Benson backdrop
Comedy

The Best Episodes of Benson Season 1

Every episode of Benson Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Benson Season 1!

Binge this in 12h 0m•Peaking at 8.4/10

A butler deals with life at the governor's mansion.

Airs on
ABC
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons7

All1234567

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Benson Season 1 Episode 1 - Change (Pilot)
    8.0/10(110 votes)

    #1 - Change (Pilot)

    S1:E1

    In the pilot of this spinoff series of Soap, Benson, the Butler of Jessica Tate helps out her cousin Gene Gatling, who is the Governor of the state. Benson's first escapade lands him into finding a way for a huge company to build their new bridge without killing beavers. His success in this idea seems to land him a ""trial offer"" for this new job.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Susan Harris

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Benson Season 1 Episode 2 - Trust Me
    8.1/10(80 votes)

    #2 - Trust Me

    S1:E2

    Katie attends a controversial rock concert, even though her father forbid her to go and had Benson watch her. Now the question is, who will get home in time? The Governor or Katie? Benson, afraid Katie will not come home in time applies for another job in the meantime.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Lee Maddux

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Benson Season 1 Episode 3 - The President's Double
    7.7/10(71 votes)

    #3 - The President's Double

    S1:E3

    Governor Gatling goes with African president Ukassi to a dinner. The African president becomes a victim of an assasination attempt and while his wounds get worse, Benson plays the part of the African president. The problem is that the assasins want that president dead and they have their desires on killing him not knowing that it's Benson.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Benson Season 1 Episode 4 - Benson in Love
    7.4/10(69 votes)

    #4 - Benson in Love

    S1:E4

    Benson meets an attrative woman in the mansion and asks her out, not knowing she is a senator.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Benson Season 1 Episode 5 - Conflict of Interest
    7.6/10(57 votes)

    #5 - Conflict of Interest

    S1:E5

    The Governor is faced with a family problem. Should he go see his daughter in her school play as he promised, or should he accept a very important political invitation that is scheduled for the same night? The Governor decides he has to attend the political meeting and Benson has to stand in.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Paul Wayne

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Benson Season 1 Episode 6 - The Layoff
    8.1/10(64 votes)

    #6 - The Layoff

    S1:E6

    Benson is forced to lay off some staff members when the Governor makes a campaign to cut ""unecessary"" spending. Katie resents Benson when he has to fire the sweet woman who lightens up everyone's day.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Benson

    READ
  7. Benson Season 1 Episode 7 - Snowbound
    7.8/10(58 votes)

    #7 - Snowbound

    S1:E7

    Governor Gatling wants the staff to join him on his little vacation to a snow cottage. Benson agrees when he learns that Kraus will not attend. Later Kraus changes her mind and Benson has to live with it. He has to live with it harder when the staff gets snowed in.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Susan Harris

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Benson Season 1 Episode 8 - Jessica
    8.0/10(68 votes)

    #8 - Jessica

    S1:E8

    Jessica Tate visits and she gets involved in a scandal. She falls in love with the French Baron who is visiting and all of a sudden he dies. It's now up to Benson and Jessica to try to fool a crowd of media that he is still alive and departing the Hotel he's staying at without them knowing and connecting Jessica with the death.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Benson Season 1 Episode 9 - Don't Quote Me
    7.8/10(53 votes)

    #9 - Don't Quote Me

    S1:E9

    A bad remark about a senator gets aired out and the staff is in trouble. They have to find who blabbed before more damaging information gets out.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Benson Season 1 Episode 10 - War Stories
    7.8/10(55 votes)

    #10 - War Stories

    S1:E10

    Benson's old army buddy Eddie visits and him and Marcy hit it off after Benson introduces him to single Marcy. The problem is that Eddie is a married man and Benson didn't know that.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Michael Weinberger

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Benson Season 1 Episode 11 - Ghost Story
    7.1/10(56 votes)

    #11 - Ghost Story

    S1:E11

    Very mysterious things happen in the Governor's mansion. Kraus panicks and says that the house is haunted. They have a seance and find out that the ghost was a goveror who was murdered a long time ago. The reason he is haunting the mansion is because the man who murdered that Governor was going to be honored by Gov. Gatling with a memorial street named after him.

    Director:Tony Mordente
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Benson Season 1 Episode 12 - Taylor's Bid
    6.9/10(59 votes)

    #12 - Taylor's Bid

    S1:E12

    Taylor quits being the advisor to Governor Gatling and decides to run for a public office. The Governor starts to need Taylor back when he can't manage his own political responsibilities.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Benson Season 1 Episode 13 - One Strike, You're Out
    8.3/10(56 votes)

    #13 - One Strike, You're Out

    S1:E13

    The domestic workers demand more money and Benson grants their requests to give them a raise. The blue-collar people go on strike after Governor Gatling refuses their plea. At the same time, very important people come to dinner and Benson has to do all the duties. He does all he can do, and with his smarts he turns it into a disaster so that they can get a taste of what it's like not to have them.

