Season 1 (Empty Nest)

This page lists the episodes aired in Season One of the NBC-TV series Empty Nest. The series pilot episode and the Season 1 premiere, simply titled "Pilot", first aired on October 8, 1988, with the season's finale episode, "A Life in the Day" airing on April 1, 1989, with a total of 22 episodes aired.

Season 1 (1988-89)

Ep	No.	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Original air date
1	1	"Pilot"	Jay Sandrich	Susan Harris	October 8, 1988
Harry is proposed to eighteen months after the death of his wife. Special Guest Stars:Grace Zabriskie as Eva Barrett
2	2	"The Check Isn't in the Mail"	Hal Cooper	Gary Jacobs	October 22, 1988
Carol gets all dolled up for a date with her contemptible ex-husband. Harry thinks Dreyfuss may be sick. Special Guest Stars:Ann Ryerson as Mrs. Bridges, Leo Geter as Dr. Ross, Adrian Zmed as Gary, Craig Richard Nelson as Waiter
3	3	"Barbara Gets a Shot"	Hal Cooper	Don Reo	October 29, 1988
Harry tries to get Barbara to give up her police career after she is shot. Special Guest Star:
4	4	"Fatal Attraction"	Hal Cooper	Susan Harris	November 5, 1988
Neighbor Blanche thinks she is in love with Harry and comes on strong when showing her affection. An old friend of the family dies after an illness. Carol decides to move in and take care of her father. Special Guest Star:Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux
5	5	"Father of the Bride"	Hal Cooper	Susan Harris	November 12, 1988
Harry is ecstatic when Barbara accepts her surgeon boyfriend's marriage proposal, but she has second thoughts the night before the wedding. Special Guest Star:Brian MacMurray as Brent
6	6	"Harry's Vacation"	Hal Cooper	Susan Beavers	November 19, 1988
Harry thinks he has become a burden on Carol and Barbara when they send him away on a vacation, despite his objections. Special Guest Star:
7	7	"Tinker to Evers to Tucson"	Hal Cooper	David Tyron King	November 26, 1988
When husband Nick is traded to a baseball team in Arizona, Laverne is forced to quit. A sick Charley camps out on Harry's couch. Special Guest Star:
8	8	"What's a Father to Do?"	Hal Cooper	Rod Cooper	December 3, 1988
Harry makes plans to accompany Carol to see her photographs displayed in an art gallery, and also to attend a ceremony honoring Barbara with a gold medal of valor. The problem is, both events are on the same day.
9	9	"Harry's Friend"	Hal Cooper	Arnie Kogen	December 10, 1988
Harry isn't too happy when Carol begins dating his old friend. Special Guest Stars:Donnelly Rhodes as Leonard
10	10	"Libby's Gift"	Hal Cooper	Rob LaZebnik David Sacks	December 17, 1988
An organ that Libby ordered before dying finally arrives at the house and Harry becomes determined to learn to play it in time for his and Libby's anniversary. Barbara and Carol worry that he is going too far. A patient asks Harry for birth control. Special Guest star:Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo
11	11	"The First Time, Again"	Hal Cooper	Gary Jacobs	January 7, 1989
Harry is encouraged to spend a weekend alone with his girlfriend. Jeffrey Millstein's imagination runs wild after he sees a scary movie. Special Guest Stars:
12	12	"Full Nest"	Hal Cooper	Susan Beavers	January 15, 1989
Financial trouble forces Barbara to move back in with Harry but it's not all fun and games. A lonely Carol soon decides to move in as well. Special Guest Star: Brad Hall as Chuck
13	13	"Here's a Howdy-Do"	Hal Cooper	Kim Hill	January 28, 1989
Harry doesn't understand why no one likes his new girlfriend, but soon realizes they were right. When the relationship ends, Carol, who actually liked the lady, questions her own instincts. Guest stars:
14	14	"Strange Bedfellows"	Hal Cooper	David Tyron King	February 4, 1989
Carol falls in love with a South American freedom fighter and announces she's going away with him. Jeffrey Millstein falls in love with Laverne. Special Guest star:Betty White as Rose Nylund
15	15	"Tears of a Clown"	Hal Cooper	Marie Therese Squerciati	February 6, 1989
Carol becomes public relations director of the hospital and causes a multi-million dollar lawsuit when she reveals the mental problems of local celebrity Poko the Clown at a press conference. Charley convinces Barbara to pose as his fiancee to get a promotion. Special Guest Star:Paul Sand and Poko the Clown
16	16	"Blame It on the Moon"	Hal Cooper	Gary Jacobs	February 11, 1989
The Westons laugh when Charley says the full moon will bring love, but then realize he could be right. A rude doctor catches Harry's eye. Carol finds romance when a man returns run-away Dreyfuss (who in turn finds love in the man's female dog). A stake-out leads Barbara into the arms of a high-school boyfriend. Guest stars:
17	17	"Dumped"	Hal Cooper	Susan Beavers	February 18, 1989
Barbara falls in love with neighbor, Dorothy's nephew, but is surprisingly not phased when he dumps her. Dorothy and Harry have an argument when Dorothy blames Barbara for the breakup. Special Guest star:Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak
18	18	"The More Things Change"	John Bowab	Rob LaZebnik David Sacks	February 25, 1989
The hospital's new owner forces Harry to move his practice after 25 years in the same office. Meanwhile, Carol tries to amend the past after reading Emily's old diary and Charley tries out a new look. Guest stars:
19	19	"Man of the Year"	Hal Cooper	Mady Julian	March 4, 1989
When Harry receives a Man of the Year award, his estranged father comes to town for the ceremony. Harry gets upset when he learns that his father didn't think he could make it as a doctor. Carol overhears the conversation and thinks her grandfather is dying. Special Guest Star:Harold Gould as Stanfield Weston
20	20	"Cyrano de Weston"	Hal Cooper	Arnie Kogen	March 18, 1989
Harry gives Charley advice on how to impress a new girlfriend, who turns out to be the same lady Harry is seeing. When a relative dies and leaves Barbara and Emily money, Carol is anxious to see what she'll be getting. But she isn't too thrilled when it arrives. Guest stars:Christine Belford as Fran Ed Hooks as Mailman.
21	21	"My Sister, My Friend"	Steve Zuckerman	Harold Kimmel	March 25, 1989
Harry promises to take Carol and Barbara with him to Paris if the two can go one month without fighting. Charley wins a greyhound in a card game. Guest stars: Jake Jundef, as Boy, Eva Charney as Miss Clark, Francis Guinan as Dr. Mitchel
22	22	"A Life in the Day"	Hal Cooper	David Sacks, Rob LaZebnik, David Tyron King	April 1, 1989
Harry sees six patients: a week-old baby, a five-year-old whose father denies the boy's onset diabetes; a seven-year-old curious about sex; an eleven-year-old having the cast removed from his arm; a belligerent 14-year-old who uses drugs; and an 18-year-old picking up his medical records before going away to college. The end of theepisode reveals that all of these have been the same patient at different ages.

Episodes

• Ep = Episode number within the season
• No. = Overall episode number