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The Best Episodes of Bored to Death

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

Jonathan Ames, a young Brooklyn writer, is feeling lost. He's just gone through a painful break-up, thanks in part to his drinking, can't write his...
Genres:ComedyCrimeMysteryDrama
Network:HBO

Best Episodes Summary

"The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer" is the best rated episode of "Bored to Death". It scored 8.1/10 based on 512 votes. Directed by Adam Bernstein and written by Martin Gero, it aired on 10/25/2009. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Nothing I Can't Handle by Running Away".

  • The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer
    8.1/10512 votes
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    #1 - The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/25/2009

    Jonathan is enlisted to retrieve a sex tape that a female escort is using to extort money from a married New Jersey man. With Ray and George in tow, Jonathan ends up in a motel room with the escort, who attempts to blackmail him as well. Can the very stoned Ray and George save Jonathan's neck before the woman's enraged brother breaks it?

    Director: Adam Bernstein

    Writer: Martin Gero

  • Nothing I Can't Handle by Running Away
    7.9/10311 votes
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    #2 - Nothing I Can't Handle by Running Away

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/28/2011

    In the Season 3 finale, George celebrates Emily and Bernard’s wedding; and Ray is comforted by his son, Spencer. Meanwhile, Jonathan considers breaking up with his new girlfriend, but when he’s kidnapped, an army of Super Ray fans spring into action.

    Director: Adam Bernstein

    Writer: N/A

  • The Gowanus Canal has Gonorrhea!
    7.8/10353 votes
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    #3 - The Gowanus Canal has Gonorrhea!

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/10/2010

    George worries about remaining “intact” after getting some sobering news from his new urologist, Dr. Kenwood. A bad day for Jonathan gets worse when a pair of S&M henchmen kidnap him. They demand a ransom which calls “GI” George & Ray to action.

    Director: Michael Lehmann

    Writer: Martin Gero

  • I've Been Living Like a Demented God!
    7.8/10418 votes
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    #4 - I've Been Living Like a Demented God!

    Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/17/2010

    A professor hires Jonathan to track down a valuable item. George finds an alibi to explain the results of his drug test. Flushed with cash from his “Super Ray” comic book, Ray heads to the bar – and meets a familiar barfly.

    Director: Michael Lehmann

    Writer: Donick Cary

  • Escape From the Dungeon
    7.7/10368 votes
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    #5 - Escape From the Dungeon

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2010

    Jonathan is hired by a police officer to erase the hard drive of an S&M club computer to prevent potentially embarrassing information from coming out as the officer has received word that the club is about to be raided. Leah breaks it off with Ray. George is asked to cut back on expensive meals to prevent the Magazine from going under.

    Director: Alan Taylor

    Writer: N/A

  • Make it Quick, Fitzgerald!
    7.7/10360 votes
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    #6 - Make it Quick, Fitzgerald!

    Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 10/3/2010

    Jonathan is hired by Richard Antrem, George's nemesis and boxing foe, to investigate Richard's suspicions that his wife Priscilla, George's ex, is having an affair. Jonathan's insecurities resurface when Stella announces she's not over her first love. George has a new female urologist; Ray plots to win back Leah by penning a comic book.

    Director: Alan Taylor

    Writer: Jonathan Ames

  • Escape From the Castle!
    7.7/10326 votes
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    #7 - Escape From the Castle!

    Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/2010

    A dermatologist enlists Jonathan to deliver a letter to his intended at an Asian health spa. Jonathan takes Ray to the spa for his birthday, with George and his new chauffeur Vikram in tow.

    Director: Adam Bernstein

    Writer: Donick Cary

  • The Case of the Stolen Sperm
    7.6/10402 votes
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    #8 - The Case of the Stolen Sperm

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/1/2009

    Concerned over the sudden disappearance of the two lesbians who have been buying his sperm, Ray enlists Jonathan to help him track the couple down. After breaking into their apartment, Jonathan learns the pair has flown the coop--but not without leaving behind a clue that both shocks and intrigues Ray. Meanwhile, George ignores Jonathan's warnings by publishing a disparaging editorial about Richard Antrem (Oliver Platt), sending his publishing rival into a fit of rage at the local watering hole.

    Director: Nicole Holofcener

    Writer: Donick Cary

  • The Case of the Grievous Clerical Error!
    7.6/10385 votes
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    #9 - The Case of the Grievous Clerical Error!

    Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 10/31/2010

    Leah hires Jonathan to help find her new dog, “Little Ray.” Ray joins Jonathan in the search for the dog, getting some inside help. A reflective George heads to the hospital for surgery.

    Director: Tristram Shapeero

    Writer: Jonathan Ames, Sam Sklaver

  • The Blonde in the Woods
    7.6/10326 votes
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    #10 - The Blonde in the Woods

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 10/10/2011

    After celebrating the release of his new book, Jonathan learns some distressing familial news. George reunites with his daughter Emily and Ray spends time with his biological son Spencer. Meanwhile, Jonathan's latest case leaves him in a precarious position.

    Director: Michael Lehmann

    Writer: N/A

  • Gumball!
    7.6/10294 votes
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    #11 - Gumball!

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 10/17/2011

    On the run from the police, Jonathan and Ray turn to Howard for help with trying to find out who framed Jonathan for murder, while George runs interference for them in his own inimitable, marijuana-induced way.

