Every season of The Waltons ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of The Waltons!

When a young girl is left on the doorstep of the Walton's home, they take her in. Not Before learning she is deaf after taking her to the doctor. One night while the Walton family listen to the radio John boy takes matters into his own hands when Holly (the deaf girl) runs up to her room crying. He teaches her sign language...or really Sign spelling! This new skill comes in handy when the youngest of the Walton family gets locked by accident in a box in the Haunted House, which later turns out to be the house of which Holly lives!

The Foundling

A Carnival troupe comes to Walton's Mountain. When the manager absconds with the money, four members are stranded at the Walton house. They thank the Waltons with a private performance.

The Carnival

The Family cow, Chance gives birth to a healthy calf but John announces that it must be sold to make ends meet. Elizabeth and Jim Bob hide the Calf to save it. John relents and the family keeps the calf.

The Calf

John Boy prepares to go on his first hunt and distress over taking an animals life. During the hunt he saves John's life from an attacking bear. Meanwhile Mary Ellen debates over a new dress or a baseball mitt.

The Hunt

John Boy borrows an antique typewriter from the Baldwin sisters so he can send a story to a magazine. Mary Ellen mistakenly sells it to a junk man, but through diligence, gets it back for her brother.

The Typewriter

When a meteorite falls on the Baldwin's house, Zeb believes his time has come. The Baldwin sisters are hoaxed by their cousin until Zeb and John come to the rescue.

The Star

The Reverend Matthew Fordwick comes to Walton's Mountain and upsets the family with his strict and forceful preaching. He innocently samples "the recipe," and John helps him to be accepted within the community

The Sinner

Gino, a boy from the slums of New York City runs away from a CCC Camp and learns about trust and love from the Waltons

The Boy From the C.C.C.

A Jewish family, escaping refugees from Nazi Germany, come to Waltons Mountain for safety. Their 13 year old son loses respect for his father in the sons attempt to maintain his religious beliefs and practices.

The Ceremony

John's old army buddy, Tip Harrison, tries to cover his lack of success with childish actions and comments culminating in an accidental fire and the shooting of reckless the family dog.

The Legend

John-Boy's truck breaks down and he meets the author, A.J. Covington. John-Boy jeopardizes a timber contract badly needed by the family.

The Literary Man

The Walton's distant cousins arrive on the mountain and immediately upset everyone's life by their shiftless dishonest ways.

The Dust Bowl Cousins

The Baldwin sisters and The Recipe play a pivotal role in this story involving their unscrupulous scheming cousin, Homer Lee Baldwin.

The Reunion

Mary Ellen meets a traveling troubadour, Jamie and neglects her responsibilities of helping pick fruit.

The Minstrel

When her car breaks down, the famous extravagant actress, Alvira Drummond finds herself stranded on Waltons Mountain. The Children, especially Mary Ellen, are fascinated by her "Hollywood" ways.

The Actress

A young girls father objects to Miss Hunter's teaching Evolution. During a drunken rage he burns down the school and is killed in the fire.

The Fire

John Boy falls in love with Jenny Pendleton who returns to Walton's Mountain. Jenny's father and new step-mother follow her to the mountain. Her father is killed in an auto accident and Jenny returns home with her step mother. John-Boy suffers his first lost love.

The Love Story

Olivia's uncle Cody Nelson comes to visit with the Waltons and finds love with a woman who has been divorced four times.

The Courtship

A gypsy family is stranded, but the leader refuses to accept help from the Waltons. His pride almost costs the life of his baby son.

The Gypsies

It seems that the Waltons never officially registered the deed to Waltons Mountain. In order to help pay the legal fees, John-Boy leaves home for a job in the city. He meets new friends, gets mugged and earns a reward to help the family keep their home.

The Deed

A neighbor lady, Verdie Grant asks John-Boy to teach her to read and write. He agrees to teach her as he helps Elizabeth. Things go wrong, however, and feelings get hurt.

The Scholar

Local blacksmith, Curtis Norton has John-Boy write letters to his bride-to-be. When she arrives on Walton's Mountain, life and Curtis are much different than she expected. Meanwhile, Olivia is feeling new pangs for freedom and something "different" in her life.

The Bicycle

John-Boy's friend Sarah sees him as a way to escape her "trapped" life with her demanding mother. When John-Boy rejects her advances, she runs off and plans to elope with a townie.

The Townie

The entire family suffers a crisis when Olivia is stricken with polio. Dr Vance prescribes the accepted treatment, but Olivia does not get better. John-Boy learns of a new treatment practiced by sister Kenny and the family tries it to success in time for the Easter service.

An Easter Story

Maggie McKenzie would like to see the ocean once more. John-Boy takes her but must miss an important dance. Grandpa helps the children save an injured bird. Earl Hamner makes his only appearance in the series as Maggie's husband. The director of this episode, Harry Harris, who would eventually direct almost 50 episodes, was nominated for an Emmy award.

