The WORST episodes of Punky Brewster

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

When 7-year-old Punky Brewster is abandoned by her parents and left alone with her dog Brandon, she decides to crash in an abandoned apartment building in Chicago. The building's manager, a curmudgeon by the name of Henry, discovers her in his building and decides to take her in — and Punky tries in turn to bring some joy into Henry's life.

Last Updated: 2/8/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended
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Punky Finds a Home (1)
star
7.76
62 votes

#1 - Punky Finds a Home (1)

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/16/1984

In the series opener, in Chicago, 8-year-old Penelope ""Punky"" Brewster and her dog Brandon are found living in an empty apartment by the building's grouchy manager, photography studio owner Henry Warnimont. Punky tells Henry that it all started when her father walked out on her and her mother Susan Brewster, then a couple of weeks ago, Susan said they were going on a trip, so Susan, Punky, and Brandon piled up in their car and drove to a shopping center in Chicago, where Susan abandoned Punky and Brandon, who have been homeless ever since. In the vacant apartment, Punky always had food, because 8-year-old Cherie Johnson, who lives upstairs from Henry with her grandmother Betty Johnson, always brought food to Punky. Henry takes some memorable pictures of Punky, Cherie, Betty, Brandon, and himself at his photography studio. Later, Punky decides to clean Henry's apartment but when Henry gets home, he is furious because he liked everything the way it was before Punky cleaned the place. Hen

Directors: Jack Shea
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Punky Finds a Home (2)
star
7.89
47 votes

#2 - Punky Finds a Home (2)

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/1984

Henry calls the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), but Punky panics, saying that she doesn't want to go to an orphanage, so Henry promises Punky that she won't have to go to an orphanage. The DCFS sends Miranda ""Randi"" Mitchell, who takes Punky away from Henry. Randi takes Punky to Fenster Hall, a home for kids up for adoption. Randi later returns to Henry's apartment and tells Henry that there hasn't been much progress in finding Punky's mother Susan, who may not want to be found. Randi also says that in 72 hours, the DCFS will have a hearing to decide who gets custody of Punky, and Punky wants it to be Henry. Henry has shed a lot of his grouchiness, and he now loves Punky and would like to have custody of her, but Randi thinks Punky would be better off with someone else. At Fenster Hall, Punky is introduced to her two room mates -- Lisa is a girl who acts tough, and Mary is a girl who never talks. Punky wants to escape from Fenster Hall and go back to Henry's apartment,

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Watch Now:Amazon
Lost and Found
star
8.04
24 votes

#3 - Lost and Found

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/7/1984

Henry takes Punky shopping and she wanders off.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
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Punky Gets Her Own Room
star
8.13
15 votes

#4 - Punky Gets Her Own Room

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/7/1984

Punky and her friends convert Henry's study room into her bedroom without asking him first.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
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The Perils of Punky (1)
star
8.17
6 votes

#5 - The Perils of Punky (1)

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/20/1985

On a camping trip with Henry and Betty, Punky and her friends get lost in the woods while they're finding wood for a campfire.

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Parents Night
star
8.17
12 votes

#6 - Parents Night

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/28/1984

As the school's parent-teacher night approaches, Punky is upset by Margaux's insensitive comments about foster parents and foster children.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
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Reading, Writing, and Rock & Roll
star
8.33
6 votes

#7 - Reading, Writing, and Rock & Roll

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/30/1987

After learning that Punky did not do her book report, Henry cancels Punky's plans to see her favorite singing group DeBarge in concert, a move that Punky vows to never forgive Henry for -- until Henry gets DeBarge to come to the apartment and tell Punky how important reading is.

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Walk Pool
star
8.40
20 votes

#8 - Walk Pool

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/14/1984

Henry, Punky's foster father, takes over the task of walking her and her hyperactive friends Cherie, Margeaux, Scotty and Allen to school after Mrs. Johnson, Cherie's grandmother, challenges him to the job.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Watch Now:Amazon
The Perils of Punky (2)
star
8.43
7 votes

#9 - The Perils of Punky (2)

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/20/1985

Lost in the woods, Punky and her friends pass the time by sharing a ghost story in a cave while Betty and Henry are searching for them.

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My Aged Valentine
star
8.57
7 votes

#10 - My Aged Valentine

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/10/1985

After getting in trouble for slugging a boy at school, Punky dreams of life 80 years into the future where everyone has found love except for her.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Watch Now:Amazon
Take Me Out To The Ballgame
star
8.58
12 votes

#11 - Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/21/1984

As the Chicago Cubs play in their first post-season championship since 1945, proud Cubs fan Henry tries to get tickets for Punky and himself.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
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Brandon's Commercial
star
8.60
5 votes

#12 - Brandon's Commercial

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/3/1988

Brandon gets a shot at stardom when Churchill,the famous dog hired for a dog food commercial to be filmed at the restaurant, gets camera shy -- and so does Brandon, blowing a chance for $1000 and also messing up Punky's dream of Brandon becoming a star, and for this, Punky calls Brandon a bad dog. After Henry helps Punky realize that she was the one who wanted to be a star, Punky apologizes to Brandon.

