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The Best Episodes of Family Season 4

Every episode of Family Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Family Season 4!

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

Season 4 Ratings Summary

"Starting Over" is the best rated episode of "Family" season 4. It scored 8.1/10 based on 36 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 9/21/1978. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "All For Love".

  • Starting Over
    8.1/1036 votes

    #1 - Starting Over

    Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/1978

    Annie's sole surviving relative dumps her into the Lawrences' lap -- where she doesn't feel quite comfortable, at first.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • All For Love
    8.2/1036 votes

    #2 - All For Love

    Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 9/28/1978

    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: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Changes
    7.6/1034 votes

    #3 - Changes

    Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/1978

    Nancy is all set to re-marry Jeff; Annie, heretofore known as ""Annie Cooper,"" decides to add ""Lawrence"" to her name; Buddy, ever the traditionalist, is bothered by it all.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Magic
    6.5/1051 votes

    #4 - Magic

    Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 10/19/1978

    Kate, in the hospital for a physical, meets a burned-out former rock star; Annie needs Doug's help to impress her classmates with magic tricks.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Just Friends
    6.9/1041 votes

    #5 - Just Friends

    Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 11/9/1978

    Willie considers an affair with a married woman he met in a writing class; Nancy, sick of living in a ""fishbowl,"" decides to move out of the guesthouse and into an apartment of her own.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Walter Koenig

  • Generations
    8.3/1040 votes

    #6 - Generations

    Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 11/23/1978

    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: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Expectations
    8.5/1040 votes

    #7 - Expectations

    Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 12/7/1978

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

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Gifts
    8.4/1033 votes

    #8 - Gifts

    Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 12/21/1978

    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.

    Director: Philip Leacock

    Writer: N/A

  • The Friend's Affair
    8.3/1045 votes

    #9 - The Friend's Affair

    Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 1/4/1979

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

    Director: Philip Leacock

    Writer: N/A

  • Exits and Entrances
    8.3/1041 votes

    #10 - Exits and Entrances

    Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 1/11/1979

    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: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Moment of Truth
    8.3/1032 votes

    #11 - Moment of Truth

    Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 1/18/1979

    A man he once helped put in jail threatens Doug; Buddy and Audrey have a fight about who copied from whom on an algebra test.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Malicious Mischief
    7.6/1036 votes

    #12 - Malicious Mischief

    Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 1/25/1979

    Nancy considers a marriage proposal from Timmy's daycare provider -- until he gets accused of child abuse; Willie falls in love with a cat.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Sleeping Over
    8.3/1040 votes

    #13 - Sleeping Over

    Season 4 Episode 13 - Aired 2/1/1979

    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: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Disco Queen
    7.4/1042 votes

    #14 - Disco Queen

    Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 2/8/1979

    Buddy sneaks into a disco club, with the help of an older acquaintance, and finds it more than she bargained for; Annie has a date with a jock.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Athlete
    7.7/1040 votes

    #15 - The Athlete

    Season 4 Episode 15 - Aired 3/1/1979

    Buddy, volunteering at a hospital, encounters a star high-school basketball player who is there for a broken leg -- or so he thinks; Annie runs for class president against her nemesis, Emmy Sheldon.

    Director: Kim Friedman

    Writer: Marshall Herskovitz

  • The Competition
    8.2/1038 votes

    #16 - The Competition

    Season 4 Episode 16 - Aired 3/8/1979

    Buddy learns the price of competition when an overachieving classmate commits suicide after losing a history competition to her. Annie's cookie-selling strategy is a riot.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Ron Cowen

  • Ballerina
    7.2/1041 votes

    #17 - Ballerina

    Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 3/15/1979

    Willie has a fling with a ballet dancer; Doug purchases a workout set by mail order.

    Director: Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick

    Writer: Edward Zwick

  • Diversions
    6.5/1036 votes

    #18 - Diversions

    Season 4 Episode 18 - Aired 3/22/1979

    While studying for the bar exam, Nancy's attention is diverted by a charming and seemingly accident-prone neighbor.

    Director: James Broderick

    Writer: N/A

  • An Apple For the Teacher
    8.0/1037 votes

    #19 - An Apple For the Teacher

    Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 3/30/1979

    Kate's teaching career gets off to a rough start, when a student decides to continuously annoy her; Annie borrows Buddy's ""lucky"" ring to help during a spelling bee, and promptly loses it.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Prelude
    8.3/1033 votes

    #20 - Prelude

    Season 4 Episode 20 - Aired 4/20/1979

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

    Director: Philip Leacock

    Writer: N/A

  • Going Straight
    7.2/1031 votes

    #21 - Going Straight

    Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 5/10/1979

    Willie hires Bambi Deering, the stripper he met on his 21st birthday. Doug attempts to save hefty plumber's fees by repairing the household pipes himself.

    Director: James Broderick

    Writer: Marshall Herskovitz

  • From Russia With Love
    6.6/1023 votes

    #22 - From Russia With Love

    Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 5/17/1979

    Kate acts as escort to, and highly impresses, a visiting Ukrainian composer; Buddy and Annie play Monopoly to determine who gets Willie's old room.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Edward Zwick