Empty Nest (1988)

Comedy · Drama · Family

Widowed pediatrician Harry Weston is a miracle worker when it comes to dealing with his young patients, but he's more challenged by the other people surrounding him: daughters Barbara and Carol; his wisecracking office assistant, nurse LaVerne Todd; and obnoxious neighborhood mooch Charley Dietz. Thank goodness he always finds a friendly shoulder (and a warm, wet tongue) in Dreyfuss, his enormous dog.

IMDb rating: 6.6 (4,420 votes)
Episode average: 8.0 ↑ +1.4 vs IMDb
Seasons: 7
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 7 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1988)

8.23 avg 22 episodes 7.7 → 9.2 30 min avg

Big finale

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Pilot	7.7	114
2	The Check Isn't in the Mail	8.0	85
3	Barbara Gets Shot	8.7	85
4	Fatal Attraction	7.8	86
5	Father of the Bride	8.2	78
6	Harry's Vacation	8.3	76
7	Tinker to Evers to Tucson	8.2	75
8	What's a Father to Do?	8.2	74
9	Harry's Friend	7.8	74
10	Libby's Gift	8.3	73
11	The First Time - Again	8.2	69
12	Full Nest	7.9	75
13	Here's a Howdy-Do	8.0	70
14	Strange Bedfellows	8.3	72
15	Tears of a Clown	8.0	73
16	Blame It on the Moon	8.5	70
17	Dumped	8.6	78
18	The More Things Change...	8.2	73
19	Man of the Year	8.1	67
20	Cyrano de Weston	8.7	69
21	My Sister, My Friend	8.1	69
22	A Life in the Day	9.2	101

Season 2 (1989)

8.25 avg 24 episodes 8.2 → 7.9 30 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Settling	8.2	71
2	Harry Snubs Laverne	8.1	69
3	On the Interpretation of Dreams	8.7	66
4	Between a Cop and a Hard Place	8.1	68
5	Just You and My Kid	7.9	68
6	Rambo of Neiman Marcus	8.3	66
7	You Are 16 Going on 17 and I'm Not	8.7	72
8	The R.N. Who Came to Dinner	8.2	69
9	Green Eggs and Harry	8.5	65
10	Overdue for a Job	8.1	63
11	A Christmas Story	8.2	71
12	Change of Heart	8.1	65
13	Harry's Choice	8.1	67
14	Complainin' in the Rain	8.0	69
15	M.D., P.O.V.	8.2	73
16	Everything But Love	8.0	67
17	Timing	8.1	62
18	It Happened Two Nights, Four Costume Changes	8.9	66
19	Love Is Blind	8.4	63
20	Goodbye, Mr. Dietz	8.1	62
21	Lessons	8.4	65
22	Take My Mom, Please	8.1	65
23	Did You Ever See a Dream Dying?	8.6	62
24	Still Growing After All These Years	7.9	66

Season 3 (1990)

8.10 avg 24 episodes 8.1 → 7.7 30 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Flaw Is Born	8.1	64
2	Harry's Excellent Adventure	8.1	65
3	There's No Accounting	8.2	64
4	Barbara the Mom	8.5	62
5	The Tortoise & the Harry	7.9	66
6	Mad About the Boy	7.3	66
7	Honey, I Shrunk Laverne	7.6	66
8	The Boy Next Door	8.3	65
9	A Family Affair	8.5	62
10	Someone to Watch Over Me	8.4	66
11	Harry Knows Best	8.2	66
12	Whenever I Feel Afraid	8.1	62
13	A Shot in the Dark	7.8	67
14	Sucking Up Is Hard to Do	8.2	62
15	The Man That Got Away	7.9	62
16	The Mentor	8.3	62
17	The Dog Who Knew Too Much	8.2	60
18	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?	8.9	73
19	All About Harry	8.2	62
20	Drive, He Said	8.1	60
21	The Last Temptation of Laverne	7.8	63
22	What's Eating You?	7.9	61
23	The Cruise	8.1	66
24	The Way We Are	7.7	65

Season 4 (1991)

