Either the Thanksgiving specials on TV were that bad, or the Big Bang Theory is that good. But whatever the reason, a rerun of the show trounced the other Thanksgiving-themed shows offered up across the networks on Thursday night. The Big Bang Theory got 11.2 million viewers compared to Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with 5.8 million and A Very Gaga Thanksgiving at 5.4 million. NBC’s 85th anniversary of the Thanksgiving Day Parade pulled in only 3.7 million viewers.
At the very least, Charlie Brown topped Lady Gaga, which should be some point of pride – tradition trumping trend- but it’s clean that none of the networks really delivered a stellar Thanksgiving lineup. On a day when many people are just looking for an excuse to watch TV and escape the chaos that is family, it seems like networks would provide a few intriguing options. But in absence of that, it’s safe to say that geeks take the day.