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The Best Episodes of Thunderbirds

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

Binge this in 1d 2h•Peaking at 8.1/10

Thunderbirds is a 1960s British science-fiction television series which was produced using a mixed method of marionette puppetry and scale-model special effects termed "Supermarionation". The series is set in the 21st century and follows the

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 1 - Trapped in the Sky
    8.1/10(392 votes)

    #1 - Trapped in the Sky

    S1:E1

    Criminal Mastermind the Hood puts a bomb on a plane. International Rescue must foil the Hood's evil plans.

    Director:Alan Pattillo
    Writers:Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson

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  2. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 4 - Terror in New York City
    7.9/10(268 votes)

    #2 - Terror in New York City

    S1:E4

    A TV reporter and a cameraman are trapped when the Empire State Building collapses.

    Directors:David Lane, David Elliott
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  3. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 3 - The Perils of Penelope
    7.7/10(253 votes)

    #3 - The Perils of Penelope

    S1:E3

    Professor Borender, an important scientist, and Lady Penelope are both abducted.

    Directors:Desmond Saunders, Alan Pattillo
    Writer:Alan Pattillo

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  4. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 23 - Attack of the Alligators!
    7.7/10(203 votes)

    #4 - Attack of the Alligators!

    S1:E23

    An experimental drug that makes animals grow four times their normal size is spilled into the Amazon River by a greedy boatman attempting to steal it.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Alan Pattillo

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  5. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 11 - Sun Probe
    7.6/10(230 votes)

    #5 - Sun Probe

    S1:E11

    A space explorer is on a collison course with the sun after becoming lost.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  6. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 10 - The Uninvited
    7.5/10(227 votes)

    #6 - The Uninvited

    S1:E10

    Scott is brought down in the desert by three mysterious jet fighters and captured along with a team of archaeologists.

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Thunderbirds

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  7. Thunderbirds Season 2 Episode 1 - Atlantic Inferno
    7.5/10(168 votes)

    #7 - Atlantic Inferno

    S2:E1

    Jeff takes a holiday with Lady Penelope, leaving Scott to take charge of International Rescue. But when a fire threatens to engulf the Seascape drilling rig, he is unsure whether to intervene or not...

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  8. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 12 - Operation Crash-Dive
    7.4/10(200 votes)

    #8 - Operation Crash-Dive

    S1:E12

    Thunderbirds are called to rescue a supersonic plane from beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writer:Martin Crump

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  9. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 13 - Vault of Death
    7.4/10(204 votes)

    #9 - Vault of Death

    S1:E13

    A Bank of England worker is trapped in a time-lock safe. Time is of the essence as the oxygen is running out.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Dennis Spooner

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  10. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 17 - The Man from M.I.5
    7.4/10(186 votes)

    #10 - The Man from M.I.5

    S1:E17

    A British spy vanishes while carrying atomic weapon blueprints.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  11. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 22 - Brink of Disaster
    7.4/10(179 votes)

    #11 - Brink of Disaster

    S1:E22

    Crooked tycoon Warren Grafton invites Jeff, Brains and Tin-Tin for a ride on the monorail he has built.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  12. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 2 - Pit of Peril
    7.3/10(294 votes)

    #12 - Pit of Peril

    S1:E2

    On a jungle test, the U.S. Army Sidewinder falls into an old landfill where combustible gases have turned it into a raging inferno.

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  13. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 6 - Day of Disaster
    7.3/10(229 votes)

    #13 - Day of Disaster

    S1:E6

    A Martian probe-rocket containing two engineers is buried underneath rubble when a bridge collapses.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Dennis Spooner

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  14. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 25 - The Cham-Cham
    7.3/10(177 votes)

    #14 - The Cham-Cham

    S1:E25

    The villainous musician Olsen has a cunning plan to disrupt rocket flights.

    Director:Alan Pattillo
    Writer:Alan Pattillo

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  15. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 5 - Edge of Impact
    7.2/10(225 votes)

    #15 - Edge of Impact

    S1:E5

    A fighter jet crashes into a Teleray station, trapping two men, after being sabotaged by the Hood.

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writers:Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, Donald Robertson

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  16. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 7 - 30 Minutes After Noon
    7.2/10(216 votes)

    #16 - 30 Minutes After Noon

    S1:E7

    A British agent is trapped in a room of plutonium with an explosive device strapped to his wrist.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  17. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 9 - End of the Road
    7.2/10(200 votes)

    #17 - End of the Road

    S1:E9

    Eddie Houseman, a Tracy Family friend, is left stranded on a cliff after a demolition operation goes wrong.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Dennis Spooner

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  18. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 15 - City of Fire
    7.2/10(197 votes)

    #18 - City of Fire

    S1:E15

    A Space age shopping mall suddenly becomes the site of a raging furnace.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Alan Fennell

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  19. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 16 - The Imposters
    7.2/10(184 votes)

    #19 - The Imposters

    S1:E16

    Operations are unjustly suspended when imposters disguised as International Rescue take secret papers from a vault.

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writer:Dennis Spooner

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  20. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 20 - Move – And You're Dead
    7.1/10(177 votes)

    #20 - Move – And You're Dead

    S1:E20

    After Alan wins Parola Sands motor race, his rival Victor Gomez develops a grudge.

    Director:Alan Pattillo
    Writer:Alan Pattillo

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  21. Thunderbirds Season 2 Episode 2 - Path of Destruction
    7.1/10(166 votes)

    #21 - Path of Destruction

    S2:E2

    The massive, atomic powered 'Crablogger' that cuts down and processes trees into pulp goes out of control and razes a town to the ground. Virgil and Scott risk death to shut down its reactor and empty its fuel tanks before it destroys a local dam.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Donald Robertson

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  22. Thunderbirds Season 2 Episode 5 - Ricochet
    7.1/10(158 votes)

    #22 - Ricochet

    S2:E5

    Tin-Tin picks up an SOS message from an intergalactic pirate TV station.

    Director:Brian Burgess
    Writer:Tony Barwick

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  23. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 14 - The Mighty Atom
    7.0/10(191 votes)

    #23 - The Mighty Atom

    S1:E14

    'The Mighty Atom' is a robotic rodent programmed to take photographs. The Hood steals the machine intending to take secret pictures of the Thunderbirds' craft and operations.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Dennis Spooner

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  24. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 19 - Danger at Ocean Deep
    7.0/10(175 votes)

    #24 - Danger at Ocean Deep

    S1:E19

    After the launch of the ship Ocean Pioneer, fears are raised that its potentially explosive cargo of liquid alsterene may mean impending disaster.

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writer:Donald Robertson

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  25. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 8 - Desperate Intruder
    6.9/10(200 votes)

    #25 - Desperate Intruder

    S1:E8

    Brains and Tin-Tin set off on an expedition to retrieve sunken treasure from Lake Anasta. The Hood has also set his sights on the riches and plans to put both Brains and Tin-Tin in grave peril.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Donald Robertson

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Best Episodes Summary

"Trapped in the Sky" is the best rated episode of "Thunderbirds". It scored 8.1/10 based on 392 votes. Directed by Alan Pattillo and written by Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, it aired on 9/30/1965. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Terror in New York City".