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The Best Episodes of Family

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

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Family Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)
    0.0/10(0 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.

    Director:Mark Rydell
    Writer:Jay Presson Allen

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  2. Family Season 1 Episode 2 - Monday is Forever
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - 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

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  3. Family Season 1 Episode 3 - A Special Kind of Loving
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - A Special Kind of Loving

    S1:E3

    Willie meets, and starts spending lots of time with, Salina -- leading to a tiff with Buddy, right when she needs him to help conquer her fear of diving.

    Director:Randal Kleiser
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Family Season 1 Episode 4 - A Right and Proper Goodbye
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - A Right and Proper Goodbye

    S1:E4

    Kate's mother comes for one last visit.

    Director:Randal Kleiser
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Family Season 1 Episode 5 - Thursday's Child
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - 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

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  6. Family Season 1 Episode 6 - Point of Departure
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Point of Departure

    S1:E6

    Doug resents Willie's attitude towards work, the universe, and everything; a string of burglaries sweeps through the neighborhood.

    Director:John Erman
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Family

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  7. Family Season 2 Episode 1 - Coming Apart
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - 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

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  8. Family Season 2 Episode 2 - Such Sweet Sorrow
    0.0/10(0 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

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  9. Family Season 2 Episode 3 - Home Movie
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Home Movie

    S2:E3

    Willie drives everyone crazy by following them around and filming them; Buddy has difficulty with a school assignment -- writing a speech on the topic of ""How I intend to leave my mark on the world""; Kate runs into a former roommate, who has become a successful author.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Family Season 2 Episode 4 - Coming of Age
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - 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

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  11. Family Season 2 Episode 5 - Jury Duty (1)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Jury Duty (1)

    S2:E5

    Kate is subjected to widespread abuse for being the lone holdout; Buddy captures first prize, T.J.'s heart, and (for good measure) the real killer.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:George Lefferts

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  12. Family Season 2 Episode 6 - Jury Duty (2)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Jury Duty (2)

    S2:E6

    Kate is subjected to widespread abuse for being the lone holdout; Buddy captures first prize, T.J.'s heart, and (for good measure) the real killer.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:George Lefferts

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  13. Family Season 2 Episode 7 - The Cradle Will Fall
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - The Cradle Will Fall

    S2:E7

    Buddy completes her orthodontal treatment; Salina returns to town once again, only to be plunged into a custody battle with her daughter's father; Kate finds out that Elaine's husband is cheating on her.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Family Season 2 Episode 8 - Skeleton in the Closet
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - 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

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  15. Family Season 2 Episode 9 - On The First Day Of Christmas (a.k.a. The Christmas Story)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - 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.

    Director:Gerald S. O'Loughlin
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Family Season 2 Episode 10 - Rites of Friendship
    0.0/10(0 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.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Bethel Leslie

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  17. Family Season 2 Episode 11 - An Eye to the Future
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - An Eye to the Future

    S2:E11

    Buddy (as ""Diamond In the Rough"") gets heavily into the CB scene; Kate decides to go back to college; Doug does a stint as a judge.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Family Season 2 Episode 12 - Lovers and Strangers
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Lovers and Strangers

    S2:E12

    Willie gets cradle-robbed by a visiting movie director, and takes it much too seriously; Doug gets a dog as a birthday present.

    Director:Ralph Senensky
    Writer:Leonora Thuna

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  19. Family Season 2 Episode 13 - Return Engagement
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Return Engagement

    S2:E13

    Maggie Calder, the woman who nearly destroyed Doug and Kate's marriage 20 years ago, is back for a second attempt. Buddy feels she's being treated like a baby.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Anne Howard Bailey

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  20. Family Season 2 Episode 14 - Mirror, Mirror on the Wall . . .
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Mirror, Mirror on the Wall . . .

    S2:E14

    A daughter whom Elaine gave up for adoption years ago finds her, through Kate; Willie is intrigued by a pretty client at the photo studio where he works.

    Director:Robert Hartford-Davis
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Family Season 2 Episode 15 - Someone's Watching
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Someone's Watching

    S2:E15

    A series of anonymous gifts eventually makes Nancy feel threatened; Buddy's motor-mouth school-project partner uses the Lawrences as his surrogate family.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:David Jacobs

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  22. Family Season 2 Episode 16 - A Safe House
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - A Safe House

    S2:E16

    A former friend of Willie's, now an outlaw, gives him a call; Buddy thinks she has a great scoop for the school paper.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Marshall Herskovitz

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  23. Family Season 2 Episode 17 - Best Friends
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Best Friends

    S2:E17

    Nancy attends her high-school reunion, meeting the guy she dumped to marry Jeff; T.J. asks Buddy to a formal dance, causing a rift with Audrey.

    Director:Robert Hartford-Davis
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Family Season 2 Episode 18 - Taking Chances (1)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Taking Chances (1)

    S2:E18

    When Doug loses his sight after getting hit by a car, opinions are divided as to whether he should undergo an operation that could either restore it, or kill him; in the meantime, Willie has second thoughts about having quit his job.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Family Season 2 Episode 19 - Taking Chances (2)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Taking Chances (2)

    S2:E19

    After spending an eternity as a blind man whose youngest daughter despises him, Doug finally musters up the courage to have the operation -- and, of course, all's well.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)" is the best rated episode of "Family". It scored /10 based on 0 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, "Monday is Forever".