⚡ The highlights
- Fri, Nov. 20: Sunrise on the Reaping in theaters · Steps on Netflix
- Wed, Nov. 25: Packers at Rams, the NFL’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, 8 p.m. ET on Netflix · The Mosquito Bowl on Netflix
- Thu, Nov. 26: the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade · three NFL games on CBS, FOX and NBC · The Hunting Wives season 2 on Netflix
- Fri, Nov. 27: Steelers host Broncos, 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Thanksgiving is the one week a year when the TV remote becomes a diplomatic instrument. Grandpa wants football. Your cousin wants true crime. The kids want anything animated. And you want 45 minutes of quiet with a plate of leftovers. Here’s a day-by-day plan that keeps (almost) everyone happy. All times Eastern.
The week, day by day
Thursday, Nov. 19 — The warm-up
- The Altruists (Netflix) — all eight episodes of the FTX drama with Julia Garner and Anthony Boyle. Read our real-people guide first.
- Guarding Stars (Netflix, out the day before) — Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki in a holiday romance.
Friday, Nov. 20 — Big-screen night
- 🎟️ The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens in theaters. Do your homework with our watch-order guide — all five earlier films are on Peacock.
- Steps (Netflix) — the animated Cinderella-stepsister comedy for the kids who aren’t old enough for Panem. Here’s the parents’ guide.
Saturday–Tuesday, Nov. 21–24 — Travel days and couch days
- Hunger Games marathon on Peacock, one movie a night.
- Catch up on The Hunting Wives season 1 before season 2 drops — or just read our 5-minute recap.
- Start a Netflix Christmas movie early. We ranked them by cheese level.
Wednesday, Nov. 25 — Thanksgiving Eve football double feature
- 🏈 Packers at Rams, 8 p.m. ET, Netflix — the NFL’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game.
- 🎬 The Mosquito Bowl (Netflix) — Peter Berg’s true story of Marines who played football on Guadalcanal on Christmas Eve 1944. Here’s what really happened.
Thursday, Nov. 26 — Thanksgiving Day
- 🎈 The 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC, streaming on Peacock) — a centennial, so expect them to go big.
- 🐶 The National Dog Show (also on Peacock) — the most wholesome thing on television, and we will not be taking questions.
- 🏈 Three NFL games: afternoon games on CBS and FOX, including Cowboys vs. Eagles, then the night game on NBC/Peacock.
- 🔫 The Hunting Wives season 2 (Netflix) — for the post-pie, pre-nap crowd.
Friday, Nov. 27 — Black Friday
- 🏈 Steelers host Broncos, 3 p.m. ET, Prime Video.
- The perfect excuse to skip the mall and rewatch Love Actually or It’s a Wonderful Life, both on Peacock this month.
👨👩👧👦 Remote-control peace treaty
- For the football fan: Wednesday night + all of Thursday afternoon. Non-negotiable.
- For the true-crime aunt: The Altruists and The Hunting Wives.
- For the kids: Steps and Barbie in the Nutcracker (both Netflix).
- For the history buff: The Mosquito Bowl.
- For the person who just wants to cry: A Dog’s Perfect Christmas. (The dog lives.)
🧩 Quiz: How many years has the NFL played on Thanksgiving Day?
More than 100. Thanksgiving football is older than the Macy’s parade, which hits its 100th edition this year. The Wednesday “Thanksgiving Eve” game is brand-new in 2026.
🗳️ Quick poll: What’s on your TV after the turkey?
- Football, obviously
- The Hunting Wives season 2
- A Christmas movie (it’s allowed now)
- Nothing — I’m asleep
Drop your number in the comments — we tally the votes and update this post with the results.
Bookmark this page — we’ll add kickoff times and any surprise drops as they’re announced.
