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The Best Episodes of Kojak

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

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A bald, lollipop sucking police detective with a fiery righteous attitude battles crime in New York City.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Kojak Season 2 Episode 18 - Queen of the Gypsies
    8.3/10(256 votes)

    #1 - Queen of the Gypsies

    S2:E18

    A young gypsy woman who witnesses a a bank robbery decides that looting banks is preferable to telling fortunes, so she recruits the thieves for a master plan to rob six banks in one day.

    Director:Jeannot Szwarc
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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  2. Kojak Season 4 Episode 5 - A Need to Know
    8.2/10(169 votes)

    #2 - A Need to Know

    S4:E5

    Kojak and the detectives try to stop a child molester, who has diplomatic immunity, before he strikes again.

    Director:Russ Mayberry
    Writer:Chester Krumholz

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  3. Kojak Season 4 Episode 9 - A Shield for Murder (1)
    8.1/10(162 votes)

    #3 - A Shield for Murder (1)

    S4:E9

    A wealthy political leader quashes Kojak's efforts to reopen a two-year-old matricide case.

    Director:Jeannot Szwarc
    Writer:William P. McGivern

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  4. Kojak Season 4 Episode 10 - A Shield for Murder (2)
    8.1/10(150 votes)

    #4 - A Shield for Murder (2)

    S4:E10

    When Kojak gets too close to discovering the truth, he is framed.

    Director:Jeannot Szwarc
    Writer:William P. McGivern

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  5. Kojak Season 5 Episode 14 - Mouse
    8.1/10(150 votes)

    #5 - Mouse

    S5:E14

    Kojak encounters a case where a highly respected surgeon may be doing unnecessary surgeries in order to use the money to pay off gambling debts.

    Director:Harvey S. Laidman
    Writer:Art Eisenson

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  6. Kojak Season 3 Episode 8 - Out of the Frying Pan . . .
    8.0/10(175 votes)

    #6 - Out of the Frying Pan . . .

    S3:E8

    A veteran cop who is battling alcoholism and demotion after being held responsible for the shooting death of a friend impedes Kojak's murder investigation as he tries to clear his name and win back his shield.

    Director:Charles S. Dubin
    Writer:Jack Laird

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Kojak

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  7. Kojak Season 3 Episode 14 - A House of Prayer, a Den of Thieves
    8.0/10(237 votes)

    #7 - A House of Prayer, a Den of Thieves

    S3:E14

    An old colleague calls from Las Vegas to say he has captured a counterfeiter Kojak has been looking for, but the elderly man is murdered before Kojak can bring him back to New York.

    Director:Robert Day
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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  8. Kojak Season 4 Episode 17 - When You Hear the Beep, Drop Dead
    8.0/10(167 votes)

    #8 - When You Hear the Beep, Drop Dead

    S4:E17

    A wealthy ecologist's wife plans to murder him and use a fake phone message to frame a nonexistent call girl.

    Director:Jeannot Szwarc
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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  9. Kojak Season 5 Episode 1 - The Queen of Hearts Is Wild
    8.0/10(152 votes)

    #9 - The Queen of Hearts Is Wild

    S5:E1

    The girlfriend of a local gangster who hates Kojak is the only witness in the murder of a police officer.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Donald P. Bellisario

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  10. Kojak Season 2 Episode 3 - Hush Now, Don't You Die
    7.9/10(208 votes)

    #10 - Hush Now, Don't You Die

    S2:E3

    Kojak tracks down a college student that he suspects has been raped, but is too afraid to come forward after she witnesses one of the assailants murdered by the other.

    Director:Charles S. Dubin
    Writer:Robert W. Lenski

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  11. Kojak Season 2 Episode 24 - The Trade-Off
    7.9/10(173 votes)

    #11 - The Trade-Off

    S2:E24

    Kojak arrests the ringleader (Mark Stevens) of a drug operation, whose gang kidnaps Captain McNeil's wife in order to trade her for the evidence they have against him.

    Director:David Friedkin
    Writer:Robert Swanson

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  12. Kojak Season 3 Episode 12 - A Long Way from Times Square
    7.9/10(166 votes)

    #12 - A Long Way from Times Square

    S3:E12

    Kojak and Crocker head to Cory, Nevada to pick up a witness (Vincent Bagetta), but they encounter trouble in town.

    Director:Ernest Pintoff
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Kojak Season 4 Episode 14 - Dead Again
    7.9/10(149 votes)

    #13 - Dead Again

    S4:E14

    A woman informs the detectives that she had seen a wanted man that had supposedly died in a house fire, but they don't believe her until it's too late.

