The WORST episodes of Barnaby Jones
Every episode of Barnaby Jones ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Barnaby Jones!
Barnaby Jones was a retired private investigator, but quickly came out of retirement after his son Hal, who had taken over Barnaby's job, was murdered. Hal's widow, Betty, helped Barnaby try and find her husband's murderer. The murder was solved, but Barnaby decided he wanted to return to investigating full-time and Betty decided to join him.
#1 - The Scapegoat
Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/5/1978
When discovered while robbing a coin collection Dewey Lassiter, a cocaine addict, kills June. Prime suspect is J.R.'s law school class mate Walt, June's boy friend. To protect his guilty son, famous attorney Gordon Lassiter offers to defend Walt, but frames him instead, leaving it up to J.R. to help Walt prove his innocence.
#2 - Yesterday's Terror
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/13/1977
Frances Dunslay, married to a successful husband, is confronted with her past as a call girl when Cal Green blackmails her. She steals bonds from her husband's company and even hires Rudy Markham to kill Green. Barnaby and J.R. investigate to find the missing bonds.
#3 - The Damocles Gun
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/20/1977
When Peggy Giroux meets her brother Neal at a restaurant he mysteriously vanishes after being injured by a hit-and-run driver. Peggy hires Barnaby to locate Neal and he and J.R. find out that Neal is a professional killer who hides a gun proving his boss murdered a man years ago.
#4 - Gang War
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/27/1977
J.R. is abducted by members of the juvenile gang ""The Scorpions"" and forced to solve the murder of their co-leader Marco within 2 days to prevent a gang war with the rivaling ""Hawks"". He finds out that ""Hawks"" leader Max has a secret romance with Marco's sister Tina.
#5 - Daughter of Evil
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/3/1977
While call girl Felice dines with André LeClair her boss,Harry burglarizes LeClair's home and shoots and kills a security guard. Barnaby and J.R.investigate for the insurance company and it turns out Harry and his partner Lorette Gray, run an answering service that is a front for a call girl service. While the girls are out with the clients, Harry rips them off.
#6 - The Captives
Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/10/1977
Attempting to locate Gloria, a runaway wife, Barnaby goes to the small town of Las Mesas, which is deserted due to the fair at Colverton. Earl, Ritchie and Tom plan to rob an armored car transport. They hold Gloria, the remaining townspeople and Barnaby as captives. It is up to J.R. to rescue Barnaby and the others when he can't convince the local authorites that something is wrong in Las Mesas.
#7 - The Reincarnation
Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/17/1977
Barnaby and J.R go to Lake Crystabol to investigate the death of Dr. Welker for the insurance company. Dr. Welker was killed by a dropping flower pot while outside at Diane Magnus' party. Diane thinks that David, the boy friend of her niece Gwen, is the reincarnation of her husband Thomas, murdered 20 years ago.
#8 - Shadow of Fear
Season 6 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/24/1977
While repairing the small cottage inherited from her aunt Betty is injured. She is treated by sympathetic doctor Paul Tierney. Paul is pursued by three men who seek revenge because he abandoned them in Vietnam. Betty becomes fond of him and tries to repay the help.
#9 - The Devil's Handmaiden
Season 6 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/1/1977
Barnaby investigates the fatal accident of an insurant with double indemnity clause and meets twelve-year-old Julie Tyler, who predicted the death. When Julie tells Barnaby that missing Ferris is also dead, her mother suspects she is in league with the devil.
#10 - Prisoner of Deceit
Season 6 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/15/1977
Barnaby is hired solve the death of Jack Crandall who had an affair with Tracy Wilder. Barnaby finds out that Jack suspected Tracy's considerably older husband Godfrey to be involved in the death of Tracy's wealthy father during a fire twelve years ago. Tracy has a habit of convincing men to feel sorry for her and then they end up dead, she tries to make J.R. her latest victim.
#11 - Deadly Homecoming
Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/22/1977
Barnaby and J.R. go to San Leone to help out an old friend of Barnaby's, Carmine Sandell. Carmine asks Barnaby to find out why his son Joe was killed. When Joe's brother Nick is killed a few days later, Tomás Aguilar becomes the prime suspect. His sister Linda, who has just returned to town, was once drugged and raped by the young Sandells and has spent the last 3 years in a sanitarium because of it.
#12 - Child of Danger
Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/29/1977
Don Hopkins, a friend from college, invites Betty for lunch and then suddenly disappears, leaving his son Charlie in her custody. Two ex-fellow prisoners, Jim and Nick, force Don to join them in robbing a coin exchange.
#13 - The Wife Beater
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/29/1977
Pat Halston seeks the help of her friend Betty as she is repeatedly beaten by her drunken husband Glenn, who is reluctant to consult a psychologist. When Pat's boss David Conrad is slain suspicion falls on the jealous Glenn, who protests his innocence.
