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The Worst Episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street

Every episode of Homicide: Life on the Street ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street!

An American police procedural chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.
Genres:MysteryDramaCrime
Network:NBC

Worst Episodes Summary

"Brotherly Love" is the worst rated episode of "Homicide: Life on the Street". It scored 6.7/10 based on 136 votes. Directed by Peter Medak and written by Julie Martin, it aired on 10/16/1998. This episode scored 0.5 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Map of the Heart".

  • Brotherly Love
    6.7/10136 votes
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    #1 - Brotherly Love

    Season 7 Episode 2 - Aired 10/16/1998

    Sheppard and Lewis investigate the death of a man who has a twin brother. Gharty talks about wanting to live his life; he and Ballard go to the hospital to investigate the death of a teenager. Bayliss has interest in Sheppard; later he seeks advice from Stivers, who tells him to get in line behind Lewis and Falsone. Lewis and Sheppard interview the remaining twin and his mother; she confirms his story and they try to point to the dead twin's girlfriend. Meanwhile the friend of the teenage victim in Ballard and Gharty's case confesses that his friend wasn't shot in Baltimore, but rather D.C.; he drove his friend back to Baltimore so their parent's wouldn't ""kill them"" for buying drugs in D.C. Gee hopes to get the case moved to D.C. Mike Giardello puts in for his FBI transfer, but the only openings they have in the area are for liaisons to local police departments. He interviews with Gaffney, who is so open to the idea, he can't wait to tell Gee. That's something Mike was going to wait f

    Director: Peter Medak

    Writer: Julie Martin

  • Map of the Heart
    7.2/10144 votes
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    #2 - Map of the Heart

    Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 4/26/1996

    A prominent attorney is murdered and the murderer presents himself to Pembleton and Bayliss with a videotape that implicates him. Brodie works on increasing his self-image. Kellerman is determined to find out who's the ""lunch bandit."" The NSA steps in on Pembleton's murder investigation and provides him with a guilty party, even though they know he didn't do it. Bayliss' disgust with the interference doesn't sit well with Gaffney who wants to charge him with insubordination.

    Director: Clark Johnson

    Writer: N/A

  • Wu's on First?
    7.2/10151 votes
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    #3 - Wu's on First?

    Season 5 Episode 15 - Aired 2/7/1997

    A new Baltimore Sun reporter gets into the middle of Frank's investigation of the death of a county cop who was shot because of drugs. Gee likes her style. Mike's brothers, Drew and Greg, come to town, who want to take him and his boat to Miami to set up a charter service. Mike learns that they are on the run from a bookie that Drew owes $18,000. To pay that debt, they've stolen Babe Ruth's Baltimore uniform from another bookie with the intent of selling it. Lewis and Cox go in search of the Kellerman boys. They find them in jail where they spent the night after trying to return the uniform.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: David Simon, Anya Epstein

  • Homicide.com
    7.2/10120 votes
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    #4 - Homicide.com

    Season 7 Episode 13 - Aired 2/5/1999

    The Internet is stage for a ritual murder, which was staged -- which was staged, or was it? The body is found the following morning and Sheppard takes the call, her first since the beating. Since Lewis can't be found, she partners with Bayliss. Second shift detectives Bonaventura and Austin catch word of the day shift's case. It seems the victim in Sheppard's case was a witness they had interviewed the day before about an online murder hoax. The detectives are informed about another murder that is scheduled for midnight. It's a red ball. The detectives try to put the clues together, but come up with nothing and must wait until the netcast begins before they can trace the killer. The trace is successful, but when they arrive at the scene, the killer has left them a computer with the words ""Ha Ha Fooled You."" Barnfather wants Bayliss reassigned as primary if something doesn't turn up soon. Sheppard goes online to flush out the killer. He advertises another murder will take place at www.i

    Director: Jay Tobias

    Writer: Sara B. Cooper

  • Valentine's Day
    7.3/10137 votes
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    #5 - Valentine's Day

