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The Best Episodes of The Virginian

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

The Best Episodes of The Virginian

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It...

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  1. 8.9/10(73 votes)

    #1 - The Decision

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    S6:E25

    Age, inexperience and a rekindled conflict with Trampas hinder Dan Porter, an ex-sheriff who exchanged his badge for a job at Shiloh. Emily: Monica Lewis. Deputy: Steve Carlson. Trampas: Doug McClure. Manning: Ben Murphy. Virginian: James Drury. Tasker: Lawrence Dane.

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  2. 8.8/10(127 votes)

    #2 - Ride a Dark Trail

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    S2:E1

    The Virginian accidentally comes upon, and is held at gunpoint by, young Lon Mortison (Buzz Martin). The boy had been searching for a gambler who he thinks is responsible for his father's suicide and had already shot and wounded a man who interfered. In order to convince the boy to give himself up, the Virginian recounts in flashback how Trampas first came to Shiloh Ranch. He came seeking revenge on Judge Garth who had been forced to kill Trampas' father (Sonny Tufts) in self-defence. This object lesson serves to get Lon to realize the error of his actions and convince him to surrender to the Sheriff.

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  3. 8.8/10(79 votes)

    #3 - The Handy Man

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    S6:E24

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  4. 8.8/10(72 votes)

    #4 - The Sins of the Fathers

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    S8:E22

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  5. 8.7/10(68 votes)

    #5 - Last Grave at Socorro Creek

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    S7:E16

    Investigating the lynching of a friend, the Virginian matches wits with a sadistic killer---and the dead man's vengeful son. Four-Eyes: Steve Ihnat. Virginian: James Drury. Luther: Lonny Chapman. Kate: Ellen McRae. Burden: Kevin Coughlin.

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    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:N/A
  6. 8.7/10(64 votes)

    #6 - The Holocaust

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    S8:E17

    An eastern combine wants to take over the Wyoming cattle market with Shiloh in the middle of their sights. A burned Shiloh and delayed cattle drive leads to a loss on the sale of cattle resulting in all the Shiloh hands being laid off.

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Virginian

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  8. 8.6/10(67 votes)

    #7 - Vengeance Trail

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    S5:E15

    Stacey is forced to kill a man who tries to rob him. He returns the body to the man's sister who asks Stacey to leave rather than see the Sheriff. She is afraid their younger brother who joins the Shiloh cattle drive will try for revenge.

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    Director:Thomas Carr
    Writer:N/A
  9. 8.6/10(72 votes)

    #8 - Long Ride Home

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    S8:E1

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  10. 8.5/10(446 votes)

    #9 - The Accomplice

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    S1:E13

    The Rocky Point Bank is robbed by two men who shoot its President. One of the men is captured and claims Trampas, with whom he has a grudge, was his accomplice -- so Trampas is arrested. His identification as the robber is supported by a spinsterish bank teller, Delia Miller (Bette Davis), who has recognized the real robber and is protecting his identity in order to blackmail him. The Virginian tries to prove Trampas innocent and expose the real criminal by falsifying Delia's story.

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  11. 8.5/10(108 votes)

    #10 - Big Image . . . Little Man

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    S3:E7

    Millionaire Paul Leland (Linden Chiles) treats everyone like dirt and ends up in the desert after getting shoved off a train by a disgruntled employee. He is found and taken on by the Virginian and Shiloh crew who are driving a herd of cattle to Seattle. Leland has several run-ins with the crew as well as former employees met along the way but in the end becomes a better man for his tribulations.

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  12. 8.5/10(98 votes)

    #11 - Showdown

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    S3:E29

    The Virginian is forced to take sides in a bitter dispute between a family of ranchers and two domineering marshals.

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  13. 8.5/10(70 votes)

    #12 - Jacob Was a Plain Man

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    S5:E5

    Jake who can't hear or speak runs after he accidentally kills a man in a bar. He lands at Shiloh where his hard work results in a job. Stacey seeing Jake can't express himself decides to teach him to read and write but puts him in danger.

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  14. 8.5/10(72 votes)

    #13 - Doctor Pat

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    S5:E23

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  15. 8.5/10(65 votes)

    #14 - The Deadly Past

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    S6:E2

    Suspense builds as Trampas, a hard-drinking gunslinger and a sheriff's wife search for the person who has sent them death notes. Evans: Darren McGavin. Trampas: Doug McClure. Emily: Mary-Robin Redd. Chris: Linden Chiles. Ned: Bing Russell.

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  16. 8.5/10(66 votes)

    #15 - Jed

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    S6:E17

    Clay tries to prevent a range war between the ranchers and the homesteaders who are blocking their path to market. A hotheaded rancher secretly hires a gunfighter who happens to be an old friend of Trampas, who falls for Abby Keefer (Brenda Scott), a homesteader's daughter.

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  17. 8.5/10(77 votes)

    #16 - Stopover

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    S7:E14

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    Director:N/A
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  18. 8.5/10(71 votes)

    #17 - The Family Man

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    S8:E5

    Jim becomes farmhand, midwife and friend to a pregnant teenager whose husband is on the lam from the law. Anna: Darlene Carr. Obie: Frank Webb. Jim: Tim Matheson. Rigby: John Pickard. Trampas: Doug McClure. Sheriff: Ross Elliott. Virginian: James Drury.