#14 - A Ransom in Diamonds
Season 6 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/12/1978
Warren Christie, manager of a jewelry store, steals several diamonds to ransom his abducted wife but when Stan Donaldson tries to deliver the gems they are robbed. Barnaby investigates for the insurance company and offers his help for a second delivery.
#15 - Prime Target
Season 6 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/19/1978
Working under cover J.R. tries to befriend Maggie Revell, a young woman just released from prison. Barnaby and J.R. hope she will lead them to her boy friend Jack and to $400 000 from a robbery. But Jack's betrayed accomplice is also looking for the money.
#16 - Final Judgment (Part 1)
Season 6 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/26/1978
Shortly before leaving for a fishing trip Barnaby gets a telephone call from a desperate Jennifer Rhodes, whose husband was convicted of kidnapping the Sayers's child eleven years ago due to Barnaby's testimony. Barnaby can rescue her from an attempted suicide. Feeling guilty, he tries to locate a witness for the defense but when the girl Hayley is murdered Barnaby is shattered.
#17 - Final Judgment (Part 2)
Season 6 - Episode 19 - Aired 1/26/1978
Feeling guilty, Barnaby tries to locate a witness for the defense but when the girl Hayley is murdered Barnaby is shattered. He finds out that Gates, a former police detective, covered up for the kidnappers. During a shooting Gates is seriously injured by Barnaby, but his current boss Kingman doesn't show much efforts to help him.
#18 - Uninvited Peril
Season 6 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/2/1978
A desperate mother, Verna Davis, requests Betty's help to find her missing son, Duane. Betty does not know that he is an escaped criminally insane killer. She locates Duane, who is seriously injured by a bullet. Verna abducts a doctor and forces him to help.
#19 - Terror on a Quiet Afternoon
Season 6 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/9/1978
Amy Vickers is harassed by rejected admirer Mitchell Grady II. She comes to Barnaby looking for help and since Barnaby is busy with another case, J.R. takes the case. Amy needs to take some medical records to her father who is in an out of town hospital so J.R. drives her there. The two of them are followed by Mitch and two of his lackies and they are forced to seek refuge in a cabin. While at the cabin they are terrorized by Mitch and his friends.
#20 - The Coronado Triangle
Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/2/1978
Barnaby and Betty go to San Diego to help Glen Wilcox who suspects that several yachts that disappeared in the ""Coronado Triangle"" were hijacked. Dawn, the only survivor of a recent disaster, claims to have seen a giant whirlpool. She covers for Lloyd, one of the highjackers. J.R. goes undercover as a rich playboy to try and be the next victim of the hijackers.
#21 - Blind Jeopardy
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/1978
Mrs. Russell hires Barnaby to locate Jenny Hastings, who witnessed a murder that Mrs.Russell's husband is about to go on trial for. Barnaby thinks he has located Jenny in a motel a few miles outside of Colverton and while Barnaby is on the phone having Betty check out the license number, Jenny is abducted by men who are working for Curt Phillips. Phillips wants to make sure that Jenny is not around to testify at the trial. While following them into a forest area Barnaby is wounded by a bullet and left blinded. Escaped Jenny discovers him and both try to flee on foot, pursued by the men. Back at the office J.R. has become concerned since he can't reach Barnaby and he sets out to look for him. J.R. arrives in just the nick of time to rescue Barnaby.
#22 - A Dangerous Affair
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/28/1978
While investigating for the insurance company whether Frank Auburn's death was an accident, J.R. falls in love with beautiful Scotty, who works for Vic Chambers as a model. She takes care of lonely customers and a hidden camera films it so Vic can blackmail the men.
#23 - Deadly Sanctuary
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/1978
During her vacation Betty visits her friend Phyllis. When a young woman whom she denied help is raped, Betty feels guilty and starts to investigate on her own. Once Barnaby and J.R. realize the danger Betty is putting herself in, J.R. goes out to help Betty. Together they question the previous victims and Betty then decides to pose as bait for the rapist to catch him.
#24 - The Marathon Murders
Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/17/1977
During a Marathon Group Therapy weekend Ken Scanlan talks about his unfaithful wife Ruth. Lorraine, with whom he had a brief affair, slays Ruth to help Ken. As Ruth's life insurance policy had a double-indemnity clause, Barnaby and J.R. investigate hoping to stop any further murders.
#25 - Band of Evil
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/18/1976
During a fishing vacation Barnaby and J.R. are hired by rancher Tim Carter to investigate a conversation overheard by Carter's daughter,Cassie, on her CB radio. Cassie believes that a hired hand, was the victim of foul play on his way out of town. J.R. uses his knowledge of the lingo used on CB radios to help Barnaby figure out that the disappearance is tied to a drug smuggling operation.