The Journey

John-Boy heads for a mountain retreat and finds an old school mate who is expecting.The baby arrives with John-Boy's help. The mule, Blue makes his first appearance in this episode.

The Odyssey

The family struggles with financial crisis and the electricity is turned off. Grandpa sets out to raise some money but tells no one about his plans. Grandma becomes angry and Grandpa moves out. The bill is paid and the angry grandparents make-up at a barn dance.

The Separation

A wealthy widow, Mrs Clayborne, accuses John Walton of stealing antiques while working in her mansion. John needed new tires and he hocks his wedding ring to buy them. He refuses to tell anyone where the money came from. The mystery is finally solved when the Clayborne son admits to selling the goblets to raise money for his family.

The Theft

Harley Foster and his son Jodie are introduced to the series. Harley roams the countryside doing odd jobs. Jodie has had no formal education. Verdie Grant takes a strong liking to Harley and eventually persuades him to stay on Walton's Mountain.

The Roots

John-Boy accidentally sees a family friend, Yancy Tucker, stealing chickens and must decide whether to turn him in to the sheriff.  Yancy has been helping poor friends but is arrested and charged with shooting the chicken's owner.  All is resolved when the owner admits to falling and shooting himself.

The Chicken Thief

The Country Fair has come to Walton's Mountain. Grandma has entered a quilt in the competition. Ben sells a pig for the greased pig contest and Olivia's old suitor, now politician, visits the fair.

The Prize

Hobart Shank a teen-age orphan returns to the Walton home while John attempts to get him a contract as a professional baseball pitcher. He breaks his arm after falling out of the tree house losing his chance at fame.

The Braggart

John-Boy secures a position of rent collector for a hated landlord while Erin, who is disappointed by her knight in shining armor, nurses an orphaned fawn back to health.

The Fawn

John-Boy anticipates a visit from his girlfriend and is pending a college scholarship exam. He has an accident in the sawmill and his vision is blurred. He is unable to finish his test and eventually must undergo surgery.

The Thanksgiving Story

An inexperienced but brilliant young sub teacher wreaks havoc in the Walton's Mountain School. Because of her insecurity, she refuses advice from anyone until Olivia steps in.

The Substitute

Grandma finds out she has inherited $250 and decides to share her wealth. Mary Ellen   experiments with being a blond and uses Jim-Bob as a test case.

The Bequest

An air mail pilot, due to engine trouble, lands his plane in the Walton's meadow. With the help of John, the plane is repaired and Olivia receives a surprise birthday gift, a plane ride!

The Air Mail Man

John-Boy experiences a heart ache because Miss Hunter, his teacher, starts dating Reverend Fordwick.

The Triangle

Grandma's 68th birthday is here and the 2 faces of age are keenly felt by her as Grandma is confronted by old age. Mary Ellen, now 14 years old, poses an impossible barrier between her and a college student who lays claim to her heart.

The Awakening

Olivia and John go on a late honeymoon at Virginia Beach while John-Boy & Marcia Woolery try to come to an understanding in their relationship.

The Honeymoon

An investor talks John into selling the mountain as a tour center. John thinks it over but realizes what the home means to the rest of his family and turns the ofter down.

The Heritage

Jason learns one of life's hardest lessons: the death of a close friend. Seth Turner learns he has only one year to live because he has a fatal disease.

The Gift

Olivia finds out she is pregnant and the children set out to make her and the baby a variety of presents. Elizabeth is jealous because she thinks because she is the youngest that her Mom will not love her the same way or will never have any more time for her. In the end Olivia loses the baby

The Cradle

The Waltons bring home an 8 year boy named Stevie who is an orphan so he can experience a family setting. Stevie meets Curtis Norton a blacksmith and an immediate bond occurs. Curtis and his wife take in the boy.

The Fulfillment

The Children get a Ouija board from Ike. Olivia and Grandma have misgivings about the children playing with it and speaking to it's spirits.

The Ghost Story

John-Boy gets ready to graduate from high school in a new suit. When the cow dies John-Boy returns the suit and gets his money back and uses the money to buy another cow. John-Boy graduates in Grandpa's old suit.

The Graduation

A traveling salesman named George Reed talks Olivia into buying a 5 foot collection of books called The Harvard Classics. George uses the down payment to buy his daughter a doll.

The Five Foot Shelf

When John-Boy starts college and needs a car to travel to and from college, he makes a deal with Hyder Rudge. John-Boy works at the Rudge home for the car. Hyder hides the auto and refuses to sell to John-Boy because the car belong to Hyder's dead son.

The Car

Aunt Martha Corinnie Walton's home is in danger by the right-of-way for The Blue Ridge Parkway. All of the Walton clan comes to her aid and try and stop the contractor. During a skirmish with the contractor and deputies, John-Boy gets shot.

