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The Worst Episodes of Cagney & Lacey

Every episode of Cagney & Lacey ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Cagney & Lacey!

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Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the great crime-fighting duos of all

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Cagney & Lacey Season 6 Episode 14 - Ahead of the Game
    6.3/10(50 votes)

    #1 - Ahead of the Game

    S6:E14

    Story by Allison Hock. The crime story hits close to home here. The Laceys are burglarized and Mary Beth must deal with Detective Dupnick from Queens. Of course, she's neglected all the precautions that she lectures civilians about. Cagney attends the Emerald Ball, while dealing with a high school athlete who dropped dead of steroid overuse

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Cagney & Lacey Season 6 Episode 2 - Culture Clash
    6.4/10(58 votes)

    #2 - Culture Clash

    S6:E2

    An Islamic girl from a very devout family wants to be more American. No arranged marriage for her; she'd rather go to Malibu.When she turns up dead, Cagney and Lacey must face her angry family. They're also being considered for a very select task force that Cagney sees as her path to sta

    Director:Ray Danton
    Writer:Frank South

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  3. Cagney & Lacey Season 7 Episode 6 - Video Verite
    6.4/10(57 votes)

    #3 - Video Verite

    S7:E6

    A valuable music video has been stolen, and there's some suspicious white powder about. In the meantime, Cagney's niece Bridget again visits, trying to carve out a career as a New York actress

    Director:Jackie Cooper
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Cagney & Lacey Season 1 Episode 4 - Street Scene
    6.6/10(84 votes)

    #4 - Street Scene

    S1:E4

    Hispanic gang member is killed.

    Director:Ray Danton
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Cagney & Lacey Season 6 Episode 10 - To Thine Own Self Be True (aka The Rapist II)
    6.6/10(52 votes)

    #5 - To Thine Own Self Be True (aka The Rapist II)

    S6:E10

    In a sequel to episode #69, Sara Jones goes on trial. She wants Cagney to back up her story, but Cagney won't do it.

    Director:Helaine Head
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Cagney & Lacey Season 7 Episode 7 - Greed
    6.6/10(55 votes)

    #6 - Greed

    S7:E7

    A game show is supposedly crooked. Once again, undercover work, this time as game show contestants (dressed up like fruits).

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Cagney & Lacey Season 5 Episode 11 - Play It Again, Santa
    6.8/10(60 votes)

    #7 - Play It Again, Santa

    S5:E11

    A Christmas episode, where Cagney is teamed with Newman to solve a dispute over who has rights to a song. Since Chris just had a fight with David, maybe Newman will be a romantic prospect? See Cagney dressed up as a Santa with big elf shoes on

    Director:Charlotte Brown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Cagney & Lacey Season 7 Episode 20 - Yup
    6.8/10(48 votes)

    #8 - Yup

    S7:E20

    A Wall Street tycoon is burgled, and he has a lot of clout with the higher-ups. Harvey Jr. comes home for a visit, and nobody mentions the previous episode. (Rosenzweig usually does a much better job of continuity.)

    Director:Nancy Malone
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Cagney & Lacey Season 2 Episode 19 - Let Them Eat Pretzels
    6.9/10(66 votes)

    #9 - Let Them Eat Pretzels

    S2:E19

    A poor Jewish man is hit by a car, and we know who did it. The problem is that he's the son of an Arabian diplomat, and safe as long as he stays in the embassy. After he escapes twice, the women had better work something out.

    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:Peter Lefcourt

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  10. Cagney & Lacey Season 5 Episode 20 - Capitalism
    6.9/10(49 votes)

    #10 - Capitalism

    S5:E20

    A Cambodian lawyer who specialized in helping his fellow countrymen is killed. Further investigation reveals that he made a lot of money off other Cambodian's misfortunes.

    Director:Alexander Singer
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Cagney & Lacey Season 6 Episode 7 - The Marathon
    6.9/10(57 votes)

    #11 - The Marathon

    S6:E7

    The 14th precinct has to help support the annual New York City marathon. One of the (white) runners is from South Africa, and is facing death threats if she runs. Cagney and Lacey are assigned to talk her out of running but if they can't, then they must protect her.

    Director:Ralph S. Singleton
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Cagney & Lacey Season 1 Episode 1 - You Call This Plain Clothes? (aka Bang, Bang, You're Dead)
    7.0/10(149 votes)

    #12 - You Call This Plain Clothes? (aka Bang, Bang, You're Dead)

    S1:E1

    The detectives again go undercover as prostitutes

    Director:Georg Stanford Brown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Cagney & Lacey Season 6 Episode 19 - Special Treatment
    7.0/10(54 votes)

    #13 - Special Treatment

    S6:E19

    Lacey participates in a protest march against nuclear weapons. She gets arrested and thrown to the tender mercies of Detective Dupnick.

