The BEST episodes of The Love Boat

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

American comedy/drama series set on a cruise ship known for its romantic charm.

Last Updated: 1/29/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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The Same Wavelength/Winning Isn't Everything/A Honeymoon for Horace
star
9.00
3 votes

#1 - The Same Wavelength/Winning Isn't Everything/A Honeymoon for Horace

Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/23/1982

Psychic Tess entertains passengers and meets Mike, who's separated from his wife. Merrill's friend Jack brags of his son Chip's accomplishments, but Chip has a secret. Elderly Horace worries about his honeymoon with wife Twinky.

His Girls Friday/A Wife for Wilfred/The Girl Who Stood Still
star
8.75
4 votes

#2 - His Girls Friday/A Wife for Wilfred/The Girl Who Stood Still

Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/13/1982

A businessman takes his prissy secretary on a business trip. When he meets a dizzy blonde, his problem is how does he get his secretary to quit, so he can hire the blonde. Wilfred offers the crew $10,000 if they can find him a pretty wife. He's soon surrounded by five beautiful women, all fighting for his attention, and the crew trying to win a quick ten grand. When the crew find out Wilfred lied about paying the money so he can meet girls, the crew get the flower shop girl to pretend to be his wife. Two childhood sweethearts, separated since school, ...

Hong Kong Cruise: Polly's Poker Palace/Shop Ahoy/Double Date/The Hong Kong Affair/Two Tales of a City (2)
star
8.50
2 votes

#3 - Hong Kong Cruise: Polly's Poker Palace/Shop Ahoy/Double Date/The Hong Kong Affair/Two Tales of a City (2)

Season 7 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/4/1984

Gopher's Bride/Love With a Married Man/Not Tonight, Jack!
star
8.50
2 votes

#4 - Gopher's Bride/Love With a Married Man/Not Tonight, Jack!

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/24/1981

Isaac and Doc's joke backfires when the girl they have been writing love letters to under Gopher's name shows up; A couple drift apart over work habits; A woman refuses to share quarters with her boyfriend.

The Stimulation of Stephanie/The Next Step/ Life Begins at 40
star
8.40
10 votes

#5 - The Stimulation of Stephanie/The Next Step/ Life Begins at 40

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/1/1979

A sex researcher doesn't realize his assistant is in love with him. A woman helps her football star husband move on after he is cut by his team. A woman tries to find a husband just before her 40th birthday.

Return of the Ninny/Split Personality/Touchdown Twins
star
8.33
3 votes

#6 - Return of the Ninny/Split Personality/Touchdown Twins

Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/14/1981

April and her charges accidentally find themselves on board while her employer and his new fiancée set sail. Gopher's college friend tries to please both his boss and the boss' daughter. A man falls for the mother of his old college friend.

Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Arrangement (2)
star
8.33
3 votes

#7 - Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Arrangement (2)

Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/2/1982

Conclusion. The ship cruises to Rome, Capri and Venice as an aristocrat (John James) finds romance; and a married couple (Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters) considers separating.

Rent a Romeo/Matchmaker, Matchmaker/Y' Gotta Have Heart
star
8.20
5 votes

#8 - Rent a Romeo/Matchmaker, Matchmaker/Y' Gotta Have Heart

Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 1/26/1980

Doc's plans for a rendezvous are spoiled when the woman's recently dumped (and extremely depressed) sister tags along on the cruise. Doc tries to get some privacy by having a playboy romance the sister. Vicki helps a young boy's efforts to reunite his divorced parents. A woman tries to keep her husband on a short leash, as he has recently undergone heart surgery and she fears he will drop dead at any moment.

Directors: Roger Duchowny
The Tomorrow Lady/Father, Dear Father/Still Life
star
8.00
3 votes

#9 - The Tomorrow Lady/Father, Dear Father/Still Life

Season 6 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/4/1982

A man meets a woman with clairvoyant powers; a single man borrows a friend's daughter to score points with a single mother; Isaac is scared that he is going deaf.