    Season 5 Episode 16 - Aired 2/14/1997

    Brodie suggests that a classmate of his named Schack should be a suspect in the death of the student that Munch believes committed suicide. Frank and Mary meet with their marriage counselor and they begin to air some issues. Bayliss and Kellerman try to link together two deadly bombings. Schack attacks Brodie, but he can't prove it. He does offer a way to get Schack to admit to the murder. Frank tells Mary that he will agree to getting Olivia baptized. Mike connects the two bombings; the victims were both connected through the death of the Korean grocer who was murdered by a man who worked for Luther Mahoney. They suspect that there may be more bombs, including one at the courthouse where Meldrick and Julianna are waiting to meet with Judge Aandahl and Danvers, both of who were associated with the Korean grocer case. Frank arrives late to the baptism; Mary takes this as a sign and tells him she is leaving him for a while.

    Director: Clark Johnson

    Writer: Tom Fontana

  • Just an Old Fashioned Love Song
    7.3/10116 votes
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    #6 - Just an Old Fashioned Love Song

    Season 7 Episode 3 - Aired 10/23/1998

    MGee (Mike Giardello) and Ballard investigate a double shooting at the home of a prominent sports doctor and his wife, a dermatologist. The doctor (who was wounded) did not realize the deceased (thought to be a prowler) was his sister-in-law. Munch contends with the IRS; his Waterfront partners want him to make sure that his cousin, their accountant, has been paying their taxes. The Waterfront needs a loan to pay for some improvements. Gharty has taken the day off, to take care of personal matters, like his recent separation from Flora. Munch has his hearing with the IRS; he owes $30,000 in back taxes. Bayliss and Sheppard discuss his sexuality and the possibility of a date. Falsone takes MGee and Ballard to meet an old fight man who knew their doctor. Ballard becomes excited while watching Falsone spar in the ring. MGee and Ballard's investigation lead them right back to the doctor's house, where his wife may be guilty of conspiracy to commit homicide. Gharty stops by the Waterfront t

    Director: Larry Williams, Leslie Libman

    Writer: Eric Overmyer

  • The Last of the Watermen
    7.4/10211 votes
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    #7 - The Last of the Watermen

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 12/9/1994

    After uncovering the fact that an elderly woman's tongue was cut out, Kay decides it is time to take a vacation. She returns home and while she is there she looks into the murder of an environmentalist. The suspects include her brother, an ex-beau and their co-worker. Pembleton reluctantly becomes Felton's partner and they finish investigating the murder of the elderly woman. Munch is against having a television put in their bar.

    Director: Richard Pearce

    Writer: Henry Bromell, Tom Fontana

  • Sideshow (II)
    7.4/10131 votes
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    #8 - Sideshow (II)

    Season 7 Episode 15 - Aired 2/19/1999

    Danvers brings news of his appointment to the District Court bench as the investigation of a government official named Janine McBride continues in New York. Their prime suspect Chesley Purcell is dead and her shooter is in the hands of the Feds. The Baltimore detectives investigate the background of Chesley Purcell and it turns up the name of a man in prison who still appears to be running his organization. This crossover starts on Law and Order S09E14 Sideshow (I).

    Director: Edwin Sherin

    Writer: David Simon

  • The Why Chromosome
    7.4/10106 votes
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    #9 - The Why Chromosome

    Season 7 Episode 21 - Aired 5/14/1999

    When the men are nowhere to be found, Sheppard and Ballard team up to investigate the death of young girl, who's a teenage gang member. With the wedding one week away, Billie Lou asks for Munch's help with her neighbor's abusive boyfriend. After Munch approaches him strongly, the boyfriend retaliates by coming to the Waterfront and slamming Billie Lou's head on the bar. Munch claims he came on strong with the guy, because his ""testosterone riddled behavior"" was due to the celibacy Billie Lou imposed on him, to make their wedding night more special. Billie Lou wants to delay the wedding until the welt on her forehead goes away in about 3 weeks. After Sheppard and Ballard solve their case, Sheppard reminds Lewis that his problem with her is not going to keep her from doing her job.

