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The Best Episodes of Santa Barbara

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

Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolves around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California. Other prominent families featured on the soap were the rival Lockridge family, and the more modest Andrade and Perkins families. Santa Barbara aired in over 40 countries around the world and is best remembered for its witty dialogue and sometimes tongue-in-cheek situations that often seemed like an affectionate parody of the genre. The show won 24 Daytime Emmy Awards and 18 Soap Opera Digest Awards among various other awards.

Genre:Soap
Network:NBC

Top Episode Ratings Summary

The best episode of "Santa Barbara" is "Episode 43", rated 8.2/10 from 9 user votes. It was directed by N/A and written by N/A. "Episode 43" aired on 9/26/1984 and is rated 0.2 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Episode 44".

  • Episode 43
    8.2/10 9 votes

    #1 - Episode 43

    Season 1 Episode 43 - Aired 9/26/1984

    Kelly's dressmaker turns out to be Ginger, Danny has a soccer match, Mason says CC slept around a lot before he met Sophia.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 44
    8.0/10 9 votes

    #2 - Episode 44

    Season 1 Episode 44 - Aired 9/27/1984

    Joe goes to Alaska to find out info on Dominic. **First appearance of Jonna Leigh Stack (Summer Blake)

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 35
    7.8/10 9 votes

    #3 - Episode 35

    Season 1 Episode 35 - Aired 9/14/1984

    Kelly missing, Dominic breaks into Santana's apartment and steals her letters, Dominic goes to the gazebo.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 11
    7.6/10 25 votes

    #4 - Episode 11

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 8/13/1984

    Cruz arrives to help with the oil rig fire, Kelly asks Peter if he wants to move to New York.

    Director: Rick Bennewitz

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 32
    7.6/10 10 votes

    #5 - Episode 32

    Season 1 Episode 32 - Aired 9/11/1984

    Joe and Peter fight at Cruz's, Augusta and Lionel create their circle of truth, David Hasselhoff cameo, Kelly goes to see Joe at Cruz's and gives him the ring back.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 37
    7.6/10 9 votes

    #6 - Episode 37

    Season 1 Episode 37 - Aired 9/18/1984

    Peter records Mason and Veronica talking in the presidential suite, Cruz finds out from Joe about Santana's baby.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 31
    7.4/10 9 votes

    #7 - Episode 31

    Season 1 Episode 31 - Aired 9/10/1984

    Kelly and Joe meet at Cruz's houseboat, Danny saves Jade from the sleazy producer.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 34
    7.4/10 8 votes

    #8 - Episode 34

    Season 1 Episode 34 - Aired 9/13/1984

    Ted & Laken meet their parents at the snack bar, Peter & Kelly fight and she leaves, Santana tells Cruz she & Channing used to meet at the gazebo. **First appearance of Paul Burke (C.C. Capwell)

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 38
    7.4/10 9 votes

    #9 - Episode 38

    Season 1 Episode 38 - Aired 9/19/1984

    Auction for the Lockridge beachfront property starts, CC takes Santana for a plane ride, Kelly returns to Santa Barbara.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 41
    7.4/10 9 votes

    #10 - Episode 41

    Season 1 Episode 41 - Aired 9/24/1984

    Joe takes Kelly to meet Dominic, Ted, Laken, Danny, Jade look at renting the motel for a hangout, Santana meets Gina & Brandon.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 4
    7.2/10 28 votes

    #11 - Episode 4

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 8/2/1984

    Someone is making a bomb. Santana is about to take a bath when she spots Mason. Naturally, Santana becomes upset and gets Mason to leave. Kelly sees Joe, and Peter notices how if affects her. He thinks something should be done about Joe. C.C. arrives with two thugs, and Joe gets thrown into the water. Thanks to a carrier pigeon, Ted receives a note from Danny and learns that Danny wants to go to Hollywood. Jade pays a visit to the restaurant Danny is working.

    Director: Linda Day

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 40
    7.2/10 9 votes

    #12 - Episode 40

    Season 1 Episode 40 - Aired 9/21/1984

    Kelly goes looking for Joe, Veronica juggles Lionel, Peter & Mason, CC offers Cruz a full-time job on the rigs.

