The BEST episodes of The Partridge Family
Every episode of The Partridge Family ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Partridge Family!
In 1970, the Partridge Family was among the top-selling recording acts, not to mention one of the top-rated TV shows of its time. Either way, it made David Cassidy a successful teen idol until the show's cancellation in 1974. The Partridge Family consisted of Shirley Partridge (keyboards, vocals) and her five kids: Keith (lead vocalist and guitar), Laurie (keyboards, vocals), Danny (bass guitar, vocals), Chris (drums), and Tracy (tambourine). Rounding out the cast was their manager, Reuben Kincaid.
#1 - Trial of the Partridge One
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/19/1973
Classmate Cindy gives Laurie an envelope to give to a teacher. When Laurie does, the teacher says it is the stolen exam answers for math and blames Laurie for taking them. Laurie hopes that Cindy will confess it was her that took them.
#2 - A Likely Candidate
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/3/1972
A politician running for office asks the Partridge family to perform at one of his rallies. Shirley goes out with him to discuss political views and they form a close bond. Keith is jealous and work for his campaign to keep an eye on him.
#3 - Each Dawn I Diet
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/6/1972
Danny wants to lose weight to impress a girl. Shirley puts him on a diet. After a week, he weighs more because of cheating. Ruben teases him about no will power so they decide to tackle their own vices - Danny's food and Ruben's smoking.
#4 - M is for the Many Things
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/1972
Shirley is awarded Mother of the Year by a magazine. The family travel by bus to Sacramento to accept the award. Taking the back road leads them to wrong turns, lost wallet, traffic tickets, and other annoyances.
#5 - Guess Who's Coming to Drive?
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/10/1971
Reuben sets up an aggressive summer tour schedule. Shirley does not want to go on tour as it is tiring to drive all day and sing all night, so they hire a bus driver. But Danny is suspicious when they find out that he's an ex-con.
#6 - Hate Thy Neighbor
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/15/1973
During a practice session, a young boy walks into the garage. He & his family just moved into the neighborhood. The mother does not like show business and calls the police every time the family practices. A battle of wills ensues.
#7 - Swiss Family Partridge
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/10/1972
The Partridge Family perform at a ski resort. After their two week tour, they head for a vacation at a secluded rustic cabin in the mountains. Their days of relaxation turns into mud slides, constant rain, and gloom.
#8 - Aspirin at 7, Dinner at 8
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/5/1973
Shirley has a first date with a pediatrician. At dinner, he orders the food so Shirley does not eat fat, cholesterol, salt, or other negative food items. She tries to discourage him from another date, but he is persistent.
#9 - The Eleven-Year Itch
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/2/1973
Shirley's recent boyfriend, the politician, comes to town. He brings his daughter along. While Shirley and Dick enjoy being together, his daughter has a crush on Danny and he cannot escape her.
#10 - Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex... but Couldn't Pronounce
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/23/1973
School finals are approaching and Keith has a problem in one course. America's heartthrob is failing Sex Education. The teacher seems to be picking on Keith and it takes some work to find out why it seems like that.
#11 - None But the Onely
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/1973
Keith wants to date the new girl in school, but she does not want to go with him because he has a love 'em and leave 'em reputation. He wants Laurie to convince Dina to go out with him.
#12 - Reuben Kincaid Lives
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/13/1973
Shirley tells the children they have to start being nice to Reuben. But since he is not used to this new attitude, he thinks it is because they heard he is dying. The nicer they are, the more he thinks he is dying.
#13 - The Last of Howard
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/27/1973
The Partridges are on a cruise ship. Laurie meets a handsome, charming man who seems to have an interest in her. He say he is a rich heir, but his actions are not of a rich man. Keith thinks he is a jewel thief.
#14 - Heartbreak Keith
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/10/1973
At college, Keith enrolls in a sociology course. He is partnered with an older woman to work on a paper. He finds himself attracted to her despite the fact that she is not only older, but also married.
#15 - Al in the Family
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/24/1973
While Ruben is out of town, his nephew takes over managing the Partridges. He is not cut out for the job.
#16 - This Male Chauvinist Piggy Went to Market
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/15/1972
Its role reversal time in the Partridge household as Keith takes home economics and Laurie takes auto shop. Keith's struggles with cooking make him the target of barbs from the school bully, and things really heat up when Laurie gives the tough a Judo flip. Keith is then challenged to a fight, and must face up to the bully even if it means getting his face turned to hamburger.
#17 - Princess and the Partridge
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/29/1972
A princess flies into town with the express purpose of having a date with Keith. They find it difficult to act natural around each other until the princess tells all to relax. Keith & the princess manage to slip away from bodyguards.
#18 - A Man Called Snake
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/1/1971
Keith gave an interview for a magazine and revealed that Laurie has a crush on a classmate, Harry Murphy. Laurie is upset and says it is the wrong name anyway. A motorcyclist, Harry Murphy, comes to visit Laurie to see who she is as a joke.
#19 - Home is Where the Heart Was
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/7/1972
After being scolded from a mess, Chris and Tracy decided to run away from home but, ended up at Ruben's apartment causing mayhem.
#20 - Who is Max Ledbetter and Why is He Saying All Those Terrible Things?
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/17/1972
The Partridges hire a psychic performer for Tracy's birthday party. Keith and Danny keep asking for predictions about their lives, so the psychic asks them to help his failing business from a foreclosure.
#21 - The Modfather
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/27/1972
Shirley's parents visit, and they try to find a hidden meaning from every sound and sentence when these are simple every day things. Soon, the Partridge family is finding faults with everything and arguing with each other.
#22 - Danny and the Mob
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/1970
Danny gives stock advice to a very attractive cocktail waitress during the family's engagement in Las Vegas. However, the girl's very jealous boyfriend sends a couple of his goons to rough Danny because he thinks Danny is a much older man trying to steal his girl. A frightened Danny then runs away in terror thinking that he is about to be rubbed out by the mob.
#23 - See Here, Private Partridge
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/16/1970
Danny receives a letter from the Draft Board that he's been drafted into the United States Army. Shirley contacts he Draft Board and tries to convince them that Danny is 10, but they won't listen to her; on top of that, they say the Draft Board doesn't make mistakes, and he is to report. Now the family has to try once again to convince the Army that Danny is too young to serve - and so he reports as ordered.
#24 - Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/22/1971
Danny is interested in the whales singing and tells the family they need to include whales in their act to show their support of ecology.
#25 - A Day of Honesty
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/17/1973
Danny goes to see a movie but sneaks in without paying. He is caught, and Shirley imposes a punishment on the whole family by having everyone be totally honest for 24-hours.