The BEST episodes of Soap season 3

Every episode of Soap season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Soap season 3!

Sisters Mary Campbell and Jessica Tate lead soap-opera lives with their crazy families.

Last Updated: 9/5/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
Episode 3.22 (Part 1)
star
8.39
31 votes

#1 - Episode 3.22 (Part 1)

Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/27/1980

Season #3 season finale was an expanded episode of 60 minutes. Now shown in two parts in syndication. Danny proposes marriage to Polly; Sheriff Burt and Deputy Danny are set up for blackmail by mobster Elmore Tibbs; Dutch cannot choose between two sisters; Carol's mother joins her daughter in perjuring herself in court; Leslie now decides to kill Billy; and Jessica's death watch features a surprise visit from Benson.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
star
8.33
3 votes

#2 - Episode 3.22 (Part 2)

Season 3 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/27/1980

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Episode 3.7
star
8.22
27 votes

#3 - Episode 3.7

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/8/1979

The Tates and Campbells gather to welcome Dutch to the family--and scare Millie away in the process. Billy and Leslie's romantic evening is interrupted by her ex. Jodie and Corinne discuss single parenthood. Alien Burt refuses to return to the spaceship. Real Burt finally contacts Mary, then disappears before her eyes. Back on the spaceship, Real Burt convinces the aliens to give him a chance to persuade Alien Burt to leave Earth for good.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 3.18
star
8.16
57 votes

#4 - Episode 3.18

Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/28/1980

Burt announces he will run for Sheriff, and Danny wants to be Deputy. Jodie enlists Mr. Mallu's help in his fight for Wendy. Chester begs Jessica to take him back. Jessica entertains her psychologist, Dr. Posner, amidst the usual Tate insanity.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.14
star
8.14
29 votes

#5 - Episode 3.14

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/17/1980

Danny learns of Burt's illness and agrees to help Burt win a spot in the Guiness Book of World Records. Eunice asks Corinne to cover for her while she cheats on Dutch. Chester's attempts to resist the minister's sexy daughter prove futile. The Campbells host Polly's family at dinner. After Chester tells Jessica he has lapsed again, she kicks him out of the house.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.9
star
8.00
27 votes

#6 - Episode 3.9

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/6/1979

Billy tells Jessica about his affair with Leslie. Burt returns home to share his ordeal with Mary. Danny meets a black widow at the cemetery. Dutch makes it clear he knows Eunice is cheating on him. Jessica spots Chester with another woman.

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Episode 3.8
star
7.93
27 votes

#7 - Episode 3.8

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/22/1979

Mary begins to question her sanity. Eunice and Corinne call Chester on his cheating. Real Burt turns to Jodie for help. Billy plans a rendezvous with Leslie at a hotel but runs into Eunice, then Corinne, then Dutch, then Chester in the lobby. Real Burt makes an impassioned plea to Alien Burt.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.11
star
7.90
29 votes

#8 - Episode 3.11

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/27/1979

Jessica agrees to see a marriage counselor with Chester. The Campbells urge Jodie to move back home. Burt is jealous of Alien Burt's sexual prowess. At Billy's 18th-birthday party, Leslie promises "to blow out every candle on [Billy's] cake."

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.10
star
7.88
26 votes

#9 - Episode 3.10

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/13/1979

Jessica catches Chester with another woman. Burt and Mary go for their annual physicals. Danny tries to find Polly. Jessica meets Leslie. An agent from Child Protective Services pays a visit to Jodie.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 3.12
star
7.60
55 votes

#10 - Episode 3.12

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/3/1980

Jodie and Wendy move in with the Campbells. Chester and Jessica see a marriage counselor. Danny finds Polly. Burt gets mixed news from the doctor.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.20
star
7.60
55 votes

#11 - Episode 3.20

Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/13/1980

At the hospital, the family anxiously awaits Jessica's diagnosis. Burt becomes Sheriff but must remove the outgoing sheriff by force. Corinne convinces Dutch to stay. Jodie finds the odds stacked against him in the custody trial.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.16
star
7.48
56 votes

#12 - Episode 3.16

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/31/1980

Carol pays a late-night visit to Jodie and Wendy. Jessica sees a psychiatrist who is crazier than she is. Burt learns he was the victim of computer error. Billy admits he is growing bored in his relationship with Leslie. The Tates rally to support Dutch after Eunice leaves him for another man.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.1
star
7.23
66 votes

#13 - Episode 3.1

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/13/1979

Jessica chooses Chester, but offers to let Donohue stay in the Tate house until he recovers from the shock. Burt wakes up on the spaceship, where the aliens reveal that they plan to replace him with a replica. The alien double moves in with the unsuspecting Mary. Carol's mother introduces Jodie to his newborn daughter, Wendy. Benson, Chester, Donohue and the Major prepare to rescue Billy from the cult. And Danny goes missing.