    Director:Jackie Cooper
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Cagney & Lacey Season 2 Episode 11 - Hopes and Dreams
    7.1/10(74 votes)

    #14 - Hopes and Dreams

    S2:E11

    A gang of thieves have an intriguing modus operandi. They wait until a family is at a funeral and then break in and steal everything. One of the victims is a crippled girl.

    Director:Peter Levin
    Writer:Frank Abatemarco

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  15. Cagney & Lacey Season 7 Episode 12 - Shadow of a Doubt
    7.1/10(48 votes)

    #15 - Shadow of a Doubt

    S7:E12

    Cagney and Lacey go undercover at a computer manufacturer. But the company has random drug testing and Chris flunks it. Of course, David argues that this is a violation of her civil rights.

    Director:Jackie Cooper
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Cagney & Lacey Season 1 Episode 2 - Pop Used to Work Chinatown
    7.2/10(99 votes)

    #16 - Pop Used to Work Chinatown

    S1:E2

    The first appearance of Dick O'Neill as Charlie Cagney. The case occurs in Chinatown, where Charlie just happened to work, so he helps out. This is the episode where Lacey shoots and kills a fleeing perp.

    Director:Georg Stanford Brown
    Writer:Brian McKay

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  17. Cagney & Lacey Season 5 Episode 4 - Lottery
    7.3/10(58 votes)

    #17 - Lottery

    S5:E4

    After the New York State Lottery has paid out millions, here comes another ticket. Somebody has a fake, but who? In the B story, Harvey and Mary Beth must face an IRS audit

    Director:James Frawley
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Cagney & Lacey Season 5 Episode 18 - The Man Who Shot Trotsky
    7.3/10(55 votes)

    #18 - The Man Who Shot Trotsky

    S5:E18

    In a sequel to #62,Cagney and a back-on-duty-again Lacey go after Mansfield again. Cagney's informant is a street-smart Hispanic youth - is he tough enough to handle Mansfield?

    Director:Alexander Singer
    Writers:Kathryn Ford, Peter Lefcourt

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  19. Cagney & Lacey Season 5 Episode 21 - Extradition
    7.3/10(55 votes)

    #19 - Extradition

    S5:E21

    Cagney and Lacey get a sweetheart trip - to Los Angeles to bring back a bail jumper

    Director:Charles S. Dubin
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Cagney & Lacey Season 5 Episode 22 - A Safe Place
    7.3/10(57 votes)

    #20 - A Safe Place

    S5:E22

    A thief gets more than he expected, when the goods include plutonium. He needs to be caught quickly, so that his radiation sickness can be treated

    Director:Alexander Singer
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Cagney & Lacey Season 6 Episode 9 - Revenge
    7.3/10(61 votes)

    #21 - Revenge

    S6:E9

    When someone who Petrie held a grudge against is killed, Marcus is the suspect. In the B plot, Chris dates a reporter and discovers that he has a hidden agenda.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Cagney & Lacey Season 7 Episode 4 - Different Drummer
    7.3/10(63 votes)

    #22 - Different Drummer

    S7:E4

    There's an older woman who acts strange, burns incense, and claims to be a witch. Is she? Or is she merely lonely and poor and standing in the way of higher real estate prices?

    Director:Sharron Miller
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Cagney & Lacey Season 7 Episode 5 - You've Come a Long Way, Baby
    7.3/10(57 votes)

    #23 - You've Come a Long Way, Baby

    S7:E5

    Mature"" prostitutes are getting bumped off, so our heroines go undercover to investigate. Merry Clayton joins the cast as Detective Verna Dee Jordan. Isbecki just adores having a woman partner.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Cagney & Lacey Season 7 Episode 15 - Land of the Free
    7.3/10(53 votes)

    #24 - Land of the Free

    S7:E15

    A Salvadoran refugee is murdered. Some people say he ran drugs, others say he was a saint. In the B story, Chris meets Nick the plumber at an AA meeting.

    Director:Stephen Macht
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Cagney & Lacey Season 5 Episode 19 - Exit Stage Centre
    7.4/10(59 votes)

    #25 - Exit Stage Centre

    S5:E19

    An actress in a play has died, and it appears to be suicide. However, when the ladies start digging around, they discover that everybody in the play hates everybody else - plenty of reason for murder. We learn that Cagney tried acting in college.

    Director:James Frawley
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Ahead of the Game" is the worst rated episode of "Cagney & Lacey". It scored 6.3/10 based on 50 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 2/2/1987. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Culture Clash".