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The Rifleman (1958)

Family · Western

The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was filmed in black-and-white, half-hour episodes. "The Rifleman" aired on ABC from September 30, 1958 to April 8, 1963 as a production of Four Star Television. It was one of the first prime time series to have a widowed parent raise a child.

IMDb rating
8.3 (5,948 votes)
Episode average
8.0 -0.3 vs IMDb
Seasons
5
Streaming (US)
Amazon Prime Video · Peacock
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.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 5 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1958)

8.15 avg 40 episodes 8.6 → 7.8 30 min avg

Ep 1: 8.6 · 546 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 369 votesEp 3: 8.3 · 355 votesEp 4: 8.5 · 361 votesEp 5: 7.8 · 252 votesEp 6: 8.0 · 259 votesEp 7: 8.3 · 263 votesEp 8: 8.4 · 255 votesEp 9: 8.4 · 269 votesEp 10: 8.0 · 232 votesEp 11: 7.9 · 227 votesEp 12: 8.4 · 243 votesEp 13: 8.2 · 223 votesEp 14: 8.1 · 231 votesEp 15: 8.2 · 195 votesEp 16: 8.7 · 321 votesEp 17: 8.1 · 214 votesEp 18: 8.2 · 215 votesEp 19: 7.7 · 226 votesEp 20: 7.8 · 200 votesEp 21: 8.4 · 229 votesEp 22: 8.0 · 224 votesEp 23: 8.3 · 205 votesEp 24: 8.1 · 188 votesEp 25: 8.2 · 184 votesEp 26: 8.5 · 204 votesEp 27: 8.2 · 171 votesEp 28: 7.9 · 214 votesEp 29: 8.3 · 188 votesEp 30: 8.2 · 197 votesEp 31: 8.3 · 208 votesEp 32: 8.0 · 185 votesEp 33: 8.4 · 210 votesEp 34: 8.0 · 181 votesEp 35: 8.1 · 174 votesEp 36: 7.8 · 170 votesEp 37: 8.1 · 197 votesEp 38: 7.7 · 191 votesEp 39: 8.1 · 196 votesEp 40: 7.8 · 203 votes
Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Sharpshooter8.6546
2Home Ranch8.1369
3End of a Young Gun8.3355
4The Marshal8.5361
5The Brother-in-Law7.8252
6Eight Hours to Die8.0259
7Duel of Honor8.3263
8The Safe Guard8.4255
9The Sister8.4269
10New Orleans Menace8.0232
11The Apprentice Sheriff7.9227
12The Angry Gun8.4243
13The Young Englishman8.2223
14The Gaucho8.1231
15The Pet8.2195
16The Sheridan Story8.7321
17The Retired Gun8.1214
18The Photographer8.2215
19Shivaree7.7226
20The Deadeye Kid7.8200
21The Indian8.4229
22The Boarding House8.0224
23The Second Witness8.3205
24The Trade8.1188
25One Went to Denver8.2184
26The Deadly Wait8.5204
27The Wrong Man8.2171
28The Challenge7.9214
29The Hawk8.3188
30Three Legged Terror8.2197
31The Angry Man8.3208
32The Woman8.0185
33The Money Gun8.4210
34A Matter of Faith8.0181
35Blood Brother8.1174
36Stranger at Night7.8170
37The Raid8.1197
38Outlaw's Inheritance7.7191
39Boomerang8.1196
40The Mind Reader7.8203

Season 2 (1959)