    Director:Jay Sandrich
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Benson Season 1 Episode 14 - Just Friends
    8.1/10(61 votes)

    #14 - Just Friends

    S1:E14

    Governor Gatling is trying to get Howard Walker, the entrepreneur to settle his new factory in his constituency. Benson on his own tries not to let this go through because him and Howard's wife had a love affair years ago.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Benson Season 1 Episode 15 - Chain of Command
    7.5/10(56 votes)

    #15 - Chain of Command

    S1:E15

    The Governor gets sick and has to stay in bed. Ed, his younger replacement takes advantage of the position and responsibilities of Governor too far. Ed tries to become the permanent replacement for the Governor. Benson catches this and tries to stop it.

    Director:Asaad Kelada
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Benson Season 1 Episode 16 - Bugging the Governor
    7.4/10(56 votes)

    #16 - Bugging the Governor

    S1:E16

    Somebody bugged the mansion and Benson tries to find out who by trapping them inside. It turned out that Taylor's lover, who was inside the mansion before, dispensed all equipment in the building.

    Director:Asaad Kelada
    Writer:Bernard Dilbert

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Benson Season 1 Episode 17 - Kraus Affair
    7.2/10(57 votes)

    #17 - Kraus Affair

    S1:E17

    Kraus falls for the Butcher, but she loses her self-confidence asking him out.

    Director:Tony Mordente
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Benson Season 1 Episode 18 - Checkmate
    7.5/10(54 votes)

    #18 - Checkmate

    S1:E18

    An 11 year old Soviet is brought to the mansion for a professional chess tournament. While the boy is homesick and wanting to be out of the public's eye, he sees Katie who hides him in her room. All hell breaks loose when the Soviets can't find him and accuses the US staff of kidnapping him. The Soviets then threaten war if the boy is not returned.

    Director:Tony Mordente
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Benson Season 1 Episode 19 - Cold Storage
    7.2/10(46 votes)

    #19 - Cold Storage

    S1:E19

    Just before a very important banquet with guests, Benson and Kraus go in the old storage room to look for something and the door shuts on them. With minimal healthy air and a freezing temperature Benson and Kraus have to find themselves a way out. Benson risks it all when he starts a fire near an old heat duct and the mansion fills with smoke. That is the way the firemen tracked them.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Benson Season 1 Episode 20 - Old Man Gatlin'
    7.4/10(51 votes)

    #20 - Old Man Gatlin'

    S1:E20

    The Governor's loudmouth father comes to visit and wreaks havoc among the staff. Benson then gets so fed up with the arrogance and the idea of the father breathing down his son's back that he traps him in the kitchen. Benson supervises him until the Governor's speech is over.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Benson Season 1 Episode 21 - Power Play
    7.4/10(46 votes)

    #21 - Power Play

    S1:E21

    A load of dead fish and sludge is delivered to the Mansion by a conservationist.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Benson Season 1 Episode 22 - Takin' It to the Streets
    8.4/10(65 votes)

    #22 - Takin' It to the Streets

    S1:E22

    Wanting to know how the ""little people"" really feel about politics and their real needs, Governor Gatling and Benson visit a mangy bar to talk to the constituents but land in trouble when a man picks a fight with Gatling at the bar, not knowing who he is.

    Director:Tony Mordente
    Writers:Wally Dalton, Shelley Zellman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Benson Season 1 Episode 23 - The Army Wants You
    7.8/10(54 votes)

    #23 - The Army Wants You

    S1:E23

    Benson, a war veteran suspicious when he is told to report for an ""evaluation."" It seems that on their record, Benson Dubois died in the Korean war, so treating Benson like some kind of a spy or something, the Fed's watch and follow his every move. Even the staff is trying to link spydom with his work habits.

    Director:Tony Mordente
    Writer:Paul Raley

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Benson Season 1 Episode 24 - Marcy's Vacation
    7.7/10(46 votes)

    #24 - Marcy's Vacation

    S1:E24

    Marcy is going on vacation and she gets worried that Lorraine, her replacement may do a better job than she does and get dismissed for good.

    Director:Don Barnhart
    Writers:Terry Grossman, Kathy Speer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Change (Pilot)" is the best rated episode of "Benson" season 1. It scored 8/10 based on 110 votes. Directed by Jay Sandrich and written by Susan Harris, it aired on 9/13/1979. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Trust Me".