The Best Episodes Directed By John Rich

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   9.5/10(2 votes)

   #1 - Gloria's Pregnancy (aka Gloria Has a Belly Full)

   S1:E62/16/1971

   Archie's dream of becoming a grandfather is dashed when Gloria suffers a sudden miscarriage.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
2. 

   9.3/10(3 votes)

   #2 - Oh, My Aching Back (aka Archie's Aching Back)

   S1:E31/26/1971

   Archie is convinced he'll collect a large settlement from a petty traffic accident if a Jewish lawyer handles the case. The stylistic minimalism of the Bunkers' sparsely furnished set is on full display in this early episode. According to director John Rich, who grew up not far from Archie's neighbood, the Spartan look of the Bunkers' living room deco was achieved as a result of painstaking efforts. The director remembers personally supervising the cracking of windows and repainting of walls to give the place a run-down, lived-in look. "I told the set designers to take all the color out of it," remembers Rich. "Norman and I wanted to do the show in black and white, but CBS nearly went into a coma. So we decided to do the next best thing and shoot the entire show in muted sepia tones."

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
3. 

   9.3/10(3 votes)

   #3 - Mike's Hippie Friends Come to Visit

   S1:E72/23/1971

   Mike invites one of his hippie friends to spend the night in his living room, despite Archie's strenous ojections.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
4. 

   9.3/10(3 votes)

   #4 - The First and Last Supper

   S1:E134/6/1971

   The Jeffersons arrive for dinner at the Bunkers'--minus husband George, who refuses to socialize with his white neighbors.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
5. 

   9.0/10(3 votes)

   #5 - Archie Gives Blood

   S1:E42/2/1971

   Archie refuses to donate blood because he's afraid that his vital fluids might get mixed in with those of a different race.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
6. 

   9.0/10(2 votes)

   #6 - Gloria Discovers Women's Lib

   S1:E113/23/1971

   Gloria leaves the house in a rage after Mike refuses to recognize her as an equal partner in their marriage.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
7. 

   8.7/10(3 votes)

   #7 - Writing the President

   S1:E21/19/1971

   Mike writes a letter to President Nixon, protesting everything that's wrong with America, including the state of the environment and the nation's involvement in Vietnam. Archie finds out, and to refute his son-in-law's claims he decides he too will write a letter praising the nation's chief and attempting to explain the Meathead as an ignorant. While penning the letter, Archie pictures the family all standing behind him, dressed in his Sunday best, all supporting his positions.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
8. 

   8.7/10(3 votes)

   #8 - Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood

   S1:E83/2/1971

   Louise Jefferson makes her first appearance, through husband George will remain an offscreen character for another two seasons. Their son, Lionel, had been a regular visitor to the Bunkers since the pilot episode, when the writers discovered how effective the street-smart black youth was at gently letting the air out of Archie's sails.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
9. 

   8.7/10(3 votes)

   #9 - Archie Is Worried About His Job

   S1:E103/16/1971

   No one in the family gets any sleep when Archie spends the night worring that he might lose his job.

   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:John Rich

   Writer:N/A
10. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #10 - Archie Goes Too Far

    S3:E171/27/1973

    Edith and Gloria end the latest family brawl when they storm out of the house to spend the night on their own.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
11. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #11 - Class Reunion

    S3:E182/10/1973

    Archie refuses to tag along to Edith's thirtieth high school reunion-- until he finds out that one of her beaus will be attending.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
12. 

    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #12 - Archie in the Hospital (aka Archie Goes to the Hospital)

    S3:E151/6/1973

    Archie befriends the other patient in his semiprivate room, unaware that he's black.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
13. 

    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #13 - Edith Has Jury Duty

    S1:E93/9/1971

    Edith abandons the kitchen for the courtroom when she is chosen for jury duty, leaving Archie to fend for himself.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
14. 

    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #14 - Success Story

    S1:E123/30/1971

    Archie reevaluates his definition of success after he meets an old army buddy who's become wealthy in the used-car trade.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
15. 

    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #15 - Sticky Wicket Newkirk

    S3:E201/20/1968

    Corporal Newkirk sneaks into town for a romantic rendezvous with a German girl, one who professes that she is on the side of the Allies. But when Newkirk sneaks her into the camp and shows her the gang's secret setup, she promptly reports her findings to Major Hochstetter!

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
16. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #16 - Axis Annie

    S3:E232/10/1968

    Hogan must deliver important information to a contact in the nearby town, but the Gestapo has cracked down tight on the camp.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
17. 

    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #17 - The Saga of Cousin Oscar

    S2:E19/18/1971

    Archie is incensed when his sponging cousin Oscar has the nerve to drop dead in the upstairs bedroom.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
18. 

    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #18 - Archie and the Lock-Up

    S2:E310/2/1971

    Archie suffers his ultimate indignity when he's arrested along with a group of radicals at a protest rally.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
19. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #19 - Archie and the Computer

    S4:E710/27/1973

    Edith receives a small fortune in quarters as a result of a computer error. Then another computer informs Archie that he's been officially declared dead.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
20. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #20 - Gloria's Boyfriend

    S4:E192/2/1974

    Archie's misconceptions run amok when Gloria befriends the retarded box boy from the local market.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
21. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #21 - Lionel's Engagement

    S4:E202/9/1974

    The family attends Lionel's engagement party, where his parents discover that one of his fiancé's parents is white.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

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22. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #22 - Et Tu, Archie?

    S4:E181/26/1974

    Archie sabotages an old friend's efforts to land a job at the loading dock because he's afraid the man might be in line for his position.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
23. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #23 - Pay the Twenty Dollars

    S4:E233/9/1974

    Archie unwillingly passes George Jefferson a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
24. 

    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #24 - Mike Comes Into Money

    S3:E811/4/1972

    Mike sparks the latest family feud when he donates two hundred dollars to George McGovern's presidential campaign instead of paying Archie for room and board.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A
25. 

    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #25 - The Bunkers and the Swingers

    S3:E710/28/1972

    Edith unwillingly invites a pair of wife-swapping swingers to dinner when she responds to a newspaper ad for pen pals.

    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:John Rich

    Writer:N/A