Eight Is Enough

This comedy drama focused on a family with eight very independent children.

Cast:Dick Van Patten , Lani O'Grady , Connie Needham , Susan Richardson , Adam Rich , Laurie Walters , Grant Goodeve , Dianne Kay , Willie Aames , Betty Buckley , Michael Thoma , Jennifer Darling , Brian Patrick Clarke , Ralph Macchio , Joan Prather , Micheal Goodrow , Virginia Vincent , James Karen

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ Never Try Eating Nectarines Since Juice May Dispense

Tue, Mar 15, 1977

Tom learns the importance of family relationships when David moves out

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ Schussboomer

Tue, Mar 22, 1977

Mary brings home a pregnant friend, Matilda, whose attitudes towards marriage upset Tom. She learns the joys of parenthood, and paternal Tom helps deliver the baby.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Pieces of Eight

Tue, Mar 29, 1977

Tom becomes the editor-in-chief at his newspaper, but he quickly runs into trouble when the printers go on strike. The whole family pitches in to help earn extra money.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ Women, Ducks and the Domino Theory

Tue, Apr 5, 1977

Things get a little tense around the Bradford home when Tommy is stood up and neither David nor Tom want to go on their annual duck hunt.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ Turnabout

Tue, Apr 12, 1977

David learns about life at a party the family hosts to celebrate Doctor Maxwell's 25th anniversary -- when David's date and Maxwell don't get along.

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ Quarantine

Tue, Apr 19, 1977

Togetherness can be really funny when the whole Bradford household is quarantined, including Nancy's blind date, after Mary's boyfriend comes down with a mysterious ailment.

7Season 1

S1.E7 ∙ V Is for Vivian

Tue, Apr 26, 1977

Tom's sister arrives for a visit and disrupts the Bradford household when she encourages the kids to pursue their dreams and goals.

8Season 1

S1.E8 ∙ Hit and Run

Tue, May 3, 1977

Joannie has a fender-bender with a real-estate developer who is already upset with the Bradfords' column opposing his project. Meanwhile, Elizabeth goes from three prom dates to none when they all show up at the same time.

9Season 1

S1.E9 ∙ The Gipper Caper

Wed, Aug 10, 1977

Tom's dentist challenges the family to a touch football game.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Is There a Doctor in the House?

Wed, Sep 14, 1977

Dr. Max shows up on Tom's doorstep after a fight with his wife and ends up staying with the Bradfords.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Trial Marriage

Wed, Sep 21, 1977

Tommy fractures his leg and must stay home to recover; Abby comes as a tutor and meets Tom. Mary moves in with her boyfriend Doug (Don Johnson).

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ Triangles

Wed, Sep 28, 1977

David's new roommate causes friction in the Bradford house when he romances Joannie and Susan at the same time. Tommy runs a yard sale while Tom worries that he isn't spending enough time with Nicholas.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ Double Trouble

Wed, Oct 5, 1977

Tom dates another woman to get over his break-up with Abby. Nancy enters a beauty pageant.

5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ Mortgage Burnin' Blues

Wed, Oct 19, 1977

Tom's elation at finally paying off his mortgage dissipates after seven of his children are arrested.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ Dark Horse

Wed, Oct 26, 1977

Mary runs against the incumbent for city council with the Board of Education.

7Season 2

S2.E7 ∙ The Bard and the Bod

Wed, Nov 2, 1977

Joannie is excited to share the news that she's gotten a part in a Shakespeare play, but when she learns that she has a nude scene, she doesn't know how to tell her father.

8Season 2

S2.E8 ∙ Children of the Groom: Part 1

Wed, Nov 9, 1977

Tom and Abby struggle to decide on a wedding date; when they finally do, the kids plan the entire event but go way overboard. Many arguments ensue, putting the very ceremony in jeopardy. The girls give Abby a bridal shower and Tom attends his bachelor party. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Nicholas are not entirely in favor of the wedding or marriage; their thoughts are with their late mother.

9Season 2

S2.E9 ∙ Children of the Groom: Part 2

Wed, Nov 9, 1977

The Bradford wedding takes place after the bride's parents come to town from Pasadena.

10Season 2

S2.E10 ∙ I Quit

Wed, Nov 16, 1977

Tom wins a journalistic award which takes the Bradfords to San Francisco. Once there, Abby meets with an old flame on the board of admissions at the medical school to advocate for Mary, who has recently been wait-listed. During their time in the big city, Tom has a fallout with the family based on their constant protests to his way of parenting. This episode was filmed on location in the Bay Area.

