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The Best Episodes of Gunsmoke

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

Binge this in 16d 18h•Peaking at 9.2/10

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Gunsmoke Season 7 Episode 22 - The Gallows
    9.2/10(475 votes)

    #1 - The Gallows

    S7:E22

    While returning suspected killer Pruit Dover to Dodge to stand trial, Matt is shot and badly wounded, and yet Dover stays with him and nurses him back to health.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen
    Writer:John Meston

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  2. Gunsmoke Season 9 Episode 26 - Caleb
    9.1/10(367 votes)

    #2 - Caleb

    S9:E26

    Caleb Marr comes to Dodge in search of a meaningful life after finally acknowledging his failure at farming.

    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:Paul Savage

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  3. Gunsmoke Season 8 Episode 29 - With a Smile
    9.0/10(406 votes)

    #3 - With a Smile

    S8:E29

    A rancher's spoiled son believes even after he is convicted of murder that his father's wealth and influence will save him from the hangman.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen
    Writer:John Meston

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  4. Gunsmoke Season 11 Episode 1 - Seven Hours to Dawn
    9.0/10(387 votes)

    #4 - Seven Hours to Dawn

    S11:E1

    Mace Gore's gang has taken over Dodge. When Matt is believed killed, Festus and Doc have a plan to lure Gore into a trap, even though his usual plan is to leave by dawn.

    Director:Vincent McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Gunsmoke Season 16 Episode 4 - Sam McTavish, M.D.
    9.0/10(316 votes)

    #5 - Sam McTavish, M.D.

    S16:E4

    Doc Adams feels that Sam McTavish (who is a woman Doctor) may replace him.

    Director:Bernard McEveety
    Writer:Bethel Leslie

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  6. Gunsmoke Season 19 Episode 5 - The Widow-Maker
    8.9/10(290 votes)

    #6 - The Widow-Maker

    S19:E5

    A gunfighter wants to forget his past... and wants everyone else to forget it too. Unfortunately for him, this is not easy to accomplish...

    Director:Bernard McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Gunsmoke

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  7. Gunsmoke Season 20 Episode 12 - Island in the Desert (2)
    8.9/10(216 votes)

    #7 - Island in the Desert (2)

    S20:E12

    While Matt and Newly hunt for Festus, Ben Snow and Festus attempt to haul his gold out of the desert.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Gunsmoke Season 3 Episode 24 - The Cabin
    8.8/10(387 votes)

    #8 - The Cabin

    S3:E24

    Matt get caught in a blizzard then finds shelter in a cabin but finds more than he bargained for.

    Director:John Rich
    Writer:John Meston

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  9. Gunsmoke Season 8 Episode 38 - The Quest for Asa Janin
    8.8/10(287 votes)

    #9 - The Quest for Asa Janin

    S8:E38

    A young man is convicted of killing the saloon girl he wanted for his own. Matt is so sure that the young man is really innocent that he goes on the road after another suspect to prevent an unjust hanging.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen
    Writer:Paul Savage

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  10. Gunsmoke Season 9 Episode 1 - Kate Heller
    8.8/10(312 votes)

    #10 - Kate Heller

    S9:E1

    A teen-aged boy who robbed and killed to impress a saloon gal is pursued by Matt. The boy waylays Matt and leaves him for dead, then goes home to his grandmother's house to find her nursing Matt back to health.

    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:Kathleen Hite

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  11. Gunsmoke Season 11 Episode 18 - The Raid (1)
    8.8/10(282 votes)

    #11 - The Raid (1)

    S11:E18

    A band of robbers have hit numerous banks with uncanny precision, planning and ease. They have their sights on Dodge now but they must remove a big obstacle before they can proceed - Marshal Dillon.

    Director:Vincent McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Gunsmoke Season 11 Episode 22 - Wishbone
    8.8/10(261 votes)

    #12 - Wishbone

    S11:E22

    Festus has a habit of using the wishbone from a dead chicken for making wishes on. When he comes across Doc Adams, alone and snakebit, he uses that wish to help him, if it can. Meanwhile, Matt searches for three outlaws who held up a stage, killing the driver and guard.

    Director:Marc Daniels
    Writer:Paul Savage

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  13. Gunsmoke Season 12 Episode 3 - The Jailer
    8.8/10(736 votes)

    #13 - The Jailer

    S12:E3

    Six years after her husband's hanging, Ma Stone plots her revenge against Matt Dillon by first kidnapping Kitty to use as a lure and then jailing Matt to be hanged on the morning of the second day with Kitty watching as her man died.

