12 Monkeys backdrop
Sci-Fi & Fantasy•Drama

The Best Episodes of 12 Monkeys

Every episode of 12 Monkeys ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of 12 Monkeys!

Binge this in 1d 9h•Peaking at 9.0/10

The provocative story of Cole, a time traveler from a decimated future in a high-stakes race against the clock. Utilizing a dangerous and untested method of time travel, he journeys from 2043 to the present

Airs on
Syfy
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons4

All1234

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    12 Monkeys Season 4 Episode 11 - The Beginning (2)
    9.0/10(15 votes)

    #1 - The Beginning (2)

    S4:E11

    When all hope is lost, Cole must complete his cycle so that his younger self will one day arrive at the end with the answer.

    Director:Terry Matalas
    Writer:Terry Matalas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. 12 Monkeys Season 4 Episode 10 - The Beginning (1)
    8.7/10(17 votes)

    #2 - The Beginning (1)

    S4:E10

    The final battle against the Witness as the fate of time and mankind hangs in the balance. All the pieces finally come together to mark the end of the beginning.

    Director:Terry Matalas
    Writer:Terry Matalas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 12 - Paradox
    8.6/10(1513 votes)

    #3 - Paradox

    S1:E12

    With Cole dying from the effects of time-travel, Railly must find the one person who can save him.

    Director:Dennie Gordon
    Writers:Terry Matalas, Richard Robbins

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 7 - The Keys
    8.4/10(1584 votes)

    #4 - The Keys

    S1:E7

    Cole, Dr. Railly and Aaron strive to stop the virus from being deployed as a bioweapon in Chechnya.

    Director:John Badham
    Writer:Sean Tretta

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 13 - Arms of Mine
    8.4/10(1443 votes)

    #5 - Arms of Mine

    S1:E13

    Cole and Railly attempt a final confrontation with their closest enemies, while Jones faces a new threat to all that she's accomplished.

    Director:David Grossman
    Writers:Travis Fickett, Terry Matalas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. 12 Monkeys Season 3 Episode 9 - Thief
    8.4/10(13 votes)

    #6 - Thief

    S3:E9

    The reason why the Witness wants to destroy time and all reality is revealed.

    Director:David Grossman
    Writer:Sean Tretta

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of 12 Monkeys

    READ
  7. 12 Monkeys Season 4 Episode 9 - One Minute More
    8.4/10(17 votes)

    #7 - One Minute More

    S4:E9

    The beginning of the end as Cole and Cassie embark on their final mission.

    Director:David Grossman
    Writer:Kristen Reidel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 11 - Shonin
    8.3/10(1445 votes)

    #8 - Shonin

    S1:E11

    Cole splinters to Tokyo, 1987 in a last chance effort to stop the Army of the 12 Monkeys.

    Director:Mark Tonderai
    Writer:Sean Tretta

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 4 - Emergence
    8.2/10(20 votes)

    #9 - Emergence

    S2:E4

    When Cole and Cassie are stranded in 1944, Jones must turn to the person she trusts the least to bring them home -- Ramse. For Ramse, this mission will give him a chance to atone for his sins -- but can he mend the broken relations between Cole and Railly? Meanwhile, Jones visits Old Jennifer Goines to explore the true nature of Time - and the Twelve’s method to destroy it.

    Director:David Grossman
    Writer:Richard Robbins

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 10 - Fatherland
    8.2/10(14 votes)

    #10 - Fatherland

    S2:E10

    Cole has his loyalty tested when Ramse and Railly go rogue, embarking on an unsanctioned mission that sends them to 1961 East Berlin. Once there, they have murder on their minds as they search for an unscrupulous German doctor who knows the location of "The Witness."

    Director:Guy Norman Bee
    Writer:Oliver Grigsby

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 13 - Memory of Tomorrow
    8.2/10(15 votes)

    #11 - Memory of Tomorrow

    S2:E13

    Cole and Railly have finally found peace living in the past. When a mysterious woman with apocalyptic visions of the future tells Cole it's not over, he must do the unthinkable to save the world... and the woman he loves.

    Director:David Grossman
    Writer:Terry Matalas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. 12 Monkeys Season 3 Episode 7 - Nurture
    8.2/10(13 votes)

    #12 - Nurture

    S3:E7

    Cole and Railly find themselves at opposite ends of an unspeakable decision. Jones grows suspicious while Railly turns to an emotional ally for advice. All hell breaks loose during a massive fire-fight.

