Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away which means it’s time to start getting into the holiday spirit with a proper TV and movie marathon. However, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins visiting for Thanksgiving add a new layer of complexity when trying to figure out what to watch during the holidays. Many of us feel overwhelmed by the wealth of choices as is, and trying to find something that the entire family will enjoy is no easy task. Some of the questions you might be asking yourself are:

• What should we watch with the whole family during our post-Thanksgiving dinner food coma?
• What movies are coming out Thanksgiving weekend? (In theaters and streaming)
• What are the best Thanksgiving movies for kids?
• What shows are releasing Thanksgiving weekend?

We’ll answer all these questions and more, providing recommendations to hold you over for the entire holiday season. Treat this article as your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for Thanksgiving entertainment in 2022.

What are the best Thanksgiving movies that the whole family will enjoy?

Here are our top 5 picks:

1. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Paramount+, Pluto TV): Steve Martin’s hilarious comedy has been a Thanksgiving Day tradition for many families since 1987. While there are some truly hysterical moments, Common Sense Media recommends this film for ages 11+.

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Prime Video): Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.

3. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Apple TV+): An all-time classic that everybody needs to watch at least once in their life. If you’re looking for the perfect combination of nostalgia and wholesome comedy, Charlie Brown is the way to go.

4. Lilo & Stitch (Disney+): “Ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind or forgotten.” If that doesn’t perfectly fit the message of Thanksgiving, then I don’t know what does.

5. Paddington (Netflix): One of the most wholesome, widely-beloved family films of the last 10 years. Paddington follows a young Peruvian bear who travels to London in search of a new home. Finding himself lost and completely alone, he meets the kindly Brown family.

For more must-watch recommendations, check out our list Binge-worthy Shows and Movies to Watch With the Family Over the Holidays.

What movies and shows are coming out Thanksgiving weekend?

Here is everything being released in theaters and on streaming:

- Devotion (In theaters 11/23): The harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.

- Strange World (In theaters 11/23): A journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land, where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades—a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest, and by far most crucial, mission.

- Bones & All (In theaters 11/23): Abandoned by her father, a young woman named Maren embarks on a thousand-mile odyssey through the backroads of America where she meets Lee, a disenfranchised drifter. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their otherness.

- The Fabelmans (In theaters 11/23): A coming-of-age story about a young man’s discovery of a shattering family secret and an exploration of the power of movies to help us see the truth about each other and ourselves.

- All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Limited theatrical release 11/23): Following the life of artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty who was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic's unfathomable death toll.

- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (In theaters 11/23. Netflix release 12/23): Intrepid detective Benoit Blanc finds himself at a lavish private estate on a Greek island where he meets a distinctly disparate group of friends gathering at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron for their yearly reunion. Each person harbors their own secrets, lies and motivations. And when someone turns up dead, everyone is a suspect.

- White Noise (Limited theatrical release 11/25): Jack Gladney, professor of Hitler studies at The-College-on-the-Hill, husband to Babette, and father to four children/stepchildren, is torn asunder by a chemical spill from a rail car that releases an “Airborne Toxic Event”, forcing Jack to confront his biggest fear – his own mortality.

- Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (Limited theatrical release 11/25): A documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.

- Blood & Water (Season 3 streaming on Netflix 11/25): After crossing paths at a party, a Cape Town teen sets out to prove whether a private-school swimming star is her sister who was abducted at birth.

- The Croods: Family Tree (Season 5 streaming on Hulu & Peacock 11/25): Two very different families join forces to create a new community, an us-against-the-world, cave person co-op on the most amazing farm in the history of prehistory!

- Fantasy Football (Streaming on Paramount+ 11/25): Callie A. Coleman discovers she can magically control her father, Bobby’s performance on the football field. When Callie plays as her dad, Bobby is transformed from a fumblitis-plagued journeyman to a star running back bound for superstardom alongside his daughter and wife Keisha.

- We're Here (Season 4 streaming on HBO Max 11/25): Small-town residents from across America are recruited and trained to participate in a one-night-only drag show. In each episode, former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara, and Shangela Laquifa Wadley will help prepare their “drag daughters” by teaching them how to step outside of their comfort zones.

- Krapopolis (Streaming on FOX 11/27): In mythical ancient Greece, a flawed family of humans, gods and monsters tries to run one of the world’s first cities without killing each other.

What are the best Thanksgiving episodes of TV?

Here are our top 5 picks:

1. Master of None - Season 2, Episode 8: Unlike most low-stakes Thanksgiving episodes, Master of None used the holiday as the foundation for Denise’s coming-out story. This episode takes a beautifully sincere approach to discuss a difficult topic for many families, while still being one of the funniest shows on TV.

2. Friends - Season 5, Episode 8: Although Friends had quite a few Thanksgiving episodes, this one is filled with fun flashbacks as everyone shares stories about their worst Thanksgiving memories.

