The one with all the Thanksgivings …
A turkey on Joey’s (and then Monica’s) head. Chandler in a box. Rachel’s trifle with meat filling.
Some of the most memorable Friends moments occur during the sitcom’s Thanksgiving episodes. By featuring Turkey Day prominently in almost every season, Friends became closely associated with the holiday.
Rachel, Monica, Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey were definitely doing Friendsgiving before it became cool.
But did you know …
1. Mr. Chang’s big night out
In season five’s “The One With All the Thanksgivings,” there’s a flashback to 1987 where Ross comes home from college and introduces his roommate, Chandler. The two characters talk about testing out their new fake IDs later that night as “Clifford Alvarez” and “Roland Chang.”
Friends writer and executive producer Greg Malins admitted that one of these names was chosen very intentionally. As he explained in an interview with Ministry of Pop Culture, “Rowland Chang was, and still is, one of my best friends, a guy I grew up with. He’s a high-powered lawyer in Shanghai now and people will say to him, ‘We were watching Friends last night and they used your name! What a weird coincidence.’ And he’ll say, ‘It wasn’t a coincidence.’”
2. Mmm, feet
In season six’s “The One Where Ross Got High,” Rachel accidentally makes the infamous trifle with meat. It’s a great setup to begin with, but David Schwimmer’s improvised line, “It tastes like feet!” (which he ran by the writers first) ended up being one of the best parts of the episode. Watch the clip below to see the aired version along with a hilarious blooper.
3. Foosball fumble
For that same episode, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc also had some improvisational urges that sadly ended up being cut for time. According to Greg Malins, “I remember Matt and Matthew pitching the idea of them playing foosball but they’re both on the same side and nobody’s on the other side. One of them moves the little man and it goes into [their] goal and Matthew says, ‘How did we lose that?’”
4. Chandler in a box
Season four’s Thanksgiving episode, “The One With Chandler in a Box,” features exactly what the title says. When asked whether Matthew Perry really stayed in the box for the filming of the episode, co-creators and executive producers Marta Kauffman and David Crane confirmed that he did. His lines were recorded live, and he only came out for breaks in between shots. As Crane says, “Those are his fingers in the hole. And I have to say, when his finger comes up to say goodbye to Kathy, it’s heartbreaking.” Awww.
5. The ultimate trick play
How do you make a soundstage look like a public park in NYC? Production designer John Shaffner had to get creative when tasked with this very thing for “The One With the Football” in season three. First, he came up with the idea of placing the set against a fake brick wall with a metal fence to create a gritty city look.
But he couldn’t just use fake grass — waaay too green for New York in November. Instead, he flipped carpet padding upside down to look like dirt and added fake leaves. The finishing touch was some temporary bleachers so they could still film in front of a live audience.
6. Turkey head
In the season five Thanksgiving flashbacks episode, Joey famously gets his head stuck inside a turkey. Monica later puts a turkey on her head in an effort to cheer Chandler up. The writers wanted to use a real bird, but there wasn’t one large enough (sparing Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox from what would’ve been a uniquely disgusting experience). Instead, a turkey was crafted out of foam, including vents for breathing and mesh for the actors to see through.
7. Aren’t you hungry?
Brad Pitt is well known for his frequent consumption of snacks on screen. But when he made his memorable appearance in season eight’s “The One With the Rumor,” he didn’t take a single bite the entire episode! Instead, viewers were treated to the hilarious story of how he co-created the I Hate Rachel Greene Club with Ross, which was made even funnier by the fact that he was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time.
8. Sibling rivalry
Speaking of famous guest stars, the next season’s Thanksgiving episode featured Christina Applegate’s first appearance as Rachel’s sister, Amy. Reese Witherspoon had already appeared as Rachel’s sister, Jill, in two episodes, but she couldn’t return due to other commitments. The writers decided to focus on a different sister, and Applegate’s performance in the episode ended up earning her an Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003.
9. Who’s that girl?
Phoebe’s outfit in the season three Thanksgiving episode was a subtle nod to another famous guest star. As the gang plays football in the park, she wears a shirt bearing the words “THAT GIRL” and a silhouette of a flipped bob hair style. This is actually a reference to a 1960s TV show featuring Marlo Thomas, who occasionally appeared on Friends as Rachel’s mom, Sandra.
10. Trophy trash
At the end of “The One With the Football,” Ross and Monica are fighting over the football on the ground at the park. However, the competitive Gellar siblings were also featured in an alternate ending. Featured on the season 5 DVD release, the cut scene shows them deciding to call the game a tie, then tossing the trophy down a trash chute in their building to seemingly bury the hatchet. Monica secretly has Phoebe standing at the bottom to catch it, but then she finds out Ross has the same idea.
In addition to the Macy’s parade and football, these Friends episodes should be required viewing on Thanksgiving. Forward this to someone you’d invite to your Friendsgiving.
Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick