Find out how a modern sitcom dethroned Friends, the king of Thanksgiving episodes for 19 years.
Tl;dr
- Friends has long dominated Thanksgiving episodes, but without addressing the specifics of the holiday.
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine incorporated the spirit of Thanksgiving into its plot, surpassing Friends.
- Thanksgiving Episodes Brooklyn Nine-Nine are more specialized and family-oriented.
The King of Thanksgiving Comedy: Brooklyn Nine-Nine surpasses Friends
For a long time, the series Friends occupied the throne of Thanksgiving episodes. However, this dominance was eclipsed by that of Brooklyn Nine-Ninewho was able to address the specificities of this celebration in an astute manner.
Friends : Iconic but generic Thanksgiving episodes
Friendsfollowing the lives of six New Yorkers, produced famous, but often generic, Thanksgiving episodes. Indeed, these episodes could easily be transposed to another party without much editing. However, Brooklyn Nine-Nineled by juvenile detective Jake Peralta, has been able to create exquisitely specialized Thanksgiving episodes.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine : A successful integration of Thanksgiving
Brooklyn Nine-Nine knew how to integrate Thanksgiving into its plots in a skillful way. For example, in Season 4, Jake Peralta’s anxiety over meeting his girlfriend’s father is a key moment in the Thanksgiving episode. Additionally, Charles Boyle’s character, an eccentric epicurean, arrives with a live turkey for the feast, creating a moral dilemma between those who want to eat it and those who wish to save it.
The verdict: Brooklyn Nine-Nine takes the crown
Focusing on family reunions and new introductions, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has fully integrated the spirit of Thanksgiving into its holiday episodes, surpassing Friends. The writers knew how to use the party to introduce and interweave the members of the extended family, making Brooklyn Nine-Nine the true king of party comedy.
What do we think?
It is undeniable that Friends marked its time with its Thanksgiving episodes. However, we must salute the work of Brooklyn Nine-Nine which managed to integrate the spirit of this celebration in a more convincing way. Ultimately, the series was able to leverage Thanksgiving to enrich its plots and develop its characters, giving audiences a more authentic experience of this American tradition.
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