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The Best Episodes of The Chris Isaak Show

Every episode of The Chris Isaak Show ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Chris Isaak Show!

The Best Episodes of The Chris Isaak Show

Follows a fictionalized version of the life of American rock musician Chris Isaak. The show portrays Isaak and his band members as everyday people with...

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  1. 9.0/10(12 votes)

    #1 - Hurricane

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    S1:E6

    From Showtime: When his band's guitar tech drunkenly passes out backstage, Chris hires Jimmy Vane, an amazing guitar player who used to front a band called the Hurricanes, to replace him. It turns out Jimmy's had a few rough years since Chris last heard him play - substance abuse problems and some time in jail for petty theft - but he swears he's clean now and he does know guitars. Things are okay at first, but soon Chris senses that Jimmy resents his success and Hershel isn't too happy when Jimmy steals the spotlight after being invited on stage to play with Silvertone. Hershel isn't the only one with a rival. Yola is surprised to discover that her formerly chunky college pal Meg, has slimmed down considerably and now uses her newly luscious body to provide inspiration for great songwriters - in short, guys like Chris. Meanwhile, Anson finds his own form of feminine - if somewhat ghoulish - inspiration in Lisa, the makeup girl at the funeral parlor where he's landed a moonlighting

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    Director:Scott Smith
    Writer:N/A
  2. 9.0/10(7 votes)

    #2 - Farm Boys

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    S2:E12

    From Showtime: On a flight to Nashville to sing a duet with Emmy Lou Harris, Chris and the gang are forced to crash land in a wheat field in the middle of nowhere. They come upon an isolated by picturesque farmhouse and are warmly greeted by Evie and her husband Del, who recognize Chris right away. But despite their apparent good will, Chris and the others begin to suspect that Evie and her family are hiding something and have no intention of helping them to get home. As Yola settles into the guest room, she notices the odd behavior of Evie's son, Teddy, and how he is always sneaking up into the attic. More curious than afraid, she is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and is amazed by what she discovers. Meanwhile, Anson has a dilemma. He's very attracted to Evie's daughter Inger, but he made a promise to God to give up girls if they survived the plane crash. Now he's having to resist all her seductive advances and the temptation is making him miserable.

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    Director:Kevin Inch
    Writer:N/A
  3. 9.0/10(6 votes)

    #3 - Home of the Brave

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    S2:E13

    From Showtime: Chris accepts an invitation to sing the national anthem at the San Francisco Giants next game. Then Roly recounts Chris's previous attempt at the anthem, when he botched both the lyrics and the notorious high note. Chris remembers too, and the embarrassment and humiliation that went with it. But he's determined to face his fears and try again. When Chris wakes up the next morning with laryngitis and is ordered, by his doctor, to refrain from all talking and singing, Kenney's sure he's faking it. But Chris is a resourceful guy in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Yola is worried she may have unintentionally offended Nicki Wooster, the new president of Manacle Records, who has a prosthetic leg. Wanting to apologize, and 'get a leg up on the situation,' she only manages to make things worse. Anson gets the brush-off from Bianca, a lovely, powerfully built new waitress at Bimbo's. Later, Anson convinces Kenney and Roly to attend their friend C.J's bachelor party. Just as Kenney

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    Director:Jorge Montesi
    Writer:N/A
  4. 8.9/10(8 votes)

    #4 - Lost and Found

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    S1:E14

    From Showtime: After a month in the studio, Chris and the band have finally finished recording the title song for the new David Lynch movie. The next day, the studio burns down, taking with it the master recordings of the new song. Good thing Chris burned a CD version and brought it home. Now, if only he could find it. He tears his place apart and his cousin Ordell, who's also got a track on the same CD, stops by with a dowser, but the CD remains missing. As the clock ticks down to the deadline, it looks like they'll have to record it again. But can they do in four hours what it took four weeks to do the first time? As the tension rises, Anson is wondering if his new girlfriend Deedee is responsible for the CD's disappearance. After all, she is an obsessive collector who's already got Dave Matthews' old Snapple bottle and Flea's toothbrush, not to mention Alanis' barrette. Yola, meanwhile, is exploring her creative side in a pottery class run by a charismatic and hunky ceramics

