Thanksgiving 2011 TV Specials: What To Watch and Where To Watch It

You already know that there's football on Thanksgiving day, but what's on the tube later on in the evening? Find out the channels and times of your favorite Thanksgiving marathons and specials, and a few that are new to this year's lineup.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NBC or CBS, 9am-12pm)

The mother of all Thanksgiving day specials, the parade is the only programming during the daytime that can possibly get people to change the channel away from football. And even then, that's usually only during halftime. This year's performers including "American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery and "The Voice" mentor Cee Lo Green, among others.

A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (ABC, 9:30pm)

Yes, this is a real thing that's happening. Lady Gaga has a Thanksgiving special. Lord knows what this affair will end up being like, but so far it's promising an in-depth interview with Gaga conducted by Katie Couric, as well as some intimate performances from the singer. God help us.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (ABC, 8pm)

It's not a holiday if there isn't a Charlie Brown special. This is the original Thanksgiving special featuring the Peanuts gang, and will be accompanied this year by another Charlie Brown cartoon about the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (Fox, 8pm)

It's not technically a Thanksgiving special, but when you think about it, Christmas makes much more sense as a holiday setting when you're talking about a bunch of characters living in the Ice Age. This half-hour special features the voices of many of the original cast members.

Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (Fox, 8:30pm)

Yes, believe it or not there are two Charlie Brown Thanksgiving specials this year! This cartoon is a new one, and focuses on Linus and his blanket, which really must be filthy at this point. The two specials will actually be competing from the 8:30-9pm time slot, so you'll have to choose a side: new school or old school?

The James Bond Marathon (SyFy, 8am Thursday to 5:30am Friday)

Sure, James Bond is British and this is an American holiday, but there are plenty of things about James Bond that are pretty American. Fast cars? Check. Hot women? Check. Blowing s**t up? Check.

Punkin Chunkin 2011 (Discovery, 8pm)

A lesser-known but pretty fun special, Punkin Chunkin has been running for a few years now on Discovery, though the competition itself has been going on much longer. Basically, the idea is this: get a pumpkin and build a machine to launch said pumpkin as far as you possibly can. Hosted by "Mythbusters" co-hosts Kari Byron, Tory Bellechi and Grant Imahara. Trebuchets have never been more in vogue. Except maybe back in the 14th century.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (BBC America, 8am Thursday to 5am Friday)

Those pilgrims on the Mayflower were exploring a new frontier, and that's exactly what these guys do. Only their frontier is the final one, and it has all kinds of aliens and space anomalies. And they have a holodeck. I bet the pilgrims would have killed for a holodeck.