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The Best Episodes of The Love Boat Season 1

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

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Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 2 - Oh, Dale!/The Main Event/A Tasteful Affair
    7.4/10(312 votes)

    S1:E2

    A man must pose as a woman to gain passage on the ship so that he can pursue an ex-girlfriend. A bickering married couple gets trapped in the elevator. A detective falls for a married woman whose husband has hired him to trail her.

    Directors:Stuart Margolin, Alan Rafkin, Richard Kinon
    Writers:Carl Kleinschmitt, Art Baer, Ben Joelson, Rick Callahan

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  2. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 8 - Lost and Found/The Understudy/Married Singles
    7.1/10(229 votes)

    S1:E8

    A boy befriends a couple that recently lost its young son. A trainee schemes to steal Julie's job. A bickering married couple takes the cruise and stays in separate cabins...next door to each other.

    Director:Stuart Margolin
    Writers:Bruce Shelly, Art Baer, Ray Jessel, Ben Joelson

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  3. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 16 - Hollywood Royalty/The Caper/The Eyes of Love/Masquerade (2)
    7.1/10(182 votes)

    S1:E16

    (Part 2) The Love Boat sets sail with two famous Hollywood stars, married couple Roz Rogers and Bill Klieg who need to find a balance between their professional and personal lives. An inept team of thieves board the ship and try numerous tactics to steal the Star of Kashmir, an expensive jewel brought aboard the ship by Ms. Rogers. Two childhood friends from a school for the blind meet up on the ship - only one of them isn't blind anymore. But that's not the only secret he is keeping from his friend. A philandering husband looks like he will be found out when he boards the ship with both his wife and his mistress.

    Director:Allen Baron
    Writers:Art Baer, Gordon Farr, Ray Jessel, Ben Joelson, Louis Pelletier, Marciia Muldoon, Tony Webster, Lynne Farr

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  4. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 5 - Help, Murder/Isaac the Groupie/Mr. Popularity
    7.0/10(249 votes)

    S1:E5

    A woman gets the wrong idea from her husband's secretive behavior and fears that he is plotting to murder her. Isaac begins a whirlwind romance with an internationally known singer. A couple suspects that a painfully boring passenger is actually a wanted jewel thief.

    Directors:Stuart Margolin, James Sheldon, Peter Baldwin
    Writers:Art Baer, Ben Joelson, Tony Webster, Michael Norell

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  5. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 12 - The Old Man and the Runaway/A Fine Romance/The Painters
    7.0/10(216 votes)

    S1:E12

    A crotchety old man and a teenage runaway form an unlikely friendship. Julie grows frustrated when an old friend of her brother's repeatedly rejects her advances without explanation. A pair of incompetent painters continually screws up the re-painting of Capt. Stubing's cabin.

    Directors:Stuart Margolin, James Sheldon
    Writers:Jack Hanrahan, Howard Albrecht, Sol Weinstein, Ray Jessel, Don Sherman

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  6. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 13 - Family Reunion/Too Hot to Handle/Cinderella Story
    7.0/10(222 votes)

    S1:E13

    A woman who believes her departed dad was a noble sea captain forms an attachment for a devilish old purser; a newlywed couple are prevented by dislocated backs, sunburn and even poison ivy from enjoying their honeymoon; the crew upgrades a couple with modest means to a luxurious suite without consulting Capt. Stubing, forcing the couple to pose as wealthy socialites.

    Directors:James Sheldon, Richard Kinon
    Writers:Bruce Shelly, Art Baer, Ben Joelson

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  7. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 15 - Hollywood Royalty/The Caper/The Eyes of Love/Masquerade (1)
    7.0/10(240 votes)

    S1:E15

    (Part 1) The Love Boat sets sail with two famous Hollywood stars, married couple Roz Rogers and Bill Klieg who need to find a balance between their professional and personal lives. An inept team of thieves board the ship and try numerous tactics to steal the Star of Kashmir, an expensive jewel brought aboard the ship by Ms. Rogers. Two childhood friends from a school for the blind meet up on the ship - only one of them isn't blind anymore. But that's not the only secret he is keeping from his friend. A philandering husband looks like he will be found out when he boards the ship with both his wife and his mistress.

    Director:Allen Baron
    Writers:Art Baer, Gordon Farr, Ray Jessel, Ben Joelson, Louis Pelletier, Marciia Muldoon, Tony Webster, Lynne Farr

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  8. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 10 - Dear Beverly/The Strike/Special Delivery
    6.9/10(221 votes)

    S1:E10

    An advice columnist neglects her husband to devote all her time to her fans, prompting him to seek affection elsewhere. A man with a negative history with Capt. Stubing fills in for the ailing chef. A frequent passenger, who is depressed about his impending divorce, winds up on the same cruise as his pregnant wife (who has failed to tell him about the baby). They somehow keep narrowly missing each other.