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    Director:Joseph Pevney
    Writer:N/A
  19. 8.4/10(123 votes)

    #18 - The Drifter

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    S2:E19

    This episode recounts in flashback how the Virginian came to Shiloh Ranch. The Virginian comes to Medicine Bow and first works for Miles Peterson (Leif Erickson) whose spread is run by ranch foreman Hugh Stager (Michael Forest). Stager tries to gain control of the ranch by romancing Peterson's daughter Maria (Mariette Hartley) and plotting to remove Peterson and blame it on Judge Garth. However, he has not reckoned on the Virginian and his growing friendship with Judge Garth.

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  20. 8.4/10(100 votes)

    #19 - First to Thine Own Self

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    S2:E20

    A young drifter named Randy (Randy Boone) camps with Silas (Frank Maxwell) and his young daughter Melanie (Claire Wilcox) near Medicine Bow. Silas reveals he has been mining and that he found gold nuggets. Silas is murdered, the gold stolen and Randy is accused of the crime. He hides out with Melanie who knows him innocent and with help from Betsy Garth and the Virginian is eventually able to expose the real killers.

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    Director:Earl Bellamy
    Writer:N/A
  21. 8.4/10(100 votes)

    #20 - The Intruders

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    S2:E23

    Judge Garth is hosting a meeting at Shiloh Ranch between a US Army General and the Chief of the Sioux (Iron Eyes Cody) as someone is trying to stir up trouble between the Indians and Army. He manages to send most of the hands away to keep the meeting secret. Four men arrive including Trachsel (Darren McGavin) and the Utah Kid (David Carradine), and they take the remaining residents hostage intent on killing the Sioux Chief when he arrives. However, the criminals did not reckon on the abilities of Judge Garth and Betsy's visiting friend, young Chicago newspaper reporter Eddie Tighe (David Macklin).

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  22. 8.4/10(117 votes)

    #21 - Another's Footsteps

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    S2:E24

    The Virginian's friend, young Dan Grant (Paul Petersen), is killed in a bank robbery. The three robbers escape a posse but the Virginian is more persistent and tracks them to Montana. Two of the robbers are captured and the Virginian tracks the third (Johan Agar) to a farmstead occupied by a young boy and his mother (Sherree North), and suspects the absent husband is the third gunman. As he waits for the husband to return he bonds with the boy and becomes romantically involved with the wife. However, the robber returns and the inevitable showdown occurs.

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  23. 8.4/10(84 votes)

    #22 - Farewell to Honesty

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    S3:E27

    A deputized Virginian arrives in the very misnamed Honesty, Wyoming looking for Major Ralph Forrester (Richard Carlson) who had defrauded Judge Garth. However, the local judge is in the Major's pocket and, using the excuse that the Virginian is not a full-time deputy, refuses to let the man be taken back to Medicine Bow. While waiting for Deputy Ryker to arrive, the Major is murdered and the Virginian is accused of the crime. Ryker arrives and with help of a local lawyer, John Harrison (Harold Gould), tries to sort out who the murderer is from amongst a number of suspects including the murdered man's wife (Dorothy Green), a former acquaintance of the Virginian who runs the local saloon and was being blackmailed by the dead man (Kathleen Crowley), and the Major's business partner(Douglas Henderson).

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    Director:Leon Benson
    Writer:N/A
  24. 8.4/10(69 votes)

    #23 - An Echo of Thunder

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    S5:E4

    After helping deliver a herd of horses, Trampas decides to take a few days to visit an old friend nearby but he arrives in time for his friend's funeral. He is bothered by the circumstances of his death, so he decides to investigate.

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  25. 8.4/10(70 votes)

    #24 - The Challenge

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    S5:E6

    After a stagecoach holdup and accident, Trampas stumbles into a farm with a concussion and amnesia. The farmer and his two kids tend to Trampas but the white handled gun he is carrying puts him into danger from the law and the outlaws.

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  26. 8.4/10(84 votes)

    #25 - Requiem for a Country Doctor

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    S5:E18

    One morning the Virginian arrives in a small town to meet Stacey Grainger and sees a gallows being built. From the owner of the saloon, Clara Plain (Cloris Leachman), he learns Stacey is being held in jail and is scheduled to be hanged the next morning. The Sheriff (Ford Rainey) tells him Stacey lost in a card game watched by the beloved local doctor, John Marsh, and had harsh words with him and that the doctor had a large quantity of money he had collected for the local orphanage. Having no money, Stacey went out of town where he encountered and murdered the Sheriff for the money and was caught by two locals. Stacey claims he came upon the already dead doctor, heard someone running away and fired a waring shot into the dark. Although Stacey did not have the money on him, the Sheriff claims he threw it away when he heard men approaching. In the next cell to Stacey is Randall (Morgan Woodward) who is awaiting transfer to prison. The Virginian learns that Stacey's trial was called hastil

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Decision" is the best rated episode of "The Virginian". It scored 8.9/10 based on 73 votes. Directed by E. Darrell Hallenbeck and written by N/A, it aired on 3/13/1968. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Ride a Dark Trail".