# List of Dear John episodes

Dear John is an American sitcom that aired on NBC. It was based on the 1986–87 British sitcom of the same name that aired on the BBC. It ran for four seasons from 1988 to 1992 and aired a total of 85 episodes.

## Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Rank | Rating |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Rank | Rating |
| 1 | 22 | 22 | October 6, 1988 (1988-10-06) | May 11, 1989 (1989-05-11) | 11 | 18.5 |
| 2 | 24 | 24 | September 28, 1989 (1989-09-28) | May 16, 1990 (1990-05-16) | 17 | 17.2 |
| 3 | 22 | 22 | September 19, 1990 (1990-09-19) | May 1, 1991 (1991-05-01) | 50 | — |
| 4 | 22 | 22 | September 19, 1991 (1991-09-19) | July 22, 1992 (1992-07-22) | 77 | — |

## Episodes
### Season 1 (1988–89)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | James Burrows | Teleplay by : Bob Ellison & Peter Noah | October 6, 1988 (1988-10-06) | 28.1 |
| Recently divorced John Lacey joins a singles group. Based on the pilot for the original series by John Sullivan. |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Ralph's Curse" | James Burrows | John Sullivan | October 27, 1988 (1988-10-27) | 27.5 |
| Ralph believes he's fallen victim to a curse that's plagued his family for generations. |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Hello, Goodbye" | Beth Hillshafer | Dave Hackel | November 3, 1988 (1988-11-03) | 23.1 |
| A young man (Lonny Price) arrives at John's door claiming to be his son. |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Younger Girl" | James Gardner | John Sullivan | November 10, 1988 (1988-11-10) | 26.8 |
| A young woman (Jennifer Runyon) becomes interested in John. |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Matthew's Dilemma" | Art Wolff | John Sullivan | November 17, 1988 (1988-11-17) | 25.2 |
| John's son, Matthew (Ben Savage), seems hesitant to spend time with him. |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Dear Mike" | Stan Daniels | Bruce Helford | November 24, 1988 (1988-11-24) | 24.7 |
| John's friend, Mike (Sam McMurray), who stole Wendy and their house, is apparently rejected. |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Politics as Usual" | Stan Daniels | Gina Goldman | December 1, 1988 (1988-12-01) | 26.6 |
| A political candidate invites John to a private party. |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Arlene Sanford | Teleplay by : Gina Goldman | December 15, 1988 (1988-12-15) | 27.5 |
| John spends Christmas with his fellow members of One-Two-One when Matthew goes to Disney World for the holidays. Based on an episode written by John Sullivan for the original series. |||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Was It Good for Me?" | Stan Daniels | Teleplay by : Dave Hackel | January 5, 1989 (1989-01-05) | 30.1 |
| Kate offers to sleep with John. Based on an episode written by John Sullivan for the original series. |||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Honest John" | Tony Singletary | John Sullivan | January 12, 1989 (1989-01-12) | 30.9 |
| Wendy wants John to pretend they're still married so Matthew will be accepted into a Catholic school. |||||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Return of Ricky" | Michael Karm | John Sullivan | January 19, 1989 (1989-01-19) | 27.7 |
| The gang plans a '60s nostalgia benefit for Rick. Features a guest appearance by the British Invasion group Freddie and the Dreamers. |||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Dream Babe" | Matthew Diamond | Alan Kirschenbaum | January 26, 1989 (1989-01-26) | 27.4 |
| Kirk's girlfriend doesn't understand English. |||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Stand by Your Man" | Noam Pitlik | Dave Hackel | February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16) | 27.0 |
| A new member, (Cleavon Little), whose marriage failed because of his being gay, falls for John. |||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Love and Marriage" | Stan Daniels | Peter Noah | February 23, 1989 (1989-02-23) | 28.8 |
| Louise is surprised by the reaction of her unborn baby's father (Woody Harrelson) when she tells him. |||||||
| 15 | 15 | "For a Friend" | Stan Daniels | Teleplay by : Alan Kirschenbaum | March 2, 1989 (1989-03-02) | 28.2 |
