It’s time to be thankful (or maybe terrified) at the bounty of television available Thursday. Hundreds of channels, thousands of shows — which to watch? We’re here to help sift through your holiday viewing options.
THANKSGIVING EPISODES
Two of TV’s top shows at tackling Turkey Day dynamics are busy Thursday — “Friends” (11 a.m.-4 p.m., TBS) and “Everybody Loves Raymond” (8:30-11 p.m., TV Land). Tune in early to catch old-time Thanksgivings from MeTV (5-9:30 a.m.), including “Mister Ed,” “The Brady Bunch” and “Happy Days.” Other vintage holidays Thursday include “The High Chaparral” (9 a.m., H&I), “Daniel Boone” (11 a.m., H&I), “Roseanne” (2-4 p.m., Logo) and “Will & Grace” (3-4:30 p.m., 6-7 p.m., WE).
Thursday’s more recent Thanksgivings include “The Middle” (11 a.m., Freeform), “Last Man Standing” (5 p.m., CMT; 1 a.m., WPIX/11), “Two and a Half Men” (7 p.m., WPIX/11), “Modern Family” (10 p.m., ABC; 11:30 p.m., WNYW/5) and “The Big Bang Theory” (11 p.m., WNYW/5). Plus animated faves “King of the Hill,” “The Cleveland Show,” “American Dad,” “Bob’s Burgers” and “Family Guy” (9-11:30 p.m., Cartoon).
CHRISTMAS ALREADY?
Movie premieres include Thursday night’s “Christmas in Homestead” (8 p.m., Hallmark) and Friday’s “Christmas List” (8 p.m., Hallmark) and “A Puppy for Christmas” (7 p.m., UP). Plus, Elmo learns about holiday spirit in the new special “Once Upon a Sesame Christmas” (Friday at 7 p.m., HBO), with Audra McDonald and Jim Gaffigan.
Thursday’s vintage holiday episodes include “Have Gun, Will Travel” (8:30 a.m., H&I), “Wagon Train” (10 a.m., H&I), “Green Acres” (11 a.m., Logo) and “Will & Grace” (4:30-6 p.m., 7-8 p.m., WE). Or celebrate Christmas in “South Park” (9-11 p.m., Comedy Central).
Friday is when MeTV schedules merry episodes through the day, starting with Eve Arden’s “Our Miss Brooks” (5 a.m.) and silent giant Buster Keaton on “Donna Reed” (5:30 a.m.). Among other MeTV holidays: “The Brady Bunch” (7 a.m.), Westerns (noon-3 p.m.), “M*A*S*H” (7-8 p.m.), “Andy Griffith” (8 p.m.) and “The Twilight Zone” (12:30 a.m.).
Animated Christmas episodes arrive Friday, too, with the uncut original Dr. Seuss cartoon “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (8-8:35 p.m., NBC). More prime-time perennials: “Frosty the Snowman” and “Frosty Returns” (8-9 p.m., CBS) and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (8-9 p.m., ABC).
SERIES MARATHONS
Cowabunga! It’s every episode of “The Simpsons” (Thursday at noon-Dec. 6, FXX), across 300 hours and 13 days. The entire run of 2009 cult comedy “Party Down” (Thursday and Friday 7 p.m.-12:02 a.m., Starz) takes just 10 hours, with Hollywood cater-waiters Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan and Jane Lynch. Also complete: “Z Nation” (Thursday 6 a.m.-Friday 10 p.m., Syfy), plus Patrick Stewart’s two seasons of “Blunt Talk” (Friday 1-10 p.m., Starz).
Thursday’s vintage stack-ups include “All in the Family” (5 a.m.-11 p.m., Antenna TV), “Andy Griffith” (9 a.m.-8:30 p.m., TV Land), “Star Trek” (9 a.m.- Friday 6 a.m., again Friday 9 a.m.-Saturday 8:30 a.m., BBC America) and “Soul Food” (3 p.m.-1 a.m., Aspire). Current shows include “Search Party” (8 p.m.-midnight, TBS), “NCIS” (9 a.m.-6 a.m., Cloo), “Survivor’s Remorse” (11 a.m.-4 p.m., Starz Black), “The Big Bang Theory” (4-8 p.m., TBS) and “Doc Martin” (Thursday night 8-11:30, Friday 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., WLIW/21).
MOVIE MARATHONS
The musical gamut runs from the all-day craziness of Tim Curry’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (repeats Thursday 6 a.m.-4:30, IFC) to the elegant song-and-dance of ’30s duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (Friday 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m., TCM).
John Wayne does his thing out West starting with “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (Thursday 10 a.m.- Friday 6 a.m., AMC). Michael J. Fox goes “Back to the Future” (Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., TNT). Dinosaurs run rampant in “Jurassic Park” (Thursday 11 a.m.-3 a.m., Spike).
ETC.
Billy Joel performs all day in Rome, London and other locales (8 a.m.-4 a.m., MSG). . . . Diana Ross and Michael Jackson star in 1978 movie “The Wiz” (Thursday night at 8 and 11, Fuse). . . . Time trip back to “The ’80s”(Thursday 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 3 p.m.-7 p.m., NatGeo) and “The Seventies” (Friday 7 p.m.-4 a.m., CNN). . . . Friday is filled with “My Little Pony” (9 a.m.-7 p.m., Discovery Family).