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    Writer:Joe Bosso
  5. 8.8/10(7 votes)

    #5 - Charity Begins at Home

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    S2:E17

    From Showtime: At the request of his mother, Dr. Dorothy Isaak, Chris agrees to organize a charity benefit concert at Bimbo's. The night of the event, during a torrential rain storm, he shares the stage with an amazing line-up of talent – among them Green Day, The Goo Goo Dolls, Art Alexakis, Trisha Yearwood, Stephan Jenkins, Gavin Rossdale, comedian Kathy Griffin, and, possibly, Tina Turner. Throughout the soggy, star-studded evening, Chris catches glimpses of a gorgeous naval officer whose gaze keeps eluding him. Yola has a reputation for canceling personal plans at the last minute. So she hurries to take care of some final details for the charity concert before leaving on a long-awaited vacation to Hawaii with friends. But her obsessive need to organize and manage every last detail of Chris' professional life ultimately causes her to miss the plane. Yola must finally admit that she has trouble letting go of her work. Meanwhile, Anson is fervently necking with his on-and-off gir

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    Director:N/A
  6. 8.8/10(8 votes)

    #6 - A Little Help From My Friends

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    S3:E6

    Chris is in for quite a jolt when Gloria Estefan arrives in San Francisco to perform with him and the band. During rehearsals she showers the guys with compliments, impressing them with her kindness and lack of pretense. Though initially flattering and supportive, the real reason for her visit is soon revealed, though not before the seeds of rebellion have been sown between Chris and the band. To make matters worse, Chris, who always shuns caffeine, is tricked into drinking Gloria's special blend of Cuban coffee, and now can't seem to function without it. Yola, meanwhile, has her hands full dealing with a pizza company that has illegally used one of Chris' songs in their advertising spots. As she works to prepare Chris for his deposition, she notices his erratic, caffeine-induced behavior, and suspects it may be linked to Gloria. By the time she arrives to take him for his all-important deposition several days later, her worst fears are realized... Chris' Cuban coffee addiction ha

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Chris Isaak Show

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  8. 8.7/10(7 votes)

    #7 - Crimes and Punishment

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    S1:E3

    From Showtime: In an attempt to win favor with his new love interest and duet partner, movie star Minnie Driver, Chris agrees to take care of her English sheepdog, Otto. Unfortunately, Chris forgets Otto's special food. Before he knows it, the pet rabbit, Mr. Whiskers, who belongs to the little girl next door, lies dead and covered in dirt, apparently a victim of the hungry and oversized dog. Desperate, Chris tries to cover for Otto, washing the dirt from the bunny's fur and blow-drying him to make it look as though Mr. Whiskers died of natural causes. Meanwhile, Chris's manager Yola and his keyboard player Anson are having their own troubles. Yola's got problems in the boardroom when her hot-shot colleague Cody makes her feel old and out of touch. Anson's problems are in the bedroom. His latest girlfriend Carol, is hot, but she's deeply religious and she's wracked by guilt whenever they make love. Anson finds her innocence and tortured spirituality strangely arousing, until he too get

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  9. 8.6/10(6 votes)

    #8 - Family Ties

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    S2:E6

    From Showtime: On the rebound from Stephanie, Chris breaks an unwritten band rule and starts dating a young singer/songwriter named Olivia. All though he finds her efforts at songwriting painful, she's very sexy, and her father owns forty acres of the best surfing beach in California. But their new relationship takes a direct hit while attending a ceremony at the San Francisco Zoo, where Chris' record company has adopted an animal in his name. To his embarrassment, ‘Isaak,' an ornery old chimp with no toilet training and great aim, doesn't seem to think much of Chris' taste in women. Yola suffers a different kind of humiliation when she discovers her mom's new love interest, Brad, is a guy she previously dated, and dumped. Mom's convinced she has finally found true love, but Yola suggests that Brad is actually trying to get even, and she's determined to beat him at his own game. Meanwhile, Anson's manliness is put to the test when he starts dating the Zoo's herpetologist. But her