| John's friend, Gary (Gerrit Graham), joins the group and lies about his wife being dead. Based on an episode written by John Sullivan for the original series. |||||||
| 16 | 16 | "The Second Time Around" | Art Wolff | Wayne Terwilliger | March 9, 1989 (1989-03-09) | 27.6 |
| John has a date with a woman he hadn't seen in 30 years (Gwen Verdon). |||||||
| 17 | 17 | "The Last Dance" | John Rich | Bob Stevens | March 16, 1989 (1989-03-16) | 27.0 |
| The group helps Ralph talk to a woman he's been too nervous to ask out. |||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Sisters" | John Rich | Dave Hackel | March 30, 1989 (1989-03-30) | 28.4 |
| Kate dates Kirk to prove her sister (Wendy Schaal) always steals her boyfriends. |||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Gone Camping" | John Rich | Story by : John Sullivan & Alan Kirschenbaum & Bob Stevens Teleplay by : Alan Kirschenbaum & Bob Stevens | April 6, 1989 (1989-04-06) | 27.0 |
| John and Matthew go camping, only to be trapped in a cabin when a snowstorm hits. |||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Margo" | John Rich | Gina Goldman | April 27, 1989 (1989-04-27) | 25.3 |
| John is informed by the group that the woman he just met (Shannon Tweed) is a new member(Annie Golden)'s transvestite husband. |||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Friend and Lovers" | John Rich | John Sullivan | May 4, 1989 (1989-05-04) | 26.3 |
| A friend's troubled marriage jeopardizes John's plans for a romantic evening. |||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Bound for Gloria" | Matthew Diamond | Bob Stevens | May 11, 1989 (1989-05-11) | 23.4 |
| Kirk dates a young widow brought in by John. |||||||

### Season 2 (1989–90)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
| 23 | 1 | "A New Leash on Life" | Hal Cooper | Alan Kirschenbaum | September 28, 1989 (1989-09-28) | 29.5 |
| John finds a lost dog. |||||||
| 24 | 2 | "The Other Group" | Hal Cooper | Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens | October 12, 1989 (1989-10-12) | 26.8 |
| John finds a support group that looks on the bright side of divorce. |||||||
| 25 | 3 | "Ralph's Second Chance" | Hal Cooper | Mike Milligan and Jay Moriarty | October 19, 1989 (1989-10-19) | 29.6 |
| The woman who left Ralph at their wedding reception (Susan Kellermann) returns to give him another chance. |||||||
| 26 | 4 | "John's Blind Date" | Hal Cooper | Story by : Rod Parker and Bob Ellison Teleplay by : Alan Kirschenbaum | November 2, 1989 (1989-11-02) | 31.1 |
| John has a blind date with a flight attendant (Jan Hooks) who wants to spend the rest of her life with him. |||||||
| 27 | 5 | "The Secret of Success" | Hal Cooper | Rick Hawkins | November 9, 1989 (1989-11-09) | 29.1 |
| John is reluctant to use Ralph's book about positivity to get his poetry published. |||||||
| 28 | 6 | "The British Are Coming" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | November 16, 1989 (1989-11-16) | 29.1 |
| Louise gets more than she bargained for when she tries to present herself as married to her strict father (Clive Revill). |||||||
| 29 | 7 | "Something on the Side" "Mike's Other Girl" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | November 23, 1989 (1989-11-23) | 24.9 |
| John catches Wendy's new husband with another woman. |||||||
| 30 | 8 | "Fathers Know Best" | Hal Cooper | Maxine Lapiduss | November 30, 1989 (1989-11-30) | 30.8 |
| John doesn't like Kate going out with his father (Stephen Elliott). |||||||
| 31 | 9 | "The Dilemma with Emma" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | December 7, 1989 (1989-12-07) | 29.8 |
| John regrets a promise he made to his uncle that he would take care of his Aunt Emma (Elizabeth Franz), who constantly complains about her cardiac condition. |||||||
| 32 | 10 | "Kate, a Date and Fate" | Hal Cooper | Jay Moriarty and Mike Milligan | December 21, 1989 (1989-12-21) | 29.6 |
| John sets Kate up with an old fraternity friend (Jeffrey DeMunn). |||||||
| 33 | 11 | "Honolulu Baby" | Hal Cooper | Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens | January 4, 1990 (1990-01-04) | 29.9 |
| At her 60th high-school reunion, Mrs. Philbert sees her ex-best friend (Jeanette Nolan) who stole her fiance two days before her wedding. |||||||
