The BEST episodes of Aquarius

Every episode of Aquarius ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Aquarius!

A gritty 1960s cop drama about LAPD detective Sam Hodiak and his trainee, who must deal with gangs, brutal crimes, changing times, family crises and unhinged manipulative small-time crook Charles Manson, who's slowly building his cult.

Last Updated: 9/29/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended
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I Will
star
7.89
275 votes

#1 - I Will

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 9/10/2016

A newly "retired" Hodiak tracks down the serial killer who has been tormenting him for months, without the protection and authority of his police position. Manson sends Tex, Sadie, Emma and Patty to 10050 Cielo Drive, where they are swept up in one of the most infamous crimes in the country's history. (Series Finale)

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Why?
star
7.89
457 votes

#2 - Why?

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/18/2015

Charmain's first ride-along ends when her fellow officers are gunned down, the first in a series of cop killings. Her resolve is put to the test as Hodiak and Shafe enlist the Panthers to help find the shooter.

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Old Ego Is a Too Much Thing
star
7.82
451 votes

#3 - Old Ego Is a Too Much Thing

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/22/2015

Emma returns to the family just as Mary goes into labor; Hodiak's deal for Walt goes south; the conclusion to Hodiak and Shafe's murder investigation has unforeseen consequences; Karn takes care of an old problem.

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
(Please Let Me Love You and) It Won't Be Wrong
star
7.76
443 votes

#4 - (Please Let Me Love You and) It Won't Be Wrong

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/8/2015

Emma's absence is felt when the Manson family makes a documentary; Hodiak makes a deal with Ken Karn to save his son.

Directors: Lukas Ettlin
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Helter Skelter
star
7.63
397 votes

#5 - Helter Skelter

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/16/2016

Hodiak receives some disturbing fan mail as Charmain takes a dangerous plunge undercover and Brian discovers Roy's true intentions. Ken takes aim at Hal as Charlie fears an old prison mate is back to collect a debt.

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Your Mother Should Know
star
7.62
502 votes

#6 - Your Mother Should Know

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/1/2015

Trust is an issue when Bunchy asks Hodiak to solve his brother's murder; the Hodiak family comes together to help Walt; Guapo puts Shafe to work; Charlie's mother visits; Sadie sets up Emma.

Directors: Roxann Dawson
Writer: David Reed
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
star
7.61
467 votes

#7 - It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/25/2015

Charlie tests Emma's loyalty; Shafe passes Guapo's test; after his first acid trip, courtesy of Manson, Hodiak helps a fellow detective with a secret.

Directors: John Dahl
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Can You Take Me Back?
star
7.61
282 votes

#8 - Can You Take Me Back?

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/3/2016

Changes within the police department land Hodiak back in hot water with Internal Affairs, which forces him to adjust to a neutered role in the precinct. Meanwhile, the Manson family's misfortune seems to take a turn for the better when Terry Melcher arrives and wants to record Charlie's music.

Directors: Timothy A. Good
Writer: David Reed
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Revolution 1
star
7.59
349 votes

#9 - Revolution 1

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/23/2016

On the day of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Hodiak must investigate a murder in a black neighborhood while trying to prevent an imminent riot. In the midst of the crisis in the black community, Kristin's involvement with the Black Panthers drives a wedge between her and Shafe's marriage. Meanwhile, Charmain brings the drug case to a close and discovers the full cost of undercover work.

Directors: Timothy Busfield
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Revolution 9
star
7.56
343 votes

#10 - Revolution 9

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/7/2016

While Shafe's addiction problems mount, Hodiak helps an old war buddy find his blackmailer. Meanwhile, Karn gathers information to use against Bobby Kennedy and Grace finds a new love for politics.

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Why Don't We Do It in the Road
star
7.54
254 votes

#11 - Why Don't We Do It in the Road

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/16/2016

Charlie bonds with a Beach Boy, while "Tex" joins the Manson Family. Hodiak and Grace tread familiar territory as Brian takes a stab at a killer and gets rewarded for his sharp work.

Directors: Timothy Busfield
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
star
7.53
344 votes

#12 - Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/30/2016

Internal affairs turns up the heat on Hodiak, but a tragedy interrupts the investigation. Meanwhile, Dennis Wilson's courtship with Emma ignites jealousy in Manson. Dennis takes Emma and Manson to meet a record producer who lives at 10050 Cielo Drive- the future home of the Tate family.

