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The Worst Episodes of Who's the Boss?

Every episode of Who's the Boss? ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Who's the Boss?!

A former professional baseball player, along with his preteen daughter, moves into New York advertising executive Angela Bower's house to be both a housekeeper and a father figure to her young son. Tony 's laid-back personality contrasts with Angela's type-A behavior.

Genres:ComedyFamily
Network:ABC

Lowest Rated Episodes Summary

The worst episode of "Who's the Boss?" is "Charmed Lives", rated 5.7/10 from 108 user votes. It was directed by Asaad Kelada and written by Paul Haggis. "Charmed Lives" aired on 5/13/1986 and is rated 0.3 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "There's No Business Like Shoe Business".

  • Charmed Lives
    5.7/10 108 votes

    #1 - Charmed Lives

    Season 2 Episode 26 - Aired 5/13/1986

    Angela has found a model to play the part of a princess in a series of pasta commercials. But the client instead chooses a shy photographer, who didn't even want the job.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Paul Haggis

  • There's No Business Like Shoe Business
    6.0/10 93 votes

    #2 - There's No Business Like Shoe Business

    Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 4/1/1986

    After hearing a colleague from the shoe factory describe his boredom with his life, Mona encourages him to be spontaneous and pursue a new life. He takes her advice a little too far when he leaves his wife and infant in search of Hollywood stardom.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • Life With Father
    6.5/10 70 votes

    #3 - Life With Father

    Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 12/13/1988

    Samantha wants to go to Vermont ski lodge for the weekend, but Tony forbids her. Sam goes anyway. Along the way, she remembers everything her father did, even the embarassing moments!!

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Danny Kallis

  • Mona
    6.6/10 97 votes

    #4 - Mona

    Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 5/12/1987

    Mona's brother has bought a seedy hotel in New York City and used Mona's money for it.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Blake Hunter, Martin Cohan

  • Mrs. Rossini's Uncle
    6.6/10 76 votes

    #5 - Mrs. Rossini's Uncle

    Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 1/10/1989

    Mrs. Rossini visits Tony. Accompanying her is her young uncle Al.Al is attending the nearby Beauty College and Tony should take care of him. In the course of this Sam and Al come closer.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Lee Aronsohn

  • Living Dolls
    6.6/10 99 votes

    #6 - Living Dolls

    Season 5 Episode 19 - Aired 3/28/1989

    Sam visits a beauty school run by Angela's friend. While there, she meets Charlie, a friend of hers from the old neighborhood, who is living there. Charlie is unhappy with her life there, and is considering running away.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Inherit the Wine
    6.6/10 77 votes

    #7 - Inherit the Wine

    Season 7 Episode 11 - Aired 11/27/1990

    The family fly to Italy to visit Tony's relatives, who have a surprise for him. He is now the owner of a vineyard there.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Daniel Palladino

  • Jonathan the Gymnast
    6.7/10 80 votes

    #8 - Jonathan the Gymnast

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 11/18/1986

    Jonathan, because he takes life too serious, should do something else than always studying. He decides in favor of gymnastics and Tony should teach him. During a competition he falls due to his overzealousness and breaks his shoulder. And this is something Angela really isn't happy about.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • A Fishy Tale
    6.7/10 86 votes

    #9 - A Fishy Tale

    Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 11/24/1987

    Joe, Mrs. Rossini's husband, has cleared off with a woman from the neighborhood. Now Tony should help out at Mrs. Rossini's fish store until they have found a replacement.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • Your Grandmother's a Bimbo
    6.7/10 87 votes

    #10 - Your Grandmother's a Bimbo

    Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 1/29/1989

    Mona has saved the order for Angela and designs now the new get-up for the magazine 'Mature Woman'. Jonathan runs for treasurer in his school. For the magazine's cover Mona let herself photograph scantily dressed. When Jonathan schoolfellows see this cover, his chances getting elected seem to be gone.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • Tony and the Professor
    6.7/10 70 votes

    #11 - Tony and the Professor

    Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 10/24/1989

    On the spur of the moment, Tony accepts a date with a woman he meets at a bar. Having second thoughts, he cancels the date the next day, only to learn later that the woman is the professor of his new class.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • Sam Can Manage
    6.7/10 77 votes

    #12 - Sam Can Manage

    Season 6 Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/1989

    Al has founded a rock band and Sam becomes, as she has some quite good ideas, the group's manager. But she has problems getting gigs because everyone just sees the 'cute girl' in her.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Daniel Palladino