The Conflict

During John-Boy's 1st day at Boatwright he encounters a variety of new challenges. Back at the Walton home, Jason feels the need to be the oldest and excel at school like John-Boy. All of the other children object to Jason's attitude

The First Day

John-Boy enters Blue the family mule in the annual cross-country   race & tries to win Selena Linville's affections.Grandpa had won that race years before

The Thoroughbred

Now that John-Boy is at College, Jim Bob feels small and alone. He brings home a guinea pig, a mascot at school. During the night the little creature dies but the rest of the family are too busy with their own activities to spend time with him. Sad and alone after burying it in the woods, Jim Bob runs away.

The Runaway

Olivia enrolls herself in art class at night and her teacher makes romantic advances.Mary Ellen says she wants to be a nurse

The Romance

Mary Ellen buys a purse.  At home she finds there's a pretty amethyst ring inside which she decides to wear at the dance, but she and Erin keep the finding of the ring a secret.

The Ring

Ben learns the hazards of smoking. John-Boy sticks up for a fellow student who violates Boatwright's honor code during a history exam. There were extenuating circumstances

The System

A New York family who is dysfunctional moves to Walton's Mountain. They end up causing havoc in the Walton's household and they move back to New York City

The Spoilers

In Scottsville John-Boy enters a dance marathon with Daisy Garner, a total stranger. It starts out fun but quickly becomes a drudgery until Olivia comes to the rescue.

The Marathon

John-Boy finds out that a collection of his short stories will be published and Jason secures a job with Bobby Bigelow and the haystack gang

The Book

John-Boy gets a job reading to a young blind woman. The woman is hostile towards him and the world in general. She goes to Walton's Mountain and realizes she has much more for which to be thankful.

The Job

John seeks work in a Norfolk shipyard because he feels that life has passed by him but he soon realizes that the family needs him at home and he really wants to be there.

The Departure

Zeb's old friend returns to Walton's Mountain without his wife.   The Walton's learn that she died earlier but he will not acknowledge her passing.

The Visitor

Grandpa has a heart attack and seems to be unresponsive to treatment. The family try to  cheer him up, and against doctor's orders, move him to a tent outside so he can communicate with nature

The Birthday

Ben goes to Charlottesville to take a young girl to meet her mother and borrows John-Boy's truck without his permission. The truck is involved in a hit and run unknown to Ben.

The Lie

Corabeth Walton, a cousin of the Waltons, comes for an unannounced extended visit. Ike Godsey is instantly taken with her and they   quickly marry. Erin enters the Jefferson County Sweetheart Contest.

The Matchmakers

John-Boy encounters a sassy but unprincipled girl whose selfish ways cause hard feelings and suspicion toward Danny, Jim Bob's friend.

The Beguiled

Grandpa and Grandma become angry with the family and move out to care for a friend's house.Everybody soon realizes that their place is back home

The Caretakers

Wedding plans for the daughter of a friend go awry when the mountain custom of kidnapping the groom get out of hand

The Shivaree

John wants to expand the mill and call it Walton and Sons,Jason wants to study music and he tries for a scholarship

The Choice

Godsey's store has a raffle of a statue and Grandpa wins the statue - a dead ringer that looks like one of Grandpa's girlfriend prior to Grandma. John-Boy writes a story of a failed romance between Miss Emily and Ashley Longworth

The Statue

Sally Ann Harper has eyes for Jason but Ben falls in love with her. Grandpa and John enter a billiard competition at Ike's store

The Song

John and Olivia make plans for their 20 th wedding anniversary,   John-Boy falls in love with a older woman and decides to leave    the mountain with her

The Woman

John decides to expand his business by building a new mill. To meet a deadline for a big order, John works day and night & gets   pneumonia. While he's in the hostipal his friends finish the mill, but he loses the big contract.

The Venture

Reverend Fordwick asks John-Boy to deliver the Sunday sermon, and Miss Hunter asks Olivia to act as the substitute teacher. It proves to be an interesting experience for both as Reverend Fordwick and Miss Hunter plan their wedding and honeymoon

The Sermon

John-Boy's Dean asks him to take care of a 16 year old genius college student for the weekend. It seems that Lyle is wonderful with science and math, but woefully lacking when it comes to dealing with people.

The Genius

Young prize fighter James Travis Clark from Richmond arrives on Walton's Mountain looking for work. He lives in the Walton's barn while training for his next fight. Grandma and Olivia are upset with the whole idea until they find out that James is a minister.

The Fighter

Father and son struggle with personal crisis: John approaches his 25-year high school reunion regretting he is not a greater success; and John-Boy fears he will never be able to make a living as a writer.