    Director:Allen Baron
    Writers:Mark Fink, Art Baer, Ben Joelson, Marion C. Freeman

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  9. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 20 - Computerman/Parlez-Vous/Memories of You
    6.9/10(222 votes)

    S1:E20

    A slick computer matchmaker proceeds to pair up cruise guests while setting himself up with Julie; two American gold-diggers pretend to be French; a New York advertising executive meets up with a long-lost love.

    Director:Richard Kinon
    Writers:Mark Fink, Carmen Finestra, David Assael

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  10. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 1 - The Captain and the Lady/One if by Land/Centerfold
    6.8/10(357 votes)

    S1:E1

    Captain Stubbing and his Ex Wife have to face the realities of a bad resolved separation when they find themselves trapped on the same cruise. The future wife of a powerful political congressman worries that the photo she took for an erotic magazine some years back will jeopardize his husband's political career, so she tries to cover this fact from him, by hiding all the copies of the magazine that are available in the ship, until she finds the courage to confess her past to her husband. Ginny O'Brien is followed by his future, but hard to commit boyfriend through all the ports where the cruise passes. however she's not going to accept a relationship without a proposal of marriage

    Directors:Alan Rafkin, Richard Kinon
    Writers:Jay Grossman, Judy Skelton, Paula A. Roth, Michael Norell

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  11. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 9 - The Captain's Captain/Hounded/Romance Roulette
    6.8/10(225 votes)

    S1:E9

    The presence of the captain's demanding father leaves the entire crew on edge. A dog traps a passenger in his cabin. Three friends reunite on board the ship and try to meet men through an unusual game.

    Director:Jack Arnold
    Writers:David Ketchum, Howard Albrecht, Sol Weinstein, Joel Kimmel, Tony DiMarco, Ann Gibbs

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  12. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 14 - Isaac's Double Standard/One More Time/Chimpanzeeshines
    6.8/10(194 votes)

    S1:E14

    Isaac's possessive mother becomes jealous of her son's lady friend, while he objects to his mom sharing a cabin with her latest boyfriend; a divorced comedy team is too busy making jokes to admit they miss each other; Gopher's budding romance is nearly foiled by a jewel-stealing monkey.

    Directors:James Sheldon, Richard Kinon
    Writers:Sue Masters, Joel Kimmel, Ann Gibbs, John Walsh, Bernie Kahn

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  13. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 17 - The Congressman Was Indiscreet/Isaac's History Lesson/Winner Take Love
    6.8/10(202 votes)

    S1:E17

    A congressman unjustly accused of being involved in a scandal seeks refuge aboard the Pacific Princess; Isaac and a lovely intellectual snob clash over a colorful old passenger; a beauty pageant contestant's whose chances of winning are jeopardized by her possessive boyfriend.

    Director:Jack Arnold
    Writers:David Garber, Fred Grandy, Kevin Hartigan, Jack Matcha, Bernie Kopell

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  14. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 23 - Musical Cabins
    6.8/10(193 votes)

    S1:E23

    A young bachelor must marry within the week in order to claim a $3 million inheritance; a drab widow poses as a glamorous adventuress and captures the heart of the Captain; a confirmed male chauvinist angers his fiancee, who finds comfort in sick bay with Doc; a scandal sheet reporter sets out to compile material for a sins-at-sea story.

    Director:Allen Baron
    Writer:Michael Norell

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  15. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 3 - Ex Plus Y/Graham and Kelly/Goldenagers
    6.7/10(287 votes)

    S1:E3

    A divorced couple takes the cruise with new mates, and can't seem to avoid one another or stop arguing. Two adolescents develop an awkward flirtation. A senior group inadvertently interferes with its director's fledgling romance with Julie.

    Directors:Stuart Margolin, Alan Rafkin
    Writers:Ed Jurist, Ann Gibbs, Michael Norell, Joel Kimmel

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  16. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 19 - The Inspector/A Very Special Girl/Until the Last Goodbye
    6.7/10(200 votes)

    S1:E19

    The crew after being informed that an inspector from the line will coming on board to do a report on them, but not knowing who he is, they try to be extra nice to anyone whom they is the inspector but always come up wrong. Two girls, one a stunner, the other, a plain girl. Now when two guys compete for the hot girl and when one of them gets her, the other has to take care of her companion.

    Director:Roger Duchowny
    Writers:Art Baer, Bruce Howard, Ben Joelson, Jerry Winnick

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  17. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 4 - Message for Maureen/The Acapulco Connection/Gotcha
    6.6/10(245 votes)

    S1:E4

    A tennis star, temporarily confined to a wheelchair due to a back injury, rekindles an old romance with a sportswriter who had been critical of her recent performances. A woman with singing aspirations stows away on the ship in the hopes of making it to America and providing for her large family. A man annoys his wife and other passengers by constantly playing practical jokes.