    Director:Vincent McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Gunsmoke Season 14 Episode 3 - Zavala
    8.8/10(297 votes)

    #14 - Zavala

    S14:E3

    Good western. Mostly action, not too much girl stuff. Gunplay by Dillon very very good in this one. Story is about Dillon taking a warrant into Mexico. He finds the culprit and outdraws him. One of the latter's gang members travels back to the US and tells Jim Davis that Dillon killed his brother. Davis responds with violence, then rides into Mexico and faces Dillon. The human interest part of this movie centers about the likeable Mexican kid, ""Paco"". Dillon and him get along so good that I'm wondering about the sexuality of one of the film bosses. About Rico Alaniz... top-notch performance. He's the guy who, in the movie ""Magnificent Seven"", was always saying 'no, don't anger Calvera, give him what he wants"".

    Director:Vincent McEveety
    Writer:Paul Savage

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  15. Gunsmoke Season 14 Episode 17 - Mannon
    8.8/10(346 votes)

    #15 - Mannon

    S14:E17

    Gunman Will Mannon comes to Dodge, after shooting Festus and taking his mule, to face Matt in a gunfight.

    Director:Robert Butler
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Gunsmoke Season 17 Episode 11 - Drago
    8.8/10(242 votes)

    #16 - Drago

    S17:E11

    Drago wants to find the person who killed a woman who helped him.

    Director:Paul Stanley
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Gunsmoke Season 19 Episode 3 - Matt's Love Story
    8.8/10(366 votes)

    #17 - Matt's Love Story

    S19:E3

    A wounded Matt Dillon suffers amnesia then falls in love with a widow. Matt's first TV kiss, not to Miss Kitty, but to guest star Michael Learned.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Gunsmoke Season 20 Episode 11 - Island in the Desert (1)
    8.8/10(231 votes)

    #18 - Island in the Desert (1)

    S20:E11

    Festus, in the desert hunting escaped killer Gard Dixon is wounded by the outlaw. He is found by Ben Snow, a half-crazy hermit who has been living in the desert with his gold for many years.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Gunsmoke Season 7 Episode 6 - Long, Long Trail
    8.7/10(428 votes)

    #19 - Long, Long Trail

    S7:E6

    A headstrong young woman will undertake the long, dangerous journey to her fiancé's fort on her own if she must, so Matt nominates himself to escort her.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen
    Writer:Kathleen Hite

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  20. Gunsmoke Season 8 Episode 10 - The Hunger
    8.7/10(318 votes)

    #20 - The Hunger

    S8:E10

    Matt and Doc come to the rescue of a farm wife and daughter who essentially are kept as prisoners by the farmer and his son.

    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Gunsmoke Season 8 Episode 18 - The Renegades
    8.7/10(285 votes)

    #21 - The Renegades

    S8:E18

    Quint says that white renegades, not Indians, are the cause of recent raids around Dodge. Working shotgun on the stage, he proves his point when he is attacked, then pursued by those renegades. His "Indian" skills save him and a colonel's daughter who has contempt for half-Comanche Quint.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen
    Writer:John Meston

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  22. Gunsmoke Season 8 Episode 19 - Cotter's Girl
    8.7/10(367 votes)

    #22 - Cotter's Girl

    S8:E19

    A father's dying request is that Matt go to retrieve his daughter. Expecting to find a little girl, Matt finds a near-grown woman, but one who's wild and desperately in need of civilizing.

    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:Kathleen Hite

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  23. Gunsmoke Season 9 Episode 16 - Prairie Wolfer
    8.7/10(323 votes)

    #23 - Prairie Wolfer

    S9:E16

    Festus returns to Dodge from wolfing and is hired by the Cattleman's Association to hunt down the wolves killing everyone's cattle. What he finds is that what's been doing the preying may wind him up in prison if he doesn't get Matt's help.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen
    Writer:John Dunkel

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  24. Gunsmoke Season 10 Episode 8 - Hung High
    8.7/10(335 votes)

    #24 - Hung High

    S10:E8

    As Matt takes a convicted man to Hays City for hanging, Matt and the prisoner are waylaid and the prisoner lynched. Matt is framed for the killing, then arrested by a sergeant with a grudge against him.

    Director:Mark Rydell
    Writer:John Meston

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  25. Gunsmoke Season 10 Episode 11 - Chicken
    8.7/10(257 votes)

    #25 - Chicken

    S10:E11

    Mistakenly hailed as a hero who downed four robbers, a man rethinks his decision to let folks regard him as a gunfighter when protecting the woman he wants calls for a gunman's skill.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen
    Writer:John Meston

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Gallows" is the best rated episode of "Gunsmoke". It scored 9.2/10 based on 475 votes. Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and written by John Meston, it aired on 3/3/1962. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Caleb".