The TVLine-Up: Your Guide To 88 Thanksgiving Marathons And Specials
Get comfy on that couch. The networks have cooked up a smorgasbord of programming to keep you entertained this Thanksgiving weekend. If you somehow avoid a food coma, you can enjoy traditional faves like the Macy's Parade and not one but two Charlie Brown specials! Or maybe a marathon of TV families more dysfunctional than your own is more your style? Whatever you crave, TVLine's roundup of marathons and specials has you covered.
SUNDAY, NOV. 27 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Kitchen Nightmares (BBC America, 6 am – Monday, 5 am) | How awesome would it be if Gordon Ramsay busted into some unsuspecting person's Thanksgiving kitchen?
Mad Men (AMC, 6 – 9 am) | Mad Men Sunday mornings return with three episodes from Season 1 – "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Ladies Room" and "The Marriage of Figaro" – and continue every Sunday until Season 5 finally premieres next year.
American Pickers (History, 8 am – 9 pm) | Treasure hunting, dumpster diving, modern archaeology or recycling America — pick your label.
Pawn Stars (History, 8 am – Sunday, 3:01 am) | Three generations of the Harrison family find gold in the most unlikely of places — Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.
The Bernie Mac Show (BET, 10 am – 3 pm) | Have some laughs with the late comic's Fox sitcom.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo, 10 am – 9 pm) | This marathon leads into a new episode at 9 pm.
Kourtney and Kim Take New York (E!, 2 – 7 pm) | If you're not too distraught over the divorce, watch Kim — with sis Kourtney — take on the Big Apple.
The Walking Dead (AMC, 2:30 – 9 pm) | Blood, guts and carcasses. Nope, it's not your Thanksgiving leftovers; just zombies. Catch up on the series' second season before the mid-season finale airs at 9 pm.
Pandora's Unforgettable Holiday Moments on Ice (NBC, 4 – 6 pm) | Brian Boitano, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Rachael Flatt, Michael Weiss, Yuka Sato and more skate to holiday classics — including a performance from American Idol's David Archuleta.
Challenge: Christmas Classics (Food Network, 8 – 9 pm) | As if it isn't enough to make a Christmas tales and carols-inspired cake under pressure, the competitors who've been naughty will get an unwelcome surprise. What, no rising cake flour?
PROCEED TO NEXT PAGE (CLICK BELOW) FOR WEDNESDAY HIGHLIGHTSWEDNESDAY, NOV. 23 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Curious George Holiday Spectacular (PBS Kids, check local listings) | Sit the kiddies down in front of the feature film Curious George, followed by Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey and Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas.
Martha Stewart Show (Hallmark, check local listings) | Get solutions for cooking disasters, entertaining tips, and etiquette answers in a special "Thanksgiving Hotline" show.
Ancient Aliens (History, 8 am – 10 pm) | For something out of the terrestrial ordinary.
Gone With the Wind (AMC, 9 am – 2 pm) | On the 75th anniversary of the novel, AMC devotes a day to the classic film.
Monsters (Chiller, 9 am – 4 pm ) | They don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so they'll be around most of the day.
MythBusters (Discovery, 9 am – Thursday, 3 am) | Know what they're serving for Thanksgiving? The truth.
True Life (MTV, 9 am – 7 pm) | True Life: I Ate Too Much Turkey and Now I Feel Sick.
Thanksgiving Live (Food Network, 10 am – noon) | Get cooking tips from Rachael Ray, Anne Burrell, Sunny Anderson, Melissa d'Arabian and Bobby Flay.
Greatest Tank Battles (Military Channel, 1 – 10 pm) | Military Channel celebrates its third annual Tanksgiving with a marathon of this combat and battlefields series.
Extreme Couponing (TLC, 3 pm – 9 pm) | Buy 1, Get 11 Free! (How has my mom not seen this show yet?!)
Man v. Food (Travel Channel, 6 pm – Thursday, 4 am) | Not the story of one man's struggle with Thanksgiving. Second helpings are being served Thursday, 9 am – Friday, 4 am.
Friends (Nickelodeon, 9 pm – Thursday, 5:30 am) | See the Friends young and untouched by Hollywood. Nick's regular run of the NBC sitcom starts out Wednesday night with the pilot.
iHeartRadio Music Festival (VH1, 10 pm – Thursday, 12:30 am) | Carrie Underwood, Coldplay, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Steven Tyler celebrate the launch of Clear Channel's iHeartRadio in a concert taped back in September.
PROCEED TO NEXT PAGE (CLICK BELOW) FOR THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS
THURSDAY, NOV. 24 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Martha Stewart Show (Hallmark, check local listings) | It's never too late for a feast! Get some last-minute recipes that will still impress even if you don't have a big bird on the table.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Chiller, 6 am – 4 pm) | This marathon of the uneven Season 7 includes the can't-miss "Storyteller" episode, at 9 am.
