Thunderbirds backdrop
Family•Action & Adventure•Animation

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 10.0/10

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

Airs on
Associated Television
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons2

All12

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 4 - Terror in New York City
    10.0/10(263 votes)

    #1 - Terror in New York City

    S1:E4

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

    Directors:David Elliott, David Lane
    Writer:Alan Fennell

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 8 - Desperate Intruder
    10.0/10(191 votes)

    #2 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 12 - Operation Crash-Dive
    10.0/10(190 votes)

    #3 - Operation Crash-Dive

    S1:E12

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

    Director:Desmond Saunders
    Writer:Martin Crump

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 23 - Attack of the Alligators!
    10.0/10(194 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 3 - The Perils of Penelope
    9.0/10(248 votes)

    #5 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 11 - Sun Probe
    9.0/10(220 votes)

    #6 - Sun Probe

    S1:E11

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

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Alan Fennell

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Thunderbirds

    READ
  7. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 20 - Move – And You're Dead
    9.0/10(167 votes)

    #7 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Thunderbirds Season 2 Episode 1 - Atlantic Inferno
    9.0/10(161 votes)

    #8 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 2 - Pit of Peril
    8.0/10(286 votes)

    #9 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 9 - End of the Road
    8.0/10(192 votes)

    #10 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 10 - The Uninvited
    8.0/10(217 votes)

    #11 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 15 - City of Fire
    8.0/10(185 votes)

    #12 - City of Fire

    S1:E15

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

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Alan Fennell

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 16 - The Imposters
    8.0/10(173 votes)

    #13 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 21 - The Duchess Assignment
    8.0/10(169 votes)

    #14 - The Duchess Assignment

    S1:E21

    Lady Penelope's friend, the Duchess of Royston, agrees to sell an expensive painting.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Martin Crump

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 25 - The Cham-Cham
    8.0/10(168 votes)

    #15 - The Cham-Cham

    S1:E25

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

    Director:Alan Pattillo
    Writer:Alan Pattillo

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Thunderbirds Season 2 Episode 5 - Ricochet
    8.0/10(151 votes)

    #16 - Ricochet

    S2:E5

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

    Director:Brian Burgess
    Writer:Tony Barwick

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 1 - Trapped in the Sky
    7.6/10(382 votes)

    #17 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 6 - Day of Disaster
    7.5/10(220 votes)

    #18 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 5 - Edge of Impact
    7.0/10(219 votes)

    #19 - 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:Donald Robertson, Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 17 - The Man from M.I.5
    7.0/10(176 votes)

    #20 - The Man from M.I.5

    S1:E17

    A British spy vanishes while carrying atomic weapon blueprints.

    Director:David Lane
    Writer:Alan Fennell

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 18 - Cry Wolf
    7.0/10(169 votes)

    #21 - Cry Wolf

    S1:E18

    The Hood attacks a space tracking station in Australia.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Dennis Spooner

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 24 - Martian Invasion
    7.0/10(166 votes)

    #22 - Martian Invasion

    S1:E24

    The Hood forces an unwitting Kyrano into immoblising Thunderbird 1's photodetector.

    Director:David Elliott
    Writer:Alan Fennell

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Thunderbirds Season 2 Episode 2 - Path of Destruction
    7.0/10(159 votes)

    #23 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 7 - 30 Minutes After Noon
    6.5/10(208 votes)

    #24 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Thunderbirds Season 1 Episode 13 - Vault of Death
    6.0/10(193 votes)

    #25 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Terror in New York City" is the best rated episode of "Thunderbirds". It scored 10/10 based on 263 votes. Directed by David Elliott, David Lane and written by Alan Fennell, it aired on 10/21/1965. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Desperate Intruder".