Show cover for The Wild Thornberrys

The Best Episodes of The Wild Thornberrys

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

The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon.
Genres:AnimationComedyAction & AdventureKidsFamily
Network:Nickelodeon

Best Episodes Summary

"Forget Me Not" is the best rated episode of "The Wild Thornberrys". It scored 7.9/10 based on 57 votes. Directed by Mark Risley and written by Kate Boutilier, Eleah Horwitz, it aired on 2/24/2000. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Flood Warning".

  • Forget Me Not
    7.9/1057 votes
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    #1 - Forget Me Not

    Season 2 Episode 27 - Aired 2/24/2000

    When the Thornberrys visit Nigel's friend Jomo, they search for an elephant named Rebecca that Nigel saved 20 years earlier. As the family attends to an elephant stuck in a mudhole, Eliza bonds with Rebecca, only to learn that she is old and ready to die.

    Director: Mark Risley

    Writer: Kate Boutilier, Eleah Horwitz

  • Flood Warning
    7.6/1085 votes
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    #2 - Flood Warning

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/1/1998

    When the Thornberrys are forced to spend the night in the middle of the savanna, Eliza seizes the opportunity to go hunting with a pride of lions--only to discover that Debbie is about to become a midnight snack!

    Director: Steve Ressel

    Writer: Tom Stern

  • Only Child
    7.6/1061 votes
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    #3 - Only Child

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 10/1/1998

    Eliza's imagination gets the best of her when she thinks a local teenage girl is actually a dolphin who's trying to abduct her sister, Debbie, into a watery world.

    Director: Anthony Bell

    Writer: Kate Boutilier

  • Gold Fever
    7.5/1055 votes
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    #4 - Gold Fever

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/10/1998

    When Eliza and Debbie discover an old treasure map on the Galapagos Islands, they set out to claim their ""riches."" Once the gold is discovered, however, greed sets in and the girls begin an all-out battle of trickery to get the gold away from each other. They battle continues all the way down to the last coin, until they accidentally lose all the gold in a fiery lava pit.

    Director: Anthony Bell

    Writer: Adam Beechen

  • Gift of Gab
    7.5/1051 votes
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    #5 - Gift of Gab

    Season 2 Episode 29 - Aired 2/26/2000

    Eliza tells Darwin the tale of how she became able to speak to animals, and how she retained her ability to speak to humans as well.

    Director: Cathy Malkasian

    Writer: Eva Almos, Ed Scharlach

  • Time Flies
    7.5/1046 votes
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    #6 - Time Flies

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 9/19/2000

    Location: The Florida Everglades, United StatesDebbie and Eliza explore the Everglades but drop Nigel's birthday present, a new watch, into the swamp. As an old woman chases them away, they return at night, only to have the watch eaten by an alligator.

    Director: Carol Millican

    Writer: Barbara Herndon, Jill Gorey

  • Eliza Unplugged
    7.5/1035 votes
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    #7 - Eliza Unplugged

    Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 6/11/2004

    Shane is ready to leave the Thornberrys to go back to his life as a popstar and Eliza has to be fast to tell Shane her true feelings for him before its too late. But when Shane and Eliza have a little fight and Shane runs away,can Eliza find him in time to make up and tell her feelings? (This was possibly the series finale.The show has been put to hiatus after this episode but never returned.)

    Director: Joseph Scott

    Writer: David Rosenberg, Sheila M. Anthony

  • Vacant Lot
    7.4/1053 votes
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    #8 - Vacant Lot

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 9/22/1998

    As animals flee their homes and run for their lives, Eliza discovers that Kip and Biederman are destroying part of the rainforest. In an all-out war against the evil duo, Eliza must convince the animals that with everybody's help, they can stop the destruction and save the forest.

