Every ‘New Girl’ Thanksgiving Episode, Ranked According to IMDb (2024)

Throughout the span of seven seasons on the iconic Fox comedy, New Girl, the show managed to create some of the most memorable character moments in recent sitcom history, from their made-up drinking game, "True American," to the gang meeting Prince. There have been countless, hilarious moments where you would need extra toes and fingers to count them all on. Among some of those moments are their always delightful holiday episodes, and in particular, their Thanksgiving ones, which achieve their main goals of being both heartfelt and hilarious, all at the same time.

Whether it's the gang finding a dead body as they prepare their meal, dealing with parental issues, or Jess eating an old, dead fish (what is up with this show and dead things?), the hijinks of New Girl never fail to deliver. It's so easy to see which among the New Girl Thanksgiving episodes are worth revisiting based on their IMDb scores; but, despite that, each Thanksgiving episode has its own charm; which, in a way, is hard to determine which one is truly the best based off of their IMDb score. Nevertheless, we tried to, so sit back, enjoy the meal, and let's rank the best New Girl Thanksgiving episodes based on how IMDb users felt.

5 "Last Thanksgiving" (Season 7, Episode 6)

IMDb Rating: 7.1

We were sad, indeed, when we got to see the gang sit at the table for their last Thanksgiving meal of the series. In the final Thanksgiving New Girl episode ever, "Last Thanksgiving" follows relationships run awry as Jess (Zooey Deschanel) struggles to tell an injured Robby (Nelson Franklin) that they aren't dating, Nick (Jake Johnson) deals with his feelings about Reagan (Megan Fox) not being there, and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) has a conflict with his father, Gavin (Peter Gallagher), about some secrets he's been keeping. Of the five Thanksgiving episodes throughout the seven seasons of New Girl, "Last Thanksgiving" is by far the weakest, but, as we discussed in our intro to this piece, every Thanksgiving episode has its charm, and this episode is certaiunly not lacking in the charm department. We get the official start of Jess and Robby's doomed relationship, as Robby attends the festivities in a wheelchair. Jess wants to tell him that they aren't an item, but is hesitant because it's a holiday. Nick, on the other hand, wants his girlfriend Reagan to be there, but she can't, due to work. This makes him start questioning everything. And then there's Schmidt, who learns his father has split from the woman he was dating, but when he and Nick go to fix things, they discover that Gavin has been lying about his love life.

This almost tears them apart, which would've been disappointing after everything they went through to mend their previously broken relationship. Unlike the other Thanksgiving episodes, this one is less about funny hijinks and is instead more similar to a traditional sitcom Thanksgiving, full of arguments, disappointment, and a little dash of mayhem. Also, they add one amazing thing to this episode when they discuss the previous year's Thanksgiving (which the audience never sees, as it happened during the only season up to this point to not include one) where they all accidentally got high on peyote and Winston wouldn't let them break the wishbone, because, as he puts it, "break the bone, lose the wish." This episode did, unfortunatly, "break the bone," but not so much so as it's still an enjoyable, humble experience.

4 "Thanksgiving III" (Season 3, Episode 10)

IMDb Rating: 7.4

Only in New Girl would you take the joy of Thanksgiving to the great outdoors. That was the premise of "Thanksgiving III," which took the gang out of the loft and into nature as Nick and Jess decide to take everyone on a Thanksgiving camping trip. However, unbeknownst to Jess, Nick has left all the food at home in an attempt to make this year more like the first Thanksgiving, forcing everyone to hunt and forage for their food. At this point in the series, Nick and Jess are together, and Nick is a very different person from who he was in the first Thanksgiving episode, which is where the problem for him lies. He's worried that he isn't as manly as he used to be, so he overcompensates with this camping trip. It leads him to do some really questionable things, like "killing" and cooking an already dead fish, which Jess eats, causing her to hallucinate. This is one of the funniest bits in the entire episode, watching Jess wander aimlessly through the woods, talking to herself.

