The BEST episodes of Fantasy Island season 1
Every episode of Fantasy Island season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Fantasy Island season 1!
Smiles everyone, Smiles! So began this long-running (7 season) series which was one of the ABC Network's anthology/guest-cast series (along with The Love Boat) that proved wildly popular. Each week two guests came to "Fantasy Island" to get their wish/fantasy fulfilled. Their mysterious host, the debonair and suave white-suited Mr. Roarke, would do the sometimes impossible and grant them their wishes...but there was always some twist to the fantasy, letting the guest learn something about themselves or get something they weren't expecting. Best remembered for the presence of Herve Villechaize as the diminuitive "Tattoo" and his cry of "De plane! De plane!" the show proved popular enough to go the distance and then spawn a brief revival/remake in the 1990s. A remake, Fantasy Island (1998)in the late 1990's was not as successful as its predecessor. In 2020 it was made into a movie with Michael Pena in the title role.
#1 - Treasure Hunt / Beauty Contest
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/11/1978
In "Treasure Hunt" a couple along with their friend thirst for money and adventure leading them to some very difficult decisions. In "Beauty Contest" a sheltered 19 year old girl wishes to enter a beauty contest like her mother did in order to get acceptance from her father.
#2 - Escape / Cinderella Girls
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/28/1978
In the "Escape" segment, Gregory Udall is an escape artist trying to get out of the shadow of his famous father by duplicating the solo ultimate escape his father performed, with Mr. Roarke providing the prison. Unfortunately for Udall, if you don't escape, well...you stay there forever. Udall manages to escape by overcoming his desire to do it single-handedly as he gets another prisoner to help him. In the "Cinderella" segment, Ann and Maxine are working class girls who manage to afford a trip to Fantasy Island with a wish to become jet-setters for two days. They both get involved with rich men - Maxine ends up getting her man even when she confesses she's poor, and Ann ends up with a doctor pretending to be a rich millionaire to raise money for his health clinic.
#3 - Lady of the Evening / The Racer
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/25/1978
In 'Lady of the Evening' a prostitute wants to change her life and settle down but is afraid to tell her respectable fiancé. And in 'The Racer' ex-race car driver Kincaid proves to himself and his family that the crash which destroyed his career is not the reason he quit racing.
#4 - Call Me Lucky / Torch Song
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/20/1978
In "Call Me Lucky" compulsive gambler Harry Beamus wants to be the luckiest gambler alive, realizing his separation from his son may come at a high cost. In "Torch Song" a woman wishes to become a torch singer just like her grandmother.
#5 - Trouble, My Lovely / The Common Man
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/1/1978
In "Trouble, My Lovely" a father's fantasy is to experience peace and respect from his overbearing family. In "The Common Man" a schlub named Stanley Scheckter wishes to become a private investigator but his klutzy ways cause more trouble.
#6 - The Prince / The Sheriff
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/11/1978
In 'The Prince' a handsome young prince wants to live as a common man, but falls in love with a woman who despises poverty. And in 'The Sheriff' New York City Police Detective John Burke, wants to go back in time to become a sheriff in the old west.
#7 - Family Reunion / Voodoo
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/18/1978
In 'Family Reunion' a brother and sister fantasize about reuniting their parents. And in 'Voodoo' a twenty-six year old woman suffering from amnesia undergoes voodoo.
#8 - Superstar / Salem
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/25/1978
In "Superstar" an accountant wishes to become a baseball Superstar. In "Salem" a couple's wish to live with simple and old fashioned morality and values lands them in Salem Massachusetts leading them to wonder which time is better.
#9 - The Funny Girl / Butch and Sundance
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/18/1978
In "The Funny Girl" a TV comedian wishes to become a nobody again and lead a simpler life. In "Butch and Sundance" two friends wish to become Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, for thrills and adventure.
#10 - Bet a Million / Mr. Irresistible
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/4/1978
In "Bet A Million" a Mr. & Mrs. Fred Wade come to the island in the hopes of finding a wealthy financier to help them fulfill their dream of owning a hotel. In "Mr. Irresistible" Chuck Hoffman fantasies about being the most irresistible man in the world.
#11 - Fool for a Client / Double Your Pleasure
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/15/1978
In "Fool for a Client" a brilliant yet insecure lawyer wishes to experience the excitement of a big courtroom trial. In "Double Your Pleasure" the winner of a raffle ticket for a weekend on Fantasy Island is caught between two girls - twins no less.
#12 - The Over the Hill Caper / Poof! You're a Movie Star
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/15/1978
In "The Over-the-Hill Caper" an elderly man's fantasy is to reunite his old gang and pull off one last caper. In "Poof, You're a Movie Star" Shirley Russell wishes to become a movie star when the director demands more than she can offer.
#13 - King for a Day / Instant Family
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/6/1978
In "King for a Day" a plumber dreams of being king for a day. In "Instant Family" a mother's fantasy is to prove to her daughter that child-rearing isn't what her daughter's college thesis proposed: "The Soft Life of the American Housewife and Mother."
#14 - Reunion / Anniversary
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/29/1978
In "Reunion" 4 high school friends reveal a hidden secret which places them in jeopardy. In "Anniversary" a couple wish to renew their vows and bring back the good times before the alcohol ruled their lives.