Summary

• The Simpsons has surprisingly few Thanksgiving episodes compared to its extensive Christmas and Halloween specials.
• The early Thanksgiving episodes of The Simpsons had a more grounded and satirical tone, while the later ones became more zany and cartoonish.
• The best-received Thanksgiving episode, "Holidays of Future Passed," is often considered a fan favorite and could have been a fitting series finale.

The Simpsons have been around since 1989, but amazingly, there are not many Simpsons Thanksgiving episodes. With over 30 years on the air, The Simpsons boasts 17 Christmas specials and 34 "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween specials. Despite Thanksgiving being an American holiday and the eponymous family being an American institution, The Simpsons has barely celebrated the day. All in all, The Simpsons has created 7 Thanksgiving specials including two that see Christmas and Halloween episodes overlapping with the holiday. Since The Simpsons is famous for parodying and satirizing everything sacred to society, it’s surprising to see so few Thanksgiving episodes.

Like The Simpsons' uneven history of Christmas episodes and "Treehouse of Horror" outings, the show’s Thanksgiving episodes veer between classic, standard, and disappointing. Although there is a late-season standout in the mix and an early, classic episode from season 2, another one of the show’s Thanksgiving episodes is also commonly cited as one of the worst Simpsons episodes ever. This difference in critical reception between the show's episodes seems to be caused in large part by a gradual shift in tone, which ranges from the zany cartoons of later seasons to the more grounded character comedy of the early seasons.

7 "Bart Vs Thanksgiving"

Season 2, Episode 7 (1990)

The earliest of The Simpsons’ Thanksgiving episodes is also the show’s most holiday-focused outing, and unlike a lot of the later-season installments, it’s a fairly relatable slice of life with a few flights of absurd fancy. There are some over-the-top moments (Carol Kane’s brief imaginary cameo as Maggie, in particular). But by and large, season 2’s "Bart Vs Thanksgiving" is a definitive example of the pre-"Homer At the Bat" Simpsons. In this early era, The Simpsons was a more level-headed and less anarchic family sitcom with darker, less zany humor and more focus on satirizing traditional family comedies than the larger cultural landscape.

The "Bart Vs Thanksgiving" story sees Bart accidentally destroy Lisa’s centerpiece and run away when the family blames him, only for the pair of siblings to eventually reconcile when Bart returns. It’s nowhere near as jam-packed with jokes as the Golden Age Simpsons, but the slower pacing makes Bart and Lisa’s reconciliation after he wrecks her centerpiece all the more bittersweet and touching. Meanwhile, the episode's brief glimpse of Thanksgiving in a soup kitchen serves as a subtle early-season indication of the pointed political critiques The Simpsons would soon start to focus on more directly.

6 "Homer Vs Dignity"

Season 12, Episode 5 (2000)

The first of the show’s Homer-centric Simpsons Thanksgiving episodes is "Homer Vs Dignity." Considered by critics to be one of the worst Simpsons episodes, "Homer Vs Dignity" sees the title character become Burns’ “prank monkey” in an oddly bleak episode that features an instance of bestiality played for laughs and a level of wanton violence befitting a "Treehouse of Horror" special. The only connection to Thanksgiving is when Homer is playing Santa in the Thanksgiving Parade, and refuses to perform Burns' final prank. It still tops many lists of The Simpsons' lowest points to this day. The backlash for this episode might be part of the reason that Rob LaZebnik didn't write another Simpsons episode for eight years. It was also the last episode that Neil Affleck directed of the show.

5 "Homer The Moe"

Season 13, Episode 3 (2001)

"Homer the Moe" could not be further from "Bart Vs Thanksgiving" in terms of tone for Simpsons Thanksgiving episodes. The episode’s busy storyline makes for more gags and a more madcap sense of humor. The outing sees Moe return to bartending school to rekindle his passion for the craft, redesigning his iconic tavern on the advice of a bizarre mentor (who promptly walks into a lake). Feeling unwelcome in Moe’s uber-hip new bar, Homer opens a hunting lodge as an excuse to serve Duff to himself, Lenny, Carl, and Barney.

If the plot of this episode sounds only tangentially related to Thanksgiving, that’s because it is. That said, there are a few cute moments here centering on Moe’s barfly patrons sharing the holiday with their chosen family, and like so many later season outings, the episode features an out-of-nowhere cameo from REM as themselves.

4 "Holidays Of Future Passed"

Season 23, Episode 9 (2011)

Opening with a family Thanksgiving dinner, season 23's Simpsons Thanksgiving episode, "Holidays of Future Passed" skips ahead to the Simpsons' future for a look at the kids' later lives. This outing is mostly a Simpsons Christmas episode, but its recurring thematic preoccupation with giving thanks - Homer thanking Grandpa for his flawed parenting, Lisa thanking Marge for the same, and Lisa and Bart’s children both thanking their parents for being there - make it a fitting tribute to the holiday it opens on, too.

It’s also an unusually sweet and thoughtful non-canon Simpsons installment which won rave reviews upon release and remains a firm favorite among fans. The episode is so well-liked among fans that some have argued it should have been The Simpsons series finale. Not only that, but the sweet reprise of a now-adult Lisa and Bart hiding from their dysfunctional family during the holidays makes it a perfect companion piece to "Bart Vs Thanksgiving".

3 "Thanksgiving Of Horror"

Season 31, Episode 8 (2019)

The Simpsons' most ambitious Simpsons Thanksgiving episode yet, "Thanksgiving of Horror" cribs the "Treehouse of Horror" set up to tell a trio of terrifying seasonal tales centered around the holiday. It’s an odd decision to combine horror and Thanksgiving, and it does mean this special captures less of the holiday mood despite its renewed focus. The episode includes a solid riff on Black Mirror’s White Christmas, a bloody and funny (if hardly timely) Apocalypto parody, and a surprisingly superb parody of Life and Alien starring a sentient, murderous blob of cranberry sauce. This was the longest Simpsons episode ever and earned an Emmy nomination.

2 "Poetic Interlude"

Season 33, Episode 3 (2021)

"Treehouse XXXII" was the first "Treehouse of Horror" episode to feature five episodes, leaving room for one of the better Simpsons Thanksgiving episodes. This was in the segment called "Poetic Interlude." The animation design was a clear homage to Edward Gorey. However, the only problem is that this was very short, thrown in as a stylized interlude with Maurice LaMarche mimicking Vincent Price in this "Treehouse of Horror" nod to Edgar Allan Poe. For bed, Vincent Price reads Maggie a bedtime story about how Bart pulls off his pranks, one for each month of the year. This includes a Thanksgiving Turkey carving 'prank', but it all ends with a dark twist showing Maggie's reaction to the horrors.

1 "Step Brother From The Same Planet"

Season 34, Episode 8 (2022)

In season 34, The Simpsons Thanksgiving episode had Homer deal with a new problem as his father had a younger girlfriend with a very young son. This meant that Homer's dad expected him to interact with this child as his step-brother, which didn't go down well. With a new unwanted family member for Homer, it made sense that the show would center this around Thanksgiving, a family-based holiday that doesn't always have the best outcomes when all the family is together.

With Grampa Simpson dating Blythe right as Thanksgiving rolls around, it sets up plenty of sibling rivalry between Homer and his new stepbrother. There is one problem - the plot of this Simpsons episode is the same as a season 4 episode called "Brother from Another Planet," with Homer playing the role Bart played in the first one. The episode also featured a resolution that retconned a previous Homer and Grampa storyline. However, with that said, it was still nice for The Simpsons to deliver a rare Thanksgiving episode.