  • Gambling Jag
    6.7/10 80 votes

    #13 - Gambling Jag

    Season 6 Episode 12 - Aired 12/12/1989

    To put up Mona after she has been stood up by a man, Tony and Angela decide going to Atlantic City. There Mona first gamble away Angela's diamond necklace and then the car. To win back those things Angela sits down at the poker table.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • Dear Landlord
    6.7/10 76 votes

    #14 - Dear Landlord

    Season 6 Episode 15 - Aired 1/16/1990

    Angela buys, due to tax reasons, a house in the neighborhood and Tony helps her shaping it up. A lodger already seems to be found but when Angela returns from a business trip she finds a young actress moving in instead.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Daniel Palladino

  • Four Alarm Tony
    6.7/10 81 votes

    #15 - Four Alarm Tony

    Season 7 Episode 9 - Aired 11/13/1990

    Tony becomes a volunteer fireman. His dedication is a little too extreme, and he ends up getting kicked out of the squad.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Party Politics
    6.7/10 72 votes

    #16 - Party Politics

    Season 7 Episode 20 - Aired 2/26/1991

    Billy has his birthday. But the Harpers wants to hold their birthday party the same day as Angela and Tony. As a result an (expensive) fight arises, who has the better party with the most guest.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Gene Braunstein, Bob Rosenfarb

  • Tony Bags a Big One
    6.7/10 71 votes

    #17 - Tony Bags a Big One

    Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 10/26/1991

    While Angela is away on business, Mona begins dating one of her biggest clients. She finds him thoroughly uninteresting and promptly dumps him. In an attempt to prevent from withdrawing his account from the agency, Tony accompanies him on a duck hunt. An accidental gunshot only makes things worse.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Mona's Limo
    6.8/10 87 votes

    #18 - Mona's Limo

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/28/1986

    With a trick Jim Petersen snatches away Angela's first customer. Tony and Mona try, with a similar trick, to get him back to Angela.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • Tony, the Patchmaker
    6.8/10 82 votes

    #19 - Tony, the Patchmaker

    Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 1/27/1987

    Geoffrey keeps his brandnew Porsche at Angela's while he's in Boston. After Angela has gone shopping using the car, she let the car outside. There the tree the neighbor's cutting down hits the car and causes a write-off.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: N/A

  • Diet in Cell Block 11
    6.8/10 86 votes

    #20 - Diet in Cell Block 11

    Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 2/24/1987

    Nick is released of jail and parks himself at Angela's garage. He has now become a writer and has already finished a book which everyone likes. Angela has also found a publisher for Nick's work

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Howard Meyers

  • Men are People, Too
    6.8/10 77 votes

    #21 - Men are People, Too

    Season 5 Episode 20 - Aired 4/4/1989

    Angela hires a shy contractor to put a skylight in the kitchen. He takes an immediate liking to Mona, who agrees to go out with him. When he learns that he is not the only man in Mona's life, he abandons the skylight job. Tony accuses Mona of having no respect for men's feelings.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Eric Gilliland

  • The World According to Jonathan
    6.8/10 75 votes

    #22 - The World According to Jonathan

    Season 6 Episode 11 - Aired 12/5/1989

    Some bad experiences at school, including being assigned to play the accordion, have Jonathan's self-esteem at rock bottom. Tony helps him overcome his depression by introducing him to an old friend of his, who is now an accordion player. Jonathan soon enjoys playing the accordion, but when Tony encourages him not to restrict himself to one activity, Jonathan misinterprets Tony's intentions as disapproval for the accordion, and bans Tony from his first recital.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Gene Braunstein, Bob Perlow

  • I Dream of Genealogy
    6.8/10 78 votes

    #23 - I Dream of Genealogy

    Season 6 Episode 20 - Aired 2/20/1990

    After researching her family tree, Sam discovers that her great-grandfather, assumed to be deceased, is still alive in Italy. He is flown to Connecticut to meet the family. Tony soon discovers that the man is not who they believe he is.

    Director: Asaad Kelada

    Writer: Clay Graham

  • Ridiculous Liaisons
    6.8/10 84 votes

    #24 - Ridiculous Liaisons

    Season 7 Episode 1 - Aired 9/18/1990

    Angela meets, and begins to date, Christopher, a man who appears to be perfect. Everyone who meets him seems to feel as if they've met an angel. Tony, however, cannot seem to meet him, encountering several failed attempts, which begin to ruin his relationship with Kathleen.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Daniel Palladino

  • Misery
    6.8/10 79 votes

    #25 - Misery

    Season 8 Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/1991

    Tony, like it's always his way, overdoes his relationship with Angela. But Angela doesn't dare to tell - and tries to get out of his way.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Clay Graham