8.06 avg 24 episodes 8.2 → 7.7 29 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	50 Million Men and a Baby	8.2	62
2	Almost Like Being in Love	7.5	64
3	Her Cheatin' Heart	7.9	65
4	Food for Thought	7.9	64
5	Harry's Got a Gun	8.1	66
6	The Dreyfus Affair	8.3	65
7	Country Weston	8.2	64
8	Windy	8.2	62
9	Talk, Talk, Talk	8.0	65
10	Lonely Are the Brave	8.2	63
11	If You Knew Andy Like I Know...	8.0	60
12	My Nurse Is Back and There's Gonna Be Trouble...	8.3	61
13	The Son of a Preacherman	7.9	60
14	Ex-Appeal	9.0	59
15	The Great Escape	9.0	58
16	The Mismatchmaker	7.4	58
17	The Return of Aunt Susan	8.2	58
18	The Unimportance of Being Charley	8.2	57
19	Sayonara	7.6	60
20	Dr. Weston and Mr. Hyde	8.3	61
21	Charley for President	8.0	61
22	Good Neighbor Harry	7.3	60
23	Final Analysis	8.0	59
24	Roots	7.7	63

Season 5 (1992)

7.88 avg 26 episodes 8.3 → 7.7 27 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Why Do Fools Fall in Love?	8.3	61
2	Take My Garage, Please	7.7	60
3	R.N. on the Rebound	7.8	61
4	...Or Forever Hold Your Peace	7.6	61
5	The Boomerang Affair	7.8	68
6	Cruel and Unusual Punishment	7.5	61
7	It's Not Easy Being Green	8.2	65
8	Dirty Harry	7.8	59
9	Timing Is Everything	7.5	59
10	Thanksgiving at the Westons	8.3	59
11	The Body Beautiful	8.1	58
12	Overboard	7.6	60
13	Emily	8.3	57
14	The Sting	8.2	56
15	The Fracas in Vegas	8.3	61
16	Pardon My Flashback	7.4	57
17	Dog Day Afternoon	8.0	62
18	More to Love	7.8	62
19	My Dad, My Doctor	8.1	62
20	Love and Marriage	7.6	64
21	The All-American Boy - Not!	7.9	60
22	Two for the Road	7.7	63
23	Aunt Verne Knows Best	7.9	61
24	My Mother, My Self	7.6	59
25	Charley to the Rescue	8.1	60
26	Surprise! Surprise!	7.7	59

Season 6 (1993)

7.54 avg 26 episodes 7.7 → 7.9 30 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	When the Rooster Dies	7.7	66
2	Bye-Bye, Baby... Hello: Part 1	7.6	65
3	Bye-Bye, Baby... Hello: Part 2	7.6	66
4	Mama Todd, the Sequel	7.6	62
5	Mom's the Word	7.6	60
6	Diary of a Mad Housewife	7.5	62
7	Mother Dearest	7.4	65
8	No Volunteers, Please	7.8	63
9	Das Boob	7.5	62
10	The Girl Who Cried Baby	7.3	63
11	Superbaby	7.3	65
12	Read All About It	7.2	63
13	Love a la Mode	7.8	62
14	What's a Mother to Do?	7.7	62
15	Gesundheit	7.3	65
16	Under the Gun	7.0	70
17	Brotherly Shove	7.8	63
18	The Ballad of Shady Pines	7.8	62
19	Hog Heaven	7.4	60
20	Charley's Millions	7.7	66
21	Half That Jazz	7.8	65
22	The Devil and Dr. Weston	7.4	61
23	A Foreign Affair	7.1	60
24	Lordy, Lordy, Landlordy	7.6	61
25	Best Friends	7.7	59
26	Absence Makes the Nurse Grow Weirder	7.9	60

Season 7 (1994)

7.88 avg 24 episodes 8.0 → 7.2 27 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Let's Give Them Something to Talk About	8.0	61
2	Mrs. Clinton Comes to Town	7.0	69
3	Just for Laughs	8.3	62
4	A Chip Off the Old Charley	8.0	62
5	The Woman Who Came to Dither	8.2	61
6	Carol Gets a Raise	7.6	62
7	The Courtship of Carol's Father	8.0	61
8	The Tinker Grant	8.1	59
9	Would You Believe...	7.7	58
10	Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Pain	7.4	62
11	Single White Male	8.0	65
12	Dear Aunt Martha	8.1	63
13	Goodbye Charley	7.7	61
14	Family Practice	7.7	62
15	Grandma, What Big Eyes You Have	7.9	58
16	Feelings, Whoa Whoa Whoa, Feelings...	8.0	58
17	And Kevin Makes Three	7.9	60
18	Harry Weston: Man's Best Friend	8.2	60
19	The Ex-Files	8.0	57
20	Stand by Your Man	7.8	60
21	Life Goes On: Part 1	8.1	63
22	Life Goes On: Part 2	8.2	69
23	My Pal Valy-Val	7.9	62
24	Remembrance of Clips Past	7.2	60