This episode also takes place right after Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Cece's (Hannah Simone) first date, which causes some drama between them and Schmidt, who is, obviously, jealous of their relationship. Schmidt is regretting losing Cece, and having a hard time dealing with seeing her possibly dating someone else. We also see a nice continuation of the Winston (Lamorne Morris) and Cece relationship, which is one of the most underrated relationships in the entire series. Although low on the IMDb totem pole, "Thanksgiving III" is still a treat to watch, especially around the holidays.

3 "Parents" (Season 2, Episode 8)

IMDb Rating: 7.6

In this episode, Jess lures her parents to Thanksgiving at the same time in an attempt to "parent trap" them into getting back together. Schmidt's cousin also joins, and the two of them face off to determine who really is the one true Schmidt. Fans were treated in this episode to some major star power with Jamie Lee Curtis & Rob Reiner as Jess' parents, as well as Rob Riggle as Schmidt's cousin. We mean, what could go wrong, here?

The episode shows a bit of Jess' childhood, as she has attempted the Parent Trap ploy multiple times throughout her life, and the dynamic between her and her parents, as well as the first on-screen Winston/Cece mess around, where they try to pit the two Schmidts against one another. This leads to some hilarious scenes with Max Greenfield and Rob Riggle, particularly the one where they're wearing shirtless wheelbarrows on the roof. It also dives a bit into Nick's journey to becoming an author with his zombie novel that sounds suspiciously similar to Twilight. He does eventually finish this book, titled Z is for Zombies, though, according to Winston, it is absolutely terrible. This leads to Nick writing his detective series, The Pepperwood Chronicles, which is a major part of his character arc in the last two seasons. "Parents" was a tour de force throughout, and is, easily, one of the series' best episodes of the series.

2 "Thanksgiving" (Season 1, Episode 6)

IMDb Rating: 7.7

In the very first New Girl Thanksgiving episode, Jess asks out fellow teacher Paul Genzlinger (Justin Long) and invites him to Thanksgiving at her place. The guys are shocked to hear this, as they had planned a night of football, beer, and Black Friday shopping. Throughout the evening, they must deal with a frozen turkey, Nick's constantly angry attitude, and even a dead body.

This is one of the best episodes of the first season, as it really highlights Jess' quirky personality and her unique relationship with the guys in the loft. It shows the beginning of Jess and Paul's relationship, which is one of the best throughout the series. It dives into Schmidt's control issues, furthers the Schmidt/Cece story, and even shows a softer side to Winston. Having only lived there for three months at this point, the audience really sees just how connected to these guys Jess has become, how she values their opinions, and thinks of them as family. Sentimental and funny, just how New Girl does it.

1 "Thanksgiving IV" (Season 4, Episode 9)

IMDb Rating: 8.1

In the fourth Thanksgiving episode of New Girl, Schmidt makes a plan for what he's calling "Bangsgiving," where everyone brings a date for someone else. Tensions flare, new relationships bloom, and old relationships possibly rekindle. This is a great episode, full of wonderful side characters, many of whom we never see again. But the best thing about it is how it pushes along several storylines for the main crew. This one occurs in the wake of Jess and Nick's break-up, and Nick is still reeling from it. So much so, that when he picks his own name from the hat, and has the chance to bring anyone he wants, he chooses Tran (Ralph Ahn), the old Korean guy who never speaks. In the end, he meets Tran's granddaughter, Kai (Greta Lee), who he winds up dating for a bit.

Jess, on the other hand, is pining over the new, British teacher, Ryan (Julian Morris), but is conflicted about doing anything about it. In the end, they cross that barrier, beginning their secret relationship. Cece and Schmidt share a nice moment toward the end that hints at a rekindling of their relationship, while Coach and Winston both have to find ways to get over their own insecurities and have good times on their respective dates.

Keep Reading: 7 'New Girl' Episodes That Prove Winston Is The Show's Best Character