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The Worst Episodes of Grounded for Life

Every episode of Grounded for Life ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Grounded for Life!

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Right out of high school, Sean Finnerty got his girlfriend Claudia pregnant. Now she’s his wife, and at just 32, he’s somehow found himself with 14-year-old daughter Lily, two little boys, and a constant struggle

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  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Grounded for Life Season 4 Episode 25 - You're So Vain
    7.0/10(85 votes)

    S4:E25

    Claudia's father, Tony, has returned to the Finnertys for and operation, and the rest of the family is very sympathetic, except for Sean.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 2 - Mustang Lily
    7.1/10(96 votes)

    S3:E2

    Sean blows his shot at snagging a loan from Claudia's dad (Stephen Root) after losing the car he gave Lily for her birthday in a street race. Meanwhile, Henry and Jimmy put the squeeze on their grandfather for some hefty Tooth Fairy funds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 12 - Oh, What a Knight
    7.2/10(97 votes)

    S3:E12

    Sean joins the Knights of Hibernia in order for Lily to compete in their beauty pageant.

    Director:John Putch
    Writer:Erica Rivinoja

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  4. Grounded for Life Season 4 Episode 14 - Communication Breakdown
    7.3/10(84 votes)

    S4:E14

    Sean forgets to give Claudia an important message from her professor; Jimmy hides the telephone bill to conceal his calls to a 976 number; Lily freaks out when Brad doesn't call her for three hours.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 2 - In My Room
    7.4/10(159 votes)

    S1:E2

    Sean inadvertently finds a fake ID in Lily's bedroom. Sean and Claudia confront their daughter about her rebellious behavior, but they get few answers. They decide to hack into her e-mail to find out more about Lily's trouble-making friends. While they are checking, an e-mail comes in from a ""SweetandNastee."" Sean responds, pretending to be Lily. SweetandNastee gives Sean an address to a rave party in Yonkers. Sean and Eddie go to the address which turns out to be a dry cleaners. Convinced the rave is really at the dry cleaners, Sean and Eddie try to gain access to the party but end up getting beaten up by the dry cleaners' owner. Back at home, Sean and Claudia confront Lily, but she slams them for invading her privacy. Turns out she knew they broke into her e-mail account because she was online at a friend's house when she saw her name logged in. Lily made up the rave to teach her folks a lesson about snooping.

    Director:Paul Lazarus
    Writer:Brad Copeland

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  6. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 3 - I Wanna Be Suspended
    7.4/10(144 votes)

    S1:E3

    Jimmy’s science project is late, because his parents made him go with them to a Ramones’ concert. When Sean pleads Jimmy’s case with the principal, he only succeeds in getting Jimmy thrown out of school.

    Director:Ken Kwapis
    Writers:Bill Martin, Mike Schiff

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  7. Grounded for Life Season 2 Episode 19 - Eddie and This Guy with Diamonds
    7.4/10(100 votes)

    S2:E19

    Sean winds up in jail for buying some shady diamond earrings for Claudia from Eddie's so-called ""connection""; Lily protests the nuns's donkey-basketball game.

    Director:John Putch
    Writer:Jeremy Hall

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  8. Grounded for Life Season 2 Episode 20 - I Fought the In-Laws
    7.4/10(106 votes)

    S2:E20

    The minor insults of Claudia's visiting parents get so far under an insecure Sean's skin that it starts to look like he's gone out of his mind. Meanwhile, karaoke leads to an unlikely liplock between Brad and Lily.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 7 - Cuts Like a Knife
    7.4/10(89 votes)

    S3:E7

    Sean has a hard time fighting off an amorous Claudia after lying to her that he's finally undergone a vasectomy. Meanwhile, Brad gets a chance to hang out with Lily by paying her to tutor him in a subject he already excels at.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Chris Kelly

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  10. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 8 - Who Are You?
    7.4/10(95 votes)

    S3:E8

    Sean and Claudia are shocked to learn that Jimmy has been shoplifting and try to figure out his motivations for stealing. Elsewhere, Lily agonizes over what to wear for dinner with Dean's parents. Brad helps her find the perfect outfit, but Dean's parents turn out to be not so great. Meanwhile, Henry brings home his class's pet lizard.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jeremy Hall

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  11. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 9 - Welcome to the Working Week
    7.4/10(89 votes)

    S3:E9

    Lily goes on a shopping spree with her ""emergency credit card,"" resulting in her having to pay back the bill by getting a job -- at the bar. Meanwhile, Eddie fumes over a scathing review of the bar; and Henry takes energy preservation to the extreme.

    Director:John Putch
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 10 - Claudia in Disguise with Glasses
    7.4/10(90 votes)

    S3:E10

    Claudia wreaks havoc at a wedding reception after losing her glasses -- though it may not be Claudia who lost them. Meanwhile Lily convinces Eddie to persuade Dean to get her the perfect birthday gift; and Brad begins spending way too much time with Jimmy.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Aron Abrams

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  13. Grounded for Life Season 4 Episode 6 - S.A.T. and Sympathy (a.k.a. S.A.T. Out of Hell)
    7.4/10(83 votes)

    S4:E6

    Lily and Brad stress over their upcoming S.A.T. tests... and Claudia turns the SAT's into a competition. Meanwhile, Sean teaches Henry a lesson in compassion by taking in a homeless guy (Dave Sheridan).

