Celebrate Thanksgiving with the Macy's Parade, Football, and The Beatles

Happy Thanksgiving! COVID may have put a damper on last year’s celebration, but cable networks and streaming services are making up for lost time today with a slew of special programming, headlined by Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the long-awaited debut of Peter Jackson's epic Beatles documentary on Disney+.

Also today, the citizens of South Park survive COVID in a new Paramount+ special, F is For Family drops its fifth and final season, and it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without football and The National Dog Show. Here’s what’s new and noteworthy on TV this Thursday:

The Beatles: Get Back: Docuseries premiere. Oscar-winner Peter Jackson offers an intimate window into The Beatles’ recording sessions for the album that would later become “Let It Be” in this three-part documentary series. Episodes will roll out over three days on Disney+, with the first dropping today. Watch trailer. Streaming on Disney+

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Special presentation. Live spectators are back for the 95th annual Macy’s Parade, featuring 15 giant character balloons, 28 floats, and performances from the likes of Nelly, Andy Grammer, Busy Philipps, Kelly Rowland, Darren Criss. 9:00 AM ET on NBC

The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS: Special presentation. Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight host CBS’ alternate parade coverage. The Broadway casts of Waitress and Chicago will perform, and stars from various CBS and Paramount+ series, including Laya DeLeon Hayes, Wilson Cruz, and Anthony Rapp, are set to appear. 9:00 AM ET/6:00 AM PT on NBC

NFL FOOTBALL: For the 16th consecutive year, the NFL has scheduled three football games for Thanksgiving Day, and you can bet the Lions and the Cowboys are once again a part of it:

• The Chicago Bears kick off the day, hosting the Detroit Lions at 12:30 PM ET / 9:30 AM on FOX
• As has become tradition, The Dallas Cowboys take the late afternoon spot, playing The Las Vegas Raiders at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT on CBS
• The AFC meets NFC as the Buffalo Bills face the New Orleans Saints on the road at 8:20 PM ET / 5:20 PM PT on NBC

The National Dog Show: Special presentation. Over 200 dog breeds will compete for the title of Best in Show at the 2021 National Dog Show, recorded at The Kennel Club of Philadelphia. 12:00 PM ET on NBC

Friendsgiving Thanksgiving Day marathon: If Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, & Joey aren't involved, is it really Thanksgiving? Five hours' worth of Friends Thanksgiving episodes begin at 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT on TBS  

World Pet Games: Special presentation. TheThanksgiving Day dog content continues with this international, interspecies competition that asks owners to showcase their pets’ skills in extreme challenges. The Mark Burnett-produced special is hosted by Erin Andrews and Finesse Mitchell, with Rachel Bonnetta serving as sideline reporter. Watch preview. 8:00 PM ET on FOX

South Park: Post Covid: Special presentation. South Park is set to move beyond the pandemic in a new Paramount+ original, the first of 14 such specials to come out of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s massive deal with ViacomCBS. Watch trailer. Streaming on Paramount+

The Magic Maker: Special presentation. Magician Adam Trent helps everyday people in the most emotional moments of their lives in this hour-long ABC special. Watch as Trent helps a U.S. soldier “magically” reappear to his family after serving overseas, teaches a nervous young man to “walk on water” for his marriage proposal, and more. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on ABC

Gossip Girl: Fall premiere. After wreaking havoc upon the Upper East Side, Gossip Girl continues to stir the pot in the second half of Season 1. New episodes drop Thursdays through December 9. Watch trailer. Streaming on HBO Max

F is For Family: Complete fifth season (series finale). As 1974 draws to a close, Frank (voiced by Bill Burr) obsesses over a cryptic message from his dad, Sue (Laura Dern) tries to repair a rift in her family, and Vic (Sam Rockwell) dives into parenting. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

12 Dates of Christmas: Complete second season. Three sexy singles look for someone special to bring home for the holidays in HBO Max’s dating competition series narrated by Natasha Rothwell (Insecure, The White Lotus). Watch trailer. Streaming on HBO Max

Chrisley Knows Thanksgiving: Special presentation. Julie Chrisley passes on her Thanksgiving recipes by teaching her children to cook timeless dishes in this holiday special. Followed by a new episode of Chrisley Knows Best. 7:28 PM ET on USA Network

DMX: Don’t Try to Understand: Original documentary. HBO’s Music Box series tracks the final years in the life of Earl “DMX” Simmons in an attempt to deliver a three-dimensional portrait of the man behind the rap persona. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on HBO

The Nine Kittens of Christmas: TV movie. Cat lovers Zachary (Brandon Routh) and Marilee (Kimberley Sustad) are thrown back together at Christmas when they’re tasked with finding homes for a litter of adorable kittens in this sequel to 2014 holiday flick The Nine Lives of Christmas. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on Hallmark Channel

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now!: Encore presentation. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby gather at Warner Bros. Studios to reminisce about their favorite cases, but they soon discover the backlot may have its own monster problem. Hosted by Janel Parrish. Watch preview. 8:00 PM ET on The CW

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.