8.03 avg 36 episodes 8.0 → 8.1 30 min avg

Ep 1: 8.0 · 187 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 204 votesEp 3: 8.3 · 184 votesEp 4: 8.3 · 187 votesEp 5: 8.0 · 194 votesEp 6: 7.7 · 177 votesEp 7: 8.2 · 191 votesEp 8: 8.1 · 185 votesEp 9: 8.1 · 167 votesEp 10: 8.2 · 173 votesEp 11: 7.7 · 171 votesEp 12: 7.3 · 211 votesEp 13: 8.2 · 186 votesEp 14: 8.1 · 159 votesEp 15: 7.4 · 201 votesEp 16: 7.7 · 221 votesEp 17: 8.3 · 207 votesEp 18: 8.4 · 206 votesEp 19: 7.9 · 171 votesEp 20: 7.7 · 155 votesEp 21: 8.1 · 172 votesEp 22: 8.4 · 206 votesEp 23: 8.1 · 178 votesEp 24: 7.6 · 163 votesEp 25: 8.4 · 180 votesEp 26: 8.4 · 239 votesEp 27: 7.9 · 167 votesEp 28: 7.8 · 157 votesEp 29: 8.0 · 182 votesEp 30: 7.9 · 157 votesEp 31: 8.3 · 174 votesEp 32: 8.3 · 142 votesEp 33: 7.9 · 146 votesEp 34: 8.1 · 166 votesEp 35: 7.9 · 173 votesEp 36: 8.1 · 164 votes
Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Patsy8.0187
2Bloodlines8.1204
3The Blowout8.3184
4Obituary8.3187
5Tension8.0194
6Eddie's Daughter7.7177
7Panic8.2191
8Ordeal8.1185
9The Spiked Rifle8.1167
10Letter of the Law8.2173
11The Legacy7.7171
12The Baby Sitter7.3211
13The Coward8.2186
14Surveyors8.1159
15Day of the Hunter7.4201
16Mail Order Groom7.7221
17A Case of Identity8.3207
18The Visitor8.4206
19Hero7.9171
20The Horse Traders7.7155
21The Spoiler8.1172
22Heller8.4206
23The Grasshopper8.1178
24A Time for Singing7.6163
25The Deserter8.4180
26The Vision8.4239
27The Lariat7.9167
28Smoke Screen7.8157
29Shotgun Man8.0182
30Sins of the Father7.9157
31The Prodigal8.3174
32The Fourflusher8.3142
33The Jailbird7.9146
34Meeting at Midnight8.1166
35Nora7.9173
36The Hangman8.1164

Season 3 (1960)

8.06 avg 34 episodes 8.2 → 8.2 30 min avg

Ep 1: 8.2 · 174 votesEp 2: 8.5 · 189 votesEp 3: 8.0 · 156 votesEp 4: 7.8 · 170 votesEp 5: 7.8 · 178 votesEp 6: 8.2 · 189 votesEp 7: 7.6 · 157 votesEp 8: 8.0 · 188 votesEp 9: 8.4 · 173 votesEp 10: 7.8 · 174 votesEp 11: 8.0 · 173 votesEp 12: 7.5 · 154 votesEp 13: 8.1 · 177 votesEp 14: 8.0 · 202 votesEp 15: 7.8 · 162 votesEp 16: 8.2 · 183 votesEp 17: 8.0 · 167 votesEp 18: 7.7 · 184 votesEp 19: 8.5 · 207 votesEp 20: 8.4 · 182 votesEp 21: 8.5 · 180 votesEp 22: 8.4 · 185 votesEp 23: 7.7 · 160 votesEp 24: 8.0 · 157 votesEp 25: 7.9 · 154 votesEp 26: 7.3 · 162 votesEp 27: 8.1 · 140 votesEp 28: 8.3 · 174 votesEp 29: 7.9 · 150 votesEp 30: 8.1 · 155 votesEp 31: 8.5 · 226 votesEp 32: 7.8 · 186 votesEp 33: 8.7 · 195 votesEp 34: 8.2 · 173 votes
Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Trail of Hate8.2174
2Woman from Hog Ridge8.5189
3Seven8.0156
4The Pitchman7.8170
5Strange Town7.8178
6Baranca8.2189
7The Martinet7.6157
8Miss Milly8.0188
9Dead Cold Cash8.4173
10The Schoolmaster7.8174
11The Promoter8.0173
12The Illustrator7.5154
13The Silent Knife8.1177
14Miss Bertie8.0202
15Six Years and a Day7.8162
16Flowers by the Door8.2183
17Long Trek8.0167
18The Actress7.7184
19Face of Yesterday8.5207
20The Wyoming Story: Part 18.4182
21The Wyoming Story: Part 28.5180
22Closer Than a Brother8.4185
23The Lost Treasure of Canyon Town7.7160
24Dark Day at North Fork8.0157
25The Prisoner7.9154
26Assault7.3162
27Short Rope for a Tall Man8.1140
28The Clarence Bibs Story8.3174
29The Score Is Even7.9150
30The Mescalero Curse8.1155
31Stopover8.5226
32The Lonesome Bride7.8186
33Death Trap8.7195
34The Queue8.2173

Season 4 (1961)