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  10. 8.4/10(6 votes)

    #9 - Gimme Shelter

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    S2:E11

    From Showtime: Chris secretly longs for a few days to unwind when the demands of his work start piling up. Instead, he must prepare for a visit from television host Lucia Kent, who plans to broadcast her show live from his house. To spruce things up, Chris decided to install a fountain and, ever frugal, begins the work himself. While digging in his backyard, he uncovers a hatch leading to a 1950's bomb shelter. Later, excited by his historical find, Chris invites Yola, Kenney, Roly, and Hershel to go below. But when the inside latch breaks off, trapping them all inside, it seems assured that Chris will have an endless holiday! Meanwhile, Anson can't think or see straight when Julia, a hot new waitress at Bimbo's convinces him that he would be more appealing with green eyes. But the new tinted contact lenses don't do anything for his looks, his vision, or his love life. Dejected, he heads over to Chris' house to discover everyone inexplicably missing. Yola isn't sure how she feel

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  11. 8.4/10(7 votes)

    #10 - The Family of Man

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    S3:E1

    A happy Chris begins building his cabin in the mountains near Bear Valley, only to discover a Native American artifact during the construction. The contractor stops all work until it can be verified if they're excavating sacred Indian land. Nervous that he may lose his land because of the find, Chris agrees to perform at the nearby Kahoosh Indian casino in hopes of enlisting support from his indigenous neighbors. He also wants to impress singer/songwriter Bret Michaels, who, because of an earlier misunderstanding, thinks he's selfish. Meanwhile, Anson's on the warpath when he discovers that his recently identified Native American ancestors met a gruesome fate, and goes hunting for retribution. On the rebound after breaking up with her boyfriend because he allows his family to control his life, Yola meets Ben – a handsome guy completely without familial ties. Unfortunately, after meeting some of Ben's friends, Yola soon discovers that some patterns might be just too hard to break...

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    Director:Jorge Montesi
    Writer:N/A
  12. 8.3/10(7 votes)

    #11 - Braveheart

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    S3:E12

    Chris, wanting to impress Yola with his intellect, agrees to appear on the TV game show ""Pop Whiz.""

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    Director:Kevin Inch
    Writer:N/A
  13. 8.2/10(8 votes)

    #12 - Fantasia

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    S1:E2

    From Showtime: When Anson is arrested for unpaid parking tickets, Chris catches the eye of the lovely Bonnie, one of the arresting officers. Bonnie gives Chris her number and later, when they go out on a date, Chris finds himself strangely aroused by her stories of life on the beat. But Bonnie has a dark side and Chris soon has second thoughts about pursuing the beauty with the badge. Meanwhile, Yola is experiencing her own strange attraction for Dr. Morse, the handsome sleep specialist she's seeing for her insomnia. And Anson, assigned to community service for 37 unpaid parking tickets, is thrilled to find himself rubbing elbows with Bret Michaels, the bad boy lead singer of Poison.