    Director: Kyle Secor

    Writer: Anya Epstein

  • Hostage (2)
    7.5/10145 votes
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    #10 - Hostage (2)

    Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 9/27/1996

    Night has fallen and the crisis is no closer to being resolved. Gee demands that Barnfather make a decision. Frank continues to trying to adjust. Frank insists on going to the hostage scene. The identity of the hostage-taker is made when he demands that his pig be brought to the school. When the pig doesn't arrive in time, he sets a fire and seriously wounds a hostage (who later dies) and then becomes badly burned. Brodie takes issue with Munch's treatment of Pembleton. The paperwork gets completed and the hostage-taker is formally charged. Frank makes a decision regarding his recovery.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: Julie Martin

  • Diener
    7.5/10136 votes
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    #11 - Diener

    Season 5 Episode 14 - Aired 1/31/1997

    Kellerman assures Lewis that he is seeking some professional advice; he also takes some time off. Lewis is assigned to work with Pembleton and neither is happy with the situation. Together they investigate the murder of a wealthy woman. They suspect the brother may have had a touch of sibling rivalry. Meanwhile, the brother insists that the police have stolen his sister's diamond ring. Mary tells Frank that she thinks they need to talk to a marriage counselor. Cox investigates whether the missing diamond ring might have been taken by one of her staff. She gets Brodie to help her add some video surveillance to the morgue. Mary asks Tim to be Frank's partner again.

    Director: Kyle Secor

    Writer: N/A

  • A Case of Do or Die
    7.5/10114 votes
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    #12 - A Case of Do or Die

    Season 7 Episode 14 - Aired 2/12/1999

    Ballard and Bayliss are called to the scene of the mysterious death of a woman, whose body is found at the bottom of a forty-foot cliff. This victim was to be married the following morning. The two detectives work to determine whether the death was accidental or intentional (via murder or suicide). Meanwhile Sheppard and MGee begin investigating the death of a movie patron, whose body was discovered after the show ended and the theater cleared out. MGee mentions to Sheppard that his sister is about to have a baby, which means Gee is about to become a grandfather. Their investigation reveals that the movie patron was regularly loud and obnoxious and thus bad for business. When an overdose of a sedative is found in his bloodstream, the detectives question the theater owner, who was currently in litigation with the victim. Unfortunately for Ballard and Bayliss, their case remains unsolved.

    Director: Tim Van Patten

    Writer: Anya Epstein

  • A Dog and Pony Show
    7.6/10275 votes
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    #13 - A Dog and Pony Show

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 3/10/1993

    While Giardello is busy sending off an old friend to retirement Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the murder of a dog, Howard and Felton argue over whether Felton finds Howard attractive while dealing with a drug-related homicide and Bolander and Munch take Dr. Blythe's son on a ride along. Meanwhile, Crosetti takes care of the bed-ridden and blind Thormann.

    Director: Alan Taylor

    Writer: Tom Fontana

  • Happy to Be Here
    7.6/10176 votes
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    #14 - Happy to Be Here

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 11/18/1994

    Bayliss continues his relationship with the artist, but she's told her boyfriend. When she tells Bayliss that her boyfriend hit her upon hearing the news, it makes Bayliss so mad he confronts him. Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the death of a woman who's received a delivery of fresh flowers, although she's been dead over two weeks. Bolander and Munch investigate the shooting of Thorne's source, who's linked to a cocaine cartel, then Thorne is shot. Gee tries to get the department to get him a replacement for Crosetti. Thorne's daughter decides to keep his newspaper going. Beau tries to find out where his wife has moved the family. With Meldrick and Bayliss' disagreement over the artist, Munch is left without partners for the bar. Bayliss goes over the edge when the artist dumps him, so he holds up a liquor store for 11 cents; Pembleton gets him out of it.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Julie Martin

  • White Lies
    7.6/10139 votes
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    #15 - White Lies

    Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 11/8/1996

    An article appears in The Baltimore Sun about Kellerman and the other members of the arson unit who are under investigation. Munch investigates the death of women whose husband returned home to find her dead, cause unknown. He suspects the husband but Cox thinks differently. Pembleton tries to help Bayliss close the Lambert case. The article puts Kellerman on edge and he goes to Roland's office where he discovers Roland is a federal witness. This incident gets him suspended until he takes a polygraph test. Brodie gets an offer to stay at Kay's place. Munch presses his witness and breaks him but Cox's evidence still says otherwise. Kellerman takes the test and while waiting for the result tells Lewis the truth. Cox visits Munch's suspect in his cell. Frank reflects on his past and the future. Kellerman passes the polygraph, but so did the federal witness; one of them beat the test.