7.99 avg 32 episodes 8.3 → 7.5 30 min avg

Ep 1: 8.3 · 188 votesEp 2: 8.3 · 157 votesEp 3: 8.3 · 168 votesEp 4: 7.9 · 152 votesEp 5: 8.2 · 147 votesEp 6: 8.2 · 167 votesEp 7: 7.6 · 166 votesEp 8: 7.9 · 175 votesEp 9: 8.1 · 139 votesEp 10: 7.7 · 184 votesEp 11: 8.1 · 172 votesEp 12: 8.1 · 169 votesEp 13: 7.8 · 141 votesEp 14: 8.0 · 162 votesEp 15: 7.7 · 172 votesEp 16: 8.4 · 163 votesEp 17: 8.4 · 168 votesEp 18: 7.5 · 145 votesEp 19: 8.3 · 188 votesEp 20: 8.3 · 155 votesEp 21: 8.8 · 248 votesEp 22: 7.7 · 170 votesEp 23: 8.0 · 145 votesEp 24: 7.8 · 166 votesEp 25: 7.7 · 163 votesEp 26: 7.6 · 144 votesEp 27: 8.0 · 181 votesEp 28: 8.2 · 140 votesEp 29: 8.0 · 161 votesEp 30: 7.5 · 137 votesEp 31: 7.8 · 145 votesEp 32: 7.5 · 150 votes
Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Vaqueros8.3188
2First Wages8.3157
3Sheer Terror8.3168
4The Stand-In7.9152
5The Journey Back8.2147
6The Decision8.2167
7Knight Errant7.6166
8Honest Abe7.9175
9The Long Goodbye8.1139
10The Shattered Idol7.7184
11Long Gun from Tucson8.1172
12The High Country8.1169
13A Friend in Need7.8141
14Skull8.0162
15The Princess7.7172
16Gunfire8.4163
17The Quiet Fear8.4168
18Sporting Chance7.5145
19A Young Man's Fancy8.3188
20The Man from Salinas8.3155
21Two Ounces of Tin8.8248
22Deadly Image7.7170
23The Debt8.0145
24Tinhorn7.8166
25None So Blind7.7163
26Jealous Man7.6144
27Guilty Conscience8.0181
28Day of Reckoning8.2140
29The Day a Town Slept8.0161
30Milly's Brother7.5137
31Outlaw's Shoes7.8145
32The Executioner7.5150

Season 5 (1962)

7.90 avg 26 episodes 8.0 → 8.0 30 min avg

Ep 1: 8.0 · 193 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 175 votesEp 3: 8.1 · 171 votesEp 4: 8.1 · 159 votesEp 5: 8.7 · 214 votesEp 6: 7.5 · 157 votesEp 7: 8.2 · 165 votesEp 8: 8.3 · 159 votesEp 9: 8.4 · 209 votesEp 10: 8.1 · 144 votesEp 11: 7.9 · 168 votesEp 12: 7.7 · 154 votesEp 13: 7.3 · 146 votesEp 14: 8.1 · 146 votesEp 15: 7.6 · 144 votesEp 16: 8.2 · 218 votesEp 17: 7.5 · 172 votesEp 18: 7.5 · 137 votesEp 19: 7.9 · 145 votesEp 20: 7.9 · 139 votesEp 21: 8.3 · 169 votesEp 22: 7.9 · 151 votesEp 23: 7.6 · 155 votesEp 24: 8.4 · 176 votesEp 25: 6.2 · 201 votesEp 26: 8.0 · 220 votes
Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Waste: Part 18.0193
2Waste: Part 28.1175
3Lou Mallory8.1171
4Quiet Night, Deadly Night8.1159
5Death Never Rides Alone8.7214
6I Take This Woman7.5157
7The Assailants8.2165
8Mark's Rifle8.3159
9The Most Amazing Man8.4209
10Squeeze Play8.1144
11Gun Shy7.9168
12The Anvil Chorus7.7154
13Conflict7.3146
14Incident at Line Shack Six8.1146
15Suspicion7.6144
16The Sidewinder8.2218
17The Sixteenth Cousin7.5172
18Hostages to Fortune7.5137
19And the Devil Makes Five7.9145
20End of the Hunt7.9139
21The Bullet8.3169
22Requiem at Mission Springs7.9151
23The Guest7.6155
24Old Man Running8.4176
25Which Way'd They Go?6.2201
26Old Tony8.0220

Episode ratings and vote counts from IMDb. Poster, overview, and streaming data from TMDB. Data refreshed 2026-10-03.

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