11Season 2

S2.E11 ∙ All's Fair in Love and War

Wed, Nov 23, 1977

Tom's military buddy recruits locally, to Mary's dismay; one of Tommy's money-making schemes backfires.

12Season 2

S2.E12 ∙ The Return of Auntie V

Wed, Nov 30, 1977

Tom's sister (Janis Paige) returns to Sacramento, this time buying a palatial house for the family, which plunges the Bradfords into deciding whether or not they want to pull up stakes.

13Season 2

S2.E13 ∙ Yes Nicholas, There Is a Santa Claus: Part 1

Wed, Dec 14, 1977

The family all have separate plans for Christmas Eve, and during the night, an old man appears to ruin their holiday. Part two reveals the reason for all the trouble.

14Season 2

S2.E14 ∙ Yes Nicholas, There Is a Santa Claus: Part 2

Wed, Dec 14, 1977

The Bradford's locate their stolen belongings and the man responsible. They forgive and befriend the lonely old man. A special gift is found hidden away for Tommy from his mother. Christmas is finally felt by all.

15Season 2

S2.E15 ∙ A Hair of the Dog

Wed, Jan 4, 1978

Tommy and his friends get David's apartment for the night.

16Season 2

S2.E16 ∙ Author, Author!

Wed, Jan 11, 1978

Tom decides to write a book based on the family, not taking into account their feelings.

17Season 2

S2.E17 ∙ Much Ado About Garbage

Wed, Jan 18, 1978

Tom uncovers corruption and angers garbage workers. He refuses to give up his source for the article even after being threatened with jail.

18Season 2

S2.E18 ∙ Dear Ms. Dinah

Wed, Jan 25, 1978

Tom takes over the Dear Ms. Dinah column and Elizabeth wants to go on the pill.

19Season 2

S2.E19 ∙ Hard Hats and Hard Heads

Wed, Feb 1, 1978

David gets a job as a copy boy at the Sacramento Register after feeling "less than" after a reunion with friends; Nancy, Susan and Joanie bet to see which of them can reach their ideal weight first.

20Season 2

S2.E20 ∙ Seven Days in February

Wed, Feb 8, 1978

Is winter break really a vacation with seven kids in the house?

21Season 2

S2.E21 ∙ The Boyfriend

Wed, Feb 15, 1978

Susan's new boyfriend seems to have more in common with Abby.

22Season 2

S2.E22 ∙ Great Expectations

Wed, Feb 22, 1978

Tommy feels pressure to get a good grade in English Composition.

23Season 2

S2.E23 ∙ Long Night's Journey Into Day

Wed, Mar 1, 1978

To help keep Abby awake during a concussion scare, the family remembers funny/memorable events from the past two seasons.

24Season 2

S2.E24 ∙ The Lost Weekend

Wed, May 3, 1978

While Tom and Abby are visiting her parents the kids are left alone for the weekend.

25Season 2

S2.E25 ∙ Poor Little Rich Girl

Wed, May 10, 1978

David gets a new girlfriend who tries to make decisions for him.

26Season 2

S2.E26 ∙ Who's on First?

Wed, May 17, 1978

When Joanie gets put in charge of a charity benefit for a children's home and the main act cancels, she has to rely on family to put on a show. In a minor plot Nicholas thinks he's been abducted by aliens.

1Season 3

S3.E1 ∙ Who's Crazy Here?

Wed, Sep 6, 1978

Tom seeks help for his insomnia, but miscommunication leads the kids to think he has a heart issue. In a minor plot Tommy tries to juggle two girlfriends.

2Season 3

S3.E2 ∙ Nine Is Too Much

Wed, Sep 13, 1978

After getting talked into being Nicholas' little league coach Tom quits when the parents get to be too much. Tom becomes on of "those" parents after Abby takes over the team.

3Season 3

S3.E3 ∙ Here We Go Again

Wed, Sep 20, 1978

Abby thinks she is pregnant and Tom faces an IRS audit.

