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The Best Episodes of Planet of the Apes Season 1

Every episode of Planet of the Apes Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Planet of the Apes Season 1!

Two astronauts and a sympathetic chimp friend are fugitives in a future Earth dominated by a civilization of humanoid apes. Based on the 1968 Planet of the Apes film and its sequels, which were inspired by the novel of the same name by Pierre Boulle.

Genres:Sci-Fi & FantasyAction & AdventureDrama
Network:CBS

Season 1 Ratings Summary

The best episode of "Planet of the Apes" season 1 is "Escape from Tomorrow", rated 7.1/10 from 353 user votes. It was directed by Don Weis and written by Art Wallace. "Escape from Tomorrow" aired on 9/13/1974 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "The Gladiators".

  • Escape from Tomorrow
    7.1/10 353 votes

    #1 - Escape from Tomorrow

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/13/1974

    Astronauts Alan Virdon and Peter Burke crash land on a strange planet. After being rescued by a friendly human, Virdon and Burke discover this planet is ruled by intelligent apes. To their horror, they discover that they are back on Earth in the year 3085.

    Director: Don Weis

    Writer: Art Wallace

  • The Gladiators
    7.0/10 303 votes

    #2 - The Gladiators

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/20/1974

    Burke, Virdon and Galen come across two humans fighting and get involved, but lose the magnetic disc. To recover it, they must approach the nearby village, where the ape prefect pits humans in a series of gladiatorial games.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Art Wallace

  • The Trap
    7.5/10 299 votes

    #3 - The Trap

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/27/1974

    In a ruined city, Burke and Urko are trapped underground and must reluctantly work together to escape, while Alan and Galen must deal with Urko's gorilla patrol in the streets above.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Edward J. Lakso

  • The Good Seeds
    7.3/10 270 votes

    #4 - The Good Seeds

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/4/1974

    Burke and Virdon have to seek the help of a gorilla farmer and his family when Galen falls sick.

    Director: Don Weis

    Writer: N/A

  • The Legacy
    7.0/10 267 votes

    #5 - The Legacy

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/11/1974

    Burke and Virdon are helped by a young woman and a young boy while searching for an underground computer in a ruined city, but their plans go awry when Alan is captured and Urko uses the boy to get information from the astronaut.

    Director: Bernard McEveety

    Writer: Robert Hamner

  • Tomorrow's Tide
    6.6/10 251 votes

    #6 - Tomorrow's Tide

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/18/1974

    An ape who runs a fishing business plans to use Virdon and Burke as slaves after he captures them.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Surgeon
    7.0/10 245 votes

    #7 - The Surgeon

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/25/1974

    Galen must use all his charm to try and persuade his ex-girlfriend, a female ape surgeon named Kira, to operate on Virdon using a forbidden human anatomy book, after the astronaut is shot.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Deception
    7.0/10 247 votes

    #8 - The Deception

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/1/1974

    When the guys try to track down the apes who are framing humans for crimes in a small community, Fauna, a blind female ape, falls in love with Burke while believing him to be a chimpanzee.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Anthony Lawrence

  • The Horse Race
    6.8/10 240 votes

    #9 - The Horse Race

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/8/1974

    Virdon decides to take part in a dangerous horse race even though he runs the risk of being captured by Urko.

    Director: Jack Starrett

    Writer: Booker Bradshaw

  • The Interrogation
    7.0/10 233 votes

    #10 - The Interrogation

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/15/1974

    Burke undergoes a horrific interrogation after being captured whilst Virdon and Galen mount a rescue attempt.

    Director: Alf Kjellin

    Writer: N/A

  • The Tyrant
    6.9/10 233 votes

    #11 - The Tyrant

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 11/22/1974

    Aboro, a despot, is making community life a misery; Burke, Virdon, and Galen decide to rob him of his powers.

    Director: Ralph Senensky

    Writer: N/A

  • The Cure
    7.0/10 230 votes

    #12 - The Cure

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 11/29/1974

    Thanks to their advanced medical knowledge, Burke and Virdon are able to help a village struck with malaria, but risk discovery.

    Director: Bernard McEveety

    Writer: Edward J. Lakso

  • The Liberator
    7.0/10 232 votes

    #13 - The Liberator

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 12/6/1974

    Burke and Virdon are captured by a bunch of humans determined to hand them over to the Apes.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Up Above the World So High
    7.1/10 235 votes

    #14 - Up Above the World So High

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 12/20/1974

    Burke and Virdon join forces with Leuric, a human attempting to fly by building himself a hang glider.

    Director: John Meredyth Lucas

    Writer: Shimon Wincelberg