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    Director:Max Tash
    Writer:N/A
  14. 8.2/10(9 votes)

    #13 - Our Place

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    S1:E16

    From Showtime: Chris is thrown for a loop when Rhonda, the winner of a radio station's 'Win a Date with Chris Isaak' contest seems to be a man in a dress. When Rhonda shows up backstage at Bimbo's just before Chris and the band are to play a live radio broadcast, Chris suspects that he/she is part of a practical joke, but as they get acquainted, Chris discovers that Rhonda is a real fan, both of his music and of vintage rockabilly. At least Rhonda's certainly better company than his old flame Tanya, the DJ who is hosting the broadcast and who keeps asking strangely personal questions during the interview segments. To further complicate matters, Chris' guest star on the broadcast, Sheryl Crow, still hasn't arrived. Yola tries to manage the crisis without completely neglecting her new boyfriend, Sam, who has given up a chance to see Kathleen Battle in ""Porgy and Bess"" to come to the show. Anson, meanwhile, invites his classical music snob father to the show and discovers a secret from

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  15. 8.2/10(6 votes)

    #14 - Chris Isaak Day

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    S2:E3

    From Showtime: Chris is flattered when the mayor of his hometown of Stockton, California, wants to rename a street, ‘Chris Isaak Avenue.' But his journalist girlfriend Stephanie, teases him about how much he enjoys the attention that being a celebrity brings. Chris disagrees, and propels them into their first lover's tiff. However, the trip to Stockton links Chris' past to the present, and opens his eyes to what's truly important. Yola complains to Chris that she's fed up dating self-absorbed weasels from the music industry. He offers to introduce her to Ted Thomas, a fireman from his hometown. Yola is hesitant until she sees the hunky firefighter posing half-naked in a Stockton Engine Company Forty-Nine fund raising calendar. Unhappily, after a few dates, she comes to realize that Ted's got a few celebrity issues of his own – even if they're only in his head. Anson has celebrity issues, too. When his latest squeeze, Tanya complains that the Planet Hollywood jacket Anson gave he

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    Director:Max Tash
  16. 8.2/10(6 votes)

    #15 - Duty Calls

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    S2:E5

    From Showtime: Sifting through a pile of neglected mail, Chris discovers a final notice summoning him to jury duty. Later, during a rehearsal, the guys and Everclear's Art Alexakis discuss how to keep him out of the jury box. Clutching a note from his doctor, Chris arrives at the courthouse but brightens considerably when he meets Irina, an immigrant proudly sporting her jury ID badge. She is swept up by the opportunity to serve her new country, while Chris is swept away by her good looks. Meanwhile, Yola has a professional and personal crisis to deal with. When a new client has a heart attack while having sex in the Ikonn conference room, Yola immediately initiates damage control. But dealing with her personal feelings proves more difficult when she finds out that the man she is protecting was cheating on a devoted wife. Anson has a different set of challenges when his newest girlfriend, Sherrie, wants to make home movies of their rambunctious lovemaking. Reluctantly, at first,

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    Director:Milan Cheylov
    Writer:N/A
  17. 8.1/10(8 votes)

    #16 - The Devil Made Me Do It

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    S2:E2

    From Showtime: Chris, convinced he has finally found the right woman, suggests that rock journalist Steffie Furst move some of her things into his place. For Chris, this is a big step, perhaps too big a step. Complicating matters is his growing resentment of the generous attention Steffie pays to the subject of her latest magazine assignment, the good-looking Stephan Jenkins (Third Eye Blind.) But Kenney turns that jealousy into suspicion when he suggests that Steffie might be writing a covert and intimate article about Chris, instead. Yola is caught off guard when she finds out how serious Chris really is about Steffie. She overcompensates by striking up an awkward friendship with her. But when she accidentally sets Steffie's silk jacket on fire and later runs into her with her car, Yola wonders if her subconscious is trying to tell her something. Meanwhile, a shapely young female walking down the street catches Anson's eye and he sets out in dogged pursuit. But when he catches

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  18. 8.1/10(8 votes)

    #17 - Wrong Number

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    S2:E4

    From Showtime: As Valentine's Day approaches, a love-struck Chris suggests to Stephanie that they live together. She accepts, but as the hunt for a house begins, the battle lines are drawn. Chris and Stephanie, it turns out, have very different ideas of what constitutes a dream house. Meanwhile, a desperate woman leaves messages for her estranged lover on Chris' answering machine by mistake. This sounds like real love, but Chris senses the relationship is doomed unless he can track the unknown woman down. Yola's new roommate, Tess has a thing about clothes – she doesn't like wearing them. Yola tries to get inspired by Tess' natural spirit, but can't overcome her inhibitions. Finding his inspiration in Penthouse Forum, Anson takes a job with Jiffy Parcel Service hoping to deliver lingerie packages to hot, lonely housewives. But the only sexy woman he meets has an agenda that's definitely against company policy.