4Season 3

S3.E4 ∙ Cinderella's Understudy

Wed, Sep 27, 1978

Susan uses Abby's vintage car to ensnare a handsome antique car buff; Joanie gets her first professional acting job as an apprentice in a local theater company. When the temperamental star walks out the day before opening, Joanie is thrust into the leading role -- while Tom, unaware of this, allows the newspaper's theater critic to talk him into reviewing the show as a favor.

5Season 3

S3.E5 ∙ Milk and Sympathy

Wed, Oct 11, 1978

In the throes of puppy love over his elementary schoolteacher, Nicholas obtains a painting from her that might be worth millions; Tommy goes to Max for outside help with a delicate problem.

6Season 3

S3.E6 ∙ The Flunked and the Funked

Wed, Oct 18, 1978

Nancy faces an identity crisis after flunking out of school; Tom takes a position teaching journalism at the local college.

7Season 3

S3.E7 ∙ Cops and Toddlers

Wed, Oct 25, 1978

Nancy starts a day care business for pre-schoolers out of the Bradford hone, while Susan trains for a spot on the police force.

8Season 3

S3.E8 ∙ The Hipbone's Connected to the Thighbone

Wed, Nov 1, 1978

Mary struggles to keep up in med school amid the chaos and distractions of family life; Tommy burns through family members as he takes the wheel in preparation for drivers' education.

9Season 3

S3.E9 ∙ Fast and Loose

Wed, Nov 8, 1978

When one of his closest friends dies, a grief-stricken David goes on a binge of self-destructive behavior.

10Season 3

S3.E10 ∙ War Between the Bradfords

Wed, Nov 15, 1978

When each of the Bradford men find reasons not to attend a speech given by Abby, it sparks a stand-off in the household; Nancy gets a job pumping gas at a local service station.

11Season 3

S3.E11 ∙ All the Vice President's Men

Wed, Nov 22, 1978

Tommy contemplates buying a used car; Elizabeth develops an inferiority complex about her appearance; the Vice-President accepts Nicholas' invitation to join the Bradfords for Thanksgiving dinner.

12Season 3

S3.E12 ∙ You Won't Have Nicholas to Kick Around Anymore: Part 1

Wed, Nov 29, 1978

Feeling guilty and isolated after accidentally causing a house fire, Nicholas sets off on his own to San Diego.

13Season 3

S3.E13 ∙ You Won't Have Nicholas to Kick Around Anymore: Part 2

Wed, Nov 29, 1978

While covering his tracks to keep the family from realizing he's run away from home, Nicholas attaches himself to an elderly con man in San Diego.

14Season 3

S3.E14 ∙ Alone at Last

Wed, Dec 6, 1978

Tom and Abby stage an elaborate sting operation to get the house to themselves for a weekend; Susan babysits a friend's precocious daughter.

15Season 3

S3.E15 ∙ The Yearning Point

Wed, Jan 10, 1979

After discovering that Tom can't afford the tuition, Elizabeth vies for a scholarship so she can attend an expensive college in Vermont; Nancy takes a correspondence course in hair styling; Tommy gambles away the investors' capital of his latest get-rich-quick scheme.

16Season 3

S3.E16 ∙ Moving Out

Wed, Jan 17, 1979

Tired of Tom's strict rules, Nancy, Susan, and Joannie look for an apartment of their own because Tom has trouble accepting that his daughters are growing up. David buys a new truck and agrees to sell Tommy his van. Tom is upset when Abby loans the girls the money to get their own apartment.

17Season 3

S3.E17 ∙ Mother's Rule

Wed, Jan 17, 1979

Joanie, Susan and Nancy experience miscommunication as they settle into a routine in their new apartment; Using reverse psychology, Tom lifts all house rules in an attempt to get the remaining kids to honor their curfews.

18Season 3

S3.E18 ∙ Inlaws and Outlaws

Wed, Jan 24, 1979

Abby's mother lands on the Bradfords' doorstep after leaving her husband; a rent increase forces Susan, Joannie and Nancy to return home; Nicholas grapples with learning to sleep in his own room; Tom's station wagon becomes a magnet for parking tickets every time one of the kids borrows it.

19Season 3

S3.E19 ∙ Horror Story

Wed, Jan 31, 1979

A torrential downpour causes a power outage across Sacramento, trapping Tom and Abby in an elevator, leaving Nancy stranded at work, and causing imaginations to run wild at home -- especially after a knock on the door from a stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance to Norman Bates in "Psycho."