    Director: Cathy Malkasian

    Writer: Monica Piper

  • Eliza-cology
    7.4/1051 votes
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    #9 - Eliza-cology

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 11/5/1998

    Eliza's good-natured intentions of assisting a struggling bird in getting food set off a chain reaction of destruction within the ecological system. It's up to her to retrace her steps and undo all of her actions while some animals face near extinction.

    Director: Cathy Malkasian

    Writer: David Regal

  • Dances With Dingoes
    7.4/1042 votes
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    #10 - Dances With Dingoes

    Season 2 Episode 18 - Aired 9/16/1999

    Debbie discovers Eliza ""talking"" to dingoes and threatens to tell her parents. Eliza, concerned about the possibility of being shipped back to the United States as a science experiment, seeks help from nearby Aborigines. Together they confuse Debbie into thinking it was just a bad dream.

    Director: Peter Avanzino, Carol Millican

    Writer: David Regal

  • The Legend of Ha Long Bay
    7.4/1039 votes
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    #11 - The Legend of Ha Long Bay

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 10/10/2000

    Location: Ha Long Bay, VietnamEliza encounters a mysterious creature while shooting a film with Nigel about manta rays.

    Director: Mark Risley

    Writer: Marsha Griffin

  • Spirited Away
    7.4/1050 votes
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    #12 - Spirited Away

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 10/28/2000

    Location: The border of Oaxala and Zaachula, MexicoAs the family prepares to film the ""Day of the Dead"" ceremony in a small town, Eliza meets a little girl who tells her about the spirits returning. Eliza is determined to find one, but when Donnie puts a vaulable ring in a loaf of bread, Debbie and Eliza must search for the missing ring. Eliza gets some help from a mysterious woman who, she finds out, has been gone for many years.

    Director: Sylvia Keulen

    Writer: Sarah Jane Cunningham, Suzie Villandry

  • All Work and No Play
    7.4/1044 votes
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    #13 - All Work and No Play

    Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 1/12/2001

    Location: Lake Baikal, SiberiaWhen Eliza and Debbie slack off on their chores, they all suffer for it when they fail to prepare of an oncoming storm. Will the Thornberrys survive a flash flood, help some beavers build their dam and keep the Comvee from sinking?

    Director: Carol Millican

    Writer: Peter Hunziker

  • Operation Valentine
    7.4/1038 votes
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    #14 - Operation Valentine

    Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 2/14/2001

    Location: Alice Springs, AustraliaDebbie is finally going to meet her e-mail friend in person and she is determined to make a good impression. Meanwhile, Eliza is having strange pains in her stomach and ends up stranded on top of a small mountain as Donnie gets attacked by a giant eagle. Just a typical Valentine's Day for the Thornberrys in Australia.

    Director: Mark Risley

    Writer: Alice Miller

  • Hello, Dolphin!
    7.4/1036 votes
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    #15 - Hello, Dolphin!

    Season 3 Episode 17 - Aired 2/19/2001

    Location: Shark Bay, AustraliaNigel and Marianne are on a dangerous assignment to film some tiger sharks while Eliza goes swimming with some dolphins. Meanwhile, Debbie gets dumped by her e-mail boyfriend Sven. When the kids take a boat out with the dolphins to swim in the deep sea, they may get some unexpected visitors.

    Director: Frank Marino

    Writer: Peter Egan

  • Hot Air
    7.4/1040 votes
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    #16 - Hot Air

    Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 6/1/2002

    Location: Rotura, New ZealandThe Thornberrys visit a tribe of native New Zealanders called the Mahris who are throwing a celebration called a ""Hooey"". As Debbie flirts with a young Mahri, Eliza and Darwin have a fight. When Darwin leaves and Eliza befriends a possum named Penelope who ends up getting her into a hot air balloon that she doesn't know how to steer, will Darwin come to the rescue?