    Director: Michael Lehmann

    Writer: Martin Gero

  • The Black Clock of Time
    7.6/10292 votes
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    #12 - The Black Clock of Time

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/2011

    Already nervous about his appearance on "The New Dick Cavett Show," Jonathan is thrown for a loop when another scheduled guest happens to be his nemesis, Louis Greene. Meanwhile, Ray's attentiveness as a father is tested; and George is floored by Emily and Bernard's latest news.

    Director: Michael Lehmann

    Writer: N/A

  • Forget the Herring
    7.6/10302 votes
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    #13 - Forget the Herring

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/2011

    Rose Hiney connects with Jonathan on new leads. George and Ray attempt to right their unrightable wrongs.

    Director: Adam Bernstein

    Writer: Rachel Axler

  • The Case of the Missing Screenplay
    7.5/10515 votes
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    #14 - The Case of the Missing Screenplay

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/4/2009

    While attending a New York film society function, George introduces Jonathan to a filmmaker, who asks him to rewrite a screenplay. Later, he goes out with a party girl and leaves the script at her home, which happens to be a shrink's office. Jonathan asks Ray to pose as a patient to recover the script. Meanwhile, George encounters his ex-wife and her smug new husband.

    Director: Michael Lehmann

    Writer: Jonathan Ames

  • Take a Dive
    7.5/10403 votes
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    #15 - Take a Dive

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/8/2009

    Having picked up the gauntlet thrown down by Richard – and having thwarted a blackmail bid aimed at getting Jonathan to take a dive – the Edition team gear up for a tripleheader boxing challenge against their GQ rivals. But with the bouts only hours away, the women in their lives offer some compelling reasons why winning isn’t everything.

    Director: Paul Feig

    Writer: Martin Gero, Jonathan Ames

  • Super Ray is Mortal!
    7.5/10323 votes
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    #16 - Super Ray is Mortal!

    Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 11/14/2010

    A mad stalker imperils Ray on the eve of the Brooklyn Comic Con. With the help of Officer Drake, he and Jonathan piece together leads to track down the perp. George decides to make a stand at work. Jonathan has another battle with his nemesis, Louis Greene.

    Director: Adam Bernstein

    Writer: Martin Gero

  • Forty-Two Down!
    7.4/10329 votes
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    #17 - Forty-Two Down!

    Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 10/24/2010

    Jonathan attempts to repair the relationship between a poet/limousine driver and his wife. Ray has a meeting with Kevin Bacon.

    Director: Troy Miller

    Writer: N/A

  • Two Large Pearls and a Bar of Gold
    7.4/10283 votes
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    #18 - Two Large Pearls and a Bar of Gold

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 11/14/2011

    Jonathan's college sweetheart hires him to guard her wedding jewels and remind her of their prenuptial pact.

    Director: Tristram Shapeero

    Writer: Mike Schwartz

  • We Could Sing a Duet
    7.3/10286 votes
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    #19 - We Could Sing a Duet

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/31/2011

    George urges Jonathan to show Emily what it's like to be out with a younger man, but they wind up on a stakeout with a wannabe gumshoe impersonating Jonathan. Meanwhile, George goes out on the town with Bernard, but is shocked to learn that Richard Antrem is a competing restaurateur; and Ray is drawn to an older woman after a fight with Leah.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Alanon Case
    7.2/10526 votes
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    #20 - The Alanon Case

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/27/2009

    As Jonathan tries to mend his relationship with Suzanne, another case falls onto his lap. This time, he is tasked by a woman named Jennifer to gather proof of her boyfriend Gary's infidelity. Jonathan, who learns his new client loves to drink as much as he does, tracks down Gary and stumbles upon an unsatisfying outcome.

    Director: Alan Taylor

    Writer: N/A

  • I Keep Taking Baths Like Lady MacBeth
    7.2/10278 votes
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    #21 - I Keep Taking Baths Like Lady MacBeth

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 11/7/2011

    Jonathan and George see a "friendship" counselor. George begins taking singing lessons from Josephine, a delightful pothead. Jonathan attempts to win back George's affection. Ray becomes irresistible to women.

    Director: Tristram Shapeero

    Writer: N/A

  • Stockholm Syndrome
    7.1/10681 votes
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    #22 - Stockholm Syndrome

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/20/2009

    Broken up after his breakup with his girlfriend Suzanne, Jonathan Ames reads through Farewell My Lovely, his favorite book by Raymond Chandler. Enlivened by the novel, Ames places an online advertisement as an unlicensed private investigator. His first unwitting client who seeks his services is a 19-year-old girl looking for her missing sister.

    Director: Alan Taylor

    Writer: N/A

  • The Case of the Lonely White Dove
    7.1/10435 votes
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    #23 - The Case of the Lonely White Dove

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/18/2009

    A recently-paroled Russian enlists the services of Jonathan to search for the object of his infatuation, a songstress known only as "The Lonely White Dove." He checks out the bar where she sings and convinces Suzanne, Ray, and Leah to have dinner there the following night without revealing his primary intention. George gets in touch with his feminine side to boost his magazines' dipping sales.

    Director: Paul Feig

    Writer: Donick Cary

  • The Case of the Stolen Skateboard
    7.0/10450 votes
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    #24 - The Case of the Stolen Skateboard

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/11/2009

    Jonathan is hired to reclaim a kid's stolen skateboard from the neighborhood bully while Ray helps out a lesbian couple who wants to start a new family. George tries to woo a young publicist at the opening of a new restaurant in Brooklyn.

    Director: Tucker Gates

    Writer: N/A