Exclusive

Once Upon a Time, Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf and Parks and Rec Bosses Reveal What They're Thankful For!

Exclusive! Julie Plec, Retta and Jeff Davis are all thankful for Showtime's Homeland, while Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are grateful for the Rolling Stones and college football

By Tierney Bricker Nov 22, 2012 8:00 PMTags
ThankfulNBC, Showtime, ABC, HBO

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! Is it time for a break from all the turkey and pumpkin pie? Good, because we've got a treat for you!

While we've already shared what the Watch With Kristin Team is thankful for this season, we thought it would be fun to hear what pop culture goodies some of our favorites in the TV industry are thankful for. What did we learn? Showrunners and actors, they're just like us—i.e., they are huge nerds (they love shows like Homeland, Scandal and Game of Thrones!) and they have really, really good taste. 

The Vampire Diaries' Julie Plec, Once Upon a Time's Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, Teen Wolf's Jeff Davis, Parks and Recreation's writing staff and star Retta all shared their lists with us...

 

Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, creators of ABC's Once Upon a Time

1. That two sensational Rolling Stones documentaries just aired: The Rolling Stones: Charlie Is My Darling - Ireland 1965 and The Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane.

2. That we got to work with Jorge Garcia again.

3. That Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise and that Michael Arndt was tapped to write Episode VII.

4. For NCAA football sanctions—go Badgers!

5. For our fans.

Check out our list of TV's biggest turkeys

Julie Plec, creator of the CW's The Vampire Diaries

1. Aaron Sorkin, Shonda Rhimes, Howard Gordon, Lena Dunham for my four current favorite shows: The Newsroom, Scandal, Homeland and Girls.

2. The Pandora "Explosions in the Sky" playlist. Who wouldn't be able to write good material when the theme from my beloved Friday Night Lights is playing?

3. Ben Affleck and George Clooney & Co. who made Argo—a smart, tense, emotional crowd-pleaser of a film.

4. All the people who had better be storming the theater in droves to see Les Miserables. Because if they do, then maybe we'll finally get Jesus Christ Superstar. And Wicked. And Miss Saigon. And Chess. (OK, we'll never get Chess.)

5. To John Green for writing the most exquisite and achingly beautiful book of the year, "The Fault in Our Stars."

The writing staff of NBC's Parks and Recreation

1. Game of Thrones

2. Sporcle.com—easily the best writers' room time-waster ever invented.

3. Our writers' PA, Dan Eder, who magically brings us food and coffee every day, and without whom we would be lost (and hungry).

4. The nameless caveman who first bonked another caveman on the head with a rock and made the other cavemen laugh, thus inventing the modern "joke" and allowing us, thousands of years later, to make a living essentially just recreating that moment over and over again on TV.

5. Our families, we guess, whatever.

6. The executives and business affairs employees of the National Broadcasting Company—without a doubt, the finest collection of handsome and beautiful geniuses ever assembled!

7. This news blooper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVR1JunnuGE

8.  Movie trailers--easily the second-best writers' room time-waster ever invented.

9. Our production team, which takes our weird rambling ideas and somehow makes them occur, every week, perfectly, exactly the way we imagined they'd occur.

10. Our cast, which is the funniest and best cast on TV, and there isn't really a close second.

Retta, star of Parks and Recreation

1. The fact that my parents are still around and that my mom continues to kill it on Thanksgiving Day. Strictly sweatpants because you WILL overindulge. If you think you can hang with anything less than one size ABOVE what you normally wear? Good luck. 

2. TiVo because my VHS tape game would not be tight. I watch an obscene number of shows.

3. My new body pillow. I'm alone and appreciate having something to hug at night.

4. Parks and Recreation because it has afforded me the opportunity to meet a myriad of cool, genuine and interesting artists. It has gotten me into parties and events that have had so many dynamic individuals as well as some lovely open bars.

5. Scandal, Homeland, The Good Wife, The Vampire Diaries, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Sons of Anarchy, Downton Abbey, New Girl, Happy Endings, The New Normal, Modern Family, Smash, Suits, Mad Men and Parenthood because they Give. Me. Life.

6. Twitter because it helped me find my true calling: Talkin' smack about teevee.

7. My besties because I can still act a fool around them and they never judge a bitch.

Jeff Davis, creator of MTV's hit series Teen Wolf

1. I'm thankful for the unbelievable acting on Homeland from Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis, whose performances are on par with any Oscar winner of the last year.

2. I'm thankful that Hans Zimmer's The Dark Knight Rises score is so phenomenal that it's literally the only thing I listen to anymore while I write. 

3. I'm thankful that The Walking Dead just keeps killing people. Like everyone. If next week Carl was eaten, I honestly would not be surprised. 

4. I'm thankful for Bruce Banner's line in the Avengers, "I'm always angry," which was one of my favorite movie moments this year. 

5. Most of all, I'm thankful that I get paid to write and produce a TV show I love writing and producing. Even if I could really use some more sleep. And a day off. And a drink.