The Big Bang Theory — Thanksgiving Episodes
The Big Bang Theory visited Thanksgiving just twice, but both episodes are quiet character highlights — Sheldon unexpectedly bonding with his father-in-law over football, and a newly single Sheldon and Amy spending the holiday together as friends. Both stream in the U.S. on HBO Max, which holds exclusive rights to the series. Ratings are each episode's IMDb user score.
| Episode Title | Streaming Availability | IMDb Rating (RT has no episode score) |
|---|---|---|
| The Thanksgiving Decoupling (S7E9, 2013) | HBO Max Amazon Prime Video (purchase) Apple TV (purchase) Fandango at Home (purchase) |
8.8/10 |
| The Platonic Permutation (S9E9, 2015) | HBO Max Amazon Prime Video (purchase) Apple TV (purchase) Fandango at Home (purchase) |
7.7/10 |
Episode Synopsis
The Thanksgiving Decoupling (Season 7, Episode 9)
Howard invites the whole gang to his mom's for Thanksgiving, partly because he can't stand being alone with his father-in-law, Mike, and wants some buffer. Sheldon complains about going the entire way there, comparing the whole ordeal to something wildly out of proportion (typical Sheldon). Once they arrive, Mrs. Wolowitz is laid up with a gout attack, so Raj ends up running the kitchen with Amy and Bernadette helping out. Meanwhile Penny's exposed for a secret she'd been sitting on: she's technically still married to her ex, Zack, from a drunken Vegas trip years back, which sends Leonard into a spiral for the rest of the episode. The one genuinely sweet thread is Sheldon and Mike bonding over football, of all things — it comes out that Sheldon lost his own father young, and the two end up sharing a beer together by the end.
The Platonic Permutation (Season 9, Episode 9)
Sheldon and Amy are broken up at this point, and he'd already bought tickets to a Thanksgiving lunch at the aquarium before the split. Nobody else wants the extra ticket, so he ends up offering both to Amy, and she suggests they just go together as friends. It's a quieter, more character-driven episode — the two spend the day tentatively figuring out what their relationship even looks like now, and slowly warm back up to each other. The other subplots are lighter: Howard gets roped into volunteering at a soup kitchen with Bernadette, Raj, and Emily and is miserable about the six-hour shift, while Penny and Leonard cook their first Thanksgiving dinner as a married couple and Penny realizes Leonard knows her better than she gave him credit for.