    Director:Sigmund Neufeld Jr.
    Writer:Burton Armus

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  14. Kojak Season 5 Episode 9 - The Summer of '69 (1)
    7.9/10(149 votes)

    #14 - The Summer of '69 (1)

    S5:E9

    Kojak must reopen a case in which the prime suspect of three women was shot and killed after a shootout with him. Now, eight years later, the murders have started again and it appears that Kojak may've killed the wrong man.

    Director:Gene R. Kearney
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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  15. Kojak Season 1 Episode 10 - Cop in a Cage
    7.8/10(272 votes)

    #15 - Cop in a Cage

    S1:E10

    Freshly freed from prison, a criminal jailed by Kojak wants revenge and is targeting Kojak's niece on her wedding day.

    Director:Alex March
    Writer:Alvin Sapinsley

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  16. Kojak Season 1 Episode 21 - Therapy in Dynamite
    7.8/10(235 votes)

    #16 - Therapy in Dynamite

    S1:E21

    A psychopathic bomber targets people who hurt his friend. Kojak must find link between victims in order to find suspect.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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  17. Kojak Season 2 Episode 9 - The Best Judge Money Can Buy
    7.8/10(175 votes)

    #17 - The Best Judge Money Can Buy

    S2:E9

    A judge (John Randolph) whose son was also a judge was murdered and his death was made to look like he had committed suicide. Now, his father must decide whether or not he should allow a murderer (Abe Vigoda) to walk, or risk letting information out that shows his son as a corrupt judge.

    Director:Leo Penn
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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  18. Kojak Season 2 Episode 20 - Elegy in an Asphalt Graveyard
    7.8/10(190 votes)

    #18 - Elegy in an Asphalt Graveyard

    S2:E20

    Kojak is particularly affected by the murder of a beautiful Manhattan playgirl.

    Director:Christian Nyby
    Writer:Jack Laird

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  19. Kojak Season 2 Episode 21 - The Good Luck Bomber
    7.8/10(170 votes)

    #19 - The Good Luck Bomber

    S2:E21

    Kojak and the bomb squad are stymied by a series of bombs that seemingly can't be defused.

    Director:Sigmund Neufeld Jr.
    Writer:Ray Brenner

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  20. Kojak Season 3 Episode 1 - A Question of Answers (1)
    7.8/10(207 votes)

    #20 - A Question of Answers (1)

    S3:E1

    An unjustly imprisoned man hopes to clear his name by helping Kojak trap the load shark who framed him.

    Director:Jerry London
    Writer:Albert Ruben

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  21. Kojak Season 3 Episode 11 - No Immunity for Murder
    7.8/10(183 votes)

    #21 - No Immunity for Murder

    S3:E11

    Refusing to believe that a prostitute and her partner are responsible for a bookkeeper's murder, Kojak run afoul of the FBI when he tries to investigate further.

    Director:Andy Sidaris
    Writer:Joe Gores

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  22. Kojak Season 4 Episode 6 - An Unfair Trade
    7.8/10(140 votes)

    #22 - An Unfair Trade

    S4:E6

    The shooting of a Puerto Rican youth by the Police angers the community.

    Director:Nicholas Sgarro
    Writer:Burton Armus

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  23. Kojak Season 5 Episode 10 - The Summer of '69 (2)
    7.8/10(135 votes)

    #23 - The Summer of '69 (2)

    S5:E10

    After Kojak is placed on suspension, he continues to review the 8-year old case while a serial killer (Stephen McHattie) strikes again.

    Director:Gene R. Kearney
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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  24. Kojak Season 5 Episode 15 - Chain of Custody
    7.8/10(133 votes)

    #24 - Chain of Custody

    S5:E15

    Kojak is suspended after reacting to an incompetent district attorney who failed to convict a known killer.

    Director:Russ Mayberry
    Writer:Chester Krumholz

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  25. Kojak Season 1 Episode 13 - Death Is Not a Passing Grade
    7.7/10(283 votes)

    #25 - Death Is Not a Passing Grade

    S1:E13

    While teaching a criminal justice class at a local college, Kojak embarrasses a student with a criminal background, forcing him to leave a stolen item to have the upper hand in future classroom discussions.

    Director:Allen Reisner
    Writer:Gene R. Kearney

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Best Episodes Summary

"Queen of the Gypsies" is the best rated episode of "Kojak". It scored 8.3/10 based on 256 votes. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc and written by Gene R. Kearney, it aired on 1/19/1975. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "A Need to Know".