The BEST episodes of Empty Nest
Every episode of Empty Nest ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Empty Nest!
Widowed pediatrician Harry Weston is a miracle worker when it comes to dealing with his young patients, but he's more challenged by the other people surrounding him: daughters Barbara and Carol; his wisecracking office assistant, nurse LaVerne Todd; and obnoxious neighborhood mooch Charley Dietz. Thank goodness he always finds a friendly shoulder (and a warm, wet tongue) in Dreyfuss, his enormous dog.
#1 - Best Friends
Season 6 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/21/1994
Carol is upset when her childhood friend returns and starts dating Harry. A patient at the clinic turns out to be a member of the family which has feuded with Laverne's for years, which sparks a mini-war between the two.
#2 - Let's Give Them Something to Talk About
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/1994
Rumors fly after Charley and Laverne begin spending a lot of time together, but the two swear they are just friends. Carol is excited about her new job at a local newspaper, until she finds out that she has been hired merely as a driver for the paper's teenage reporter.
#3 - Life Goes On (2)
Season 7 - Episode 24 - Aired 4/29/1995
With the gang fretting over Laverne's elopement, Kevin comes to see Carol and the two decide to get married with Laverne's father performing the ceremony. Laverne and Matt return unhitched and the ceremony becomes a double wedding. Barbara returns home to pack her things, but Harry has second thoughts about moving...until he is confronted by his dead wife Libby's ghost.
#4 - The Ballad of Shady Pines
Season 6 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/12/1994
Laverne fills in for a friend at Shady Pines, where Sophia's boyfriend hits on her. Sophia catches the two together and thinks Laverne is stealing her man.
#5 - Feelings, Whoa Whoa Whoa, Feelings
Season 7 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/25/1995
Laverne is afraid to reveal her true feelings for her visiting friend Matt, and becomes jealous when Carol asks him to dinner. Charley poses for a nude layout in a magazine.
#6 - Just for Laughs
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/1/1994
Charley pursues a new career as a stand-up comedian and centers his whole act around making fun of Harry. Meanwhile, a mentally unstable woman befriends Laverne and Maxine battles the bus station when they move the bus shelter.
#7 - Brotherly Shove
Season 6 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/5/1994
Charley ends up working at his brother's used car lot, but when he makes a big sale his brother takes all the credit. Maxine and Laverne become competitive when they start jogging to get in shape.
#8 - Under the Gun
Season 6 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/29/1994
Harry gets shot when a young boy brings a gun to the clinic. Carol has a date with a famous anthropologist, who opts instead to go party with Charley.
#9 - Lordy, Lordy, Landlordy
Season 6 - Episode 24 - Aired 4/23/1994
When their good-for-nothing landlord refuses to repair the problems at the clinic, Laverne threatens a rent strike and ends up getting the gang evicted. Meanwhile, Sophia convinces Carol to spend some time away from baby Scotty but she can't seem to bring herself to let him out of her sight.
#10 - The Tinker Grant
Season 7 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/3/1994
When the clinic applies for a grant, a man comes to evaluate their request and leaves his notebook behind, which Maxine reads. Charley seeks Sophia's help when trying to impress an Italian girlfriend's parents.
#11 - My Pal Valy-Val
Season 7 - Episode 21 - Aired 6/10/1995
Carol goes off looking for a friend and ends up stopping a woman from committing suicide. Harry goes on a survival camping trip to be alone, but Charley tags along. A psychic opens up a shop next to the clinic, which excites Laverne and annoys Maxine.
#12 - Stand by Your Man
Season 7 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/25/1995
Constant interruptions frustrate Laverne's relationship with Matt, prompting her to go out with Maxine, Charley, and his friend Bud (who she ""hits it off"" with). Harry meets a woman whose dog looks just like Dreyfuss and persuades her to breed the two.
#13 - The Ex-Files
Season 7 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/18/1995
Carol is afraid her relationship with Kevin is over when she meets his beautiful intelligent ex-wife. Meanwhile, Charley sues Harry when he gets sick after eating some old Chinese food from the Westons' fridge.
#14 - And Kevin Makes Three
Season 7 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/4/1995
Carol is jealous over Kevin's quick bonding with Scotty. Harry and Maxine help Laverne learn to speak Spanish.
#15 - Harry Weston: Man's Best Friend
Season 7 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/18/1995
Harry becomes Carol's boss' new best friend, which makes Charley jealous. Laverne auditions for a commercial in which she'll play the voice of a cartoon owl.
#16 - Grandma, What Big Eyes You Have
Season 7 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/4/1995
Harry is attracted to a woman he meets in the park, but soon finds out she is married. Laverne keeps a parrot at the office while waiting for it's owner to claim it, which annoys Maxine. Carol goes overboard when shopping at a value size discount club.
#17 - Family Practice
Season 7 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/28/1995
Maxine agrees to take care of a patient's children while the lady has gall bladder surgery. Sophia invites Harry to a Shady Pines square dance.
#18 - Carol Gets a Raise
Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/22/1994
Carol wants career advancement and ends up in a compromising position with her boss. Meanwhile, Maxine fills in for Harry and speaks at an elementary school.
#19 - Half That Jazz
Season 6 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/2/1994
Harry persuades his old jazz idol Sonny Baxter to come out of retirement and play at a benefit. Strange things start happening after Sophia vows revenge on Charley for dumping her niece.
#20 - Absence Makes the Nurse Grow Weirder
Season 6 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/21/1994
Harry fills in at his old practice and becomes smitten with the nurse. Laverne is upset because Harry forgets the anniversary of the day they started working together.
#21 - The Devil and Dr. Weston
Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/9/1994
A wealthy philanthropist eyes Harry. Carol tries to help shy Doris (who once volunteered at the clinic but now sales roll-on moose door-to-door) come out of her shell.
#22 - A Foreign Affair
Season 6 - Episode 23 - Aired 4/16/1994
Maxine's boyfriend, an African cultural attache, proposes marriage. Sophia and Charley get Carol (who meanwhile has started to play the guitar again) hooked on the dog races.
#23 - Hog Heaven
Season 6 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/5/1994
Laverne's old biker boyfriend returns and the two rekindle their romance, which annoys Harry, who doesn't think the guy is good enough for her. Carol makes a memory video for baby Scotty.
#24 - M.D., P.O.V.
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/3/1990
Harry tries to avoid a reporter who is doing a story on him. A young patient is on the verge of death and no one can figure out why.
#25 - Mrs. Clinton Comes to Town
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/24/1994
Reporter Carol tries her best to meet Hillary Clinton, who is visiting the clinic, but only ends up getting thrown in jail along with Laverne and Charley.