| 34 | 12 | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | Hal Cooper | Story by : Sandy Helberg & Harriet B. Helberg Teleplay by : Rod Burton | January 11, 1990 (1990-01-11) | 27.8 |
| John dates a woman whose daughter thinks her mother's dates are grown-up dweebs. |||||||
| 35 | 13 | "Kirk's Problem" | Hal Cooper | Efrem Seeger | January 17, 1990 (1990-01-17) | 20.3 |
| An attractive newcomer gives Kirk a problem. Debut of Susan Walters as Mary Beth Sutton. |||||||
| 36 | 14 | "John's Friend" | Hal Cooper | Efrem Seeger | January 24, 1990 (1990-01-24) | 23.2 |
| On a free ski weekend with Kirk, John befriends a fellow Sherlock Holmes fan (Gordon Clapp). |||||||
| 37 | 15 | "Unwelcome to the Club" | Hal Cooper | Rick Hawkins | February 7, 1990 (1990-02-07) | 19.0 |
| An ex-con who has a problem with being rejected asks to join the group. |||||||
| 38 | 16 | "Some Nights to Remember" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | February 12, 1990 (1990-02-12) | 23.3 |
| The group remembers all the good times they've spent at a restaurant about to close, especially John, who visited the place not long after Wendy left him. |||||||
| 39 | 17 | "John's New Job: Part 1" | Hal Cooper | Larry Balmagia | February 14, 1990 (1990-02-14) | 17.9 |
| John looks for a job so he can make money to send Matthew to Europe for a soccer tournament. |||||||
| 40 | 18 | "John's New Job: Part 2" | Hal Cooper | Larry Balmagia | February 21, 1990 (1990-02-21) | 16.2 |
| John enjoys his job as a book editor, but isn't very happy to be his boss' boy toy. |||||||
| 41 | 19 | "Babyface" | Hal Cooper | Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens | February 28, 1990 (1990-02-28) | 20.2 |
| Louise leaves Nigel in the care of John, Kirk, and Ralph. |||||||
| 42 | 20 | "John's Night Out" | Hal Cooper | Mike Milligan and Jay Moriarty | March 7, 1990 (1990-03-07) | 18.2 |
| John takes a night off from the group. |||||||
| 43 | 21 | "True Confessions" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | March 14, 1990 (1990-03-14) | 17.0 |
| The group plans a surprise birthday for Kirk, only to be surprised themselves. |||||||
| 44 | 22 | "To John, with Love" | Hal Cooper | Story by : Ron Burla Teleplay by : Efrem Seeger | May 2, 1990 (1990-05-02) | 19.5 |
| Mary Beth loves John for helping her write an article. |||||||
| 45 | 23 | "Aunt Red" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | May 9, 1990 (1990-05-09) | 17.0 |
| John assures Kate that her nephew can trust any guy she dates, but he doesn't expect Kirk to be trusted. |||||||
| 46 | 24 | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" | Hal Cooper | Larry Balmagia | May 16, 1990 (1990-05-16) | 18.7 |
| John stands up to Mr. Milquetoast. |||||||

### Season 3 (1990–91)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
| 47 | 1 | "Pretty Man" | Hal Cooper | Diana Ayers and Susan Sebastian | September 19, 1990 (1990-09-19) | 15.7 |
| John and Kirk go on a double blind date. |||||||
| 48 | 2 | "And Baby Makes Four: Part 1" | Hal Cooper | Mike Milligan and Jay Moriarty | September 26, 1990 (1990-09-26) | 14.6 |
| Wendy wants John to give her another baby. |||||||
| 49 | 3 | "And Baby Makes Four: Part 2" | Hal Cooper | Mike Milligan and Jay Moriarty | October 3, 1990 (1990-10-03) | 16.2 |
| John has second thoughts about having another baby with Wendy. |||||||
| 50 | 4 | "A Priest's Story" | Hal Cooper | Howard Meyers | October 10, 1990 (1990-10-10) | 19.7 |
| Kirk's brother (Kevin Dunn), who's now a priest, wants to reconcile before he leaves for Rome. |||||||
| 51 | 5 | "That's Big of Me" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | October 24, 1990 (1990-10-24) | 16.6 |
| Louise and Kate fall for a divorce photographer (Doug Sheehan), while John has his first workout in years. |||||||
| 52 | 6 | "Hot Lips Lacey" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | October 31, 1990 (1990-10-31) | 13.9 |
| John takes six weeks of clarinet lessons to play at Carnegie Hall. |||||||
| 53 | 7 | "Hole in One" | Hal Cooper | Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens | November 7, 1990 (1990-11-07) | 16.9 |
| John goes with Kate to her aunt's funeral so she won't be tempted to off her ex-husband (Corbin Bernsen). |||||||
| 54 | 8 | "The Blunder Years" | Hal Cooper | Diana Ayers and Susan Sebastian | November 14, 1990 (1990-11-14) | 16.3 |