The Prophecy

Porter Sims, a reporter from New York, comes to get material for a guide book on Virginia. John-Boy takes him to see the Baldwin sisters who allow him to look through the late Judge Baldwin's private papers. These reveal that their father was accused of treason for harboring Yankee soldiers during the Civil War. Deeply shocked and hurt, they decide not to leave their house ever again.

The Boondoggle

Jason is attending Klineberg Conservatory while playing with the Haystack Gang & the Sunrise Gospeleers. He is not doing too well   and decides to slow down. John-Boy takes a new job in Boatwright's library.

The Breakdown

John-Boy is doing a story on a female wing-walker who is performing at the local fair. He invites her to stay at the Walton home. Jim Bob is soon madley in love with the flyer. Maude Gormley gives Mytrle the goat to the Waltons.

The Wing-Walker

A handsome forestry student name Chad Marshall arrives on Walton's Mountain. Both Erin and Mary Ellen are smitten and a competition delelops between them. Each is sure that she is the chosen one. Mary Ellen realizes that it is Erin thats truly in love.

The Competition

John-Boy's old girlfriend Marica Woolery returns to Walton's Mountain with her fiance to sell some inherited property. She plans to invest the money in her fiance's proposed business. John-Boy exposes the fiance as a braggart and not in love with Marcia.   Olivia subs. A student obtain a pair of much needed eye glasses.

The Emergence

Olivia Hill, Olivia's young cousin, returns to Walton's  Mountain to grieve the sudden death of her husband. The family attempts to cheer her up. It does not work until Elizabeth's cat, Calico, gives birth to kittens.

The Loss

John-Boy renews his friendship with A.J. Covington who is working with a movie company. The Walton family intently follows  the abdication of King Edward while following the activities of  a movie company fliming on Walton's Mountain.

The Abdication

Vera Walton has left her husband Wade and moves into the Walton home. Wade has been abusive and is running moonshine. John gives Wade a job at the mill to help the young couple get on their feet and get back together.

The Estrangement

As Mary Ellen nervously awaites word on her acceptance to nursing school, the rest of the Waltons prepares surprise good-bye gifts.   Mary Ellen is accepted, but she needs more work in math and science and ends up studying with John-Boy and Miss Nora Taylor, the county nurse.

The Nurse

Ben gets angry and leaves home at the same time Grandpa and John enter a competition with another lumber mill for the big contract. Without knowing, Ben goes to work for the other firm. Grandpa devises a clever scheme to get their lumber to market first.

The Intruders

Olivia and the two youngest children, Jim-Bob and Elizabeth, go up on Walton's Mountain and become lost. They experience many challenges. Jim-Bob saves the day using woodsman skills taught to him by Grandpa.

The Search

Jim-Bob thinks he was adopted. He searchs his birth records and finds out he's a twin. Jim-Bob's twin brother died at birth.

The Secret

Grandpa enjoys telling tales of his days with Teddy Roosevelt in the Spanish Amercian War, but he balks about attending a reunion of the Rough Riders. Ben decides to go into to   business trapping and selling animal skins.

The Fox

The Walton's house is nearly destroyed by fire and the children must live temporarily with friends. John-Boy has a difficult time to begin the task of rewriting his lost novel.

The Burn Out

John-Boy meets up with a runaway girl named Muffin who's 12 years old. Muffin tells him that she was abused and is trying to   find her mother. John-Boy takes her home and she fools everyone but Grandpa.

The Big Brother

Olivia gets a job as a dress maker.She does very well & soon she gets full time work.She is pleased with the attention but realizes she wants too be home more than at work .Maude Gormley is put in an old folks home and loses her zest for life

The Test

A quilting is to announce that a woman is of marrying age.  Grandma is determined to have one for her granddaughter Mary Ellen who is just as determined not to participate in what she considers an insulting custom.

The Quilting

Esther wants to save an old house from being torn down. Grandpa wants the contract to destroy it for the old wood. They both argue until Zeb realizes that house holds sentimental memories for grandma.

The House

John-Boy sure trys to raise the down payment for an old printing   press to publish his own newspaper

The Fledgling

Selena Linville comes back to Walton's Mountain & lights a  fire   under John-Boy to go to Spain & write all about Rebel cause

The Collision

The first edition of The Blue Ridge Chronicle is published by John-Boy. He publishes a story about Ben and it makes his mother mad.

The First Edition

Mary Ellen, aspring nurse, makes a diagnosis about Grandma's illness which almost costs Grandma her life.

The Vigil

Jason gets news that his scholarship has been cancelled. Jason begins to hang out at the Dew Drop Inn.  He is trying to interest   Red Turner, a musician, into making a come back since his son's death.

The Comeback

John refuses to visit the tent meeting or get baptised, even with the presence of a famous evangelist.

The Best Seasons of The Waltons

The Best Seasons of The Waltons

Season 5

Season 6

Season 3

Season 1

Season 9

Season 2

Season 4

Season 7

Season 8