20Season 3

S3.E20 ∙ Just the Ten of Us

Wed, Feb 14, 1979

David and Janet's decision to move in together threatens Tom's chances for a Father of the Year award, while the family's excessive reliance upon David threatens the future of his relationship with Janet.

21Season 3

S3.E21 ∙ Best of Friends

Wed, Feb 21, 1979

Tommy takes responsibility for an unwed classmate who discovers she's pregnant; David and Janet are forced to move into the Bradford house for several days while their apartment is being fumigated.

22Season 3

S3.E22 ∙ The Kid Who Came to Dinner

Wed, Feb 28, 1979

The Bradfords become enmeshed in the plight of a lonely foster child befriended by Nicholas; Abby uses the kids as subjects for a research project on multi-sibling families.

23Season 3

S3.E23 ∙ The Better Part of Valor

Wed, Mar 7, 1979

Tom and Abby find they have nothing in common with Janet's parents; Tommy is ostracized by his classmates when substitute teacher Abby flunks the school's basketball star.

24Season 3

S3.E24 ∙ Dads, Daughters, Different Drummers

Wed, Mar 14, 1979

Tom clashes with Joannie over her new boyfriend, an itinerant poet; Nicholas scores high on a music aptitude test, which results in unending noise from his new drum set; David goes into business for himself as a contractor, and Tom becomes his first customer.

25Season 3

S3.E25 ∙ The Final Days

Wed, May 2, 1979

A water main break plunges the family into chaos while dealing with the pressures of finals week; Nancy sympathizes with a brainiac Elizabeth is using to help her pass algebra; Tom's column about passing the torch to the younger generation results in a picket line of protesting seniors outside the Bradford house.

26Season 3

S3.E26 ∙ Marriage and Other Flights of Fancy: Part 1

Wed, May 9, 1979

Tom sells a short story, but his elation turns to mortification when the publication turns out to be a stag magazine; David and Janet no sooner announce their engagement than they begin seeing the pitfalls of wedded life, ultimately leading David to break off the engagement and take off on a cross-country road trip.

27Season 3

S3.E27 ∙ Marriage and Other Flights of Fancy: Part 2

Wed, May 9, 1979

On his odyssey to Santa Fe, David befriends Dutch, a veteran hang glider, who entices him to take flight on his own. When no experienced test pilots will fly Dutch's untried prototype in a local competition, David contemplates taking the risk to prevent the older man from doing harm to himself.

28Season 3

S3.E28 ∙ The Graduates

Wed, May 23, 1979

Elizabeth's part in a senior prank gets her barred from attending graduation, just as Tom is asked to deliver the commencement speech; Joannie faces an uncertain future as she approaches college graduation, which leads to a blowout with Abby; Tommy agonizes over cutting his hair for a summer lifeguard position.

1Season 4

S4.E1 ∙ Merle the Pearl

Wed, Sep 5, 1979

Susan captures the attention of a minor league baseball player; Nicholas is in the throes of puppy love with a girl on his little league team whose family is planning to move; Tom trades in his sedan for a new car; Tommy conspires to get a sneak peek at a blind date for an upcoming dance.

2Season 4

S4.E2 ∙ The Cupid Crisis

Wed, Sep 12, 1979

After returning to Sacramento, David sets out to win back Janet, who is engaged to another man; Susan finds Merle's courtship efforts lacking, so Nicholas plays Cupid for them.

3Season 4

S4.E3 ∙ I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

Wed, Sep 19, 1979

A tale of two weddings: David and Janet's elopement is derailed by Susan and Merle's plan to tie the knot the same weekend so she can join him on the road; Nancy lacks the necessary skills in her job delivering singing telegrams.

4Season 4

S4.E4 ∙ Ten Ships in the Night

Wed, Sep 26, 1979

When Abby goes back to school to finish her PhD, Tom turns to the ranks for help in looking after Nicholas; Nancy tries to prove her worth as she goes to work at a stock brokerage.

5Season 4

S4.E5 ∙ The Night They Raided Bradfords

Wed, Oct 3, 1979

Appearances are deceiving -- or are they? -- when Merle's provincial sister arrives from Arkansas on an average day in the Bradford home, which leads to a comedy of errors -- and a vice raid.