Ace Takes the Test/The Counterfeit Couple/The Odd Triple
star
8.00
2 votes

#10 - Ace Takes the Test/The Counterfeit Couple/The Odd Triple

Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/12/1985

One of Ace's old high school girlfriends, now married to an impotent man, wants an embarrassed Ace to father her child; Gopher falls in love with an older woman, while that woman's daughter falls for Gopher; two total strangers share the honeymoon suite because they independently bought their tickets from a couple whose wedding was cancelled.

A Rose Is Not a Rose/ Novelties/ Too Rich and Too Thin
star
8.00
2 votes

#11 - A Rose Is Not a Rose/ Novelties/ Too Rich and Too Thin

Season 7 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/17/1984

A man (Rich Little) impersonating a female singer gets double trouble when a passenger falls for the singer and Julie falls for him; a novelty salesman (Don Adams) has difficulty separating business from pleasure.

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Side By Side/Rub Me Tender/Fish Out Of Water
star
8.00
2 votes

#12 - Side By Side/Rub Me Tender/Fish Out Of Water

Season 7 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/10/1984

A boy who thinks his grandmother (Glynis Johns) is terminally ill will do anything to ensure her happiness; a man (Ed Begley Jr.) who's uncomfortable around women falls in love with a mermaid (Mary Crosby).

Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu and Kenny (2)
star
8.00
2 votes

#13 - Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu and Kenny (2)

Season 6 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/30/1983

Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Arrangement (1)
star
8.00
4 votes

#14 - Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Arrangement (1)

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/2/1982

The crew goes to Italy to work on a cruise ship there. Among the passengers is a family whose patriarch and matriarch (Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters) originally came from Italy and accompanying them are their 2 daughters (Candice Azzara and Meredith Baxter) and granddaughter (Marie Osmond). Into the trip, the couple bicker to the point that they're considering separating. One of the daughters (Baxter) is meeting someone on a sort of blind date but, not known to her, is a gigolo (David Birney). And the granddaughter (Osmond), who's been promised to another guy back home, meets a local (John James) and is attracted to him. And Gopher meets a local woman (Christopher Norris), who says he reminds her of someone she knows. While on shore, the man, who's the spitting image of Gopher, kidnaps him and assumes his identity.

Doc Take the Fifth/Safety Last/A Business Affair
star
8.00
3 votes

#15 - Doc Take the Fifth/Safety Last/A Business Affair

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/2/1982

Doc returns from his vacation and introduces Tania, his new wife of a couple of hours, to the crew. Don Adams is a safety inspector taking a vacation and finds danger around every corner on board the ship, but then falls in love with fellow passenger Alice. The president of a financial group comes aboard to talk his female VP out of resigning, due to untrue rumors about them having an affair.

The Incredible Hunk/Isaac, the Marriage Counselor/Jewels & Jim
star
8.00
2 votes

#16 - The Incredible Hunk/Isaac, the Marriage Counselor/Jewels & Jim

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/24/1981

A guy whom Julie booked to entertain the passengers, is a male stripper. He's also a teacher and runs into the head of the PTA and tries to keep her from seeing him perform. A guy, whose wife just divorced him, comes on board and is suicidal. Isaac tries to help by calling his wife but she refuses to talk to him. So Isaac tries to set him up with some girls but then his ex-wife shows up. And the Captain recognizes one of the passengers as a known jewel thief. And when another passenger's diamond pendant is stolen, the Captain suspects him.

The Caller/Marriage of Convenience/No Girls for Doc/Witness for the Prosecution
star
8.00
4 votes

#17 - The Caller/Marriage of Convenience/No Girls for Doc/Witness for the Prosecution

Season 3 - Episode 28 - Aired 5/3/1980

In this special 90-minute episode that guest stars theater icon Helen Hayes (and her real-life son), the actress' character navigates romance after becoming a widow. Also, a district attorney falls for the woman he has in protective custody, and Doc swears off his own romances for a while.

