Every Bob's Burgers Thanksgiving Episode, Ranked

The most recent Thanksgiving-themed episode tried something different and I applaud that. And I think this episode about the family visiting a miniature golf park on Thanksgiving is cute and has some great jokes, but it barely feels like a Thanksgiving episode. And that means it lands in last place on this list.

Another episode that, like “Putts-giving,” feels Thanksgiving-adjacent, rather than being a traditional turkey day show. This time the family is trying to save a turkey from being killed, and things get messy when their adventure attracts a local reporter. Fun episode, but simply mentioning Thanksgiving and including a turkey doesn’t help it hop up this list.

This is a divisive episode all about Bob having to help get Linda’s sister, Gayle, from her cat-filled apartment to the Belcher family home for Thanksgiving. How you feel about this episode is going to hinge a lot on how much you like Gayle and her personality. Personally, I don’t mind her in small doses but find her far too annoying in this episode. There are some sweet moments between her and Bob—and I like the B-plot of Linda and the kids cooking up the turkey dinner—but overall this is one I don’t go back to very often.

I’m always down for an episode of Bob’s Burgers involving the kids—Gene, Louise, and Tina—taking on the silly but still-technically-in-charge school guidance counselor, Mr. Frond. The trouble with this episode is that it spends a lot of time getting to the point and then the finale happens, involving an explosion of turkey bits, and it’s all over. Thankfully, it does feel like a Thanksgiving episode, and the kids battling Frond to get their half-day of school before the holiday is still enjoyable, even if the episode drags.

Gene is very sick on Thanksgiving day and can’t eat. Well, he can but it comes out both ends if he does. (Hence the episode’s name.) So he resides in the bathroom with a pillow and blanket while his family tell three stories to cheer him up. Yes, its an anthology episode, something Bob’s Burgers tries from time to time with mixed results. And while I don’t think this is the show’s best stab at the format, the episode is still very funny and makes for an interesting spin on a Thanksgiving-themed show.

Bob’s Burgers’ Thanksgiving episodes are always better when they involve Bob trying and struggling to make the perfect meal for the big day. And this episode includes some classic frustrated Bob due to him having to cook Thanksgiving dinner for a whole retirement facility as a favor. However, Bob and his youngest daughter Louise clash over how much of a control freak he is in the kitchen. In the end—during an improvised living room parade at the old folks’ home (things get weird when the cable goes out)—the two make up in a sweet moment that caps off a solidly funny episode.

Of all the secondary characters in Bob’s Burgers, none have stuck around or been fleshed out as much as Bob’s sort-of-best-friend Teddy. The handyman has become one of the key parts of the show and this episode is all about him, using Thanksgiving as the impetus for looking into how he lives and revealing more about the silly but kind man. We learn he’s a hoarder with a messy family. We also get to see Bob in full “Manic Thanksgiving Mode” when he volunteers to cook dinner for Teddy’s family after Bob believes his attempt at turkey day was mediocre.

If your favorite part of a Thanksgiving-themed Bob’s Burgers episode is watching Bob lose it while trying to make the perfect turkey day meal, then this is the episode for you. The entire plot of this episode can basically be boiled down to “Bob struggles to cook an expensive turkey.” This involves building a firepit in the alley behind the restaurant and dealing with rain. Poor Bob. Maybe next year, order a pizza.

This is the first Thanksgiving-themed Bob’s Burgers episode and still one of the best. When the Belchers’ rich landlord, Mr. Fischoeder, offers to cover their rent if Linda and the kids pretend to be his family during turkey day, things get weird for Bob. This is his favorite holiday, and he can’t spend it with his family. So instead he drinks way too much absinthe, starts seeing things, and eventually develops an emotional connection with the turkey.

This episode is packed with jokes and memorable moments, including some wonderful bits involving Bob, but it also gave us Linda’s Thanksgiving song. That alone helps it land in the top three on this list.

What happens when you take the plot of most zombie movies and replace all the undead with a swarm of overly aggressive turkeys looking to peck anything and anyone who gets in their collective way? You get the second-best Thanksgiving-themed episode of the series.

For a long time while making this list, I actually had this episode at number one. And I still think it’s my favorite to go back to anytime of the year. But it doesn’t quite capture the vibes of Thanksgiving like our actual number-one pick does. Instead, this is just a really well-done, high-concept episode that involves many characters, locations, and a lot of great jokes. It’s sort of a Thanksgiving episode, but really more of an excuse to do a big zombie parody without breaking the show’s dedication to being grounded in reality.

Once again Bob is trying to cook the perfect turkey. This time it involves a three-day brine. However, in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Bob and the family awake to find the turkey in the toilet. Bob replaces it, and it ends up there again the next day. What’s going on?!

While the mystery of the toilet turkey is intriguing and does have a very funny and sweet explanation, the real reason this episode is so high up is because it nails the vibes of a messy Thanksgiving week. Family members (in this case Gayle) arriving and causing problems, kids wanting to sit at the adult table, and trying to cook a big ol’ turkey perfectly.

Oh, and it also includes one of the best bits in all of Bob’s Burgers, involving a deli counter employee who thinks Bob’s return visits for more replacement turkeys are actually an attempt to woo him into a romantic fling. This is not only the best Thanksgiving episode of the show, but possibly a contender for best episode of the entire series. So give it a re-watch this Thanksgiving and enjoy.