3. Superstore - Season 2, Episode 10: While not necessarily a Thanksgiving episode, this one focuses on the day after, the terrifying “Black Friday.” There is no show better fit to point out the hilarious absurdity of Black Friday than Superstore.

4. This Is Us - Season 1, Episode 8: Grab your tissues! This is a particularly emotional episode in a show that is known for being incredibly moving.

5. Cheers - Season 5, Episode 9: Who doesn’t love an episode where everything goes wrong and ultimately ends in a food fight? If you need a laugh before or after your Turkey Day cooking, check out Cheers on Hulu.

For more fantastic Thanksgiving episodes of TV, check out our list Best Thanksgiving Episodes of All Time.

What Thanksgiving movies are on Disney+?

Here are our top 3 picks:

1. Miracle on 34th Street: Although this is certainly a Christmas movie, the movie starts at a Thanksgiving day parade, making it the perfect film to connect Thanksgiving to the Christmas spirit. Maybe watch this one after dinner to symbolically transition into the winter spirit?

2. Lilo & Stitch: If you somehow still haven’t seen Lilo & Stitch, use Thanksgiving as the excuse to finally mark it off your watchlist. If you have already seen it 100 times, why not make it 101?

3. Cheaper by the Dozen: This lighthearted comedy is not set during the holidays but its familial love and wholesome nature makes it the perfect watch on Thanksgiving.

For more Thanksgiving movies and shows, check out our list Best Thanksgiving Movies and Shows on Disney+.

What Thanksgiving movies and shows are on Netflix?

Here are our top 3 picks:

1. Friendsgiving: A dysfunctional group of friends host a comical and chaotic Thanksgiving dinner for their motley crew of close friends and strange acquaintances.

2. Holidate: Two strangers that are fed up with being single during the holidays agree to be each other's platonic plus-ones, only to catch real feelings along the way. While not overtly Thanksgiving-themed, this rom-com is the perfect feel-good movie during the holidays!

3. Nailed It! Holiday!: Need a fun, easy-to-digest show while recovering from your food coma post-Thanksgiving dinner? Look no further, Nailed It! Holiday! hosts cooking challenges with missing ingredients, impossible asks and desserts that look delightfully sad.

For more Thanksgiving movies and shows, check out our list Best Thanksgiving Shows and Movies on Netflix.

What Thanksgiving movies and shows are on Hulu?

Here are our top 3 picks:

1. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 9, Episode 10: In honor of the Thanksgiving spirit, the gang decides to host a dinner and invite a few of the hundreds of people they’ve wronged over the years. The goal? To make amends. The result? If you’ve seen any other episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, you can predict how it ends.

2. Parenthood - Season 2, Episode 10: If you have a large and imperfect family, you’re sure to appreciate the dynamic in this family dramedy.

3. Pilgrim: There’s a good chance Pilgrim has a plot unlike any movie you’ve ever seen. A Likewise user described this movie as “A great Thanksgiving horror classic.” While the graphic, dark tone of this movie might be offputting to some people during the holidays, if you didn’t get enough horror during October, Pilgrim might just satisfy your craving.

For more iconic Thanksgiving episodes, check out our list Best Thanksgiving Shows and Movies on Hulu.

What Thanksgiving movies are on Amazon Prime Video?

Here are our top 3 picks:

1. A Garfield Thanksgiving: For many people, Thanksgiving is about spending time with loved ones, having some laughs, and eating plenty of food. Garfield understands this, and with a runtime of only 23 minutes, it’s a great movie to watch on Thanksgiving.

2. What’s Cooking?: In this underrated Thanksgiving gem, four households celebrate Thanksgiving amidst family tensions. The overarching theme: our personal and cultural differences are beautiful and we’re all connected.

3. Fantastic Mr. Fox: Although this doesn’t necessarily take place on Thanksgiving, the fall vibes in this movie are unbeatable. This is one of the most sincere and impressive animated films in recent memory. Kids and grandparents alike will be engaged the entire time.

For more iconic Thanksgiving movies, check out our list Best Thanksgiving Movies and Shows on Prime Video.

What Thanksgiving movies and shows are on HBO Max?

Here are our top 3 picks:

1. Pieces of April: When April discovers that her mother has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites her emotionally distant to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father struggles to drive her family into the city, April - an inexperienced cook - runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help. If you feel like you’ve seen all the mainstream Thanksgiving classics, check this one out!

2. Full House - Season 1, Episode 9: Preparations for Thanksgiving dinner turn into a kitchen catastrophe for Danny and the gang.

3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Although not a Thanksgiving movie, this list wouldn’t feel complete without recommending at least one Harry Potter movie — almost all of which take place around winter and have Christmas scenes. This is a fantasy story that in infinitely rewatchable.

For more iconic Thanksgiving movies and episodes, check out our list Best Thanksgiving Movies and Shows on HBO Max.