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The Best Episodes of The District Season 1

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

Binge this in Unknown•Peaking at 9.0/10

The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The District Season 1 Episode 11 - The D.C. Strangler
    9.0/10(76 votes)

    S1:E11

    Temple leads an investigation to catch a serial killer who is murdering prostitutes, but after viewing the women's mutilated bodies he doesn't know if he's strong enough to see the job through; Mannion comes under pressure to hire a politically correct candidate for a district-commander post.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writers:Hans Beimler, Jack Maple

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  2. The District Season 1 Episode 16 - A Southern Town
    8.7/10(46 votes)

    S1:E16

    Mannion goes to New York to attend his ex-wife's wedding and perhaps stop it; an ex-cop accuses Noland of covering up a case 30 years ago that involved a politician's son.

    Director:Rick Rosenthal
    Writer:Pam Veasey

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  3. The District Season 1 Episode 5 - The Real Terrorist
    8.5/10(46 votes)

    S1:E5

    The threat of biological terrorism strikes Washington and Chief Mannion has to arrange almost all his force to search for a potential terrorist. An escapee from juvenile detention murders a taxi driver and a few drug dealers and becomes a big threat once he hides in a public schools, putting in danger hundreds of lives. Temple disguises as a student to catch the killer, in an operation that almost cost Ella the guard of her nephew, if it wasn't for Mannion's interference to the judge.

    Director:Michael W. Watkins
    Writer:Michael Daly

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  4. The District Season 1 Episode 14 - Rage Against the Machine
    8.5/10(42 votes)

    S1:E14

    Mannion attempts to reunite a troubled boy living in foster care with his mother, who is in jail on a drug charge; McGregor tries to prevent a stalker from harming a woman; a female reporter shadows Mannion to write a profile of him; and Temple raises doubts about his upcoming wedding.

    Director:Damon Santostefano
    Writer:Linda Gase

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  5. The District Season 1 Episode 23 - Fools Russian (2)
    8.5/10(46 votes)

    S1:E23

    Mannion receives Monya's hand by the mail, an indication that someone is plotting against him. Temple hasn't recovered from his fiancée's death, but Mannion accepts him back on the force. With Mannion under heavy investigation, the mayor has no options but suspend him. Noland steps in as police chief. Noland assigns McGregor and Temple to work directly for Mannion and he decides to run a investigation of his own. Temple, McGregor and Mannion go to a contruction to investigate the Russian mob, since a scheme for money laudry in the value of over 1 billion is discovered. The FBI tapes two unidentified Russians talking about Mannion's murder, and the voices are identified to be Boris' (Mannion's informer) and Putin's (the man the FBI is after). McGregor and Temple see four suspects enter Boris's bar and call Mannion. Temple decides to take action and walks into the bar, despite Jack's order to wait for him. Temple starts a fight with the men, resulting in him being taken hostage by one of

    Director:Rick Rosenthal
    Writer:Hans Beimler

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  6. The District Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    8.3/10(73 votes)

    S1:E1

    Jack Mannion is greeted with hostility as soon as he's hired as the new chief of police in Washington D.C.

    Director:Terry George
    Writer:Terry George

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  7. The District Season 1 Episode 3 - Worst Block
    8.3/10(47 votes)

    S1:E3

    As Mannion vows to clean up the most crime-ridden block in the city, community tensions rise when Temple is accused of intentionally pushing a police suspect into oncoming traffic.

    Director:Richard Compton
    Writer:Hans Beimler

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  8. The District Season 1 Episode 8 - The Jackal
    8.3/10(44 votes)

    S1:E8

    The city is terrorized by a criminal who stalks elderly people, empties their bank accounts and then kills them; the Mayor comes clean about his sordid past; Ella is asked out on a date, but she's not sure if she should accept.

    Director:Sandy Smolan
    Writers:Terry George, Aaron Iverson

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  9. The District Season 1 Episode 9 - Pot Scrubbers
    8.3/10(43 votes)

    S1:E9

    Mannion goes after a dealer who is supplying drugs to rich executives. Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Sherry, shows up unexpectedly to deliver bad news.

    Director:Stephen Cragg
    Writer:Pam Veasey

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  10. The District Season 1 Episode 12 - Old Ghosts
    8.3/10(44 votes)

    S1:E12

    Mannion becomes personally involved in a case after a woman asks him to find her husband; McGregor threatens a former I.R.A. gunman who is in town for peace talks.

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writers:Terry George, Sadhbh Walshe

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  11. The District Season 1 Episode 15 - The Most Dangerous Job
    8.3/10(43 votes)

    S1:E15

    Mannion vows to better protect cab drivers after a cabbie fatally shoots a passenger he thought was trying to rob him. Also, a new U.S. Attorney stirs up controversy, and McGregor gets jealous when Nancy receives flowers from an unknown person.

    Director:Rod Holcomb
    Writer:Aaron Iverson

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  12. The District Season 1 Episode 17 - New World
    8.3/10(34 votes)

    S1:E17

    A respected Vietnamese colonel, who is now a successful local businessman, is suspected of running a sex-slave operation using kidnapped Asian girls, one of whom is murdered. Also, Ricky refuses to go to school and he won't tell Ella why; and McGregor's reluctance to publicly acknowledge his relationship with Nancy leads to a confrontation.

    Director:Jerry Levine
    Writer:Sadhbh Walshe

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  13. The District Season 1 Episode 4 - Surveillance
    8.2/10(53 votes)

    S1:E4

    Mannion creates departmental strife when he orders a special night shift that will put senior officers out on the streets during peak crime hours.

