Who's the Boss? (1984)

Comedy · Romance

A former professional baseball player, along with his preteen daughter, moves into New York advertising executive Angela Bower's house to be both a housekeeper and a father figure to her young son. Tony 's laid-back personality contrasts with Angela's type-A behavior.

IMDb rating: 6.6 (17,519 votes)
Episode average: 7.4 ↑ +0.8 vs IMDb
Seasons: 8
Streaming (US): Hulu · Amazon Prime Video
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 · 8 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1984)

7.44 avg 22 episodes 7.5 → 8.1 30 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Pilot	7.5	272
2	Briefless Encounter	7.8	219
3	Angela's First Fight	7.5	193
4	Mona Gets Pinned	7.2	196
5	A Rash Decision	7.3	173
6	Dinner for Two	7.5	166
7	Sorority Sister	7.4	159
8	Truth in Dating	7.1	159
9	Sports Buddies	7.3	151
10	Requiem	7.9	174
11	Samantha's Growing Up	7.8	163
12	Paint Your Wagon	7.5	166
13	Protecting the President	7.1	148
14	Guess Who's Coming Forever?	7.4	149
15	Angela's Ex: Part 1	7.3	143
16	Angela's Ex: Part 2	7.4	143
17	Eye on Angela	7.8	162
18	Double Date	7.3	147
19	Tony's Father-in-Law	6.9	144
20	Just Like Tony	7.2	138
21	Keeping Up with Marci	7.4	138
22	First Kiss	8.1	160

Season 2 (1985)

7.50 avg 26 episodes 7.9 → 5.3 27 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	It Happened One Summer: Part 1	7.9	151
2	It Happened One Summer: Part 2	8.0	151
3	Ad Man Micelli	7.5	131
4	The Heiress	7.8	126
5	Tony the Matchmaker	7.3	125
6	Custody: Part 1	7.9	130
7	Custody: Part 2	7.9	125
8	Hunk of the Month	7.8	130
9	Thanksgiving at Mrs. Rossini's	7.8	129
10	The Prodigal Father-in-Law	7.5	118
11	The Graduate	7.2	112
12	Tony the Nanny	7.4	123
13	Junior Executive	7.4	126
14	Educating Tony	7.6	120
15	Gotta Dance	7.0	113
16	The Babysitter	8.0	125
17	Jonathan Plays Cupid	8.2	127
18	When Worlds Collide	7.6	122
19	Losers and Other Strangers	7.3	117
20	Tony for President	7.3	118
21	Not with My Client You Don't	7.5	113
22	Angela's New Best Friend	7.4	125
23	There's No Business Like Shoe Business	6.2	119
24	The Unnatural	7.7	125
25	The Anniversary Show	8.4	133
26	Charmed Lives	5.3	140

Season 3 (1986)

7.42 avg 24 episodes 7.5 → 7.3 24 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Angela Gets Fired: Part 1	7.5	138
2	Angela Gets Fired: Part 2	7.8	122
3	Daddy's Little Montague Girl	7.7	114
4	Mona's Limo	7.2	111
5	The Hickey	7.5	115
6	Wedding Bells?	7.5	111
7	Jonathan the Gymnast	7.0	109
8	Semi-Private Lives	7.6	107
9	Forgive Me, Tony	7.1	109
10	Spud Micelli	7.3	104
11	The Christmas Card	7.6	112
12	The Way We Was	7.7	111
13	Jonathan Kills Tony	7.6	108
14	Marie's Secret	7.4	110
15	Tony, the Patchmaker	7.1	105
16	Hit the Road, Chad	8.2	127
17	Raging Housekeeper	7.2	104
18	The Proposal	7.4	110
19	Diet in Cell Block 11	7.0	113
20	Older Than Springtime	7.9	122
21	Walk on the Mild Side	7.4	110
22	Reconcilable Differences	7.3	106
23	Mona	6.8	124
24	A Moving Episode	7.3	111

Season 4 (1987)

7.46 avg 24 episodes 8.0 → 7.2 24 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Frankie and Tony Are Lovers	8.0	127
2	Big Girl on Campus	7.3	109
3	There Goes the Bride	7.4	110
4	A Trip to the Principal	7.4	109
5	New Kid in Town	7.3	113
6	Two on a Billboard	7.5	108
7	A Farewell to Nick	8.0	133
8	Hell on Wheels	7.3	108
9	A Fishy Tale	7.0	109
10	Car and Driver	7.4	104
11	Just Mona and Me	7.6	106
12	Yellow Submarine	7.3	106
13	Another Single Parent	7.2	108
14	All in the Famiglia	7.5	104
15	Steady as She Goes	7.2	100
16	Tony and the Dreamtones	7.2	112
17	The Matriculator	7.4	100
18	Three Teens and a Tony	7.5	109
19	Housekeepers Unite	7.4	108
20	Model Daughter	7.7	99
21	Marry Me, Mona	7.6	103
22	Prom Night II	7.5	115
23	Sleep Talk, Sweet Talk	8.2	118
24	The Two Tonys	7.2	104

