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The Worst Episodes of The Rifleman

Every episode of The Rifleman ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Rifleman!

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The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork,

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 25 - Which Way'd They Go?
    6.2/10(201 votes)

    #1 - Which Way'd They Go?

    S5:E25

    The notoriously lazy Jackman brothers discover their mortgage has been foreclosed.

    Director:Arthur H. Nadel
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 12 - The Baby Sitter
    7.3/10(212 votes)

    #2 - The Baby Sitter

    S2:E12

    A dance hall singer asks Lucas to care for her daughter in an effort to hide the baby from her self-righteous, bigoted father.

    Director:Sam Peckinpah
    Writer:Sam Peckinpah

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  3. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 26 - Assault
    7.3/10(161 votes)

    #3 - Assault

    S3:E26

    A salesman can't talk his way out of an assault charge.

    Director:Ida Lupino
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 13 - Conflict
    7.3/10(146 votes)

    #4 - Conflict

    S5:E13

    Lucas's self-confidence begins to slip away when he misses an easy shot.

    Director:Arthur H. Nadel
    Writer:Ed Adamson

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  5. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 15 - Day of the Hunter
    7.4/10(202 votes)

    #5 - Day of the Hunter

    S2:E15

    A famous buffalo hunter tries to goad Lucas into a shooting match.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 12 - The Illustrator
    7.5/10(153 votes)

    #6 - The Illustrator

    S3:E12

    Lucas encourages a drunken artist charged with murder to use his talents to identify the true killer.

    Director:Don Medford
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 18 - Sporting Chance
    7.5/10(145 votes)

    #7 - Sporting Chance

    S4:E18

    An Englishman arrives with a custom-made rifle—and a plan to kill Lucas.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 30 - Milly's Brother
    7.5/10(135 votes)

    #8 - Milly's Brother

    S4:E30

    A veteran returns with tales of heroism and the fate of Milly's brother in the Civil War.

    Director:Richard Donner
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 32 - The Executioner
    7.5/10(149 votes)

    #9 - The Executioner

    S4:E32

    No description available

    Director:Lawrence Dobkin
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 6 - I Take This Woman
    7.5/10(157 votes)

    #10 - I Take This Woman

    S5:E6

    Lou looks for a way out when the man her dying father promised her to arrives.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 17 - The Sixteenth Cousin
    7.5/10(172 votes)

    #11 - The Sixteenth Cousin

    S5:E17

    A Japanese nobleman seeks revenge when his servant is insulted.

    Director:Arthur H. Nadel
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 18 - Hostages to Fortune
    7.5/10(137 votes)

    #12 - Hostages to Fortune

    S5:E18

    At Halloween, rustlers take advantage of the seasonal disguises to raid a cattle ranch.

    Director:Arthur H. Nadel
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 24 - A Time for Singing
    7.6/10(163 votes)

    #13 - A Time for Singing

    S2:E24

    Mark discovers that the new preacher and his wife are impostors planning a robbery.

    Director:John Rich
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 7 - The Martinet
    7.6/10(157 votes)

    #14 - The Martinet

    S3:E7

    A former army captain comes to North Fork to kill the man who shot down his son in a gunfight - Lucas McCain.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 7 - Knight Errant
    7.6/10(166 votes)

    #15 - Knight Errant

    S4:E7

    Lucas tries to dissuade a latter-day knight from rushing into battle.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Ed Adamson

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  16. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 15 - Suspicion
    7.6/10(144 votes)

    #16 - Suspicion

    S5:E15

    A peddler is implicated in a series of murders.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 23 - The Guest
    7.6/10(155 votes)

    #17 - The Guest

    S5:E23

    New arrival Mario Arsatti becomes very friendly with Lucas, but this turns out to be merely pleasure before business: he's been hired to kill Lucas.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Ed Adamson

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  18. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 19 - Shivaree
    7.7/10(226 votes)

    #18 - Shivaree

    S1:E19

    Aaron Pelser's wagon train comes across a pair of young boys on a buck board heading west and he invites them to join the train. When he finds out that one of the boys was actually a girl and the two claimed to be headed to Yuma to get married, Pelser and his crowd force them to be married in North Fork.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 38 - Outlaw's Inheritance
    7.7/10(191 votes)

    #19 - Outlaw's Inheritance

    S1:E38

    Lucas is the town's representative to the railroad commission until an infamous train robber dies and leaves his ill-gotten wealth to Lucas. Lucas must clear his name and stop the reckless ambition of his replacement.

    Director:Don Taylor
    Writers:George W. George, Judy George

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  20. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 6 - Eddie's Daughter
    7.7/10(177 votes)

    #20 - Eddie's Daughter

    S2:E6

    After the daughter of Lucas's friend the hotel clerk arrives in North Fork, two strangers threaten her life.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 11 - The Legacy
    7.7/10(171 votes)

    #21 - The Legacy

    S2:E11

    Lucas tries to do a good deed for the old town drunk but it backfires when the drunk's son believes he inherited Lucas' ranch.

    Director:Bernard L. Kowalski
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 16 - Mail Order Groom
    7.7/10(221 votes)

    #22 - Mail Order Groom

    S2:E16

    When a stranger arrives to marry the town spinster, two brothers who want her land try to discourage him with threats and a beating.

    Director:Arthur Hiller
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 20 - The Horse Traders
    7.7/10(155 votes)

    #23 - The Horse Traders

    S2:E20

    When a horse dealer transporting a prize stallion stops in North Fork, two saddle tramps try to use trickery to obtain it.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 10 - The Schoolmaster
    7.7/10(173 votes)

    #24 - The Schoolmaster

    S3:E10

    Mark and his friend become trapped in an old mine.

    Director:Arthur Hiller
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 18 - The Actress
    7.7/10(184 votes)

    #25 - The Actress

    S3:E18

    A deathbed request from an old friend sends Lucas to a neighboring town in search of the man's long-lost sweetheart.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Lawrence Dobkin

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Which Way'd They Go?" is the worst rated episode of "The Rifleman". It scored 6.2/10 based on 201 votes. Directed by Arthur H. Nadel and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/1/1963. This episode scored 1.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The Baby Sitter".