    Director:Sarah Pia Anderson
    Writer:Meredith Stiehm

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  14. The District Season 1 Episode 6 - How They Lived
    8.2/10(43 votes)

    S1:E6

    The statement on this episode about the Pumpkin Tapes should be on Episode #8

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writer:Pam Veasey

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  15. The District Season 1 Episode 10 - The Santa Wars
    8.2/10(44 votes)

    S1:E10

    Jack is threatened by an ex-cop who was fired. Ella has to deal with Santas fighting over the hot spots of the city. Jack's suspicious that Nick is seeing his daughter behind his back, when he's in fact trying to work out a way to bring her to see him for Christmas as a surprise. McGregor and Parras continue with their secret affair. A US Senator is arrested for public drunkness and the deputy mayor has to negotiate with Nolan for it not to go public. Expensive video games are stolen and it is discovered the the store owner is behind it to get extra money.

    Director:Sandy Smolan
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The District Season 1 Episode 19 - The Agony and the Ecstasy
    8.2/10(41 votes)

    S1:E19

    Just as Mannion and his ex-wife, Sherry, are making plans to get back together, their son, Jack Jr., arrives for a visit. He brings his new girlfriend with him and they announce they're taking a year off college to travel through Europe. The problems grow bigger when Jack Jr. is confronted by his dad for using ecstasy and is later arrested at a rave party for possession and traffic. Meanwhile, a kidnapped woman calls from a car's trunk begging for help before she is killed; Nick has to face neighborhood problems at his new house and Parras is confronted and suspended by her superiors after her gun is stolen by a man she picked up at a bar and used to kill a man.

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writer:Linda Gase

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  17. The District Season 1 Episode 13 - Vigilante
    8.1/10(45 votes)

    S1:E13

    Mannion searches for a vigilante who is killing convicted child molesters; Ella learns that one of her neighbors is a former sex offender.

    Director:Peter Markle
    Writer:Scott Williams

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  18. The District Season 1 Episode 22 - Fools Russian (1)
    8.1/10(45 votes)

    S1:E22

    Two ex-cops who worked as bank securities are shot to death and Mannion suspects that the Russian mob is behind it. The FBI wants the case, but Mannion won't let go and decides to solve it by himself. He contacts Monya, a Russian gangster from NY with whom he has a history and Monya gives him a name to go after. The FBI wants to take over the investigation and Mannion refuses to help them given the issues he has with the bureau back from when they let his old partner die. After a few insults that cross the line of internal rivalship, compromising evidence from Jack's personal account appear to incriminate him, possibly planted by the federals. Meanwhile, Temple's marriage is approaching and he couldn't be happier. But his plans are suddenly interrupted when he pays his fiancée a visit at the hospital. Two men had just arrived from a neighbor fight over a fence, and one of the victim's brother goes insane and tries to shoot the other man. But McGregor throws himself to protect the man a

    Director:Rick Rosenthal
    Writer:Scott Williams

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  19. The District Season 1 Episode 18 - Night Moves
    8.0/10(38 votes)

    S1:E18

    Mannion decides to declare war against street gangs after a drive by shooting kills an innocent pedestrian. Two Latino gangs (the "Colombian Guardian Crew" - C.G.C. - and "Los Muertos") - one Cuban and one Salvadorian - are in war with each other over territory limits and Mannion sends his best men to catch the main leader accused of killing the pedestrian: Carlos "El Gato" Cesar, one of the most dangerous gang members in the city. Meanwhile, Mannion has suspicions that the same man that reported a criminal fire is the one who started it; and Nick has to face his fears after being badly beaten up by a robber.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writer:Pam Veasey

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  20. The District Season 1 Episode 7 - Imperfect Victims
    7.9/10(44 votes)

    S1:E7

    Ella is fearful of what will happen to Ricky when he testifies against his father, who's on trial for murdering the boy's mother; Temple tries to convince the victim of a serial rapist to testify; Nick discovers some explosive evidence against the mayor.

    Director:Richard J. Lewis
    Writers:Lynn Marie Latham, Terry George

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  21. The District Season 1 Episode 20 - Running Towards Fire
    7.8/10(47 votes)

    S1:E20

    Detective Travis Haywood is shot while performing an undercover operation by an off-duty cop. Mannion has to handle the manipulative press that keeps referring to the incident as the third time a black cop has been shot by a white cop. Detective Heywood dies and the issue of prejudice gets stronger as the black cops demand the shooter to be severely punished.

    Director:Terry George
    Writer:Terry George

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  22. The District Season 1 Episode 21 - Don't Fence Me In
    7.8/10(38 votes)

    S1:E21

    An operation to catch a theft mob is set and Temple goes undercover as a pawn shop salesman who also works selling stolen objects. After entering a scheme for stolen credit cards and laptops, the agents make the arrest for the two brothers who were the heads of the gang. Meanwhile, McGregor investigates the origins of a stolen bracelet caught on Temple's pawn shop, which leads to a case of rape/murder from five years ago. McGregor is convinced the prime suspect is the murderer, but can't make an arrest until he tries to fly outside the country. Nick is still trying to develop a good relationship with the community member, but can't because she won't date white men. Nick tries to make something to please her and stops a demolition in the name of Mannion, who wasn't pleased to hear that and ends up giving Nick a warning about mixing personal life with work. And Queenie, the presidential dog, runs away and a psychic is called to help find her.

    Director:Sandy Smolan
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The District Season 1 Episode 2 - Dirty Laundry
    7.6/10(51 votes)

    S1:E2

    Mannion issues a mandate to get illegal guns off the streets and uncovers the surprising motive behind the murder of a well-connected young man.

    Director:Terry George
    Writer:Terry George

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"The D.C. Strangler" is the best rated episode of "The District" season 1. It scored 9/10 based on 76 votes. Directed by Kevin Dowling and written by Hans Beimler, Jack Maple, it aired on 1/6/2001. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "A Southern Town".