What To Watch: The 2014 Thanksgiving Day Televison Lineup

Thanksgiving is filled with much more than family and an overabundance of turkey. In fact, Thanksgiving marks a prime television day that is full of parades, dog shows, football and holiday features. There is something for the whole family.

Thanksgiving television viewing typically starts with the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year, starlet Taylor Swift will be featured on CBS from 9 a.m. to noon. According to the Orlando Sentinel, The CBS parade special will also highlight performances from the cast of Broadway’s Matilda and Pippin. NBC’s presentation of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade runs at the exact same time, 9 a.m. to noon. The hosts will be Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie. The NBC telecast will feature Lucy Hale, Nick Jonas, Idina Menzel and Meghan Trainor as well as the casts of the Broadway musicals On the Town, Side Show, The Last Ship and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will also feature six new inflatable balloons this year. Want to flip between multiple parades? No problem! The NY Daily News notes that WGN America will air America’s Parade from Chicago as the same time CBS and NBC are airing the Macy’s parade.

Thanksgiving is certainly for the dogs. The National Dog Show Presented by Purina, presented after the parade on NBC from noon to 2 p.m. The hosts are John O’Hurley and analyst David Frei. If you want even more doggy goodness this Thanksgiving, turn to Fox’s presentation of Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular, a two-hour special starting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

If you are looking for a truly “thankful” Thanksgiving special, ABC will air Thank You, America! at 8 pm. The hour special honors everyday people who practice acts of generosity and salutes the men and women of the US Armed Forces.

Looking for Thanksgiving-themed episode, specials, or movies? TV Guide offers these great selections.

• Dora the Explorer “Dora’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (8 a.m., Nickelodeon)
• Roseanne“Thanksgiving” (Noon, WETV)
• Good Luck Charlie “It’s a Charlie Duncan Thanksgiving” (Noon, Disney)
• Thank You, America! With Robin Roberts(8 p.m., ABC)
• Fox’s Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular (8 p.m., Fox)
• The Big Bang Theory “The Thanksgiving Decoupling” (8 p.m., CBS)
• The Simpsons “Bart vs. Thanksgiving” (8 p.m., FXX)
• A Very Bonnaroo Thanksgiving(9 p.m., VH1)
• The Cleveland Show “A General Thanksgiving Episode” (9 p.m., Cartoon Network)
• The Cleveland Show “Turkey Pot Day” (9 p.m., Cartoon Network)
• The McCarthys “Thanks a Lot, Ronny” (9:30 p.m., CBS)

If you are more of the sports type, there is no need for pay-per-view on Thanksgiving when it comes to NFL football games. Start watching at 12:30 p.m. on CBS and then switch to Fox and NBC for more.

• Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (12:30 p.m., CBS)
• Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (4:30 p.m., Fox)
• Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (8:30 p.m., NBC)

What television specials do you look forward to most each Thanksgiving?