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The Best Episodes of Family

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

Binge this in 4h 59m•Peaking at 8.6/10

The lives of the middle-class Lawrence family in Pasadena, California.

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Seasons5

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Family Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)
    8.6/10(126 votes)

    #1 - Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)

    S1:E1

    Buddy hears Kate say something about her, and isn't happy. Also, Nancy walks in on Jeff with another woman.

    Director:Mark Rydell
    Writer:Jay Presson Allen

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  2. Family Season 1 Episode 2 - Monday is Forever
    8.5/10(91 votes)

    #2 - Monday is Forever

    S1:E2

    Kate has to wait until Monday to find out whether she has cancer; Buddy and her friend Laura Richardson have until Monday, when the latter's family is scheduled to move to Detroit.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Family Season 1 Episode 4 - A Right and Proper Goodbye
    8.5/10(81 votes)

    #3 - A Right and Proper Goodbye

    S1:E4

    Kate's mother comes for one last visit.

    Director:Randal Kleiser
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Family Season 2 Episode 1 - Coming Apart
    8.5/10(65 votes)

    #4 - Coming Apart

    S2:E1

    Buddy gets a job at a bakery, and introduces Willie to her boss, ""Big Al""; Nancy gets involved with Peter, while she's finalizing her divorce from Jeff -- despite the latter's pleas for a reconciliation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Family Season 4 Episode 7 - Expectations
    8.5/10(43 votes)

    #5 - Expectations

    S4:E7

    Nancy's new boss pressures her to sleep with him; Buddy tries out for the cheerleading squad.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Family Season 5 Episode 12 - Smarts
    8.5/10(41 votes)

    #6 - Smarts

    S5:E12

    Annie gets picked on by her classmates, for being too smart; Buddy, studying for her SATs, worries that she's not smart enough.

    Director:James Broderick
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Family

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  7. Family Season 2 Episode 2 - Such Sweet Sorrow
    8.4/10(58 votes)

    #7 - Such Sweet Sorrow

    S2:E2

    Salina drops by, at a time when Willie is having problems with Alex; Doug is offered a great job in New York.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Family Season 3 Episode 22 - Sleeping Gypsy
    8.4/10(105 votes)

    #8 - Sleeping Gypsy

    S3:E22

    Everyone at school dislikes Buddy's bohemian friend; Kate gives Doug a plaid jacket he doesn't much care for.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Family Season 4 Episode 13 - Sleeping Over
    8.4/10(45 votes)

    #9 - Sleeping Over

    S4:E13

    Buddy's invitation to a sorority becomes a sore point in her friendship with Audrey when Audrey isn't invited to join. Willie sleeps with Kate's musician friend, leading to a serious mother-son rift over casual sex.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Family Season 5 Episode 13 - Letting Go
    8.4/10(44 votes)

    #10 - Letting Go

    S5:E13

    Doug is upset when Buddy starts dating a 21-year-old; Annie is jealous of an old friend who has matured much faster than she has.

    Director:James Broderick
    Writer:Edward Zwick

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  11. Family Season 1 Episode 5 - Thursday's Child
    8.3/10(67 votes)

    #11 - Thursday's Child

    S1:E5

    As Timmy Jr.'s christening approaches, the whole family (especially Buddy, who stubbornly refuses to take part) relives the painful memories of Timmy Sr.'s death.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Family Season 2 Episode 4 - Coming of Age
    8.3/10(70 votes)

    #12 - Coming of Age

    S2:E4

    Buddy officially reaches puberty; Nancy is caught between Kate's resentment of her thoughtlessness, Peter's proposal of marriage, and a come-on from a complete stranger.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Family Season 2 Episode 8 - Skeleton in the Closet
    8.3/10(69 votes)

    #13 - Skeleton in the Closet

    S2:E8

    Doug must face his sister Emily's alcoholism. Buddy tries to help a senior citizen she spots shoplifting food from the supermarket.