    Director: Rick Bennewitz

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 42
    7.2/10 9 votes

    #13 - Episode 42

    Season 1 Episode 42 - Aired 9/25/1984

    Ginger and her thugs show up at Peter's and blackmail him, it's revealed Dominic is a woman, CC and Santana make love.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 5
    7.1/10 23 votes

    #14 - Episode 5

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 8/3/1984

    Laken has a romantic fantasy about Ted. John goes home and is shocked when he sees what happened to his house. Worried about his daughter, John wants Jade to stay with him. Jade refuses to make a choice between her parents, though. At the warehouse, the stranger informs Joe that he's the one who called the fire department tonight after the explosion. Joe reveals to the stranger, whose name is Dominic, that he found Channing dead with a guest at Channing's big party. However, the witness never came forward.

    Director: Rick Bennewitz

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 12
    7.0/10 20 votes

    #15 - Episode 12

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 8/14/1984

    Cruz in the hospital, Santana finds out her private investigator is working for CC, Dominic arranges a meeting for Kelly & Joe.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 13
    7.0/10 19 votes

    #16 - Episode 13

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 8/15/1984

    Peaches gets her purse stolen, Laken arrives in Hollywood, Joe & Kelly meet at the stables, Joe goes to work for Augusta.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 1
    6.9/10 41 votes

    #17 - Episode 1

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 7/30/1984

    This great soap opera begins with a flashback to a party in honor of Channing Capwell Jr. in Santa Barbara, California in 1979. Channing and his older brother, Mason, are entertaining the guests until the butler, Phillip, gives Channing a note. Channing asks the maid, Santana Andrade, if he'll see her tonight. He then follows instructions to go to the Capwell study. When Channing enters the study, it's clear that someone was waiting behind the desk. The person points a gun and pulls the trigger. Seconds later, Channing is lying dead on the floor. ""Santa Barbara"" then cuts five years ahead in time to the San Quentin prison on July 30, 1984.

    Director: Jeffrey Hayden

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 6
    6.9/10 19 votes

    #18 - Episode 6

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 8/6/1984

    Joe & Kelly argue on the yacht, Peter comes in with a gun, Santana leaves for Acapulco.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 9
    6.9/10 18 votes

    #19 - Episode 9

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 8/9/1984

    Kelly reads some of Joe's letters, Jade arrives in Hollywood, Santana back from Acapulco.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 14
    6.9/10 18 votes

    #20 - Episode 14

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 8/16/1984

    Cruz goes to the Capwell house to rest, Peter and Augusta chat about old times.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 19
    6.9/10 16 votes

    #21 - Episode 19

    Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 8/23/1984

    Joe kisses Kelly (replays), Jade has a screen test with a sleazy producer, Joe gets drunk and goes to Augusta's, Kelly goes to Peter's.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 3
    6.8/10 26 votes

    #22 - Episode 3

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 8/1/1984

    Mason tells Santana that two people saw her with the gun yesterday. He reminds Santana that she had no permit to carry the gun. ""I'm here to help,"" Mason smiles. Santana doesn't trust Mason at all and decides to talk to a lawyer friend. Rosa feels betrayed by C.C. and decides to confront him. She wants to know what happened to Santana's child. C.C. claims he doesn't know and denies that he forced Santana to give up her baby. Rosa thought C.C. trusted her. After all, she started working for C.C. twenty years ago and mothered his children when his wife passed away. C.C. explains to Rosa that he had dreams for Channing and imagined that one day maybe Channing might even be president.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 7
    6.8/10 19 votes

    #23 - Episode 7

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 8/7/1984

    Ted & Danny arrive in Hollywood, Santana talks to the doctor who delivered her baby, Peter gets hurt at polo.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 10
    6.8/10 17 votes

    #24 - Episode 10

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 8/10/1984

    Santana hires a private investigator, Augusta offers Joe a job, Joe breaks into the Capwell house.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Episode 15
    6.8/10 17 votes

    #25 - Episode 15

    Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 8/17/1984

    CC has a party on his yacht, Augusta tries to blackmail Peter, Joe breaks into the Capwell house again.

    Director: Rick Bennewitz

    Writer: N/A