    Director:Steven A. Adelson
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 7 - Meltdown
    8.1/10(16 votes)

    #13 - Meltdown

    S2:E7

    Cole faces the Witness as Cassie's hallucinations evolve; deadly visitors from the past arrive when the time machine malfunctions and begins tearing apart time and space.

    Director:Grant Harvey
    Writer:Richard Robbins

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 12 - Blood Washed Away
    8.1/10(14 votes)

    #14 - Blood Washed Away

    S2:E12

    Cole and Railly attempt to stop the final paradox in the past while Ramse, Jennifer and Deacon struggle to survive the apocalypse in a last ditch effort to find the Witness.

    Director:David Grossman
    Writer:Sean Tretta

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. 12 Monkeys Season 4 Episode 5 - After
    8.1/10(15 votes)

    #15 - After

    S4:E5

    A clue to breaking the cycle leads Cole and Cassie to the 1960s. Christopher Lloyd returns as Zalmon Shaw, a devoted follower of the Witness.

    Director:Sheree Folkson
    Writer:Oliver Grigsby

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 2 - Primary
    8.0/10(20 votes)

    #16 - Primary

    S2:E2

    Cole gets stranded in 2016 after an attempt to destroy the virus changes the future. Jones and Railly deal with the consequences of the changed timeline.

    Director:Magnus Martens
    Writer:Sean Tretta

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 8 - Lullaby
    8.0/10(15 votes)

    #17 - Lullaby

    S2:E8

    Jones comes to the disheartening realization that time travel is humanity's true enemy and that as its architect she needs to be stopped, and so she sends Railly back to the year 2020 with orders to undo all of it.

    Director:Steven A. Adelson
    Writer:Sean Tretta

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. 12 Monkeys Season 2 Episode 9 - Hyena
    8.0/10(15 votes)

    #18 - Hyena

    S2:E9

    To save the last Primary, Cole must turn to a mortal enemy. Plus: Jennifer Goines, radical revolutionary?

    Director:Bill Eagles
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 5 - The Night Room
    7.9/10(1552 votes)

    #19 - The Night Room

    S1:E5

    Cole and Dr. Railly face off with the Army of the 12 Monkeys when both discover the Night Room –- an off-site, black ops lab that houses the virus that will one day destroy the world.

    Director:David Boyd
    Writer:Richard Robbins

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 6 - The Red Forest
    7.9/10(1518 votes)

    #20 - The Red Forest

    S1:E6

    When the tragic events of the Night Room create an alternate reality in 2043, Cole risks his future.

    Director:Alex Zakrzewski
    Writer:Christopher Monfette

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. 12 Monkeys Season 3 Episode 4 - Brothers
    7.9/10(12 votes)

    #21 - Brothers

    S3:E4

    Ramse and Cole splinter to 2007 expecting either a trap - or a final chance to kill The Witness. But when Cole discovers a heartbreaking truth, he’ll discover that the mission was both.

    Director:Joe Menendez
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. 12 Monkeys Season 3 Episode 10 - Witness
    7.9/10(12 votes)

    #22 - Witness

    S3:E10

    The final battle with the Witness begins.

    Director:Grant Harvey
    Writer:Terry Matalas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. 12 Monkeys Season 4 Episode 3 - 45 RPM
    7.9/10(15 votes)

    #23 - 45 RPM

    S4:E3

    Cassie travels back in time to confront a younger Olivia; Cole helps Jennifer find the meaning behind her final Primary vision.

    Director:Christopher J. Byrne
    Writer:Sean Tretta

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. 12 Monkeys Season 4 Episode 4 - Legacy
    7.9/10(15 votes)

    #24 - Legacy

    S4:E4

    Team Splinter goes back in time to the wild, wild frontier in search of a weapon to destroy the Witness.

    Director:Joe Menendez
    Writer:Christopher Monfette

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. 12 Monkeys Season 4 Episode 7 - Daughters
    7.9/10(16 votes)

    #25 - Daughters

    S4:E7

    Jones sends Hannah back in time to 2007 on a personal mission that could be the key to everything.

    Director:Mairzee Almas
    Writer:Christopher Monfette

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"The Beginning (2)" is the best rated episode of "12 Monkeys". It scored 9/10 based on 15 votes. Directed by Terry Matalas and written by Terry Matalas, it aired on 7/6/2018. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Beginning (1)".