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The Best Episodes of Smiley's People

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

Binge this in 5h 0m•Peaking at 8.6/10

Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what happened. He begins to follow

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Smiley's People Season 1 Episode 6 - Smiley's Lighter
    8.6/10(218 votes)

    S1:E6

    Smiley interrogates a diplomat by showing him a series of photographs, and in turn, closes in on the person who killed Vladimir. He is led to the asylum, and ironically, things eventually become clearer.

    Director:Simon Langton
    Writers:John le Carré, John Hopkins

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  2. Smiley's People Season 1 Episode 4 - The Rogue Elephant
    8.4/10(213 votes)

    S1:E4

    Smiley continues his investigation, now looking for a man named Otto in a small fishing community, only to find his decaying body in his boat, and a mysterious chalk mark he's seen before. Smiley talks to the now-perpetually afraid woman.

    Director:Simon Langton
    Writers:John le Carré, John Hopkins

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  3. Smiley's People Season 1 Episode 2 - The General's Big Fish
    8.3/10(248 votes)

    S1:E2

    Smiley takes a trip to investigate his friend's flat for clues. After finding a series of clues that lead to something bigger, Smiley interrogates a man about Vladimir's whereabouts. And lastly, a picture of two men in bed with a woman stirs things up.

    Director:Simon Langton
    Writers:John le Carré, John Hopkins

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  4. Smiley's People Season 1 Episode 3 - Gathering Friends
    8.3/10(224 votes)

    S1:E3

    The investigation of Vladimir's murder leads Smiley to interrogate his latest suspect. Smiley is told to stop investigating the case by a man on a motorcycle, and he just blows him off. Smiley's next stop is Oxfordshire, speaking to a mother and a daughter about the case.

    Director:Simon Langton
    Writers:John le Carré, John Hopkins

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  5. Smiley's People Season 1 Episode 5 - Alexandra Tatiana
    8.3/10(208 votes)

    S1:E5

    Smiley and his colleagues read through an extremely long deathbed confession. Using an undercover name, Smiley travels to Berne to attempt to find the missing pieces of the murder mystery. Meanwhile, we are introduced to a woman in an asylum.

    Director:Simon Langton
    Writers:John le Carré, John Hopkins

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  6. Smiley's People Season 1 Episode 1 - A Mother's Assistance
    8.1/10(267 votes)

    S1:E1

    Once more, George Smiley is brought out of retirement to look into the murder of an old colleague.

    Director:Simon Langton
    Writers:John le Carré, John Hopkins

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Smiley's People

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Best Episodes Summary

"Smiley's Lighter" is the best rated episode of "Smiley's People". It scored 8.6/10 based on 218 votes. Directed by Simon Langton and written by John le Carré, John Hopkins, it aired on 10/25/1982. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Rogue Elephant".