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    Director:Kevin Inch
    Writer:N/A
  19. 8.0/10(11 votes)

    #18 - Freud's Dilemma

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    S1:E1

    From Showtime: Chris finds himself dumped by his girlfriend and questions what women really want. On a location shoot for a music video, he is reminded of his ex-girlfriend by Nedra, an attractive, but rigid production accountant on his music video shoot. Nedra seems to have absolutely no interest in Chris when he tries to talk to her, but then every night she does a strip-tease in the hotel room across the alley from his, apparently oblivious to him. Unnerved, Chris consults his psychologist mother (who plays herself in a cameo,) but Dr. Isaak will only tell him to come to terms with his own libido. Further complicating matters is actress Bai Ling, who co-stars in the video with Chris. She arrives on set with a head full of insecurities and a jealous kick boxer boyfriend. Not that anyone else in the band is doing any better with affairs of the heart. Anson's romance with Jodie, a young horsewoman, fizzles when he finds himself intimidated by the thought that she'll compare him t

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  20. 8.0/10(7 votes)

    #19 - Dancin'

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    S1:E10

    From Showtime: Chris has never been much of a dancer, but when he catches a glimpse of Jenna, the beautiful woman who runs the dance class Hershel and Roly have been attending, he signs up. Unfortunately, instead of getting to know Jenna better, he's partnered with Irene, a severe and unpleasant woman in her 50's who works as a therapist. When Jenna gives him a few quick tips after class, Chris has Fred Astaire fantasies, but those vanish when she asks if, as a favor to her, he would accompany Irene to her daughter's wedding. Chris reluctantly agrees, only to learn later that Irene is really a dominatrix named ""Mistress Livia."" And Chris isn't the only one who finds himself in a world of kink. When Cody persuades Yola to mentor Lauren, a friend of his from Harvard, he neglects to mention they're sleeping together. Not only that, Yola must listen as Lauren describes, in explicit detail, all of Cody's exotic sexual trick, none of which he employed when he slept with her. Meanwhile,

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  21. 8.0/10(8 votes)

    #20 - Storytime

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    S1:E15

    From Showtime: When Chris tears his hamstring surfing and is confined to a wheelchair, Yola hires a physical therapist to help nurse him back to health. The therapist, a beautiful Chinese woman named Debbie Fung catches Chris' eye, but when he makes a play for her, she ignores him. Maybe it's the rejection, maybe it's the scary old movies he's been watching, but Chris starts to notice that there's something strange about Debbie. First, she won't tell him where she's from. Then he walks in on her while she's practicing Kung Fu. When he discovers another Chinese woman lurking in his garage, Chris is convinced something sinister is going on. To add to the intrigue, Anson gets wind of the fortune that, according to urban legend, is buried in the secret tunnels under Bimbo's. He heads down to look for it and when Kenney comes along to get his keys back from Anson, the two of them are trapped in the subterranean passages. Hershel, meanwhile, has an idea for a movie, but can't get anyo

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  22. 8.0/10(7 votes)

