Giving Thanks for Good TV

Giving Thanks for Good TV

Photos:Giving Thanks for Good TV, For nearly a century, most of us have arisen on November's final Thursday morning and watched parade floats cruise down New York's Seventh (now Sixth) Avenue. And beginning at the very moment Santa's sleigh brings up the rear, every major network launches four days of movies, special episodes and classic reruns that unofficially usher in the larger holiday season. Naturally, with more than 1,000 channels broadcasting 24-7, it's become a bit harder to parse through a simple TV schedule and discern what to watch that's in the season spirit and/or family-oriented.

With that in mind, we've done the legwork for you, compiling 10 Thanksgiving-weekend broadcasts that should evoke all the warm nostalgia and tradition you'll need to get through even the most jetlagged tryptophan malaise.

"The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS" 

(Thursday, Nov. 24, 9 a.m. ET/PT on CBS)

Right up there with the Super Bowl and 24-hour "Yule Log" is the annual Macy's brouhaha, co-hosted by Christina McLarty and Kevin Frazier and tuned into by enthralled kids and sentimental adults from coast to coast. Amid the customary airborne "Peanuts" characters and a climactic appearance from Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be new additions like Tim Burton's B. Boy balloon and music from "Rent" alumnus Adam Pascal and the cast of Broadway's "Memphis." As always, it's the only way to properly usher in the big day.

"A Very Gaga Thanksgiving"

(Thursday, Nov. 24, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC)

On the slightly more adult end of Thanksgiving entertainment, Lady Gaga will touch down on ABC for this 90-minute special, which boasts several intimate performances of originals and Christmas classics (that should be interesting), and in-depth interview footage with Katie Couric. The veteran news anchor promises that Ms. Germanotta will "impress you, delight you and surprise you." If not, hopefully Santa will gift you that hour-and-a-half back.

"Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas" 

(Friday, Nov. 25, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS)

For everyone's favorite animated kitten-and-bunny combo, it's been a long journey from E-card ubiquity to prime-time TV. And in their "Ruin Christmas" special, the bumbling pair manage to jeopardize Santa's annual trek from the North Pole to suburban chimneys after inadvertently catching a ride with his sleigh, hitting some bumpy skies and traveling back in time with Mr. Kringle himself. Hoops & Yoyo's screeching voice-overs take some getting used to, but their holiday misadventures put a creative twist on well-worn Christmas lore.

"The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story" 

(Friday, Nov. 25, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS)

A modern children's book gets its feature-length treatment Friday night on CBS. In 2005, Carol Aebersold and her daughters, Chanda and Christa, collaborated on a self-released story about the elves who help Santa conjure up his naughty and nice lists. In "An Elf's Story," one particular helper, Chippy, is tasked with persuading a skeptical boy named Taylor about the meaning of Christmas. The themes are familiar, but it's refreshing to see the characters and concepts coming from a new generation's legacy of voices.

NFL Football: Packers at Lions 

(Thursday, Nov. 24, 12:30 p.m. ET FOX)

Whether bonding with family before and after the day's three-course meal or trying to get some peace and quiet away from a house of bickering relatives and noisy kids, there is no greater Thanksgiving escape than its pair of daytime football games. And for the first time in eons, the Detroit Lions assume annual hosting duties with a winning squad on the field, up against the NFL's defending Super Bowl champs and lone undefeated squad, the Green Bay Packers. Now that's as American as the spiciest pumpkin pie.

"Cake Boss: Family Feast" 

(Thursday, Nov. 24, 11 p.m. ET/PT on TLC)

The turkey, yams and cranberry sauce are a given, but someone's gotta worry about dessert. Fortunately, Buddy and his Hoboken, N.J., clan have produced a Thanksgiving special to air right around midnight-snack time, after all the poultry and spuds have been digested. The Valastros will be prepping a main course as well, but all audiences need to know is that Buddy's concocted something called a "turkey cake" for his family's sweet tooth. One can only assume the dark meat will be represented by some kind of chocolate filling.

"Olive: The Other Reindeer" 

(Friday, Nov. 25, 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CW)

Consider this the cartoon holiday flick that adults can settle in with too. At less than an hour, and featuring lead voice work by Drew Barrymore, this 1999 charmer was created in part by Matt Groening of "The Simpsonsmore." It focuses on Olive (Barrymore), a whimsical dog who determines it's her obligation to replace an injured Blitzen in Santa's armada so that he can make his annual journey 'round the world. There's also music from the likes of R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, and "The Other Reindeer" is generally a reprieve from some of Thanksgiving weekend's more iconoclastic fare.

"Roseanne: Thanksgiving Day 1994"

(Friday, Nov. 25, 8 p.m. ET/PT on TV Land)

When it came to Rosanne Barr's groundbreaking sitcom, you could always expect something different than the average holiday special episode. In November 1994, Roseanne was balancing turkey basting with a complicated pregnancy and the news that her grandmother was newly engaged. It's not for the little 'uns, but as a break from both football and more sentimental pageantry, "Thanksgiving Day" will deliver the most robust laughs of the young holiday season.

"The 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" 

(Saturday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC)

Freshly back from traveling the world, Matt Lauer is ready to commemorate everyone's favorite parade with a slew of interviews (Florence Henderson, Brooke Shields, Donald Trumpmore and Kris Jenner are among them), archival footage, behind-the-scenes reminiscence and a little bit of history about how the event began. You may actually learn something, but at the least, it will be fun to retrace how we got from Harold the Policeman to the Aflac Duck, and kids will be amped to hear reflections from idols like Joe Jonas. Even the most cynical viewers will get sucked in.

"Four Christmases" 

(Sunday, Nov. 27, 9:45 p.m. ET/PT on TBS)

Speaking of cynical, here's one for the curmudgeons. Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon's underrated 2008 rom-com starts off like a bitter pill of Grinch-ian vibes, as Vaughn and Witherspoon's jaded couple attempt to dodge holiday with their families once again. Ultimately, their plan backfires, and eventually, the two break down and succumb to the underlying optimism and affection beneath the Black Friday claptrap. But along the way, there's some very funny character acting from Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight and Kristin Chenoweth, to name a few. It's sour and sweet, and edited for language and content so you don't have to worry if a 6-year-old ambles into the room.