    Director: Ron Noble

    Writer: Sarah Jane Cunningham, Suzie Villandry

  • Dinner With Darwin
    7.3/1056 votes
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    #17 - Dinner With Darwin

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/3/1998

    Annoyed with Eliza, Darwin sets off into the jungle to prove he still has his natural instincts. After a scary night in the jungle, he stumbles upon an empty shack and hides out. When the family who lives in the shack returns to find Darwin in their home, they couldn't be more pleased with their new guest. It's up to Eliza to save the oblivious Darwin from becoming the next family dinner!

    Director: Steve Ressel

    Writer: Steve Skrovan

  • Bad Company
    7.3/1056 votes
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    #18 - Bad Company

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/8/1998

    A swarm of mysterious prankster marmosets overrun the Thornberrry camp, and it's up to Eliza to beat them at their own game.

    Director: Steve Ressel

    Writer: Leslie Rasmussen

  • Matadi or Bust
    7.3/1058 votes
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    #19 - Matadi or Bust

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 9/15/1998

    When Eliza, Darwin and Donnie are flung from a Matadi-bound barge and stranded on the banks of the Congo river, they must traverse the cliffs and crags of mountainous Zaire in order to catch up with her family.

    Director: Sylvia Keulen

    Writer: Carolyn Omine

  • Naimina Enkiyio
    7.3/1048 votes
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    #20 - Naimina Enkiyio

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 10/22/1998

    Challenging an ancient Maasai legend, Eliza marches into a ""haunted"" forest to prove her bravery. Now, with night falling, Eliza must place her trust in the mysterious legends of the Maasai in order to find her way safely through the dark forest.

    Director: Peter Avanzino

    Writer: Mark Steen

  • Blood Sisters
    7.3/1065 votes
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    #21 - Blood Sisters

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 10/27/1998

    With Nigel and Marianne off exploring bat caves, Eliza and Debbie are left at the ""eerie"" residence of colleague Dr. Renfield. Eliza becomes bent on spooking Debbie, but when her imagination gets the best of her the tables are slowly turned. By the time their parents return, the girls are convinced that the absent-minded Renfield is a vampire out to get them!

    Director: Peter Avanzino, Carol Millican

    Writer: Tom Stern

  • Flight of the Donnie
    7.3/1044 votes
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    #22 - Flight of the Donnie

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 11/17/1998

    Eliza and Debbie must take over Marianne's duties when she is sick. Debbie goes with Nigel to shoot footage of a condor and Eliza must care for Donnie. Covered with feathers from a pillow, Donnie is snatched up by the condor and Eliza and Darwin must rescue him and help the condor find her real baby. In return for the favor, the condors stay on a tree branch so Debbie can get footage of them.

    Director: Steve Ressel

    Writer: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra

  • Lost and Foundation
    7.3/1090 votes
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    #23 - Lost and Foundation

    Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 3/16/1999

    When the girls discover that their parents have mistakenly taken embarrassing home movies to an awards banquet, they join forces in order to save face. Their cross-island trip turns into a race against time in order to beat their parents to the podium and stop the world from seeing them at bath time.

    Director: Sylvia Keulen

    Writer: Kate Boutilier

  • Nigel Knows Best
    7.3/1053 votes
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    #24 - Nigel Knows Best

    Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 3/18/1999

    Hungry for adventure, Eliza convinces her mother that she should take a llama over the Andean pass, meeting her family on the other side of the mountain. However, she is disappointed when her safety-conscious father commandeers the lead. Along the journey, her frustration builds as each attempt to explore is foiled by her father's watchful eye. Finally Eliza gains new respect for her father's resourceful manner, when he saves her life.

    Director: Sylvia Keulen

    Writer: Kate Boutilier

  • Rain Dance
    7.3/1045 votes
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    #25 - Rain Dance

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 8/18/1999

    With the commvee broken down in the desert and no water left to survive, the Thornberrys go through desperate measures to maintain their sanity. However, on the verge of dehydration, Eliza convinces her family to perform the rain ritual pictured in a nearby monolith. Everyone cheers as the rains pour down among them.

    Director: Sylvia Keulen

    Writer: Mady Julian, Arnold Margolin