The BEST episodes of Father Dowling Mysteries
Every episode of Father Dowling Mysteries ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Father Dowling Mysteries!
The show began as an NBC Made for TV Movie in 1987 and the show was to have begun weekly in 1988 though because of a writer's strike in 1988 it didn't begin weekly until 1989. After it's 1st season the show left NBC and ABC took the show from 1990 until 1991. First Telecast: November 30, 1987 Last Telecast: May 2, 1991 Episodes: 1 TV Movie, 42 Episodes
#1 - The Solid Gold Headache Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/29/1990
Sister Steve knows better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why would anyone name her as administrator of a six million dollar trust fund? And if you think she is puzzled, the family of the dearly departed are just a tad upset themselves. In fact they are willing to do just about anything to keep Sister Steve away from the fund. And just to show they are serious, they've kidnapped Father Dowling's trusty housekeeper. They've offered to let her go, as soon as someone coughs up mere six million dollars.
#2 - The Medical Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/27/1990
The local hospital is the scene of some 'extra' deaths when Father Dowling and Sister Steve uncover a string of mystery murders. Father Prestwick insists on helping out and almost becomes the next victim.
#3 - The Reasonable Doubt Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/15/1990
Father Dowling does his duty, jury duty, in a murder case that should have been open and shut. Father Dowling is not so sure and his claim of reasonable doubt ends in a deadlocked jury. While the DA angrily works toward a retrial, Father Dowling and Sister Steve conduct an investigation of their own, at the center of which is the testimony of an eyewitness who seems to keep company with some unusual sorts.
#4 - The Murder Weekend Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/8/1990
It's man against machine when a hired killer uses computer technology to conceal his crime during a weekend retreat for mystery writers. A series of traps further complicate the investigation and one of them almost costs Sister Steve her life.
#5 - The Devil & the Deep Blue Sea Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/4/1990
When most people look at Harry Deil they see one of the most powerful men in underworld crime. Father Dowling sees something else, something even more sinister: The devil. Now Father Dowling must beat him at his own game in order to save Sister Steve.
#6 - The Movie Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/25/1990
Everyone is enjoying the slice of Hollywood as a movie crew uses St. Michael's as a location, until a series of unexplained, and life-threatening, accidents put a damper on the mood. Father Dowling and Sister Steve are enlisted to assist in the investigation while Father Prestwick decides to make his screen debut...as a stand in.
#7 - The Missing Body Mystery (2)
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/20/1989
Father Dowling lands on the wrong side of the FBI after a dying man falls dead at his feet. Father Dowling puts the church in a bad light when he insists on tracking down the killer. While doing so, he seems to have helped botch a FBI sting operation!
#8 - The Christmas Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/13/1990
There's a murder attempt on a woman who has left her son in the temporary care of St. Michael's and the search for the culprit leads to a department store on Christmas Eve.
#9 - The Visiting Priest Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/4/1990
Father Dowling and Sister Steve are taken in by a fake priest. It turns out "Father" Damon is actually a hit man sent to kill aging gang-leader, Victor Malko. Father Dowling tries to warn Malko, but he won't take Dowling's warnings seriously. And now the real Father's life might be in jeopardy.
#10 - The Exotic Dancer Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/11/1990
Sister Steve heads undercover as a crooked card dealer at a high stakes poker game. It turns out the game is really nothing more than a ploy to cover up a robbery. Meanwhile, Father Dowling has his work cut out for him. He has to expose the crime, solve the murder of the exotic dancer and rescue Sister Steve before the card sharks find out her true identity.
#11 - The Sanctuary Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/18/1990
Sister, Father and a brother find themselves in a life and death situation when Sister Steve's younger brother, Mark, finds himself in the middle of a street gang battle. Someone ends up dead and Mark is the one charged with murder. He points the finger at the real killer, Police Captain Edward Hayton, and then finds himself leading candidate in the role of next potential victim. Father Dowling throws his hat into the ring and finds a case that involves not only murder, but smugglers trafficking in precious gems.
