On Thanksgiving Day 2026, Thursday, November 26, plan your viewing around the Macy’s Parade in the morning, the National Dog Show at noon and three NFL games: Bears at Lions at 1 p.m. ET, Eagles at Cowboys at 4:30 and Chiefs at Bills at 8:20. Here is the full day, hour by hour.
Published November 11, 2026.
I was raised on holiday traditions, and in the Midwest Thanksgiving has always had a television schedule as firm as the menu. The parade comes first, the football comes next, and the channel stays put until the pie comes out.
I have followed football Saturdays and Sundays for years, so I will say this plainly. Thanksgiving is the one day when the schedule does the planning for you. The hard part is knowing what overlaps, so we have put the day in order below and said who in the family each block suits.
Every time here is Eastern unless it says otherwise. Listings can shift, so check your local guide the week of the holiday.
Thanksgiving Day 2026 TV schedule at a glance
| Time (ET) | What’s on | Where to watch | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. | Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade | NBC, Peacock, Telemundo | Everyone; put it on with breakfast |
| Noon (local time) | National Dog Show | NBC, Peacock | Dog lovers, kids, whoever is cooking |
| 1:00 p.m. | Bears at Lions | CBS, Paramount+ | Football fans, the early-game crowd |
| 4:30 p.m. | Eagles at Cowboys | FOX, FOX One | Football fans; a dinner-hour half-watch |
| 8:20 p.m. | Chiefs at Bills | NBC, Peacock | Pie-and-football holdouts |
| After the game, or any time | A classic special, a TV episode or a movie | Check your guide or streaming service | The whole family, winding down |
If you would rather have a movie than a game after dinner, our Thanksgiving movies roundup covers it. The rest of this guide is the day itself.
8:30 a.m.: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Nothing says the holiday has started like giant balloons drifting down a New York street while the coffee brews. This is the 100th Macy’s parade, and it runs on NBC and Peacock from 8:30 a.m. until noon Eastern, so plan on three and a half hours.
Telemundo carries a Spanish-language version if that suits your table better. A hundred years in, the giant balloons are still the reason to watch, and the first one to fill the screen is the moment the holiday feels real to me.
Put this on while the turkey goes in, because it asks nothing of you. Balloons, floats and marching bands are easy to watch from the kitchen doorway, and children tend to stop whatever they are doing when a balloon fills the screen. Skip the full run if you are hosting and need the screen free for guests. You can turn the sound down and leave the picture on.
Noon: The National Dog Show
This is the gentlest hour of the day, and I mean that as praise. Dogs of every size trot around a ring, a judge looks them over, and the whole room starts picking favorites. It follows the parade on NBC at noon local time, with a Peacock stream. The judging was taped in mid-November near Philadelphia, so the winner stays a secret until the broadcast.
The format is simple enough to follow without a guide. Breeds are sorted into seven groups: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding. Each group sends its winner to the final round, and the best of those takes Best in Show. Dog owners will have strong opinions about the toy group.
Put it on for grandparents, young kids and anyone stuck at the stove. It is the one block where nobody argues about the channel. Skip it if the early football game is the main event for your house. The show usually runs about two hours, so on the East Coast it overlaps with the 1 p.m. kickoff, and a recording solves that.
1 p.m.: Bears at Lions on CBS
The Lions began hosting Thanksgiving games in 1934. This year the Bears come to Detroit for a 1 p.m. kickoff on CBS, with a Paramount+ stream. Even if neither team is yours, this is the game that tells you the football part of the day has begun.
What I like about the early game is how well it fits a house still full of cooking smells. It is on while people drift in, while somebody opens the oven, while the first plate is carried to the table. It suits the uncle who will not talk until the first quarter is over. Skip it if you want a quiet living room, because a football game on a full-volume TV is hard to talk over. If you want the history behind these games, our best Thanksgiving football games list goes back to the beginning.
4:30 p.m.: Eagles at Cowboys on FOX
The Cowboys have hosted on Thanksgiving nearly every year since 1966, and the late-afternoon slot is theirs. This year the Eagles visit Dallas at 4:30 on FOX. It also streams on FOX One.
This kickoff lands at the dinner hour in a lot of homes, so I treat it as a game to half-watch. It works as background for the meal, and fans of either team will keep one eye on the score between helpings. It is a rivalry matchup, which usually keeps a room awake. Put it on if you want the main course to feel like an event. Skip it if dinner is a conversation house and the TV should stay off until dessert.
8:20 p.m.: Chiefs at Bills on NBC
The night game is the one for people who refuse to let the day end. Kansas City visits Buffalo at 8:20 on NBC, with a Peacock stream. It is a big-name pairing, so even a casual viewer has a reason to sit down.
It suits the holdouts: the cousins who stayed for pie, the person who wants one more hour of the couch before the drive home. It is also a fair test of your family’s stamina. A game that starts after 8 p.m. and a full stomach do not always agree. Skip it if little ones need an early bedtime. If you want football all week, the schedule also lists Packers at Rams on Netflix the night before, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, and Broncos at Steelers on Prime Video at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Evening picks: a special, a sitcom or a movie
Not everyone wants a third football game. For the quiet end of the day, I would pick from three shelves. For a short classic, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving runs about 25 minutes and fits any gap. Look for it on a streaming service rather than counting on a broadcast.
For a laugh with grown-ups and teens, a sitcom Thanksgiving episode works when the group is too tired for a plot. Our Thanksgiving TV episodes list has ten of them, led by Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. They run short, nobody needs backstory, and anyone can walk in halfway.
For a full movie, Miracle on 34th Street is my pick for the whole room. It opens on the morning of the parade, so it fits the day better than most. If you have kids to please, the family Thanksgiving movies list sorts the choices by age.
How to line up the whole day
If you only watch one thing, make it the parade. The block I would skip is the 4:30 game if dinner is on the table, because nobody enjoys a meal shouted over. Here is the plan I would follow. Start the parade with breakfast, and let it run while the cooking starts. Switch to the dog show at noon. Record the end if the 1 p.m. kickoff pulls you away. Keep the early game on through dinner prep, give the Cowboys game to the dinner hour, and decide at 8 p.m. whether the night game or a short special suits the room.
Remember that nothing here is final until the week of the holiday. Network listings can shift, and the NFL can move games. A quick look at your local guide on Wednesday night takes a minute and saves an argument.
Frequently asked questions about what to watch on Thanksgiving Day
What time does the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade start in 2026?
It starts at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, November 26, and runs until noon on NBC and Peacock, with a Spanish-language version on Telemundo. Put the coffee on early either way.
What time is the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving?
Noon local time on NBC, right after the parade, with a Peacock stream. It usually runs about two hours, which is a good reason to plan the rest of your afternoon around a recording.
Which NFL games are on Thanksgiving Day 2026?
Three. Bears at Lions at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, Eagles at Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. on FOX, and Chiefs at Bills at 8:20 p.m. on NBC. I would half-watch the first two and save your attention for the night game if you are a Chiefs or Bills fan.
What should the kids watch on Thanksgiving?
Start with the parade, since balloons need no explaining, then the dog show at noon. Both are gentle and neither has a plot to follow. For the evening, a short classic or a sitcom episode from our list beats a long movie that runs past bedtime.
Now it is your turn. What does your family put on every Thanksgiving, and who controls the remote? Tell us in the comments, and if you think we have the order of the day wrong, come argue with us.