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The Best Episodes of The Big Valley Season 1

Every episode of The Big Valley Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Big Valley Season 1!

Binge this in 20h 50m•Peaking at 8.3/10

The Big Valley is an American western television series which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969. The show stars Barbara Stanwyck, as the widow of a wealthy nineteenth century California

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 1 - Palms of Glory
    8.3/10(275 votes)

    #1 - Palms of Glory

    S1:E1

    In this series premiere, the railroad has hired men to force the farmers and ranchers of Stockton off their land. The Barkleys join with the rest of the valley to help fight them off. While at home an angry young man, Heath, shows up claimimg to be the deceased Tom Barkleys' illegitimate son.

    Director:William A. Graham
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 2 - Forty Rifles
    7.8/10(173 votes)

    #2 - Forty Rifles

    S1:E2

    While preparing for a major cattle drive bunching the Barkley's herd with those of other ranchers, Heath has major difficulties being accepted as a Barkley, especially by the ranch hands. Then when Nick's former commander in the war comes to visit, Heath is suspicious of him, and with good reason. He is there to cause trouble and steal the herd!! Nick ends up getting shot while on the drive and has to be taken to town, leaving Heath in charge of the drive. Heath ends up saving the day, and finally the hands begin to accept him as a true Barkley.

    Director:Bernard McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 3 - Boots with My Father's Name
    8.3/10(211 votes)

    #3 - Boots with My Father's Name

    S1:E3

    Victoria begins to wonder if Tom ever truly loved her, if he could go off and have an affair which produces a child. So she's off to Heath's hometown Strawberry to find out more about Tom and Leah's (Heath's mother) relationship.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 4 - Young Marauders
    7.6/10(167 votes)

    #4 - Young Marauders

    S1:E4

    Audra is save by a man who claims to be a mustang hunter, but who's band of mustangers are also extorting protection money from the farmers and ranchers of Stockon. While Audra is smitten with him her brothers are suspicious, and soon find out the truth. Which Audra does as well. . .after she is kidnapped by them.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 5 - The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner
    7.5/10(163 votes)

    #5 - The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner

    S1:E5

    Victoria sells land to an old friend, while the Barkley boys are part of a plan to flood it!!!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Paul Savage

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  6. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 6 - Heritage
    7.6/10(147 votes)

    #6 - Heritage

    S1:E6

    While Heath investigates violence at one of the Barkley mines, he discovers that the miners hate the Barkley's for unkept promises. This discovered they work to set things right before anything else happens.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Carey Wilber

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  7. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 7 - Winner Lose All
    7.5/10(161 votes)

    #7 - Winner Lose All

    S1:E7

    Heath falls for a beautiful spanish girl, whose father happens to be involved in a land dispute with the Barkleys! Her father disapproves of Heath because of his illegitamate birth, picturing a much finer bred man for his only daughter. He sets about using the land problems to break them apart.

    Director:Richard C. Sarafian
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 8 - My Son, My Son
    8.2/10(185 votes)

    #8 - My Son, My Son

    S1:E8

    An old childhood friend of Audra's returns whom she'd like to be involved with. She doesn't know however that he is emotionally disturbed, dangerously so.

    Director:Paul Henreid
    Writer:Paul Schneider

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  9. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 9 - Earthquake!
    7.6/10(177 votes)

    #9 - Earthquake!

    S1:E9

    Victoria is in a mission church with a pregnant indian woman, when an earthquake collapses it into a forgotten mine underneath. As if the situation isn't isn't bad enough. . they are also trapped with a man whom Nick had fired and who now has a serious grudge against the Barkleys.

    Director:Paul Henreid
    Writer:Oliver Crawford

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  10. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 10 - The Murdered Party
    8.2/10(146 votes)

    #10 - The Murdered Party

    S1:E10

    Jarrod defends a man accused of murder, even though the only witness is his own brother, Heath!!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 11 - The Way to Kill a Killer
    7.1/10(139 votes)

    #11 - The Way to Kill a Killer

    S1:E11

    When one of Nick's old friends, Mariano Montoya, comes through town on his way to sell his cattle, trouble hits in the form of deadly anthrax. The man's cattle begin to die off and it seems as though they will have to shoot them all, killing as well Mariano's dreams for the money. Until Eugene tells them of something called immunization, which he believes will work. Mariano isn't so sure however and tells them that to prove it works, the Barkleys must first try it on their own prize bull!The bull collapses and it looks as though it has been killed but then it moves and gets up, it works!! Mariano's herd is saved!