6Season 4

S4.E6 ∙ The Devil and Mr. Bradford

Wed, Oct 24, 1979

Joannie's investigative research for a stunt journalist implicates Tom in a potential scandal; Mary and Abby search in vain for the owner of the pregnancy test kit Mary finds hidden in the linen closet; Tommy is tasked with teaching Nicholas how to mow the lawn.

7Season 4

S4.E7 ∙ Big Shoes, Little Feet

Wed, Oct 31, 1979

Three Bradfords struggle to meet the expectations of others: Nicholas turns truant to escape the long shadow of his siblings; Tom's boss pressures him to participate in a father-son golf tournament; Nancy feels compelled to date a stockbroker uniquely positioned to help David's slumping business.

8Season 4

S4.E8 ∙ Fathers and Other Strangers: Part 1

Wed, Nov 7, 1979

Tom's sister Vivian sweeps into town with an offer to take the entire family on vacation to Hawaii, where she secretly plans to reunite Tom with their estranged father.

9Season 4

S4.E9 ∙ Fathers and Other Strangers: Part 2

Wed, Nov 7, 1979

Still in Hawaii, Tom and his father contemplate whether they can or should bother to reconcile their relationship.

10Season 4

S4.E10 ∙ Letter to One Bradford

Wed, Nov 14, 1979

When Tommy is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, Mary and Nicholas both feel culpable for different reasons; Merle and Susan adjust to the give and take of married life; Nancy plays travel guide for a visiting colleague from China who doesn't speak English.

11Season 4

S4.E11 ∙ Separate Ways

Wed, Nov 21, 1979

The furnace is on the blink, causing a cold front in the Bradford house, but Tom dismisses Mary's offer to fix it; Susan's chance for an internship conflicts with Merle's offer to play winter ball in Puerto Rico; Nicholas goes on strike for a raise in his allowance.

12Season 4

S4.E12 ∙ Arrivals

Wed, Nov 28, 1979

On the heels of splitting up with Merle, Susan discovers she's pregnant; Joannie is intrigued by a man with extrasensory perception; Tommy uses Nicholas as bait to pick up girls.

13Season 4

S4.E13 ∙ Brotherhood, Sisterhood

Wed, Dec 5, 1979

Elizabeth has difficulty meeting eligible men on campus; Tommy is hazed by the crew when he goes to work for David, which causes a fallout between the brothers; Nicholas has to write a paper on Tom for a class assignment.

14Season 4

S4.E14 ∙ Mary, He's Married

Wed, Dec 12, 1979

Mary's friendship with a doctor begins to develop into a romance; Nicholas dabbles in sales with cure-all face cream; Joannie produces a documentary on her family to gain a promotion at work.

15Season 4

S4.E15 ∙ My Son, the Prom Queen

Wed, Jan 9, 1980

When an all girl band beats out Tommy and Ernie's group for a gig at Senior prom the boys want payback. They decide to nominate Tommy for homecoming queen but when the event gets closer Tommy has doubts.

16Season 4

S4.E16 ∙ The Courage to Be

Wed, Jan 16, 1980

Overwhelmed and overextended, the family pools its funds to hire a part-time housekeeper; Tommy comes to realize that his best friend has a drinking problem; Nicholas tries to break a world's record.

17Season 4

S4.E17 ∙ Semi-Centennial Bradford

Wed, Jan 23, 1980

Tom experiences a midlife crisis as he approaches his fiftieth birthday; Nicholas searches for the perfect name for Susan and Merle's coming child; Nancy has second thoughts when the dull stockbroker she dumped begins seeing Elizabeth.

18Season 4

S4.E18 ∙ The Commitment

Wed, Jan 30, 1980

The Bradfords plan Susan's surprise baby shower; Tommy's frustration with his girlfriend's inexperience leads him to pursue a much older friend of Mary's; Nicholas inadvertently plays Cyrano for a school chum.

19Season 4

S4.E19 ∙ Seven More Days in February

Wed, Feb 6, 1980

The annual winter break festivities lead to offbeat romances for Mary, Joannie and Nancy; Tom's boss coerces him into setting up Tommy with his visiting niece; Elizabeth's new beau is forced to cancel their date for the Valentine's Day dance.

20Season 4

S4.E20 ∙ The Return of Joe Simons

Wed, Feb 13, 1980

Nicholas's grandfatherly friend Joe Simons returns to Sacramento under false pretenses; Joannie tries to come up with a TV commercial to boost David's struggling business; Tom is smothered by a temp when his secretary goes on vacation.