    Director: Peter Weller

    Writer: Anya Epstein

  • La Famiglia
    7.6/10123 votes
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    #16 - La Famiglia

    Season 7 Episode 1 - Aired 9/25/1998

    Bayliss returns to duty to discover the bosses have renovated the squad room in an attempt to make everyone forget the tragedy of last May. Gharty and Ballard have also returned and Ballard debates about whether she should ask Falsone to the Lodge party. New detective, Rene Sheppard, tells her just to go for it. Seizing the opportunity, Lewis goes for it and asks Sheppard to the party; it seems that he and Barbara have separated and are on their way to divorce. Meanwhile, Falsone speculates if he should ask Sheppard to the party. The first case Bayliss catches, now partnered with Munch, involves the dismembered body of Angelo Faltislo, a friend of Gee's cousin, Mario Giardello. Stivers and Falsone's case is similar: Leo Grimaldi, another friend of Mario, is also found dead. When Gee goes to question cousin Mario, he finds Mario's body in the same condition as that of his friends. Gee's estranged son, Mike Giardello, an FBI agent in Arizona, returns for the funeral. Mike asks Falsone (w

    Director: Nick Gomez

    Writer: Tom Fontana

  • I've Got a Secret
    7.7/10157 votes
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    #17 - I've Got a Secret

    Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 2/2/1996

    Lewis and Kellerman try to subdue a large man who's gone on a rampage. The large man is finally subdued and they find him digging up his mother. This case brings out some information about Meldrick's family, and he tries to see his brother, who doesn't want to see him. Kay tries to keep the identity of her new boyfriend a secret, mainly from John, which drives him crazy. Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the death of a man whose body is found in a car. Scheiner says he died from internal bleeding, not the gunshot wound to the groin he was treated for at an emergency room earlier that day. They discover that the doctor may have had a motive for doing a less than adequate job treating her patient.

    Director: Gwen Arner, Henry Bromell

    Writer: N/A

  • Scene of the Crime
    7.7/10151 votes
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    #18 - Scene of the Crime

    Season 4 Episode 18 - Aired 4/12/1996

    Lewis and Kellerman's investigation of a murder in a housing project puts them at odds with a civilian-patrol group, run by the Black Muslims. Munch is excited because Stan is scheduled to come back June 1st. Russert and Munch catch a case where both the victim and shooter are dead. She with Howard must decide whether to circumvent the so-called ""blue wall of silence"" among police officers when it is discovered that the officer on the scene didn't react in time. Barnfather stops Lewis and Kellerman's charging of a Muslim, until something is leaked to the newspapers. The ""big man"" is scheduled to come to the bar, but changes his mind, twice.

    Director: Kathy Bates

    Writer: David Simon, Anya Epstein

  • M.E., Myself and I
    7.7/10140 votes
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    #19 - M.E., Myself and I

    Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 11/1/1996

    The new Chief Medical Examiner (CME), Julianna Cox, speeds into town. An FBI agent, Pandolfi, conducts interviews with the squad about Kellerman. Frank looks for way to celebrate his anniversary with his wife. The new CME arrives on the scene of a homicide that Lewis and Bayliss are working on, they lay down their respective ground rules. Bayliss' murderer confesses to committing another crime. Kellerman is worried by the ongoing investigation and takes it out on another arson officer. Brodie offers to make chili for the Lewis family but the dinner turns into a fight for Meldrick and his wife. From a suggestion by Frank, Bayliss and Lewis get the other body exhumed and checked out. Frank and Mary celebrate their anniversary. Bayliss gains some insight into the new CME.

