8.1/10320 votes#1 - Pilot (1)
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/18/1978
Andy tries to convince WKRP's owner that rock and roll will cure the station's ailing ratings.
Director: Jay Sandrich
Writer: Hugh Wilson
8.0/10280 votes#2 - Pilot (2)
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/25/1978
Andy faces a fiscal crisis: Carlson won't finance a breaking-in period for the new format.
Director: Michael Zinberg
Writer: Hugh Wilson
8.2/10276 votes#3 - Les On a Ledge
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/2/1978
Les is barred from locker-room interviews when his manhood is questioned.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Hugh Wilson
8.3/10354 votes#4 - Hoodlum Rock
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/9/1978
Andy books a rock band whose members attack their audiences.
Director: Michael Zinberg
Writer: Hugh Wilson
8.2/10286 votes#5 - Hold-Up
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/16/1978
A broadcast from a stereo shop is disrupted by a holdup.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
7.7/10254 votes#6 - Bailey's Show
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/23/1978
Bailey's show brings out the weirdest people in town.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
9.6/101,149 votes#7 - Turkeys Away
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/30/1978
Carlson thinks up a wacko Thanksgiving promotional gimmick.
Director: Michael Zinberg
Writer: N/A
6.8/10247 votes#8 - Love Returns
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/6/1978
Andy may have to leave WKRP when he rekindles his love for a touring rock star.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
6.5/10227 votes#9 - Mama's Review
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 1/15/1979
In flashbacks, Andy and Carlson update WKRP's owner Mrs. Carlson on recent station happenings.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Hugh Wilson
8.2/10232 votes#10 - A Date With Jennifer
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 1/22/1979
Les invites Jennifer to a banquet, then suspects she only accepted out of pity.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
8.2/10247 votes#11 - The Contest Nobody Could Win
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 1/29/1979
Johnny accidentally offers listeners $5000 instead of $50 as a contest prize.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
8.2/10220 votes#12 - Tornado
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 2/5/1979
A tornado strikes while Japanese businessmen are touring the station.
Director: Will Mackenzie
Writer: Blake Hunter
7.8/10192 votes#13 - Goodbye, Johnny
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 2/19/1979
Johnny is offered a job in California, so the staff devises a scheme to keep him in Cincinnati.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Blake Hunter
8.1/10221 votes#14 - Johnny Comes Back
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 2/26/1979
Johnny comes back to WKRP expecting to get his job back. Instead, he is assigned to the predawn show.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Blake Hunter
7.5/10190 votes#15 - Never Leave Me, Lucille
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 3/5/1979
Temporarily separated from his wife, Herb envisions a fanciful bachelorhood.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
7.3/10192 votes#16 - I Want to Keep My Baby
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 3/12/1979
Johnny refuses to relinquish an abandoned baby left at WKRP until he can contact the mother.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Hugh Wilson
8.2/10229 votes#17 - A Commercial Break
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 3/26/1979
Andy has doubts about an upbeat ad campaign for a mortician.
Director: Rod Daniel
Writer: N/A
8.3/10226 votes#18 - Who is Gordon Sims?
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 4/2/1979
Venus refuses to pose for an ad because he's wanted by the law.
Director: Rod Daniel
Writer: N/A
7.8/10211 votes#19 - I Do, I Do... For Now
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 4/23/1979
Jennifer tries to discourage a beau by revealing she's married--to Johnny Fever.
Director: Will Mackenzie
Writer: N/A
7.1/10198 votes#20 - Young Master Carlson
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/30/1979
Momma Carlson insists her grandson be allowed to roam around the station after he's booted out of military school.
Director: Will Mackenzie
Writer: Hugh Wilson
8.8/10270 votes#21 - Fish Story
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 5/28/1979
Andy tells a journalist that WKRP is just a "run-of-the-mill" station, even though a staffer is running around in a "carp" suit.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Hugh Wilson
7.6/10213 votes#22 - Preacher
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 6/4/1979
A wrestler turned preacher uses his radio sermon to sell merchandise.
Director: Michael Zinberg
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati Season 1
Every episode of WKRP in Cincinnati Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati Season 1!
When a Cincinnati radio station switches from sedate music to top-40 rock 'n' roll, its staff of oddball characters is forced to switch gears quickly....
Genre:Comedy
Network:CBS
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Pilot (1)" is the best rated episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati" season 1. It scored 8.1/10 based on 320 votes. Directed by Jay Sandrich and written by Hugh Wilson, it aired on 9/18/1978. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Pilot (2)".