21Season 4

S4.E21 ∙ Bradford vs. Bradford

Wed, Feb 27, 1980

Nicholas learns the meaning of class distinction when he befriends an underprivileged schoolmate; David's jealousy over Janet's work colleague may be justified; Tommy becomes overprotective when his best friend begins seeing Elizabeth.

22Season 4

S4.E22 ∙ Memories

Wed, Mar 5, 1980

Nicholas is targeted by an assertive classmate who wants to go steady with him; Abby's grief is triggered by the visit of a friend of her late husband; Nancy becomes overdrawn at the bank because of all the money she's been lending her siblings.

23Season 4

S4.E23 ∙ Official Positions

Wed, Mar 19, 1980

Abby hires the unemployed mother of one of Nicholas' classmates; Merle puts together a women's basketball team comprised entirely of Bradfords; Tom's effort to finish his novel is undercut when Abby gets published first.

24Season 4

S4.E24 ∙ A Matter of Mentors

Wed, Mar 26, 1980

When Tommy protests Tom's frugality, Tom teaches him a lesson by putting him in charge of the family's finances; Joannie begins to doubt the intentions of the higher-up who gave her a plum assignment; Nicholas dukes it out with the class bully, who happens to be a girl.

25Season 4

S4.E25 ∙ Roll Over Bradford

Wed, Apr 2, 1980

Tommy decides to forego college in favor of a music career; Tom's sister Vivian returns with her new fiancé; Elizabeth tries out theories from her psychology class on the family.

26Season 4

S4.E26 ∙ A Little Triangle

Wed, Apr 9, 1980

Nancy bonds with her boyfriend's daughter; Tommy tries to help Ernie find a date for the prom; Nicholas tries running a dog grooming business.

27Season 4

S4.E27 ∙ Finally Grad Night

Wed, Apr 30, 1980

The family makes itself scarce for Tommy's intimate graduation party, but when Tommy is called away to help an injured Irving J. Moore, word gets out that the Bradford house is unoccupied, leading to an all-out brawl for the Class of 1980.

1Season 5

S5.E1 ∙ And Baby Makes Nine: Part 1

Wed, Oct 29, 1980

Susan faces unexpected complications as she nears the end of her pregnancy; Jack asks Elizabeth to move in with him; Nicholas volunteers Tom as assistant scout master of his cub scout troop.

2Season 5

S5.E2 ∙ And Baby Makes Nine: Part 2

Wed, Oct 29, 1980

Abby feels responsible for the complications surrounding Susan's pregnancy; Susan gives birth prematurely, and the fate of the baby hangs in the balance; Elizabeth hides her live-in arrangement with Jack from the family.

3Season 5

S5.E3 ∙ Jeremy

Wed, Nov 5, 1980

Abby's troubled nephew stays with the Bradfords until his estranged father can be located; Joannie is promoted to sportscaster at the television station; Nicholas turns a profit from Mary's female anatomy textbook.

4Season 5

S5.E4 ∙ Welcome to Memorial Dr. Bradford

Wed, Nov 12, 1980

Abby accepts a job as guidance counselor at a dangerous inner-city high school; Nicholas falls in with a classmate with a penchant for stealing; Tom becomes a constant passenger after his driver's license expires.

5Season 5

S5.E5 ∙ Generations

Wed, Nov 19, 1980

Susan brings her baby home from the hospital; Abby senses disapproval from Joan's parents when they arrive to meet their new granddaughter; Tommy starts work as a guitarist at a male strip club, but finds it pays more to take to the stage.

6Season 5

S5.E6 ∙ Holly

Wed, Nov 26, 1980

Tommy's songwriting collaboration with a single mother turns personal; Jeremy reluctantly enrolls in high school and then does all he can to be expelled; David remodels the garage as living quarters for Susan and the baby until Merle's return.

7Season 5

S5.E7 ∙ The Maltese Airline Bag

Wed, Dec 10, 1980

Primed from reading too many spy novels, Nicholas believes he's embroiled in a real-life espionage plot; When his staff becomes hush-hush around him, Tom becomes suspicious that he's about to be fired.

8Season 5

S5.E8 ∙ Strike

Wed, Dec 17, 1980

The newspaper closes its doors during a labor dispute, landing Tom on the unemployment line; All four of the family's cars are out of commission after a postal truck crashes into the Bradford driveway; Nicholas promotes a bartering system to navigate the family's financial crisis.

