7.3/1045 votes#1 - Nichols
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/16/1971
A retired soldier tired of guns returns to his family homestead in Arizona only to be forced to assume the position of local sheriff.
Director: Frank Pierson
Writer: Frank Pierson
- 7.4/1031 votes
#2 - The Siege
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/1971
A bandit gang rides in from Mexico in search of a dentist for its leader.
Director: Frank Pierson
Writer: Shimon Wincelberg
- 8.5/1028 votes
#3 - The Indian Giver
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/1971
An Indian claims the Ketchams' land.
Director: Frank Pierson
Writer: Theodore J. Flicker
- 8.2/1021 votes
#4 - Paper Badge
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/7/1971
Nichols welcomes a would-be actress to town, while Ketcham is infuriated by a booksmart lawman.
Director: Paul Bogart
Writer: William Wood
- 7.0/1027 votes
#5 - Gulley vs Hansen
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/14/1971
Two aging gunfighters are pressured into a final showdown.
Director: Frank Pierson
Writer: Shimon Wincelberg
- 8.1/1028 votes
#6 - Deer Crossing
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/21/1971
Ketcham angers the Apaches when he tries to force a brave to end his hunt for a prize buck.
Director: William Wiard
Writer: Shimon Wincelberg
- 8.2/1027 votes
#7 - The Specialists
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/28/1971
Nichols and Ketcham hire second-rate mercenaries for an attack on an outlaw stronghold.
Director: Frank Pierson
Writer: George Kirgo
- 7.9/1026 votes
#8 - Peanuts And Crackerjacks
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/4/1971
A baseball game between a visiting Army team and the town's team becomes a betting event.
Director: Peter Tewksbury
Writer: Bud Freeman
- 8.2/1025 votes
#9 - Ketcham Power
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/11/1971
Ketcham is made a deputy and promptly abuses his authority.
Director: Peter Tewksbury
Writer: Gene L. Coon
- 7.5/1026 votes
#10 - The One Eyed Mule's Time Has Come
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/23/1971
An earthquake traps Nichols in a cellar with an Army vet and his mule while looters rampage around them.
Director: Gerd Oswald
Writer: Jack Curtis
- 8.3/1025 votes
#11 - Away The Rolling River
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 11/30/1971
An old bandit has his eye on one last prize: a money train.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: Juanita Bartlett, Ken Kolb
- 7.5/1025 votes
#12 - Where Did Everybody Go?
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 12/7/1971
A jealous boyfriend and his hulking brothers are after Nichols when he flirts with a temptress.
Director: Frank Pierson
Writer: Buck Houghton
- 7.2/1022 votes
#13 - The Marrying Fool
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 12/28/1971
A man comes to town looking to kill Ruth's fiance, who hasn't told her everything about his past.
Director: Gerald Mayer
Writer: Benjamin Masselink
- 7.4/1032 votes
#14 - Eddie Joe
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 1/4/1972
A black fugitive hits town with a vengeful former cellmate close behind.
Director: John Badham
Writer: Frank Pierson, William Wood
- 8.1/1025 votes
#15 - Zachariah
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 1/11/1972
Nichols races a con artist uncle to find a hidden stash of money.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
- 8.2/1026 votes
#16 - The Unholy Alliance
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 1/18/1972
Thieves mistake Nichols for a top safecracker and force him into their latest crime.
Director: John Badham
Writer: Benjamin Masselink
- 7.8/1022 votes
#17 - Slight Of Hand
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/1/1972
A con artist talks the townspeople into investing in a gold mine.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: Juanita Bartlett, Frank Telford
- 8.4/1023 votes
#18 - Wings Of An Angel
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 2/8/1972
Nichols and a daredevil pilot search for killers.
Director: Ivan Dixon
Writer: Buck Houghton, Robert Foster
- 8.3/1028 votes
#19 - About Jessie James
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 2/15/1972
Nichols sets out to catch Jesse James and collect the reward.
Director: William Wiard
Writer: James L. Henderson, Samuel Roeca
- 7.7/1028 votes
#20 - Fight Of The Century
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 2/22/1972
Nichols is forced into the ring with a professional boxer.
Director: William Wiard
Writer: Marion Hargrove, Gilbert Ralston
- 7.1/1026 votes
#21 - Man's Best Enemy
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 2/29/1972
An accused killer escapes when Nichols is distracted by a barking dog.
Director: Anton Leader
Writer: Bud Freeman
- 7.7/1020 votes
#22 - Wonder Fizz Flies Again
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 3/7/1972
Nichols and his pilot friend team up once more, this time to rescue a kidnapped girl.
Director: Frank Pierson
Writer: Robert Foster
- 8.7/1033 votes
#23 - All In The Family
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 3/14/1972
When Nichols is killed, his identical brother comes to town to avenge his murder.
Director: Jeremy Kagan
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
- 8.0/1022 votes
#24 - Bertha
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 5/16/1972
After twenty years in a school back east Bertha's daughter is coming to town. Bertha plans to close down and become "respectable" during her daughter's visit, but instead Nichols convinces her to let him run her place while she's "gone".
Director: Robert Butler
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
The Best Episodes of Nichols Season 1
Every episode of Nichols Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Nichols Season 1!
Nichols is an American Western television series starring James Garner broadcast in the United States on NBC during the 1971-72 season. Set the fictional town...
Genre:Western
Network:NBC
Episodes
24
Avg. Rating
7.9
S1
S2
S3
S4
E1
E2
E3
7.3
7.4
8.5
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Nichols" is the best rated episode of "Nichols" season 1. It scored 7.3/10 based on 45 votes. Directed by Frank Pierson and written by Frank Pierson, it aired on 9/16/1971. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "The Siege".
