The Big Valley (1965)

Name: The Big Valley
Genre: Western
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Long, Peter Breck, Lee Majors, Linda Evans

Western

The Big Valley is an American western television series which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969. The show stars Barbara Stanwyck, as the widow of a wealthy nineteenth century California rancher. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman, and produced by Levy-Gardner-Laven for Four Star Television.

IMDb rating: 7.6 (4,116 votes)
Episode average: 7.7 ↑ +0.1 vs IMDb
Seasons: 4
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 · 4 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1965)

7.85 avg 30 episodes 8.3 → 8.4 60 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Palms of Glory	8.3	288
2	Forty Rifles	7.8	177
3	Boots with My Father's Name	8.3	215
4	The Young Marauders	7.7	171
5	The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner	7.4	167
6	Heritage	7.6	151
7	Winner Lose All	7.5	164
8	My Son, My Son	8.2	191
9	Earthquake	7.7	181
10	The Murdered Party	8.2	152
11	The Way to Kill a Killer	7.1	143
12	Night of the Wolf	8.3	175
13	The Guilt of Matt Bentell	7.7	146
14	The Brawlers	8.3	157
15	Judgement in Heaven	7.8	186
16	The Invaders	7.8	154
17	By Fires Unseen	7.3	139
18	A Time to Kill	8.0	149
19	Teacher of Outlaws	7.8	126
20	Under a Dark Star	8.1	154
21	Barbary Red	7.9	165
22	The Death Merchant	8.1	158
23	The Fallen Hawk	7.6	127
24	Hazard	7.7	127
25	Into the Widow's Web	7.9	121
26	By Force and Violence	7.9	143
27	The River Monarch	7.8	132
28	The Midas Man	7.8	126
29	Tunnel of Gold	7.6	126
30	Last Train to the Fair	8.4	148

Season 2 (1966)

7.67 avg 30 episodes 7.4 → 7.5 60 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Lost Treasure	7.4	137
2	Legend of a General: Part 1	7.3	116
3	Legend of a General: Part II	7.2	113
4	Caesar's Wife	7.8	128
5	Pursuit	7.4	116
6	The Martyr	7.6	115
7	Target	7.4	127
8	The Velvet Trap	7.7	131
9	The Man from Nowhere	7.7	135
10	The Great Safe Robbery	8.0	149
11	The Iron Box	8.3	145
12	Last Stage to Salt Flats	7.8	133
13	A Day of Terror	7.8	132
14	Hide the Children	8.2	142
15	Day of the Comet	7.6	123
16	Wagonload of Dreams	7.4	108
17	Image of Yesterday	7.4	114
18	Boy Into Man	7.7	127
19	Down Shadow Street	8.0	120
20	The Stallion	7.7	122
21	The Haunted Gun	7.2	99
22	The Price of Victory	7.3	97
23	Brother Love	7.5	112
24	Court Martial	8.2	150
25	Plunder!	8.3	131
26	Turn of a Card	7.4	110
27	Showdown in Limbo	7.7	111
28	The Lady from Mesa	7.6	115
29	Days of Grace	8.1	118
30	Cage of Eagles	7.5	106

Season 3 (1967)

7.83 avg 26 episodes 7.2 → 7.7 60 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Joaquin	7.2	110
2	Ambush	7.9	112
3	A Flock of Trouble	7.7	123
4	Time After Midnight	8.2	113
5	Night in a Small Town	8.4	150
6	Ladykiller	7.9	124
7	Guilty	7.4	92
8	The Disappearance	7.8	137
9	A Noose Is Waiting	8.0	134
10	Explosion!: Part 1	7.8	111
11	Explosion!: Part 2	8.0	109
12	Four Days to Furnace Hill	7.8	118
13	Night of the Executioner	8.4	120
14	Journey Into Violence	7.7	107
15	The Buffalo Man	7.9	110
16	The Good Thieves	7.7	128
17	Days of Wrath	8.2	130
18	Miranda	7.2	109
19	Shadow of a Giant	8.2	118
20	Fall of a Hero	8.2	104
21	The Emperor of Rice	7.3	121
22	Rimfire	8.2	123
23	Bounty on a Barkley	7.7	112
24	Devil's Masquerade	7.6	116
25	Run of the Savage	7.4	100
26	The Challenge	7.7	107

Season 4 (1968)

7.58 avg 26 episodes 7.7 → 8.0 60 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	In Silent Battle	7.7	135
2	They Called Her Delilah	7.6	129
3	Presumed Dead	7.5	114
4	Run of the Cat	7.6	114
5	Deathtown	8.0	129
6	The Jonah	7.4	138
7	Hell Hath No Fury	7.9	135
8	The Long Ride	7.8	124
9	The Profit and the Lost	8.3	125
10	A Stranger Everywhere	8.3	124
11	The Prize	8.3	129
12	Hunter's Moon	7.6	99
13	Top of the Stairs	8.1	105
14	Joshua Watson	7.6	125
15	The Secret	7.8	117
16	The 25 Graves of Midas	7.2	103
17	Lightfoot	7.1	88
18	Alias Nellie Handley	7.6	117
19	The Royal Road	7.2	119
20	A Passage of Saints	6.8	98
21	The Battle of Mineral Springs	7.7	113
22	The Other Face of Justice	7.8	111
23	Town of No Exit	6.6	129
24	Danger Road	6.9	95
25	Flight from San Miguel	6.7	90
26	Point and Counterpoint	8.0	106