Season 5 (1988)

7.33 avg 25 episodes 7.4 → 7.6 24 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Sam's Car	7.4	113
2	My Fair Tony	7.4	102
3	Nineteen Again	7.2	105
4	Yankee-Doodle Micelli	7.8	107
5	A Jack Story	7.3	101
6	Double Dump	7.4	104
7	Life with Father	6.8	94
8	A Spirited Christmas	6.9	105
9	Teacher's Pet	7.0	106
10	Mrs. Rossini's Uncle	6.8	98
11	Your Grandmother's a Bimbo	7.0	107
12	Ton-An Enterprises	7.1	93
13	Cardinal Sin	8.0	115
14	Winter Break	7.4	102
15	First Date	7.8	105
16	Party Double	8.0	119
17	Boozin' Buddies	7.4	102
18	Heather Can Wait	7.6	102
19	Living Dolls	6.7	121
20	Men Are People, Too	6.9	96
21	Working Girls	7.6	99
22	Tony Does Golf	7.3	98
23	Ode to Angela	7.5	103
24	In Sam We Trust	7.3	93
25	It's Somebody's Birthday	7.6	88

Season 6 (1989)

7.24 avg 26 episodes 7.9 → 7.5 24 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	In Search of Tony	7.9	101
2	Life's a Ditch	7.0	108
3	In Your Dreams	7.5	98
4	Sam's Novel Romance	7.3	89
5	Tony and the Professor	6.9	89
6	Mother and Child Disunion	7.0	96
7	Sam Can Manage	7.0	95
8	Supermom Burnout	7.6	95
9	Sex, Lies and Exercise Tape	7.4	93
10	To Tony, with Love	7.3	94
11	The World Accordion to Jonathan	6.9	93
12	Gambling Jag	6.8	102
13	Sam Accelerates	7.4	96
14	Tony Kills	7.3	92
15	Dear Landlord	6.7	95
16	Mona and Walter and Sam and Eric	7.5	98
17	Micelli's Marauders	7.2	94
18	Her Father's Daughter	7.6	97
19	Take Me Back to the Ballgame	7.2	96
20	I Dream of Genealogy	7.0	96
21	Couple Trouble	7.2	96
22	Operation Mona	7.6	92
23	Road Scholar	7.1	86
24	Beautician Heal Thyself	7.0	90
25	Sit Down and Be Counted	7.3	88
26	The All-Nighter	7.5	103

Season 7 (1990)

7.24 avg 25 episodes 7.1 → 7.5 24 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Ridiculous Liaisons	7.1	104
2	Hey Dude	7.6	99
3	The Fabulous Robinson Sisters	7.2	102
4	Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?	7.5	95
5	One Flew Over the Empty Nest	7.2	97
6	The Kid	7.0	97
7	Parental Guidance Suggested	6.9	91
8	Roomies	7.5	114
9	Four Alarm Tony	6.9	100
10	Starlight Memories	7.6	100
11	Inherit the Wine	6.8	96
12	Who's Minding the Kid?	7.1	92
13	Broadcast Blues	7.0	91
14	Days of Blunder	7.2	95
15	You Can Go Home Again	7.2	102
16	Ms. Mom	7.2	90
17	The Unsinkable Tony Micelli	7.2	94
18	Tony and Angela Get Divorced	7.7	93
19	Let Her Tell You 'Bout the Birds and the Bees	7.3	87
20	Party Politics	6.9	87
21	Choose Me	7.1	91
22	Tony and the Princess	7.3	93
23	Between a Rock and a Hard Place	7.4	86
24	The Road to Washington: Part 1	7.5	89
25	The Road to Washington: Part 2	7.5	86

Season 8 (1991)

7.33 avg 24 episodes 8.3 → 8.1 24 min avg

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Seer of Love	8.3	116
2	An Affair to Forget	8.0	108
3	Misery	6.9	99
4	Selling Sam Short	6.8	97
5	Tony Bags a Big One	6.8	89
6	A Well-Kept Housekeeper	7.0	91
7	Death and Love: Part 1	7.5	91
8	Death and Love: Part 2	7.7	92
9	Grandmommie Dearest	7.3	88
10	Field of Screams	6.8	87
11	This Sold House	7.3	86
12	Tony, Can You Spare a Dime?	7.5	85
13	Mrs. Al	7.0	82
14	Who's the Boss?	6.8	83
15	Tony Micelli, This Is Your Life	7.6	91
16	Allergic to Love	7.7	87
17	Better Off Wed: Part 1	7.2	81
18	Better Off Wed: Part 2	6.8	92
19	Tony and the Honeymooners	7.3	77
20	Split Decision	7.4	85
21	Mr. Micelli Builds His Dream House	6.8	88
22	Savor the Veal: Part 1	7.8	97
23	Savor the Veal: Part 2	7.6	95
24	Savor the Veal: Part 3	8.1	126

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