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Yes, Punky, There Is a Santa Claus (2)
star
8.64
11 votes

#13 - Yes, Punky, There Is a Santa Claus (2)

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 12/16/1984

Directors: Art Dielhenn
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What's Your Sign?
star
8.67
3 votes

#14 - What's Your Sign?

Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/26/1988

During a firefly girl troop meeting, Punky befriends a deaf girl named Maria Aragon, and Maria begins to think that because of her disability, she'll never be accepted by the other girls, so Punky helps Maria make friends in the troop.

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Go To Sleep
star
8.70
10 votes

#15 - Go To Sleep

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/4/1984

Punky can't sleep, so Henry agrees to let her stay up and watch the opera with him on TV.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Watch Now:Amazon
Gone Fishin'
star
8.70
10 votes

#16 - Gone Fishin'

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/14/1984

Henry turns Punky onto the sport of fishing when she complains of being bored.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Aunt Larnese Is Coming to Town
star
8.75
4 votes

#17 - Aunt Larnese Is Coming to Town

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/11/1988

Cherie's aunt Larnese, who is Betty's sister, arrives for a visit on Cherie's 12th birthday, and asks Cherie if Cherie would like to live with Larnese in Paris, France.

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Punky Finds a Home (3)
star
8.77
35 votes

#18 - Punky Finds a Home (3)

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/1984

Henry demands to know one reason why Randi doesn't think he should be Punky's foster father, but Randi gives him three reasons -- he's never raised a kid, he's not married, and he's too old.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Watch Now:Amazon
See You in Court
star
8.80
5 votes

#19 - See You in Court

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/9/1988

One of Betty's favorite patients dies and leaves her a Texan car with big bull horns on its hood, but Betty doesn't know how to drive. Henry's attempts to teach Betty how to drive result in Betty crashing the car into a tree, and because of this, Henry and Betty decide to sue each other, and it's Punky and Cherie who help Henry and Betty put aside their differences and be friends again.

Watch Now:Amazon
Gals and Dolls
star
8.80
5 votes

#20 - Gals and Dolls

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/3/1985

Punky, Cherie, and Margaux all want a highly sought-after doll, but Henry can only find one of them at the toy store.

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Changes (5)
star
9.00
8 votes

#21 - Changes (5)

Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/2/1986

Henry gets a loan from the bank's vice president, Oliver Greene, so Henry can open a new photography studio in a mall and have a source of money so he can regain custody of Punky. Oliver remembers Punky from when Punky tried to get a loan from Oliver a year ago. Punky is shocked to discover that Tiffany has bought a castle in the French Rivera, and plans for herself, Jules, and Punky to move to the castle, and it looks like Jules doesn't have any say in this situation, because Tiffany's word is always final. The plan to move to the French Rivera is put on hold when Jules stands up to Tiffany, refusing to allow Tiffany to bully him or Punky anymore. Jules leaves Tiffany and takes Punky back to Henry, who is overjoyed by this, and sometime later, while Henry and Punky are out signing the adoption papers, Mike is filling in for Henry at the new studio. Before Punky and Henry get to the studio, Chillings calls the studio to congratulate Punky and Henry, and Mike is surprised by what Chilli

Watch Now:Amazon
Just Say No
star
9.00
4 votes

#22 - Just Say No

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/27/1985

Punky and Cherie are playing in the backyard when a girls club called "the Chicklets" show up. They say they love Punky's fashion sense and her treehouse. They also explain to Punky and Cherie how being part of a club ""is like everything"". Punky invites them up to her treehouse, and the Chicklets ask Punky and Cherie if they'd like to be a part of the Chicklets. On the next day, Punky and Cherie say the pact to get into the club, and the Chicklets want to celebrate this by doing drugs. Punky and Cherie say maybe another time. Punky goes to Mike and asks him what to do. Mike hands Punky a book for the "Just Say No" club, and tells Punky about the club. On the next day, when the Chicklets pressure Punky and Cherie to do drugs, Punky just says no and tells the Chicklets about the "Just Say No" club. Chicklets member Kate, who is fed up with Chicklets leader Emily, wants to join the "Just Say No" club with Punky. At the end of the episode, Soleil Moon Frye is in a "Just Say No" march in Ch

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Yes, Punky, There Is a Santa Claus (1)
star
9.11
9 votes

#23 - Yes, Punky, There Is a Santa Claus (1)

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/16/1984

Christmas is approaching, and the only thing Punky wants is to find her mother.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Watch Now:Amazon
Miss Adorable
star
9.14
7 votes

#24 - Miss Adorable

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/25/1984

Punky, Cherie, and Margaux compete in a beauty pageant hosted by pop singer Andy Gibb.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Watch Now:Amazon
Poor Margaux
star
9.17
6 votes

#25 - Poor Margaux

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/2/1988

When Margaux and her parents go bankrupt and auction off all of their belongings, Punky and Cherie use their skiing trip money to buy Margaux's favorite doll back for her -- a true showing of friendship that Margaux dearly appreciates. Margaux returns the favor by repaying Punky and Cherie's skiing trip money when her family comes back into having mega money again.

Watch Now:Amazon