Not So Fast, Gopher/Haven't We Met Before?/Seoul Mates
star
8.00
6 votes

#18 - Not So Fast, Gopher/Haven't We Met Before?/Seoul Mates

Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/9/1980

Gopher invites his widowed mother onto the ship in the hopes of cheering her up, but is hurt by her seemingly cheerful attitude, which he interprets as an insult to his father. A group of buddies takes a cruise. One of the men meets a woman who is a regular customer at the restaurant where he works. He lies about his identity because he thinks she would be put off by the fact that he is a waiter. A comic's romance with the reporter who is writing a feature about him appears doomed after she takes offense to his act.

The Spider Serenade/Next Door Wife/The Harder They Fall
star
8.00
10 votes

#19 - The Spider Serenade/Next Door Wife/The Harder They Fall

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/8/1979

Gopher finds romance with a recently separated passenger--until her estranged husband suddenly shows up and announces his intention of winning her back. A woman tries to pry her soon-to-be-ex-husband away from his girlfriend by coming on the cruise and rooming in the cabin next to theirs. Two distinguished passengers, who squared off in a boxing match decades earlier, renew their rivalry. They schedule a fight on the ship to settle the score once and for all.

Directors: Richard Kinon
A Good and Faithful Servant/Secret Life of Burl Smith/Tug of War/Designated Lover
star
8.00
9 votes

#20 - A Good and Faithful Servant/Secret Life of Burl Smith/Tug of War/Designated Lover

Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/17/1979

A vacationing chauffeur and his wealthy employer fall in love; Gopher fantasizes that he is various flamboyant heroes; a separated couple vies for their son's affection; Reggie Jackson can't convince anyone that he really is the famous slugger.

Directors: Roger Duchowny
Funny Valentine/The Wallflower/A Home Is Not a Home
star
7.92
12 votes

#21 - Funny Valentine/The Wallflower/A Home Is Not a Home

Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/3/1979

A wallflower is secretly followed by a shy milquetoast; Stubing is charmed by a fortuneteller; two honeymooning retirees are unexpectedly joined by their overprotective children.

The Audit Couple/The Scoop/My Boyfriend's Back
star
7.92
12 votes

#22 - The Audit Couple/The Scoop/My Boyfriend's Back

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/6/1979

Capt. Stubing must cope with an IRS audit. Julie believes the feisty auditor is so caught up in her work because she is lonely, and goads the captain into spending time with her. The woman winds up trying to get a little too close to Capt. Stubing. A TV star tries to keep a tabloid reporter from learning that she has a son with a disability, as she believes the press would be cruel to the boy. A man tries to steal his ex-girlfriend away from her new husband.

Directors: Jack Arnold
This Business of Love/Crash Diet Crush/I'll Never Fall in Love Again
star
7.88
25 votes

#23 - This Business of Love/Crash Diet Crush/I'll Never Fall in Love Again

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/13/1978

A reformed prostitute causes trouble between a one-time "John" and his wife; Captain Stubing re-encounters an old flame; a fun-loving older couple help bring two lovers back together

Never Say Goodbye/A New Woman/Trial Romance
star
7.87
15 votes

#24 - Never Say Goodbye/A New Woman/Trial Romance

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/3/1979

Capt. Stubing receives a letter from his daughter, Vicki. When he tries to call her, he learns that she has run away from her aunt and uncle's home. She shows up on the ship and reveals that she has read her mother's diary, and now knows that the captain is her father. She wants to stay with him, but he feels that it is best that he return her. Vicki's aunt reveals that she is getting a divorce and wants to send her children away for a while so that they won't be affected by the proceedings. Capt. Stubing and Vicki are thrilled by the chance to live together on the ship. Julie plays matchmaker for two shy, old-fashioned people who are unaccustomed to the workings of modern romance. A man is annoyed by the presence of the woman who deadlocked the jury for the attempted murder trial on which they both served, leading to a mistrial. They constantly argue about the case.

Directors: Gordon Farr
Alaska Wedding Cruise: Carol & Doug/Peter & Alicia/Julie/Buddy & Portia (2)
star
7.83
6 votes

#25 - Alaska Wedding Cruise: Carol & Doug/Peter & Alicia/Julie/Buddy & Portia (2)

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/15/1979

The engaged couple gets married despite numerous obstacles, and Julie encounters heartbreak upon surprising an ex-lover.

Directors: Roger Duchowny
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