Cake Boss (TLC, 6 am – 8:30 pm) | This marathon is followed by eight episodes of Cake Boss: Next Great Baker.
Supernanny (Style, 6 am – Friday, 3 am) | Loud, bratty kids running around this holiday? Put the fear of Jo into them.
Top 30 Family Videos for Thanksgiving (CMT, 6 – 9 am) | CMT counts down the Top 30 family-friendly music videos– meaning, basically anything without Ke$ha in it.
Roseanne (Oxygen, 7 am – 7 pm) | Remember the dysfunctional families we mentioned in our intro...?
The Andy Griffith Show (TV Land, 8 am – 7:22 pm) | For those who prefer their TV families a little more wholesome.
The First 48 (A&E, 8 am – Friday, 4:02 am) | Think your life is hard? Try solving a murder in 48 hours.
IRT Deadliest Roads (History, 8 am – 8 pm) | The Ice Road Truckers show you the most treacherous trails.
James Bond (Syfy, 8 am – Friday, 5:30 am) | Double-OMG! Celebrate Thanksgiving with a martini – shaken, not stirred – via this marathon, which features Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Die Another Day, License to Kill and The Spy Who Loved Me. (Six more Bond films air Friday starting at 8:30 am.)
My Wife and Kids (BET, 8 am – 5 pm) | BET airs a marathon of Damon Wayans' ABC family comedy.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (BBC America, 8 am – Friday, 5 am) | Capt. Picard will safely guide you through the holiday.
American Guns (Discovery, 9 am – 8 pm) | Follow the adventures of the Wyatt family at Gunsmoke, the family business where they buy, sell, trade and make guns.
How It's Made (Science, 9 am – 6:30 pm) | The perfect show for inquisitive kids.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC, 9 am – 12 pm) | The annual special will feature Rodney Atkins, the Big Apple Circus, Neil Diamond, Cee Lo Green (of course), Avril Lavigne, The Muppets cast and (duck!) Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
The Thanksgiving Day Parade (CBS, 9 am – 12 pm) | CBS presents its own highlights of the Macy's Parade, including performances from John Fogerty and the Broadway casts of Anything Goes and Memphis.
Bones (TNT, 10 am – 8 pm) | Miss the will-they/won't-they tension? Cue up episodes from Seasons 1, 3, 4 and 5.
Braxton Family Values (WEtv, 10 am – 10 pm) | Celebrate Turkey Day with the musically talented family.
NCIS (USA Network, 10 am – 8 pm) | It wouldn't be USA on a holiday without an NCIS marathon. (A "Gibbs That Keeps On Giving" marathon also airs Sunday, 9 am –Monday, 4 am.)
Thanksgiving With Your Godfather (AMC, 11:30 am – 8 pm) | As a reminder that your family could always be worse, here's The Godfather Parts 1 and 2.
The National Dog Show (NBC, 12 – 2 pm) | John O'Hurley hosts the competition to be named Best in Show.
Designing Women (TV Guide Network, 3 pm – 8 pm) | A mini-marathon starring some funny ladies you may have heard of: Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts and Jean Smart.
Brothers & Sisters (SOAPnet, 5 pm – Friday, 1 am) | Pour a glass of wine. Or five. After all, nothing says Thanksgiving family dysfunction like the Walker brood.
Reed Between the Lines (BET, 5 pm – midnight) | Missing Malcolm Jamal-Warner on Community? Give his BET sitcom a shot.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (ABC, 8 – 9 pm) | The Peanuts annual this year features the bonus cartoon, This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers.
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (Fox, 8 – 8:30 pm ) | Get a head start on next month's holiday as the lovable film characters celebrate Christmas on the small screen. (Watch video preview.)
Punkin Chunkin 2011 (Science & Discovery Channel, 8 – 10 pm) | Man meets his match as MythBusters' Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci host a competition to see who can throw a pumpkin the farthest.
The Real Story of Thanksgiving (History, 8 – 9 pm) | Spoiler Alert: It all ends with us getting stuffed many, many years later.
Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (Fox, 8:30 – 9:30 pm) | Watch out, Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, you have some competition from Fox as the Peanuts gang try to help Linus part with his security blanket.
Swampsgiving (History, 9 – 10 pm) | AKA how the Swamp People celebrate Thanksgiving.
A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (ABC, 9:30 – 11 pm) | Lady Gaga will not be dressing up as a turkey – as far as we know – but she will open up to Katie Couric and sing eight songs for her close friends and family.
The 85th Anniversary of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC, 10 – 11 pm) | If you're not sick of parades and floats yet, NBC offers a look back at some favorites from the past 85 years.
This Is It (VH1, 10 pm – Friday, 12:30 am) | VH1 rebroadcasts the documentary about MJ's O2 Arena tour.