Directors: James L. Conway
Writer: David Reed
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Sick City
star
7.52
451 votes

#13 - Sick City

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/9/2015

Karn buries secrets; failing to impress a record producer, Manson takes his disappointment out on his family; Shafe catches a tough break; Hodiak loses an old friend.

Directors: Jon Amiel
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Piggies
star
7.50
341 votes

#14 - Piggies

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/14/2016

Manson and the Family receive two surprises: one a blessing, one a threat. As Hodiak tries to investigate a new clue in the case of the photographer killer, a series of roadblocks forces him to take a proactive measure. Meanwhile, Grace makes plans for Emma. A shootout between the Black Panthers and LAPD reverberate in Shafe and Kristin's marriage.

Directors: Jon Amiel
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Mother Nature's Son
star
7.50
267 votes

#15 - Mother Nature's Son

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/10/2016

Hodiak decides to take matters into his own hands and shows up on the doorstep of the mysterious serial killer who has been sending him obscene pictures. Meanwhile, Manson sends Bobby, Mary and Sadie to go to extreme measures to get money from Gary Hinman.

Directors: David Duchovny
Writer: Sera Gamble
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
star
7.48
266 votes

#16 - Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/16/2016

Charlie cooks up a plan for Ralph and his crew; Hal wakes to a nightmare; and Hodiak gets leverage for his son.

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Sexy Sadie
star
7.46
280 votes

#17 - Sexy Sadie

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/27/2016

Sharon Tate begs for her life but Sadie has no mercy. Manson tries to track down Dennis Wilson. Meanwhile Hodiak finds Emma in a sanatorium, but will need help to get her out. While, an unemployed Ken Karn reunites with an old friend.

Directors: David Boyd
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Whiter Shade of Pale
star
7.45
502 votes

#18 - A Whiter Shade of Pale

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/25/2015

Charlie recovers; Charmain finds a case; Hodiak seeks the man who's been harassing Shafe's family; Shafe helps Hodiak get a message to his son.

Directors: Michael Offer
Writer: David Reed
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Everybody's Been Burned
star
7.45
1079 votes

#19 - Everybody's Been Burned

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/28/2015

LAPD Detective Sam Hodiak and undercover officer Brian Shafe begin the search for a missing teenage girl, Emma Karn, who has fallen under the spell of infamous cult leader Charles Manson.

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Blackbird
star
7.44
279 votes

#20 - Blackbird

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/3/2016

Ken and Emma reconcile but Emma wants to find Charlie. At the expense of Charmain's career, Hodiak is determined to find the truth behind Bunchy's murder. Meanwhile, Shafe sees an old friend at rehab.

Directors: Michael Zinberg
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
A Change Is Gonna Come
star
7.42
540 votes

#21 - A Change Is Gonna Come

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/18/2015

A South Central murder investigation ratchets up tension with the Black Panthers; Emma goes MIA; Hodiak loses control... and Shafe comes to the rescue.

Directors: Michael Zinberg
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
star
7.41
325 votes

#22 - While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/27/2016

Shafe, alone at the bloody Tate crime scene, is confronted by his own demons. As Manson searches for a missing Emma, he ends up on Hodiak's doorstep. Meanwhile, Ken Karn goes to new levels for international diplomacy.

Directors: Nelson McCormick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Cease to Resist
star
7.40
503 votes

#23 - Cease to Resist

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/2/2015

Cutler gets a surprise visitor; Hodiak and Shafe work the murder of a Hollywood star; Charlie goes gun shopping.

Directors: Michael Waxman
Writer: Sera Gamble
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
star
7.40
771 votes

#24 - The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/28/2015

Hodiak and Shafe investigate a complicated murder case amidst rising racial tensions. Meanwhile, Manson forces Emma's father, Ken Karn, to introduce him to an executive in the music business.

Directors: Jonas Pate
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Home Is Where You're Happy
star
7.39
588 votes

#25 - Home Is Where You're Happy

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/11/2015

Hodiak investigates Art Gladner's murder through his late wife Lucille, who runs a burlesque club. Manson hides Emma but Hodiak, under pressure from Grace, ultimately finds her and brings her home.

Directors: Michael Zinberg
Writer: Sera Gamble
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV