Bachelor Father (1957)

Comedy · Family

Bachelor Father is an American sitcom starring John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran, and Sammee Tong. The series first premiered on CBS in September 1957 before moving to NBC for the third season in 1959. The series' fifth and final season aired on ABC from 1961 to 1962. A total of 157 episodes were aired. The series was based on "A New Girl in His Life", which aired on General Electric Theater on May 26, 1957. Bachelor Father is the only primetime series ever to run in consecutive years on the three major televisions networks.

IMDb rating: 7.3 (640 votes)
Seasons: 5
Language: EN
Type: TV series

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Ratings refreshed Aug 19, 2026 · 5 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1957)

7.55 avg 20 episodes 7.2 → 8.6 30 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Bentley and the P.T.A.	7.2	29
2	Bentley Versus the Girl Scouts	7.2	26
3	Uncle Bentley and the Lady Doctor	7.7	27
4	A Date with Kelly	6.5	18
5	Uncle Bentley and the Aunts	7.1	21
6	Bentley and the Revolving Housekeepers	7.5	22
7	Uncle Bentley Keeps His Promise	7.5	14
8	Bentley and the Baby Sitter	8.1	23
9	Bentley and the Talent Contest	6.9	26
10	Bentley, the Homemaker	7.8	20
11	Bentley and His Junior Image	7.6	22
12	Uncle Bentley Loans Out Peter	8.2	19
13	Bentley and the Social Worker	7.2	26
14	A Sister for Kelly	8.1	21
15	Waiting Up for Kelly	7.4	25
16	Woman of the House	8.2	19
17	Peter Falls in Love	6.8	19
18	Bentley's Prospective Son-In-Law	7.9	20
19	Bentley's Clubhouse	7.5	17
20	Uncle Bentley and the Matchmaker	8.6	19

Season 2 (1958)

7.94 avg 20 episodes 7.6 → 8.0 30 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Bentley and the Finishing School	7.6	20
2	Parent's Night	7.8	20
3	Bentley Leads a Dog's Life	7.2	20
4	Bentley and the Teenage Siren	9.0	13
5	Bentley & Peter's Teacher	8.3	17
6	Bentley and the Wedding Bells	8.8	18
7	Kelly's Mad Crush	7.8	19
8	Bentley's Big Case	7.9	17
9	Bentley's Economy Wave	7.5	17
10	Decisions, Decisions	7.9	19
11	Bentley and the Kleptomaniac	8.2	19
12	A Phone for Kelly	7.9	20
13	Bentley, the Star Maker	8.0	22
14	Bentley the Proud Father	7.7	20
15	Bentley's Aunt Caroline	8.6	21
16	Bentley, Man of Steel	7.6	17
17	Bentley and the Motorcycle	7.7	20
18	Bentley, the Organizer	7.4	13
19	Bentley and the Beauty Contest	7.8	17
20	Bentley, the Hero	8.0	12

Season 3 (1959)

7.56 avg 37 episodes 7.9 → 7.2 30 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Peter Meets His Match	7.9	21
2	Bentley and the Dog Trainer	7.3	18
3	The Case Against Gisele	8.0	12
4	Bentley and the Gullible Guitarist	6.8	14
5	Kelly's Idol	8.0	21
6	East Meets West	7.6	18
7	Bentley and Grandpa Ling	7.2	21
8	Kelly: The Golddigger	7.7	18
9	The Rescue of Rufus	7.6	20
10	A Key for Kelly	6.7	25
11	Bentley's Double Play	7.3	23
12	Bentley and the Brainy Beauty	7.7	19
13	Bentley Plays Cupid	8.1	18
14	Kelly's Secret	8.1	13
15	Bentley Goes to Washington	7.7	24
16	Kelly, the Politician	7.9	17
17	Bentley: The Gentleman Farmer	7.4	18
18	Bentley and the Combo	8.2	26
19	Bentley and the Bartered Bride	8.3	23
20	The Blonde Issue	8.1	23
21	Bentley and the Majorette	7.9	26
22	Bentley, the Model Citizen	8.2	20
23	The Fishing Trip	7.3	20
24	The Fortune Cookie Caper	7.4	19
25	Kelly and the College Man	8.2	21
26	Kelly: The Career Woman	8.0	20
27	Bentley's New House	6.3	18
28	Bentley, the Stage Mother	7.4	19
29	The Woman's Angle	7.1	12
30	Bentley Meets the Perfect Woman	7.7	21
31	Bentley and the Travel Agent	7.3	21
32	The Very Friendly Witness	6.8	19
33	Bentley and the Blood Bank	7.3	17
34	A Man of Importance	8.1	20
35	Bentley and the Beach Bum	6.6	20
36	Where There's a Will	7.3	23
37	Bentley's Birthday Gift	7.2	13

Season 4 (1960)

7.71 avg 33 episodes 7.3 → 8.0 30 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Jasper the Second	7.3	20
2	Kelly Learns to Drive	7.0	16
3	Trial Separation	7.2	17
4	Mystery Witness	7.8	21
5	A Crush on Bentley	8.6	24
6	Peter Gets Jury Notice	8.1	17
7	Hilda the Jewel	8.5	19
8	It Happens in November	7.7	16
9	How to Catch a Man	8.2	14
10	Kelly, the Matchmaker	7.6	15
11	Bentley Cracks the Whip	7.9	14
12	Bentley and the Big Board	8.2	24
13	Dear Bentley	7.2	16
14	Bentley and the Lost Chord	7.8	10
17	Bentley and the Woodpecker	7.8	18
18	Bentley Goes to Europe	6.9	12
19	The Greggs in Rome	8.2	16
20	The Greggs in London	8.3	16
23	There's No Place Like Home	7.9	15
25	A Man Among Men	7.2	11
26	Peter's China Doll	7.8	25
29	Bentley and the Great Debate	7.7	18
30	Bentley and the Nature Girl	7.4	17
31	Bentley's Mad Friends	7.2	13
32	Hilda Rides Again	7.8	19
33	Kelly's Charge Account	7.5	20
34	Bentley Builds a Pool	8.2	18
35	Bentley Slays a Dragon	8.1	14
36	A Favor for Bentley	6.6	16
37	Kelly Gets a Job	7.4	14
38	Kelly's Tangled Web	6.9	18
39	Bentley's Barbecue	8.3	14
40	Drop That Calorie	8.0	18

Season 5 (1961)

7.50 avg 22 episodes 7.3 → 8.4 30 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Kelly's Graduation	7.3	22
4	Kelly and the Freethinker	7.4	15
6	Never Steal an Owl	8.0	15
7	Bentley's Catered Affair	7.4	18
8	The House at Smuggler's Cove	8.3	26
11	Bentley and the Timeclock	7.6	17
14	The Law and Kelly Gregg	6.7	16
16	Kelly the Yes Man	7.4	13
17	Gold in Them Hills	6.0	14
18	How Howard Won His "C"	8.1	16
19	Pinch That Penny	8.0	16
20	Blossom Comes to Visit	8.0	8
22	Summer Romance	5.2	10
28	The Richest Cat	8.4	11
31	Kelly's Engagement	7.9	18
32	Kelly the Home Executive	7.3	14
33	Blossom Time at the Greggs	7.2	9
34	What Men Don't Know	7.5	12
36	Bentley Takes It Easy	7.6	16
37	Boys Will Be	7.4	14
39	Peter, the Medicine Man	7.9	20
40	Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight	8.4	24