    #21 - Mysterious Hearts

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    S2:E10

    From Showtime: During a performance at Bimbo's with guest singer Sophie B. Hawkins, Chris notices Heather, a beautiful young woman, smiling back at him from the audience. Sophie notices her, too. Later, backstage, they are excited to meet Heather and learn that she is an emerging sculptor. But when both he and Sophie show up at Heather's inaugural exhibition the next night, Chris clues in that Sophie is attracted to her too, and a rivalry for Heather's affections ensues. Desperate to one-up Sophie, Chris is the first to purchase one of Heather's horrific animatronic sculptures – for five thousand dollars! Yola's blind date with a handsome but tedious guy has her wishing for a speedy end to the evening. But when his car is forced into a sudden head-on collision with a bus shelter, she feels both terrified and sexually charged. Yola's worried. It seems this passionate chemistry with Ian can only be found while tempting death in the front seat of his car. Meanwhile, Anson is not s

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  23. 7.8/10(6 votes)

    #22 - The Real Me

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    S1:E5

    From Showtime: Chris is initially thrilled when cousin Ordell shows up in town with his new band. His excitement turns to dismay when he discovers that Ordell's new band, Blue Hotel, is a Chris Isaak tribute band. If it was anyone else, Chris would raise hell, but he still feels guilty about his role in a lawn-dart accident that cost Ordell a toe years before. Ordell borrows Chris's clothes and dates his old girlfriends. When Ordell records a cheesy commercial for a fried chicken outlet using one of Chris's songs, Chris finally has to speak up. Meanwhile, Chris's band members are both intrigued and appalled by their alter-egos in the tribute band. Anson bonds instantly with Deke, his wild-man counterpart in Blue Hotel. And Roly has his eye on the woman who plays Hershel in the band; much to Hershel's consternation. Yola tries to sort everything out, all while struggling with her love-hate relationship with Cody, the young and cocky new manager at the agency.

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    Director:Rob Thompson
    Writer:Joe Bosso
  24. 7.8/10(8 votes)

    #23 - T & A

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    S1:E7

    From Showtime: Chris's public image takes a weird turn when his old girlfriend, comic Caroline Rhea, tells ""The Daily Scoop"" tabloid that Chris was shy about showing his butt when they had sex. Chris tries to set the record straight, but it only gets worse. When he shows Rhea his backside by mooning her over the video phone, she posts the image on the Internet -- turning Chris' behind into a cause celebre. Chris confronts the tabloid reporter, a middle-aged man named Tricia, who promises to fix things, only to manufacture a picture of Chris dressed up like a stereotypical gay leatherman. Anson, meanwhile, hits up Chris for $2,000 to pay for his girlfriend's medical treatment, neglecting to mention that the treatment is breast enhancement surgery. And Yola, eager to outshine her rival Cody at a birthday party for Leon, the head of the agency, tells a few white lies to score the loan of an $8,000 dress from a high-end boutique.

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    Writer:N/A
  25. 7.8/10(7 votes)

    #24 - In the Name of Love

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    S2:E1

    Chris helps a journalist writing a biography of Roy Orbison. Yola dates a canine psychologist. Kenney and Anson double date.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  26. 7.8/10(7 votes)

    #25 - Candidate

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    S3:E2

    Chris's sense of civic duty is aroused when his favorite free parking spot at the public beach he frequents is suddenly designated a red zone.  Chris vows to fight for the public's civil liberties and, with the support of Michelle Branch and his band, decides to run for parking commissioner – much to Yola's chagrin... Meanwhile, Yola's maternal instincts are awakened when she volunteers to look after Megan, her six-year-old stepsister, for a week. Though anxious to put her parenting skills to the test, she soon finds that the job is hardly the walk in the park she thought it would be. Anson comes into a bit of money and suddenly finds himself in a constant state of worry over what to do with it. When the guys in the band bombard him with unsolicited advice on how to protect his cash, he's consumed with worry and indecision, until he comes up with his own stellar solution.

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    Director:Mike Rohl

Best Episodes Summary

"Hurricane" is the best rated episode of "The Chris Isaak Show". It scored 9/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by Scott Smith and written by N/A, it aired on 4/16/2001. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Farm Boys".