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Aron Abrams

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  14. Grounded for Life Season 4 Episode 9 - Smells Like Teen Spirit
    7.4/10(89 votes)

    S4:E9

    Sean talks to Jimmy about the birds and the bees; Brad accidentally sees Claudia naked.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Grounded for Life Season 4 Episode 10 - Baby Come Back
    7.4/10(94 votes)

    S4:E10

    Sean becomes jealous when Claudia is asked to do some modeling for a fashion photographer. So she storms out, leaving him to deal with a bath products party that she'd organized. Meanwhile Lily recieves her yearbook photos, which are terrible.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Grounded for Life Season 4 Episode 21 - Pictures of Willy
    7.4/10(86 votes)

    S4:E21

    Eddie persuades Sean to help him break into his ex-girlfriend's apartment to steal embarrassing photographs.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Ned Goldreyer

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  17. Grounded for Life Season 5 Episode 10 - Tom Sawyer
    7.4/10(90 votes)

    S5:E10

    Lily becomes insecure when she learns that she's ""not school smart."" So when Brad snags an interview at Yale, she becomes jealous and connives to land her own interview. Sean takes a second job as a limo driver, to avoid doing work at home. Claudia tries to convince her neighbor, Arianna, that the Finnerty clan is not trash. Jimmy seeks advice from his uncle Eddie for his debut in the school production of Tom Sawyer.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Chris Kelly

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  18. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 1 - Lily B. Goode
    7.5/10(178 votes)

    S1:E1

    In a desperate grab for attention, Lily makes out with the nerdish next-door neighbor, Brad O'Keefe, in his car; when Sean catches them, he responds in a rather unorthodox way--by throwing fried chicken at the windshield. Meanwhile, Walt babysits Jimmy and Henry and teaches them how to dig a hole; and Eddie tries to hook up illegal cable so he and Sean can watch softcore porn.

    Director:Gary Halvorson
    Writer:Bonnie Kallman

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  19. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 4 - Devil with a Plaid Skirt
    7.5/10(138 votes)

    S1:E4

    Jimmy's claim of demonic possession and Lily's skirt length prompt Sean's perceived battle with school head Sister Helen

    Director:Craig Zisk
    Writers:Tom Purcell, Tyrone Finch

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  20. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 7 - Like a Virgin
    7.5/10(133 votes)

    S1:E7

    Claudia is looking forward to a trip to New Jersey to try to bond with Lily. However, things go from bad to worse when Claudia tells popular cheerleaders from Lily's school that her daughter is still a virgin. Lily takes off, leaving Claudia stuck - with no daughter, no luggage, and no clothes.

    Director:Dennie Gordon
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Grounded for Life Season 2 Episode 11 - Mr. Roboto
    7.5/10(99 votes)

    S2:E11

    Jimmy and his class are having a robot science fair. Sean goes all out to create a ""first place"" robot for Jimmy. When the judge of the fair calls Jimmy's robot ""substantial robot"" and ""you could prop a door wide open with this!"" Sean stands up and admits that he made his son's robot. He requests that the other parents do the same (It's obvious that the other robots were made by the parents.) In the end, Jimmy and his robot, fight Benji (his classmate) and his robot in a robot battle! Benji, who was marvelously acted wins!

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 1 - We Didn't Start the Fire
    7.5/10(94 votes)

    S3:E1

    Claudia learns the results of her pregnancy test and Sean celebrates the news with a major purchase: a bar that Eddie plans to burn down for the insurance money. Meanwhile, Lilly and Brad try their luck at getting liquored-up; and Henry develops a craving for a different kind of watering-hole delicacy.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writers:Bill Martin, Mike Schiff

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  23. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 4 - Drive Me Crazy
    7.5/10(90 votes)

    S3:E4

    For the second time, Lily has failed her behind-the-wheel exam. But this time it's not her fault, it's Sean's, who went out of her way to sabotage her driving test by teaching her rediculous driving tips, such as the all-important ""W-turn."" In other events, Claudia is having a devil of a time keeping Henry and Jimmy from playing a violent video game condemned by Sister Helen -- but she winds up addicted to it herself.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writers:Bill Martin, Mike Schiff

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  24. Grounded for Life Season 3 Episode 13 - Part Time Lover
    7.5/10(89 votes)

    S3:E13

    When the dump closes, Walt finds himself with an abundance of free time and begins hanging around the house, much to the dismay of Lily, who finds it increasingly hard to get alone-time with Brad. So she schemes to get him a date online... which turns out to be with a drag-queen. Meanwhile, Eddie finds out that his girlfriend has another boyfriend.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Chris Kelly

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  25. Grounded for Life Season 4 Episode 5 - I Just Paid to Say I Love You
    7.5/10(83 votes)

    S4:E5

    Brad plans a romantic date with Lily in New York City, but because one incident throws them off schedule, the rest of the evening becomes a disaster. Meanwhile, Eddie breaks a window in the sewing room, leaving it wide open for an animal to wander in...an animal which Henry wants to keep as a pet.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"You're So Vain" is the worst rated episode of "Grounded for Life". It scored 7/10 based on 85 votes. Directed by John Blanchard and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/16/2004. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Mustang Lily".