    Director:John Erman
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Family Season 2 Episode 9 - On The First Day Of Christmas (a.k.a. The Christmas Story)
    8.3/10(63 votes)

    #14 - On The First Day Of Christmas (a.k.a. The Christmas Story)

    S2:E9

    Doug is suspicious when his father introduces his new, and much younger, girlfriend; Nancy and Jeff have a fight over who gets Timmy over Christmas.

    Director:Gerald S. O'Loughlin
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Family Season 2 Episode 10 - Rites of Friendship
    8.3/10(81 votes)

    #15 - Rites of Friendship

    S2:E10

    A friend of Willie's comes out of the closet; Buddy, after getting invited to the ""Junior Jump"" by a popular boy, asks Nancy to teach her to dance.

    Director:Glenn Jordan
    Writer:Bethel Leslie

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  16. Family Season 3 Episode 5 - Annie Laurie
    8.3/10(49 votes)

    #16 - Annie Laurie

    S3:E5

    Doug gets propositioned by a female lawyer.

    Director:Alf Kjellin
    Writer:David Jacobs

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  17. Family Season 3 Episode 6 - We Love You, Miss Jessup
    8.3/10(65 votes)

    #17 - We Love You, Miss Jessup

    S3:E6

    Buddy's English teacher gets outed; Willie suspects Nancy of being a home-wrecker.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Family Season 4 Episode 6 - Generations
    8.3/10(46 votes)

    #18 - Generations

    S4:E6

    The family decides to spend Thanksgiving at Hattie's farm where Kate faces ghosts from the past. Buddy is intrigued by a local boy.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Family Season 4 Episode 8 - Gifts
    8.3/10(41 votes)

    #19 - Gifts

    S4:E8

    Annie, who still misses her parents, can't relate to the Lawrences' holiday cheer, and decides to run away until Christmas is over; Willie runs into his old barber, who is about to close up shop for good.

    Director:Philip Leacock
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Family Season 4 Episode 9 - The Friend's Affair
    8.3/10(52 votes)

    #20 - The Friend's Affair

    S4:E9

    A colleague and friend of Doug's is cheating on his wife; Annie suspects a next-door neighbor of having murdered his.

    Director:Philip Leacock
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Family Season 4 Episode 20 - Prelude
    8.3/10(36 votes)

    #21 - Prelude

    S4:E20

    Buddy has a crush on her swimming instructor, much to Zack's displeasure; Kate is tempted to call an old boyfriend.

    Director:Philip Leacock
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Family Season 5 Episode 2 - 'Tis the Season
    8.3/10(41 votes)

    #22 - 'Tis the Season

    S5:E2

    A pre-Christmas argument with Willie nearly gives Doug a heart attack; Buddy invites her school's janitor to her house, where he quickly endears himself to everyone but Kate.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Family Season 5 Episode 4 - When the Bough Breaks
    8.3/10(54 votes)

    #23 - When the Bough Breaks

    S5:E4

    Kate finds out she's pregnant; a friend of Buddy's, on vacation from her all-girls school, picks Willie as a seduction target.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Family Season 5 Episode 5 - Hard Times
    8.3/10(44 votes)

    #24 - Hard Times

    S5:E5

    Two friends of Buddy's who have been going steady for 3 years are having relationship problems -- and when she tries to help, the results aren't quite what she expected; Nancy is having trouble at work, which starts to affect even Timmy.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Family Season 1 Episode 3 - A Special Kind of Loving
    8.2/10(77 votes)

    #25 - A Special Kind of Loving

    S1:E3

    Willie meets, and starts spending lots of time with, Salina -- leading to a tiff with Buddy, right when she needs him to help conquer her fear of diving.

    Director:Randal Kleiser
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Pilot (a.k.a. The Best Years)" is the best rated episode of "Family". It scored 8.6/10 based on 126 votes. Directed by Mark Rydell and written by Jay Presson Allen, it aired on 3/9/1976. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Monday is Forever".