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: 3/4/2026Network: SyndicationStatus: Ended
The Perils of Punky (1)
star
7.38
8 votes

#1 - 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.

The Perils of Punky (2)
star
7.78
9 votes

#2 - 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.

Punky Finds a Home (2)
star
7.85
52 votes

#3 - 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
Punky's Treehouse
star
7.88
8 votes

#4 - Punky's Treehouse

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/1985

Punky has a dream that inspires her to plan to build a treehouse in the tree behind the apartment building. When Henry and Betty and the gang pull out of Punky's plan to build the treehouse, Punky and Mike use psychology to motivate the gang into helping, and the treehouse is built with a lot of different colors of paint being used.

Punky Finds a Home (1)
star
7.88
65 votes

#5 - 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
Lost and Found
star
8.00
29 votes

#6 - Lost and Found

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

Henry takes Punky shopping and she wanders off.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Reading, Writing, and Rock & Roll
star
8.00
8 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.

Punky Gets Her Own Room
star
8.10
20 votes

#8 - 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
Parents Night
star
8.13
16 votes

#9 - 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
Take Me Out To The Ballgame
star
8.19
16 votes

#10 - 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
Go To Sleep
star
8.20
15 votes

#11 - 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
What's Your Sign?
star
8.25
4 votes

#12 - 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.

Walk Pool
star
8.29
24 votes

#13 - 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
Miss Adorable
star
8.31
13 votes

#14 - 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
Gone Fishin'
star
8.36
14 votes

#15 - 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
Fenster Hall (1)
star
8.38
8 votes

#16 - Fenster Hall (1)

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/31/1985

Punky catches a boy breaking into her room and stealing from her. Henry takes the boy to Fenster Hall where Mike Fulton, one of the workers there, tries to bond with him.

See You in Court
star
8.43
7 votes

#17 - 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.

Punky Brewster's Workout
star
8.43
7 votes

#18 - Punky Brewster's Workout

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/24/1985

Henry purchases a video camera for his photo studio and firmly warns Punky that she is not to touch it under any circumstances. However, while he's away, she and her friends make an exercise tape and think he won't know it - until the camera breaks.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Brandon's Commercial
star
8.50
6 votes

#19 - 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.

My Aged Valentine
star
8.50
10 votes

#20 - 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
A Visit To The Doctor
star
8.60
10 votes

#21 - A Visit To The Doctor

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

Henry gives Punky a lucky nickel to keep with her while she goes for a booster shot.

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Yes, Punky, There Is a Santa Claus (2)
star
8.63
16 votes

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

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

Directors: Art Dielhenn
Punky Finds a Home (3)
star
8.64
39 votes

#23 - 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
Cheaters Never Win
star
8.67
9 votes

#24 - Cheaters Never Win

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/29/1985

Punky gets a D in geography on her report card. A big geography test is coming up and while studying with Allen, Cherie and Margaux, Punky just can't seem to get any of it. Allen says he's going to take the easy way out, and cheat by writing the answers all over his body. When the time comes for the test, Punky is stumped. When she sees Allen cheating, she cheats as well by reading the answers off of him. Punky and Allen are the only kids in the class to receive perfect scores. Mike thinks that his tests are not enough of a challenge for Punky and Allen, so he gives them extra work. Allen and Punky study hard with all the extra work they got. When report card time comes, Allen and Punky can't understand why they got a B in geography. They ask Mike, and he says that he knew they cheated on the first test, so he failed them on that test, but then the scores they got on the rest of their tests averaged out to a B. Punky tells Henry the truth, and he is very disappointed, but once he reali

Play It Again, Punky
star
8.73
11 votes

#25 - Play It Again, Punky

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/20/1985

Punky helps her piano teacher get into the music business.

Directors: Art Dielhenn