The Comedy Central Roast (Comedy Central, 10:34 pm – Friday, 1:37 am) | Watch Charlie Sheen and Donald Trump get skewered, and then give it back. And unlike your turkey, these roastings don't take six hours.
PROCEED TO NEXT PAGE (CLICK BELOW) FOR FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS!
FRIDAY, NOV. 25 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Say Yes to the Dress (TLC, 6 am – 1 pm) | Money well spent. Not. Sorry, ladies.
SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon, 7 am – 9 pm) | This should keep the little ones occupied all day.
Storage Wars (A&E, 7 am – Saturday, 4:02 am) | That is a lot of neglected knick-knacks.
American Restoration (History, 8 am – 10 pm) | That vase you found in an abandoned Stor-U-Self? These folks will restore it to glory.
The Parkers (BET, 8 am – midnight) | The Moesha spin-off lives on, in syndication.
Project Runway (Style, 8 am – 10 pm) | Go back in time to the Bravo days of the fashion competition series, with a marathon of the Christian Siriano season.
Top Gear (BBC America, 8 am – Saturday, 6 am) | Shotgun!
Auction Hunters (Spike, 9 am – 9 pm ) | Two of the best prospectors in the biz scout for treasure at public auctions of abandoned storage units. (Not to be confused with Storage Wars. And yet it shall be.)
The Glee Project (Oxygen, 10 am – 8 pm) | If you missed it this summer, here's your chance to check out the new faces still to come during the third season of Glee.
Awkward (MTV, 11 am – 5 pm) | If you haven't seen the MTV gem and don't watch this Season 1 marathon, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore.
The Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo, 11 am – Saturday, 4 am) | Here's hoping for some happy endings this weekend.
Rocket City Rednecks (National Geographic, 3 pm – Saturday, 3 am) | These NASA rocket scientists keep things interesting by fueling their creations with homemade moonshine.
Paranormal State (The Biography Channel, 6 pm – Saturday, 4 am) | Who needs sleep when you can be scaring yourself all night?
General Hospital (SOAPNet, 7 pm – midnight) | A "Lucky Friday" marathon of five favorite episodes featuring Luke and Laura's boy.
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (The CW, 8 – 9 pm) | The animated special brings to life the popular song, as a young boy sets out to track down his missing maw-maw on Christmas Eve and prove that Santa is real.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Encore, 8 pm – Saturday, 5:30 am) | Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the epic trilogy by watching the extended special editions of all three films, back-to-back-to-back.
Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas (CBS, 8 – 8:30 pm) | How do you ruin Christmas? By disrupting the time-space continuum after sneaking into Santa's sleigh, apparently.
The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story (CBS, 8:30 – 9 pm) | A boy learns to believe in Christmas again, thanks to an elf named Chippey.
Olive, the Other Reindeer (The CW, 9 – 10 pm) | Too cute: Olive the dog wants to step in and help deliver presents when Blitzen gets injured.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert (VH1, 10 pm – midnight) | Rock out to performances by Metallica, U2, Bruce Springsteen and more, all from the comfort of your couch.
PROCEED TO NEXT PAGE (CLICK BELOW) FOR SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS!
SATURDAY, NOV. 26 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Battlestar Galactica (BBC America, 6 am – 9 pm) | For those still missing the cult favorite, BBC America has your fix.
Law & Order: SVU (CLOO, 6 am – 9 pm) | Not the happiest marathon you could be watching this weekend.
Everybody Hates Chris (BET, 9 am – 7 pm ) | Chris Rock's sitcom about his childhood, which originally ran on the late UPN.
Firefly (Science Channel, 9 am – 8 pm) | Take to the skies with Mal, Wash, River and the rest of the gang.
Hot in Cleveland (TV Land, 9 am – 9 pm) | Paging all Betty White lovers!
Ghost Whisperer (WEtv, 10 am – Sunday, 1 am) | Jennifer Love Hewitt talks to the dead in this Season 1 marathon.
Deadliest Catch (Discovery, 11 am – 8 pm) | Since nobody reading this is probably catching their own wild turkey, these guys have you beat.
48 Hours: Hard Evidence (TLC, 1 pm – Sunday, 2 am) | Not to be confused with The First 48. (And yet...)
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central, 6:56 – 11 pm) | Hours and hours of funny viral videos, blogs and Internet fads lampooned by comedian Daniel Tosh. So, like what you do every day when you should be working.
Unwrapped Holiday Helpings (Food Network, 9 – 10 pm) | A special edition of the Marc Summers-hosted show looks at the holidays' best treats.
Fanboys (Comedy Central, 11 pm – Sunday, 1 am) | Holy, nerdgasm! It's the network television premiere of the Star Wars-loving flick, starring Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell and Seth Rogen.