Directors: Jay Sandrich
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.6
star
7.11
57 votes

#14 - Episode 3.6

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/1/1979

Real Burt calls Mary, but Alien Burt intercepts Mary on her way to meet him. Jessica confronts Chester with her suspicions that he is cheating again. Eunice tells Corinne that she's fallen out of love with Dutch. Corinne spots Chester with another woman in a restaurant. Billy and Leslie sneak away to a romantic restaurant, only to run into several familiar faces. Tim and Corinne decide to divorce.

Directors: Jay Sandrich
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.4
star
7.07
61 votes

#15 - Episode 3.4

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/4/1979

Burt and Saul escape the spaceship but find themselves in other danger. Jessica finally convinces Detective Donohue to leave. Millie comes to Danny's rescue. Eunice awaits Dutch's release from prison while Corinne bemoans her non-existent sex life with Tim. Chester resumes his philandering ways. Billy and his teacher share a kiss.

Directors: Jay Sandrich
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.3
star
7.02
59 votes

#16 - Episode 3.3

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/27/1979

Billy is rescued from the Sunnies. Mary is oversexed. Danny is saved by Millie. Jodie is torn between Alice and Wendy. Jessica is sad to bid Benson farewell.

Directors: Jay Sandrich
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.2
star
7.00
58 votes

#17 - Episode 3.2

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/20/1979

Alien Burt has his way with Mary, and she's not complaining. Real Burt meets Saul, who tells Burt he cannot escape the spaceship. Billy resists the Sunnies' brainwashing. Mrs. David asks Jodie to choose between Wendy and Alice. Benson and "the Step Brothers" penetrate the Sunnies' compound but are stopped short of rescuing Billy.

Directors: Jay Sandrich
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.13
star
6.96
56 votes

#18 - Episode 3.13

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/10/1980

Burt can't bring himself to tell Mary he won't live to see their baby born. Danny and Polly declare their love for one another. Mary worries about Danny's interracial relationship, but Jodie convinces Danny to follow his heart. Billy loses his virginity to Leslie. Mary wonders whether Real Burt or Alien Burt fathered her baby.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.5
star
6.95
58 votes

#19 - Episode 3.5

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/11/1979

The Tates adjust to life with Dutch in the house. Danny returns home with Millie. Mary grows increasingly suspicious of "Burt." Jodie officially begins his life as a single, gay parent. Real Burt and Alien Burt come face to face. Billy and Leslie decide to pursue a relationship.

Directors: Jay Sandrich
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 3.15
star
6.94
52 votes

#20 - Episode 3.15

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/24/1980

While Burt searches for a world record to break, Mary suspects something is wrong. Dutch and Corinne bond. Suddenly single again, Jessica visits Detective Donohue--on his honeymoon. Dutch confronts Eunice about her cheating.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 3.19
star
6.92
52 votes

#21 - Episode 3.19

Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/6/1980

Danny and Polly have Burt and Mary to their new house for an eventful evening. Billy dumps Leslie, who threatens suicide. The Campbells brace for the custody trial. The Tates welcome a new butler, Saunders, who immediately regrets taking the job. As the families gather to watch election coverage, Jessica collapses.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.21
star
6.80
56 votes

#22 - Episode 3.21

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/20/1980

Jessica asks Chester to move back home while she's in the hospital. Dr. Hill tells Chester that Jessica is very sick. Burt's first assignment as sheriff is to remove his predecessor from office. Corinne convinces Dutch not to move out. At the custody hearing, Carol tells an outrageous lie about Jodie threatening to kill her.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3.17
star
6.61
57 votes

#23 - Episode 3.17

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/7/1980

Burt rushes home with news that he isn't dying and vows to live the rest of his life to the fullest. The minister's daughter leaves Chester. Danny and Polly buy a house. Jessica catches Dutch and Corinne in bed together. Jessica's psychiatrist asks her out. Carol tells Jodie she wants custody of Wendy.

Directors: J.D. Lobue
Watch Now:Amazon