#12 - The Perfect Couple Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/8/1990
Talk about security clearance. Father Dowling and Sister Steve find themselves smack dab in the middle of a top secret security investigation when one of the parishioners is suspected of stealing confidential documents. The case revolves around a spy who really isn't a spy, a mistress who never was and a cheating husband who didn't. Add to the mix a FBI headquarters that never existed and you've got a case that's about as clear as Irish Stew.
#13 - The Vanishing Victim Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/29/1990
Father Dowling stumbles into a kidnapping plot when he befriends a young woman who is about to disappear. Fearing the worst, Sister Steve signs on as the family's new maid to try and find out what happened to the girl.
#14 - What Do You Call a Call Girl Mystery
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/27/1989
Father Dowling comes to the aid of a man when his fiancée is murdered just as she was about to confess to being a prostitute. A search leads to three powerful clients, none of whom want to be involved in a scandal. And even the police are trying to discourage Father Dowling from continuing his investigation.
#15 - The Man Who Came to Dinner Mystery
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/10/1989
A witness to a murder is pursued by the killer and he takes refuge in St. Michael's, enlisting the help of a woman he once almost married--Sister Steve.
#16 - The Stone Killer Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/25/1990
Someone is using Father Dowling for target practice and the marksman appears to be an angry ex-con the Father sent up river on a murder rap. Full police protection is offered but how can you run a parish with all those men in blue hanging about? Let alone take part in a charity race.
#17 - The Undercover Nun Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/1/1990
Sister Steve's return to her Mother's house to celebrate the convent's Silver Jubilee ceremonies should be a time of great joy for everyone. But shortly after arriving the Sister discovers a nun with a gun. Not quite what she expected. And her worst fears are indeed realized when another visiting nun is murdered.
#18 - The Pretty Baby Mystery
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/10/1989
Father Dowling and Sister Steve find themselves in the most unlikely role of parents when an abandoned baby is discovered at the rectory. When they attempt to reunite mother and child they learn that the mother is being chased by violent kidnappers.
#19 - The Ghost of a Chance Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/8/1990
Father Dowling is more than a little skeptical when a young woman insists that her house is haunted. He agrees to investigate just the same after Sister Steve confesses that she has also seen some of the unexplained "happenings." Father Dowling concludes that something is indeed amiss, but is it the work of a person or a spirit?
#20 - The Legacy Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 4/12/1990
Father Dowling has always enjoyed fine art, but someone is going overboard in their role as freelance art critic. A mystery thief is methodically stealing the art treasures that once belonged to the wealthy Cabot family. And Father Dowling has an inkling the thief might be the surviving son, Jonathan. The only question is why would a rich businessman take the risk of stealing the paintings when he could easily afford to buy them outright? And Cabot has perfect alibis for each theft. It looks like it's time for some of Father Dowling's old-fashioned digging for clues.
#21 - The Passionate Painter Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/26/1990
Suffering for the sake of one's art is one thing, but this temperamental artist's talent might soon be hidden beneath a sad addiction to drugs and alcohol. And that's just the start of his problems. He's just discovered that someone is also trying to kill him.
#22 - The Blind Man's Bluff Mystery
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/15/1990
Sister Steve has always been a trusting soul. It's part of her job, of course. So it is no surprise when she opens her heart to a blind man who seems to be in need of assistance. But she soon discovers that she has become an unwitting accomplice in a scheme to blackmail a prominent parishioner.
#23 - The Mafia Priest Mystery (2)
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/24/1989
Undeterred by appearances, Father Dowling sets out to prove a young priest innocent of murder after he discovers the priest has been framed by a member of his own family. Nothing is ever easy, of course, and when the real assassin is himself killed, Dowling must rely on a family member who is too afraid to tell the truth. But tell it he must.
#24 - The Royal Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/20/1990
It looks like a royal mess when Sister Steve find herself trapped in a Royal scandal. The Sister trades places with a frisky British noblewoman in order to infiltrate a trade delegation. Father Dowling has his hands full riding shotgun, trying to keep an eye open for the Sister's Royal killer.
#25 - The Missing Witness Mystery
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/24/1991
Sister Steve has disguised herself as a trashy lady-of-the-evening in order to track down a witness who can clear the name of a young businessman charged with murder. But was he really framed or is he actually guilty? Father Dowling is not certain.