9Season 5

S5.E9 ∙ Bradfordgate

Wed, Jan 7, 1981

An exploitative reporter threatens Tom's chances when the governor appoints him to the state's Board of Education; Joannie goes undercover to do an expose on video dating services; Nicholas turns hoodlum in an effort to change his wholesome image.

10Season 5

S5.E10 ∙ The Darlene Dilemma

Wed, Jan 14, 1981

A manipulative student of Abby's enmeshes herself into the Bradford family; Nicholas promises to cook dinner for a girl; Nancy becomes the model-spokesperson for a local business that turns out to be disreputable.

11Season 5

S5.E11 ∙ Second Thoughts

Wed, Jan 21, 1981

Nancy's modeling career takes off, bringing unwanted attention; Joannie's lack of advancement at the station leads her to abandon her career and enter into a hasty engagement to Jeff; Tommy becomes Nicholas' slave in exchange for the last remaining ticket to a sold-out concert.

12Season 5

S5.E12 ∙ David's Rib

Wed, Jan 28, 1981

David's dream of restoring the city's opera house pits him against Janet, whose firm has been hired to demolish it for an urban renewal project; Susan and Merle take turns looking after the baby, which leaves them alternately exhausted; Nicholas inherits a retired racehorse.

13Season 5

S5.E13 ∙ Vows

Wed, Feb 18, 1981

Abby and Tom decide to renew their vows on their anniversary, just as David and Janet announce their legal separation; Peer pressure dampens Jeremy's romance with a girl whose individuality clashes with his need to fit in.

14Season 5

S5.E14 ∙ The Way We Were

Wed, Mar 4, 1981

Tommy realizes he's become stagnant by not having gone away to college; David's traditional values are out of sync with the swinging singles scene; Nicholas starts a paper route delivering for Tom's rival newspaper.

15Season 5

S5.E15 ∙ If the Glass Slipper Fits

Wed, Mar 11, 1981

Elizabeth sets her cap for a vain classmate who doesn't see her as girlfriend material; David hires Nicholas to help him find an affordable apartment; Nancy's shot with a big modeling agency hinges on her going topless in a print ad.

16Season 5

S5.E16 ∙ The Best Little Telethon in Sacramento

Sat, Mar 28, 1981

Joannie is put in charge of securing talent for a local telethon; Jeremy can't convince Tommy to let him be his band manager; David tries to unload an unwanted roommate (and her mother).

17Season 5

S5.E17 ∙ Yet Another Seven Days in February

Sat, Apr 4, 1981

The chairman of a local radio station will plug Tommy's music on the condition that he put the man's accident-prone daughter in his band; David is relentlessly pursued by the girl's amorous mother; and Jeremy dates the girl's cousin, a sports enthusiast whose endurance he can't begin to match.

18Season 5

S5.E18 ∙ The Idolbreaker: Part 1

Sat, Apr 11, 1981

Just as Tommy's music career is about to take off, an ex-girlfriend returns to tell him she's pregnant; Nicholas stands up to the class bully to impress a girl who then expects a hero every day; The Bradford sisters attempt to rehabilitate a homeless man.

19Season 5

S5.E19 ∙ The Idolbreaker: Part 2

Sat, Apr 18, 1981

An unexpected development upends Tommy plans to marry Ellen; Joannie envies an attractive reporter who starts work at the station; Jeremy drops hints as his first birthday with the family approaches.

20Season 5

S5.E20 ∙ Starting Over

Sat, May 9, 1981

David and Janet make a final attempt at reconciliation; Jeremy turns sleuth after digging up a human skull in the vegetable garden; Nicholas' chances of making the basketball team hinge on Elizabeth, who is dating the coach.

21Season 5

S5.E21 ∙ Goals

Sat, May 16, 1981

Mary's bedside manner creates a monster when an oddball patient falls for her; Merle struggles to reinvent himself after an injury ends his pitching career; Jeremy angles for a raise in his allowance by pedaling a line of unpalatable health food products to the family.

22Season 5

S5.E22 ∙ Father Knows Best?

Sat, May 23, 1981

Jeremy's father returns to assert his parental rights, forcing the boy to decide where to live; Past and present merge for David and his former classmates in the days leading up to their ten-year high school reunion.