute classic, that only gets outranked because other episodes were just that good.

This particular outing saw the gang tackle the sport that is synonymous with Thanksgiving – football – with hilarious results.

The One With the Rumor (Season 8, Episode 9)

Friends had high-caliber guest stars throughout, but Brad Pitt was one of the biggest– and in this episode he hilariously played opposite then-wife Jen Aniston in the best way as an old high school enemy of Rachel’s.

The episode brought some of the greatest comedy the show had seen yet, especially after Pitt’s character had been treating her with disdain, only to high five Ross when he learned his former friend had gotten her pregnant.

Another notable moment from the episode came from Chandler and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), as they did everything in their power to avoid having to help out.

The One With All The Thanksgivings (Season 5, Episode 8)

This episode came very close to a number one ranking, because it has a little bit of everything. This particular flashback episode was gold because it actually allowed fans to see something they hadn’t before, and also tied up some loose ends regarding parts of the character’s pasts that tied to their current storylines.

There was also the fact that more than one Friend spent part of the episode with a Turkey on their head (and Monica’s hilarious dance will always live rent-free in fans heads), but we also got a sweet moment for Chandler and Monica’s early romance as well.

The One Where Ross Got High (Season 6, Episode 9)

This episode will always be the gold standard when it comes to Friends and Thanksgiving. It was always a joy when the gang was joined by Monica and Ross’s parents, Jack and Judy Gellar (Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles), and this episode was no exception.

We also got to see Chandler working extra hard to get them to like him since he’s hoping to have a future with Monica, but the real winner of the episode hands-down, was Rachel’s culinary talents when it came to an English Trifle that was also a Shepherd’s pie.

The only thing better than her thinking anything of the recipe being wrong was Joey’s iconic line as he ate the dessert: “Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Beef? Good.”

Friends is available to watch on Peacock in the US