Thanksgiving Weekend TV Guide: The Specials, Marathons and Classics to Watch

Wondering what to watch on TV over Thanksgiving weekend? The Hollywood Reporter breaks down the programming you need to know to get you through the holiday.

Wednesday

The Making of The Sound of Music Live! (8 p.m. on NBC)
The anticipated play starring Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer doesn’t broadcast until Dec. 5, but fans can get an early look Wednesday night.

Nature: “My Life as a Turkey” (8 p.m. on PBS)
The Emmy-winning program follows one man as he raises turkeys from chicks — with the hatchlings viewing him as their mother.

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Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving Special (9 p.m. on NBC)
SNL revisits classic Thanksgiving sketches, including Adam Sandler’s “Turkey Song.” We’re hoping for some of Bobby Moynihan‘s Drunk Uncle as well.

THURSDAY

Football
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (12:30 p.m. on Fox) 
Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys (4:30 p.m. on CBS)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (8:30 p.m. on  NBC)

Friends Marathon (10 a.m. on TBS)
The quintessential ’90s gang celebrates Thanksgiving in 10 different episodes. As a bonus, TBS also is airing the four “we were on a break” episodes.

Harry Potter Marathon, Part 1 (1 p.m. on ABC Family)
Potter fanatics will be treated to Harry Potter films for three days on ABC Family, with part one of the marathon showing Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire and Half-Blood Prince.

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Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (9 a.m. on NBC, CBS)
Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie are anchoring for NBC, while Kevin Frazier and Thea Andrews are anchoring CBS’ coverage. 

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ( 8 p.m. on ABC)
It’s the 40^th anniversary of the first airing of the classic special. Yes, Charlie still misses the football kick.

The Andy Griffith Show (1:12-7:43 p.m. on TV Land)
If Charlie Brown isn’t enough TV nostalgia for you, hours of The Andy Griffith Show might do the trick. The marathon continues on Friday.

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Punkin Chunkin (8 p.m. on Discovery Channel)
Forget pumpkin pie. On Punkin Chunkin, engineers create homemade contraptions for the purpose of flinging pumpkins great distances. (They go splat.)

Glee (9 p.m. on Fox)
Glee welcomes guests Demi Lovato and Adam Lambert in an episode that also will see the Mckinley High kids tackle Ylvis’ “The Fox.”

Lady Gaga & The Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular (9:30 p.m. on ABC)
Elton John, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kristen Bell and RuPaul also are slated to appear on the special.

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FRIDAY

Harry Potter Marathon, Part 2 (1 p.m. on ABC Family)
The Potter marathon continues, with Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Bond Movie Marathon (8 a.m. on Syfy)

If Harry Potter isn’t your thing, then perhaps another British import will do. The Bond Movie Marathon is on through Sunday, running the gamut from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, with plenty of Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore thrown in, too.

The Elf on the Shelf (8:30 p.m. on CBS)
An elf named Chippey must help Santa decide who has been naughty and who has been nice.

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SATURDAY

Star Trek Movie Marathon (11 a.m.-4:30 a.m. on Syfy)
Kirk, Spock and Picard will help you celebrate Thanksgiving weekend. The marathon doesn’t include the two films by J.J. Abrams, but does feature the 10 that preceded it.

  How the Grinch Stole Christmas (8 p.m. on ABC)
The 1966 Dr. Seuss special lives on, with its famous narration from Boris Karloff.

Shrek the Halls (8:30 p.m. on ABC)
Shrek stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas teamed up for the 2007, 30-minute Christmas special, which takes place after Shrek the Third and before Shrek Forever After.

SUNDAY

The Polar Express (5 p.m. on ABC Family)
The 2004 Tom Hanks film pulls into the station Sunday evening.

The Walking Dead (2-10 p.m. on AMC)
Rick and his crew fight the undead for eight solid hours on Sunday.

The Cosby Show (5-10 p.m. on TV Land)
Bill Cosby takes over TV Land to bring on some serious ’80s family values.