    Directors:Stuart Margolin, Peter Baldwin, Richard Kinon
    Writers:David Garber, Casey Keller, Neil Rosen, George Tricker, Kevin Hartigan, Richard Albrecht

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  18. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 11 - Lonely at the Top/Divorce Me, Please/Silent Night
    6.6/10(229 votes)

    S1:E11

    In a Christmas-themed cruise, the captain worries about how to effectively lead his ship but be a friend to his crew as well. A married couple who outwardly appear happy and in love are both desperate for the other person to give them a divorce - and they go to extreme measures to get it. An embittered ex-con boards the ship for a holiday with his wife but also with revenge on his mind for the person who framed him for the crime. A priest brings a group of orphans aboard for the cruise.

    Director:Allen Baron
    Writers:Art Baer, Gordon Farr, Bruce Howard, Ben Joelson, Lynne Farr

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  19. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 21 - Taking Sides/A Friendly Little Game/Going by the Book
    6.6/10(183 votes)

    S1:E21

    An older couple's problems affect the marriage of newlyweds. An elderly man who is riddled with debts, but is desperate to take his wife on a cruise to meet their grandchildren, decides to pay for the trip with a dodgy deck of cards and aims to take the crew for all the money they have. A young man who is very inexperienced with women relies on a self-help book on how to win them over. However, he and Doc Bricker butt heads by going after the same girl.

    Director:Richard Kinon
    Writers:Jerry Winnick, Ray Brenner, Hugh Wedlock Jr.

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  20. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 22 - Parents Know Best/A Selfless Love/The Nubile Nurse
    6.6/10(187 votes)

    S1:E22

    A couple takes their son on a cruise in an attempt to end his relationship with an unsuitable girl; a May-December couple rethink their romance; an ex-showgirl's glamorous past jeopardizes her new career as a registered nurse.

    Director:Roger Duchowny
    Writers:Seaman Jacobs, Barry Blitzer, Phil Foster, Marion Zola, Fred S. Fox

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  21. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 24 - This Business of Love/Crash Diet Crush/I'll Never Fall in Love Again
    6.6/10(188 votes)

    S1:E24

    A reformed prostitute causes trouble between a one-time "John" and his wife; Captain Stubing re-encounters an old flame; a fun-loving older couple help bring two lovers back together

    Director:Roger Duchowny
    Writers:Howard Albrecht, Sol Weinstein, Ray Jessel, Joel Kimmel, Ann Gibbs

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  22. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 6 - The Joker is Mild/First Time Out/Take My Granddaughter, Please
    6.5/10(239 votes)

    S1:E6

    An old friend of Julie's father turns to her for help reviving his sputtering stand-up comedy career. A meddling woman tries to interfere in her granddaughter's love life; she pushes her to date Doc, but her granddaughter wants to pursue romance with an old friend. A young man's fraternity brothers pressure him to lose his virginity during the cruise.

    Directors:Alan Rafkin, Richard Kinon
    Writers:David Ketchum, Mark Evanier, Barry Blitzer, Dennis Palumbo, Tony DiMarco

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  23. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 7 - Identical Problem/Julie's Old Flame/The Jinx
    6.5/10(221 votes)

    S1:E7

    Identical twins pretend to be one person in order to take the cruise on one fare. They leave Doc completely bewildered. Julie gets re-acquainted with an ex-lover, who claims to have broken things off with his wife. After suffering a series of accidents, the crew comes to believe that an elderly couple--which survived the Titanic--is cursed.

    Director:Don Weis
    Writers:David Ketchum, Howard Albrecht, Sol Weinstein, Michael Norell, Tony DiMarco

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  24. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 25 - Gopher the Rebel/Cabin Fever/Pacific Princess Overture
    6.5/10(174 votes)

    S1:E25

    A young female passenger encourages Gopher to be his own person and stand up for himself to Captain Stubing. However, neither were expecting the consequences of their actions. A cheating husband is caught when his neighbors from home also board the cruise. However, being holed up in a cabin with his mistress isn't all that he hoped it would be. A businessman uses all his wiles to convince a grieving widow to sell her husband's business to a Japanese conglomerate. But he soon comes to realize that this may not be the best idea.

    Director:Allen Baron
    Writers:Ray Jessel, Joel Kimmel, Dawn Aldredge, Martin Cohan, Ann Gibbs

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  25. The Love Boat Season 1 Episode 18 - The Last of the Stubings/The Million Dollar Man/The Sisters
    6.1/10(189 votes)

    S1:E18

    Stubing's nephew comes on board to train to be a seaman but doesn't do a good job at anything he does. A man who just stole a million dollars meets a woman who upon learning of what he has done reveals herself to be a cop who plans to turn him in. Two sisters compete for the affections of the same man.

    Director:Jack Arnold
    Writers:Ray Jessel, Steven Pritzker, Michael Norell

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Oh, Dale!/The Main Event/A Tasteful Affair" is the best rated episode of "The Love Boat" season 1. It scored 7.4/10 based on 312 votes. Directed by Stuart Margolin, Alan Rafkin, Richard Kinon and written by Carl Kleinschmitt, Art Baer, Ben Joelson, Rick Callahan, it aired on 10/1/1977. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Lost and Found/The Understudy/Married Singles".