    Director: Michael Fields

    Writer: N/A

  • The Heart of a Saturday Night
    7.7/10156 votes
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    #20 - The Heart of a Saturday Night

    Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/15/1996

    Family members of murder victims (Widmer, Rath and Silvio) are in a support group where they discuss their feelings about the loss they have each suffered. Short-handed, Gee investigates the Widmer homicide at the Waterfront Bar. Bayliss' homicide is unidentified for 48 hours before she is identified as being Rath. Lewis and Munch investigate a car jacking at Federal Hill, where the mother is the victim and the 3-year-old daughter in the car at the time is missing. Meanwhile, Howard, Kellerman and Pembleton stay behind. Frank interviews the two witnesses that Tim had in for questioning and gets a lead on a suspect. Cox joins the support group meeting late; she is still coping with the death of her father.

    Director: Whit Stillman

    Writer: Henry Bromell

  • The Twenty Percent Solution
    7.7/10129 votes
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    #21 - The Twenty Percent Solution

    Season 7 Episode 4 - Aired 10/30/1998

    A woman brings to the homicide unit her mystery-writer husband's videotaped declaration that his literary agent is responsible for his murder. Ballard and Gharty catch the case -- only there is no body or crime scene. Meanwhile, Munch and Bayliss investigate the death of an elderly woman that occurred during a break-in -- was it a homicide? Munch would rather leave for his weekend rendezvous with Billie Lou. Ballard and Gharty's investigation becomes a red-ball as they find evidence in the writer's office that a crime was committed. A break leads to the arrest of the literary agent and his accomplice, although Danvers can't guarantee a conviction. Falsone asks Ballard if she would like to go out Saturday night; just then the jury comes back. And a sharp-eyed juror insures that justice is done.

    Director: Clark Johnson

    Writer: David Simon

  • Zen and the Art of Murder
    7.7/10110 votes
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    #22 - Zen and the Art of Murder

    Season 7 Episode 17 - Aired 4/2/1999

    Lewis and Munch begin to investigate the death of a Buddhist monk beaten to death. Lewis isn't interested in working the case with Bayliss, whom he feels, may become too emotionally involved. Ballard and Falsone agree to call their relationship quits. Ballard and Gharty's case involves a man who was shot down in the street; the three witnesses that saw the shooter all have different recollections of his appearance. As a result, their prime suspect cannot be charged. Gee asks for Bayliss's assistance in the Buddhist murder and to Lewis's dismay, Munch abdicates his position in the investigation to Bayliss. Lewis and Bayliss take different approaches to the investigation. Bayliss's approach leads him to the man who committed the crime, but cornering his suspect leads to a showdown with guns and Bayliss fires a fatal shot. Later Bayliss tries to reconcile the shooting with his own feelings about being a Buddhist and being a cop.

    Director: Miguel Arteta

    Writer: Lloyd Rose

  • Son of a Gun
    7.8/10301 votes
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    #23 - Son of a Gun

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 2/10/1993

    Crosetti and Lewis investigate the shooting of a fellow police officer whom Crosetti regards as a son, Howard suspects a rabid Spiro Agnew fan of murder but ends up solving the Calpurnia Church case meanwhile Bolander makes a friend whose death interrupts his date with Dr. Blythe.

    Director: Nick Gomez

    Writer: Tom Fontana

  • Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
    7.8/10271 votes
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    #24 - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 3/24/1993

    Quitting smoking dominates the conversation ad behavior of the homicide detectives even as they solve what may be a gang-related killing of a 14-year-old boy. Lt. Giardello discovers a secret asbestos removal project on the third floor and confronts his superiors on behalf of his squad.

    Director: Wayne Ewing

    Writer: Tom Fontana

  • Nearer My God to Thee
    7.8/10206 votes
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    #25 - Nearer My God to Thee

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 10/14/1994

    When the winner of the city's Good Samaritan Award is murdered, Gee and his staff are called to help the new female night shift commander. Pembleton is at odds with the detective he shares a desk with. Beau and his wife separate and Kay gets caught in the middle. Meldrick and Munch have plans to buy a bar and try to persuade Bolander to also become a partner. Bayliss agrees to become a ""silent"" partner. In passing, Crosetti is said to be in Atlantic City on a ""shots, slots and sluts"" dream vacation.

    Director: Tim Hunter

    Writer: Jorge Zamacona