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The Best Episodes of Family Season 3

Every episode of Family Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Family Season 3!

The lives of the middle-class Lawrence family in Pasadena, California.
Genre:Drama
Network:ABC

Season 3 Ratings Summary

"Acts of Love (1)" is the best rated episode of "Family" season 3. It scored 7.2/10 based on 45 votes. Directed by N/A and written by David Jacobs, it aired on 9/13/1977. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Acts of Love (2)".

  • Acts of Love (1)
    7.2/1045 votes

    #1 - Acts of Love (1)

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 9/13/1977

    While Nancy and Buddy prepare for their parents' 25th wedding-anniversary party, Willie meets, and falls in love with, a physics student named Lizzy -- who, as he soon finds out, has radiation sickness.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: David Jacobs

  • Acts of Love (2)
    7.1/1041 votes

    #2 - Acts of Love (2)

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 9/20/1977

    Lizzy dies, but not before Willie convinces her to marry him first.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: David Jacobs

  • The First Time
    8.1/1035 votes

    #3 - The First Time

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 9/27/1977

    Kate unhappily contemplates her 49th birthday; T.J. asks Buddy to go steady with him, but she's not sure.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Change of Heart
    8.1/1039 votes

    #4 - Change of Heart

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/4/1977

    Nancy is jealous of Jeff's new fiancée.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Annie Laurie
    8.3/1044 votes

    #5 - Annie Laurie

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/25/1977

    Doug gets propositioned by a female lawyer.

    Director: Alf Kjellin

    Writer: David Jacobs

  • We Love You, Miss Jessup
    8.6/1053 votes

    #6 - We Love You, Miss Jessup

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 11/1/1977

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

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Little Brother
    7.2/1046 votes

    #7 - The Little Brother

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 11/8/1977

    Willie fails to understand a black thing; Buddy develops an interest in genealogy.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Childhood's End
    7.8/1055 votes

    #8 - Childhood's End

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/15/1977

    Buddy's friend Laura returns for a visit, and -- guess what? -- she, too, is now an alkie; a friend of Doug's, a divorced father, is apprehensive about seeing his kids again.

    Director: Alf Kjellin

    Writer: N/A

  • A Tale Out of Season
    7.4/1041 votes

    #9 - A Tale Out of Season

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 11/22/1977

    Doug's colleague and protégé turns out to be a child-beater; Nancy finds a puppy; Buddy finally gets into the Thanksgiving spirit.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Labors of Love
    8.1/1038 votes

    #10 - Labors of Love

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 11/29/1977

    Buddy, upset by a lack of attention from T.J., tries to make him jealous by hanging out with a geek; Willie catches the eye of his cute über-boss.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • A Child is Given
    7.8/1036 votes

    #11 - A Child is Given

    Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 12/13/1977

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • More Than Friends
    7.8/1036 votes

    #12 - More Than Friends

    Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 1/3/1978

    Nancy hits it off with Willie's former writing teacher, but things get awkward when he pans Willie's script.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Princess in the Tower
    7.9/1040 votes

    #13 - Princess in the Tower

    Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 1/10/1978

    Kate, slightly sick of family life, checks out a model apartment in a brand-new high-rise condo -- and gets trapped overnight, along with a very pregnant younger woman; Buddy has the bright idea of dyeing her hair blonde.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Echoes of Love
    6.6/1031 votes

    #14 - Echoes of Love

    Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 1/17/1978

    Willie can't stop reminiscing about Lizzy, so he hooks up with her former roommate; Audrey is depressed because her parents are splitting up, and angry that Doug is representing her mother in the divorce.

    Director: James Sheldon

    Writer: David Jacobs

  • See Saw
    7.6/1027 votes

    #15 - See Saw

    Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 1/24/1978

    Kate volunteers to help a moody (and arithmetic-obsessed) young patient at the Braille institute; Willie works on installing Timmy's new bed; Buddy leaves for a week-end of skiing with T.J. and his parents.

    Director: Philip Leacock

    Writer: N/A

  • Lifeline
    6.3/1036 votes

    #16 - Lifeline

    Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 1/31/1978

    Nancy plays hot-line operator when her classmate attempts suicide, to get back at her married boyfriend for breaking up her; Buddy baby-sits a whiny kid.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • . . . And Baby Makes Three
    7.3/1043 votes

    #17 - . . . And Baby Makes Three

    Season 3 Episode 17 - Aired 2/7/1978

    Nancy and Jeff aren't sure whether to get back together; Buddy is disgusted that Audrey has fallen for the cheap ploys of the school Casanova.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Crossing Over
    7.4/1034 votes

    #18 - Crossing Over

    Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 2/14/1978

    Willie has an appointment with a big-shot film producer, on the eve of his 21st birthday; then, he and Doug make friends with a stripper.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: David Jacobs

  • The Covenant
    7.5/1038 votes

    #19 - The Covenant

    Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 2/21/1978

    Medical crises abound in the family when James reveals to Doug that he must soon undergo exploratory surgery, and Nancy begins to miscarry Jeff's baby.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • A Friend of the Family's
    7.9/1042 votes

    #20 - A Friend of the Family's

    Season 3 Episode 20 - Aired 2/28/1978

    A somewhat unscrupulous former friend of Willie's drops by; Buddy needs driving lessons; Kate and Doug consider taking separate vacations.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Fear of Shadows
    7.7/1051 votes

    #21 - Fear of Shadows

    Season 3 Episode 21 - Aired 5/2/1978

    Kate has a recurring nightmare about running over a little boy; Buddy gets a pet raccoon.

    Director: Georg Stanford Brown

    Writer: N/A

  • Sleeping Gypsy
    8.2/1098 votes

    #22 - Sleeping Gypsy

    Season 3 Episode 22 - Aired 5/9/1978

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

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Counterpoint
    7.9/1043 votes

    #23 - Counterpoint

    Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 5/16/1978

    Kate has to go back and repeat a class she flunked the previous semester, and gets picked on by a snobby professor; Doug contemplates early retirement after his tennis partner has a heart attack.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A