Family backdrop
Drama
Family poster

The Best Episodes of Family

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

The Best Episodes of Family

The lives of the middle-class Lawrence family in Pasadena, California.

Seasons5

  1. Background image for Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)
    8.5/10(125 votes)

    #1 - Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)

    S1:E1

    Buddy hears Kate say something about her, and isn't happy. Also, Nancy walks in on Jeff with another woman.

    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  2. Background image for A Right and Proper Goodbye
    8.5/10(80 votes)

    #2 - A Right and Proper Goodbye

    S1:E4

    Kate's mother comes for one last visit.

    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  3. Background image for Coming Apart
    8.5/10(63 votes)

    #3 - Coming Apart

    S2:E1

    Buddy gets a job at a bakery, and introduces Willie to her boss, ""Big Al""; Nancy gets involved with Peter, while she's finalizing her divorce from Jeff -- despite the latter's pleas for a reconciliation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  4. Background image for Expectations
    8.5/10(43 votes)

    #4 - Expectations

    S4:E7

    Nancy's new boss pressures her to sleep with him; Buddy tries out for the cheerleading squad.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  5. Background image for Smarts
    8.5/10(40 votes)

    #5 - Smarts

    S5:E12

    Annie gets picked on by her classmates, for being too smart; Buddy, studying for her SATs, worries that she's not smart enough.

    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  6. Background image for Letting Go
    8.5/10(43 votes)

    #6 - Letting Go

    S5:E13

    Doug is upset when Buddy starts dating a 21-year-old; Annie is jealous of an old friend who has matured much faster than she has.

    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Family

    READ
  8. Background image for Monday is Forever
    8.4/10(89 votes)

    #7 - Monday is Forever

    S1:E2

    Kate has to wait until Monday to find out whether she has cancer; Buddy and her friend Laura Richardson have until Monday, when the latter's family is scheduled to move to Detroit.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  9. Background image for Such Sweet Sorrow
    8.4/10(56 votes)

    #8 - Such Sweet Sorrow

    S2:E2

    Salina drops by, at a time when Willie is having problems with Alex; Doug is offered a great job in New York.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  10. Background image for On The First Day Of Christmas (a.k.a. The Christmas Story)
    8.4/10(61 votes)

    #9 - On The First Day Of Christmas (a.k.a. The Christmas Story)

    S2:E9

    Doug is suspicious when his father introduces his new, and much younger, girlfriend; Nancy and Jeff have a fight over who gets Timmy over Christmas.

    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  11. Background image for Sleeping Gypsy
    8.4/10(104 votes)

    #10 - Sleeping Gypsy

    S3:E22

    Everyone at school dislikes Buddy's bohemian friend; Kate gives Doug a plaid jacket he doesn't much care for.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  12. Background image for Gifts
    8.4/10(39 votes)

    #11 - Gifts

    S4:E8

    Annie, who still misses her parents, can't relate to the Lawrences' holiday cheer, and decides to run away until Christmas is over; Willie runs into his old barber, who is about to close up shop for good.

    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  13. Background image for Sleeping Over
    8.4/10(45 votes)

    #12 - Sleeping Over

    S4:E13

    Buddy's invitation to a sorority becomes a sore point in her friendship with Audrey when Audrey isn't invited to join. Willie sleeps with Kate's musician friend, leading to a serious mother-son rift over casual sex.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  14. Background image for Thursday's Child
    8.3/10(66 votes)

    #13 - Thursday's Child

    S1:E5

    As Timmy Jr.'s christening approaches, the whole family (especially Buddy, who stubbornly refuses to take part) relives the painful memories of Timmy Sr.'s death.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  15. Background image for Coming of Age
    8.3/10(69 votes)

    #14 - Coming of Age

    S2:E4

    Buddy officially reaches puberty; Nancy is caught between Kate's resentment of her thoughtlessness, Peter's proposal of marriage, and a come-on from a complete stranger.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  16. Background image for Skeleton in the Closet
    8.3/10(67 votes)

    #15 - Skeleton in the Closet

    S2:E8

    Doug must face his sister Emily's alcoholism. Buddy tries to help a senior citizen she spots shoplifting food from the supermarket.

    Director:John Erman
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  17. Background image for Rites of Friendship
    8.3/10(79 votes)

    #16 - Rites of Friendship

    S2:E10

    A friend of Willie's comes out of the closet; Buddy, after getting invited to the ""Junior Jump"" by a popular boy, asks Nancy to teach her to dance.

    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  18. Background image for Annie Laurie
    8.3/10(49 votes)

    #17 - Annie Laurie

    S3:E5

    Doug gets propositioned by a female lawyer.

    Director:Alf Kjellin
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  19. Background image for We Love You, Miss Jessup
    8.3/10(63 votes)

    #18 - We Love You, Miss Jessup

    S3:E6

    Buddy's English teacher gets outed; Willie suspects Nancy of being a home-wrecker.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  20. Background image for All For Love
    8.3/10(44 votes)

    #19 - All For Love

    S4:E2

    Zack tells Buddy that unless she sleeps with him, he will have to satisfy his manly needs with another girl; Doug thinks of buying a flashy sports car.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  21. Background image for Generations
    8.3/10(44 votes)

    #20 - Generations

    S4:E6

    The family decides to spend Thanksgiving at Hattie's farm where Kate faces ghosts from the past. Buddy is intrigued by a local boy.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  22. Background image for The Friend's Affair
    8.3/10(50 votes)

    #21 - The Friend's Affair

    S4:E9

    A colleague and friend of Doug's is cheating on his wife; Annie suspects a next-door neighbor of having murdered his.

    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  23. Background image for Exits and Entrances
    8.3/10(47 votes)

    #22 - Exits and Entrances

    S4:E10

    After Buddy stars in a high-school play (Shaw's Saint Joan), her interest in acting is strongly encouraged by a friend of Kate's, a professional actress; Annie gets a telemarketing job to pay for a new bike.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  24. Background image for Prelude
    8.3/10(36 votes)

    #23 - Prelude

    S4:E20

    Buddy has a crush on her swimming instructor, much to Zack's displeasure; Kate is tempted to call an old boyfriend.

    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  25. Background image for 'Tis the Season
    8.3/10(40 votes)

    #24 - 'Tis the Season

    S5:E2

    A pre-Christmas argument with Willie nearly gives Doug a heart attack; Buddy invites her school's janitor to her house, where he quickly endears himself to everyone but Kate.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

  26. Background image for When the Bough Breaks
    8.3/10(54 votes)

    #25 - When the Bough Breaks

    S5:E4

    Kate finds out she's pregnant; a friend of Buddy's, on vacation from her all-girls school, picks Willie as a seduction target.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
    0 Comments

    Be first to comment!

    Start
    !

    Be the first to comment!

Best Episodes Summary

"Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)" is the best rated episode of "Family". It scored 8.5/10 based on 125 votes. Directed by Mark Rydell and written by Jay Presson Allen, it aired on 3/9/1976. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "A Right and Proper Goodbye".