The BEST episodes of The Streets of San Francisco

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

A veteran cop with more than twenty years of experience is teamed with a young Inspector to solve crimes in San Francisco, California.

Last Updated: 12/9/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
License to Kill
star
8.73
11 votes

#1 - License to Kill

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/5/1974

Stone's ex-partner comes to town with a deadly vendetta: kill the man who murdered his son.

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Most Likely to Succeed
star
8.67
12 votes

#2 - Most Likely to Succeed

Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/18/1975

Lt. Michael Stone and Inspector Steven Keller investigate a murder committed at an all-boys prep school.

Directors: William Hale
Writer: John D. Hess
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The House on Hyde Street
star
8.55
22 votes

#3 - The House on Hyde Street

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/1/1973

When a boy disappears after school, suspicion falls on the neighborhood recluse.

Writer: John Wilder
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The Twenty-Five Caliber Plague
star
8.50
10 votes

#4 - The Twenty-Five Caliber Plague

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/12/1974

A single .25 caliber pistol affects many lives in a single weekend.

Directors: Virgil Vogel
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Till Death Do Us Part
star
8.50
6 votes

#5 - Till Death Do Us Part

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/18/1976

Stone must protect a former book keeper's wife (Jessica Walter), in order to have her testify against several high profile mobsters who want her dead because of the evidence she has against them.

Directors: William Wiard
Watch Now:Amazon
Chapel of the Damned
star
8.45
11 votes

#6 - Chapel of the Damned

Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/17/1974

Stone and Keller work to crack a kidnap case where the mother is friends with an alleged psychic.

Directors: George McCowan
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Beyond Vengeance
star
8.44
16 votes

#7 - Beyond Vengeance

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/8/1973

After spending "a lousy" 12 years in prison for a rape / torture / murder, a young punk returns to San Francisco to seek revenge against Mike Stone who was the arresting officer.

Directors: Virgil Vogel
Watch Now:Amazon
The Drop
star
8.38
8 votes

#8 - The Drop

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/28/1976

Mike thinks he's a murder target when a kidnapper specifies that he deliver the ransom money.

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The Honorable Profession
star
8.36
11 votes

#9 - The Honorable Profession

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/15/1976

Robert Reed plays a fictitious doctor. During Act IV he packs up to leave town. The well-written episode begs the question whether Reed's character did more good than harm posing as a doctor.

Directors: Harry Falk
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Endgame
star
8.36
14 votes

#10 - Endgame

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/23/1975

When Keller is injured by a gangster, Stone's thirst for vengeance results in his demotion to a beat cop.

Directors: Jerry Jameson
Writer: Albert Ruben
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The Unicorn
star
8.35
20 votes

#11 - The Unicorn

Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 4/5/1973

A priest (Fr. Scarne) won't tell Stone where a murderer (Abel Hoffman) is hiding. Stakes are raised by drug smugglers looking for a stolen shipment of heroin.

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Cry Help!
star
8.33
9 votes

#12 - Cry Help!

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/7/1974

A troubled teen from a broken home is suspected of shooting a friend's stepfather.

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River of Fear
star
8.29
14 votes

#13 - River of Fear

Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/13/1975

A twelve-year-old girl sets out to prove that he stepfather killer her mother.

Directors: Michael Caffey
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Dead Air
star
8.27
11 votes

#14 - Dead Air

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/13/1975

A radio host is accused of murder when a woman who threatened him dies.

Directors: Virgil Vogel
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Superstar
star
8.27
11 votes

#15 - Superstar

Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/4/1976

Stone clashes with an abrasive NYC cop who is on the trail of his partner's killer.

Directors: Virgil Vogel
Writer: Mort Fine
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Dead Lift
star
8.27
11 votes

#16 - Dead Lift

Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/5/1977

A bodybuilder's short temper causes murder.

Directors: Michael Preece
Writer: Larry Brody
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Hot Dog
star
8.25
8 votes

#17 - Hot Dog

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/9/1976

Inpector Stone and Robbins go after a gang of thieves who use motor cycles to make there get away.

Directors: Virgil Vogel
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Trail of Terror
star
8.25
12 votes

#18 - Trail of Terror

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/30/1975

Keller is pursued by killers as he transports a prisoner to jail.

Directors: Michael Preece
Writer: Jim Byrnes
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Act of Duty
star
8.23
26 votes

#19 - Act of Duty

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/18/1973

Roommate (played by Brenda Vaccaro) of a slain police officer agrees to be bait in a rape investigation. After Mike Stone kicks her off the case, she continues on her own, hurtling headlong into peril.

Directors: Lawrence Dobkin
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The Hard Breed
star
8.23
13 votes

#20 - The Hard Breed

Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/21/1974

Two "Gunsmoke" writers teamed on this modern-day Western set at a rodeo in San Francisco's Cow Palace. A bronc rider dies in what appears to be an accident. A rodeo clown looks around the scene after the police leave and discovers the rider's rope -- which was cut almost halfway through before it broke, leaving the bronc free to throw him. The police come back to investigate the scene, and before long the chief suspect is also murdered in another "accident."

Directors: Virgil Vogel
Writer: Ron Bishop
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Death and the Favored Few
star
8.21
14 votes

#21 - Death and the Favored Few

Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/14/1974

Stone and Keller investigate the murder of a society publisher whose method was to coerce subscriptions from wealthy clients by blackmailing them. The investigation leads the detective to a wealthy woman and her daughter, who were among the ones being blackmailed and who still have secrets to hide.

Directors: Virgil Vogel
Writer: Gene L. Coon
Watch Now:Amazon
Ten Dollar Murder
star
8.21
14 votes

#22 - Ten Dollar Murder

Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/30/1975

Taxis across town are being robbed by a cop's son. But when one hold-up results in the murder of an undercover officer, the young man's joy ride is over.

Directors: William Hale
Watch Now:Amazon
Trail of the Serpent
star
8.21
19 votes

#23 - Trail of the Serpent

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/22/1973

A gang takes Mike Stone hostage after killing a policeman in an attempt to flee from a grocery store robbery. They want to trade Stone in for their leader, Buddy Sims.

Directors: John Badham
Watch Now:Amazon
Jacob's Boy
star
8.20
15 votes

#24 - Jacob's Boy

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/24/1974

The prime suspect in a murder case may be innocent of this crime, but he fears Stone and Keller will discover he got away with murder once before... 25 years ago.

Directors: Harry Falk
Writer: Paul Savage
Watch Now:Amazon
A Collection of Eagles
star
8.19
21 votes

#25 - A Collection of Eagles

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/1/1973

A murder brings to light a coin dealer's plan to substitute fakes for the rare coins in a collection.

Directors: Walter Grauman
Watch Now:Amazon