    Director:Joseph M. Newman
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 12 - Night of the Wolf
    8.2/10(169 votes)

    #12 - Night of the Wolf

    S1:E12

    When Nick is bitten by a rabid wolf, he makes Heath swear not to say a word, and leaves town so his family will not have to witness what will happen to him.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 13 - The Guilt of Matt Bentell
    7.6/10(140 votes)

    #13 - The Guilt of Matt Bentell

    S1:E13

    When the Barkleys invite the foreman of their logging operations to dinner, Heath walks in and tries to kill the man on sight. It turns out that the man is Matt Bentell, the warden of violent, horrible Carterson Prison, where Heath was held during the war. A man whom he had sworn to kill if he ever saw him again. The family comes up with the brilliant idea to send Heath up to the logging camp with the man to help with the building of log flumes, and to protect the man whose identity has been brought into the open. Heath ends up saving his life and learns that people can change.

    Director:Lewis Allen
    Writer:Paul Savage

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  14. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 14 - The Brawlers
    8.3/10(154 votes)

    #14 - The Brawlers

    S1:E14

    A group of irish immigrants settle down on Barkley land, believing that they bought the land legally. Nick, along with the others at first, believes they are merely squatters. They, however, refuse to believe that the land does not belong to them.

    Director:Joseph Pevney
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 15 - Judgement in Heaven
    7.8/10(181 votes)

    #15 - Judgement in Heaven

    S1:E15

    Jarrod decides to bring home one of his clients, a young woman named Maybelle, for Christmas. Her accused crime aiding and abbetting her outlaw boyfriend, a boyfriend who recently escaped from jail and is now looking for Maybelle.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 16 - The Invaders
    7.7/10(148 votes)

    #16 - The Invaders

    S1:E16

    While out counting cattle Heath comes across a dead animal. When he gets down off of his horse to investigate, he is shot by the same rawhiders who killed the cow. When they realize that he is still alive, they decide to take him back to the ranch for a finder's ""reward"". Once there they find that all of the other men are gone for at least a week, leaving the house and all within ripe for the picking.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 17 - By Fires Unseen
    7.4/10(131 votes)

    #17 - By Fires Unseen

    S1:E17

    Nick returns from a trip from San Francisco with a big surprise. . . a fiance!! While he is completely smitten with her, the rest of the family isn't so quickly won over. They see the truth, that she's just not ready to leave behind the life of parties and numerous suitors, to which she has become accustomed.

    Director:Ralph Senensky
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 18 - A Time to Kill
    8.0/10(142 votes)

    #18 - A Time to Kill

    S1:E18

    Jarrod is happy to see an old law school friend. . until he learns there is a secret service agent on his tail. It seems everywhere he goes counterfeit money follows, and Jarrod is determined to find out what's going on with his old friend.

    Director:Bernard McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 19 - Teacher of Outlaws
    7.8/10(120 votes)

    #19 - Teacher of Outlaws

    S1:E19

    Mistaken for the schoolteacher, Victoria is kidnapped by an outlaw who wishes to learn to read.

    Director:Michael Ritchie
    Writer:Gilbert Ralston

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  20. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 20 - Under a Dark Star
    8.0/10(145 votes)

    #20 - Under a Dark Star

    S1:E20

    A guilt ridden Jarrod offers to help a man that he helped to convict of a crime that Jarrod now knows that he did not commit. Even though the man threatened to kill Jarrod at the trial.

    Director:Michael Ritchie
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 21 - Barbary Red
    7.9/10(159 votes)

    #21 - Barbary Red

    S1:E21

    While having a birthday drink at The Barbary Red saloon with two of his ranch hands, Nick is shanghaied.

    Director:Michael Ritchie
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 22 - The Death Merchant
    8.1/10(152 votes)

    #22 - The Death Merchant

    S1:E22

    Handy Random, theman who killed the man that killed Tom Barkley, comes to Stockton. It's a happy reunion for all but Heath who hates the man, and for good reason. Everywhere he goes he starts range wars to profit from them.

    Director:Bernard McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 23 - The Fallen Hawk
    7.8/10(122 votes)

    #23 - The Fallen Hawk

    S1:E23

    Heath feels that his friend's injury and paralysis is his fault, and ends up being used by the man.

    Director:Paul Henreid
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 24 - Hazard
    7.8/10(120 votes)

    #24 - Hazard

    S1:E24

    A man comes to the ranch looking for Heath and gets shot by bounty hunters. It turns out he's not a friend of Heath's like he stated, in fact Heath has sworn to kill him himself.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Big Valley Season 1 Episode 25 - Into the Widow's Web
    7.9/10(116 votes)

    #25 - Into the Widow's Web

    S1:E25

    Heath's childhood sweetheart Libby suddenly reappears in his life, bringing nothing but trouble.He ends up thrown in jail, accused of the murder of Liberty's drunken husband, by the new D.A. who's out to prove that the Barkleys power and money can't buy everything. It's a race to prove Heath's innocence and save him from a fate at the end of a rope!!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Palms of Glory" is the best rated episode of "The Big Valley" season 1. It scored 8.3/10 based on 275 votes. Directed by William A. Graham and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/15/1965. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Forty Rifles".