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The Best Episodes of The Lawless Years Season 1

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

Binge this in 2h 51m•Peaking at 7.5/10

The Lawless Years is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from April 16 1959, to September 22, 1961. The series is the first of its kind set set during the Roaring 20s,

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 1 - The Nick Joseph Story
    6.9/10(29 votes)

    #1 - The Nick Joseph Story

    S1:E1

    Detective Ruditsky relates the story of Nick Joseph, a small-time hood from Manhattan's Lower East Side, who rises from petty theft to become an ace contract killer for the syndicate's notorious Murder, Inc.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Jo Eisinger

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  2. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 2 - The Immigrant
    7.0/10(25 votes)

    #2 - The Immigrant

    S1:E2

    An immigrant woman tries to get Ruditsky to set her son on the straight and narrow. It seems as though he's been hanging around with a gang of hoodlums. Ruditsky gives it his best effort but it could be a tough sell.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Jo Eisinger

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  3. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 3 - The Jane Cooper Story
    6.8/10(23 votes)

    #3 - The Jane Cooper Story

    S1:E3

    Jane Cooper, recently paroled from prison, proves that she hasn't learned anything when she once again begins hanging around with underworld characters. Only this time it seems as though her mobster boyfriends keep dying off.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 4 - The Story Of Cutie Jaffe
    6.9/10(32 votes)

    #4 - The Story Of Cutie Jaffe

    S1:E4

    Cutie Jaffe, a small-time hood with big time ambitions, begins knocking over some of his brother-in-law's bootlegging trucks. Will Cutie rise in the underworld hierarchy or is he headed for a hard fall?

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 5 - The Dutch Schultz Story
    6.7/10(28 votes)

    #5 - The Dutch Schultz Story

    S1:E5

    Dutch Schultz wants to bump off special prosecutor Thomas Dewey who has been after him. The syndicate bigwigs deny him permission to make the hit but the Dutchman proceeds with his plans anyway.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Jo Eisinger

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  6. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 6 - The Lion And The Mouse
    6.6/10(18 votes)

    #6 - The Lion And The Mouse

    S1:E6

    Small time racketeer Eddie Safronek plots revenge against the hoods who beat him up and left him for dead.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 7 - No Fare
    7.1/10(14 votes)

    #7 - No Fare

    S1:E7

    The underworld bribes police detective Harry Kramer in order to get him to withhold information in a case.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 8 - The Payoff
    6.3/10(21 votes)

    #8 - The Payoff

    S1:E8

    After a moll is found murdered, flashbacks tell her story and those of mobsters Tony Sappio and Big Ed Harper, who both loved not wisely but too well.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 9 - The Marie Walters Story
    6.6/10(13 votes)

    #9 - The Marie Walters Story

    S1:E9

    The body of a murdered young woman is dragged from the Harlem River and the police ascertain that she was killed because she knew too much regarding the activities of a bootlegging gang. Ruditsky then becomes puzzled when the attorney of the chief suspect insists on going to trial as quickly as possible.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Jo Eisinger

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  10. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 10 - The Maxey Gorman Story
    7.5/10(14 votes)

    #10 - The Maxey Gorman Story

    S1:E10

    Ex-convict Maxey Gorman gets a Machiavellian character named A.J. to finance his entry into the bootlegging business. The two men become partners but when the dough starts pouring in Maxie looks for a way to rid himself of A. J.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Jo Eisinger

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  11. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 11 - The Muddy Kasoff Story
    7.2/10(14 votes)

    #11 - The Muddy Kasoff Story

    S1:E11

    Muddy Kasoff has been renting automobiles for gangsters to use but he has been secretly tippin the cops. When the hoods discover that Muddy has been informing they have him killed. Ruditsky investigates and discovers that a cigar band might be an important clue.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Jo Eisinger

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  12. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 12 - Framed
    7.5/10(18 votes)

    #12 - Framed

    S1:E12

    When Ruditsky can't be bribed by a waterfront crime gang they attempt to frame him by making it look like he's on the take.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 13 - Four the Hard Way
    7.3/10(13 votes)

    #13 - Four the Hard Way

    S1:E13

    Ruditsky warns visiting high roller Big Ziggy to get out of town but before he can hit the road he get roped into a crooked poker game with three cardsharps.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 14 - The Tony Morelli Story
    6.9/10(11 votes)

    #14 - The Tony Morelli Story

    S1:E14

    Dick Wilson (2) as Game Boy Miles | Harry Arnie as Benny | Brad Trumbull (2) as O'Neill | Lou Herbert as Titanic Thompson | Jack Kruschen as Laughing Boy | John Vivyan as Big Ziggy

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Charles Larson

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  15. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 15 - The Ray Baker Story
    6.1/10(14 votes)

    #15 - The Ray Baker Story

    S1:E15

    At a wild gangland party a young girl falls out of a window and is killed. When evidence shows that the girl was pushed, visiting Chicago mobster Ray Baker is arrested and charged with the crime. But Ruditsky has his doubts and thinks that the real culprit might be another mobster.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Charles Larson

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  16. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 16 - The Story of Lucky Silva
    7.2/10(22 votes)

    #16 - The Story of Lucky Silva

    S1:E16

    ucky Silva is a small-time hood who by a combination of circumstance, ambition, and drive rises quickly to a position of prominence in New York's Mafia.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 17 - The Morrison Story
    6.2/10(15 votes)

    #17 - The Morrison Story

    S1:E17

    A judge is murdered right before a state crime commission is scheduled to take a look into his activities.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Jo Eisinger

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  18. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 18 - The Poison Ivy Story
    6.6/10(16 votes)

    #18 - The Poison Ivy Story

    S1:E18

    Ruditsky is temporarily assigned to duty in a Brooklyn precinct and must get the goods on a gang of hooligans who are pulling off a series of drug store robberies.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Lawless Years Season 1 Episode 19 - The Prantera Story
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - The Prantera Story

    S1:E19

    No description available

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"The Nick Joseph Story" is the best rated episode of "The Lawless Years" season 1. It scored 6.9/10 based on 29 votes. Directed by Allen H. Miner and written by Jo Eisinger, it aired on 4/16/1959. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "The Immigrant".