| John remembers the first love he let get away when she comes to town. |||||||
| 55 | 9 | "Down and Out in Rego Park" | Hal Cooper | Howard Meyers | November 28, 1990 (1990-11-28) | 15.8 |
| Mary Beth reupholsters a chair to cover for an unexpected rejection. |||||||
| 56 | 10 | "Homeward Bound" | Hal Cooper | Mike Milligan and Jay Moriarty | December 12, 1990 (1990-12-12) | 16.2 |
| John wants his mother (Nina Foch) to move in with him rather than move into a rest home. |||||||
| 57 | 11 | "Matter of Trust" | Hal Cooper | Efrem Seeger | December 19, 1990 (1990-12-19) | 17.7 |
| 58 | 12 | "Matter of Trust" | Hal Cooper | Efrem Seeger | December 19, 1990 (1990-12-19) | 17.7 |
| John is in danger of losing his job when a tabloid gets word that he's the latest boyfriend of a sex-addicted actress (Robin Strasser). |||||||
| 59 | 13 | "Molly and Me" | Hal Cooper | Diana Ayers and Susan Sebastian | January 5, 1991 (1991-01-05) | 19.3 |
| Ralph's romance with his coworker (Megan Mullally) is complicated because she's married. |||||||
| 60 | 14 | "Love Stories: Part 1" | Hal Cooper | Rod Parker, Bob Ellison and Rod Burton | January 19, 1991 (1991-01-19) | 16.4 |
| Kirk, Kate, and John respectively fall in love with a SmokEnder, a cattleman (Lorenzo Lamas), and a periodontist (DeLane Matthews). |||||||
| 61 | 15 | "Love Stories: Part 2" | Hal Cooper | Bob Ellison, Rod Burton and Rod Parker | January 26, 1991 (1991-01-26) | 18.2 |
| Louise falls in love with her auditor (Lane Davies) as Kirk's own love story continues. |||||||
| 62 | 16 | "Love Stories: Part 3" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton, Rod Parker and Bob Ellison | February 2, 1991 (1991-02-02) | 17.1 |
| The group's love stories reach their conclusions. |||||||
| 63 | 17 | "John and Kirk's Excellent Adventure" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | February 9, 1991 (1991-02-09) | 16.6 |
| A woman (Lela Ivey) steals an antique gold watch the group was getting fixed as a birthday present for John. |||||||
| 64 | 18 | "The Poet: Part 1" | Hal Cooper | Howard Meyers | February 16, 1991 (1991-02-16) | 17.5 |
| John takes a poetry class in college. |||||||
| 65 | 19 | "The Poet: Part 2" | Hal Cooper | Howard Meyers | March 2, 1991 (1991-03-02) | 15.9 |
| John must decide what to do when he finds out his poetry teacher (George Hearn) is taking credit for his poems. |||||||
| 66 | 20 | "Louise, the Hero" | Hal Cooper | Mike Milligan and Jay Moriarty | March 13, 1991 (1991-03-13) | 16.8 |
| Louise claims she can raise funds for the community center from a munchkin and a tattooed lady. |||||||
| 67 | 21 | "Matthew and the Baby" | Hal Cooper | Meredith Siler | March 20, 1991 (1991-03-20) | 16.6 |
| Matthew reacts badly to John and Wendy having another baby, while Kirk and Denise use the group to start a catering service. |||||||
| 68 | 22 | "John's Week Off" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | May 1, 1991 (1991-05-01) | 16.8 |
| John spends the week getting taken off planes due to Kirk's discount ticket and Kate's wealthy suitor begs her to marry him. |||||||

### Season 4 (1991–92)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
| 69 | 1 | "Brothers" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | September 19, 1991 (1991-09-19) | 15.5 |
| John faces the possibility that Kirk could be his brother. |||||||
| 70 | 2 | "Kirk's Ex-Wife" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | September 20, 1991 (1991-09-20) | 9.6 |
| The group learns why Kirk's ex-wife left him. |||||||
| 71 | 3 | "Kate's Cop" | Hal Cooper | Shelley Zellman | September 27, 1991 (1991-09-27) | 9.7 |
| A cop investigating a robbery asks Kate out on a date. |||||||
| 72 | 4 | "Whose Soap Opera Is It Anyway?" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette | October 4, 1991 (1991-10-04) | 7.7 |
| Mary Beth is happy to get a job writing for a soap opera - until she learns the reason. |||||||
| 73 | 5 | "Hello, Annie" | Hal Cooper | Rod Parker and Bob Ellison | October 25, 1991 (1991-10-25) | 10.0 |
| Kirk sublets his dream apartment from a guy whose friend refuses to leave. |||||||
| 74 | 6 | "Lust and Death" | Hal Cooper | Howard Meyers | November 8, 1991 (1991-11-08) | 10.6 |
| Kirk sleeps with a woman whose brothers threaten to hurt him unless he marries her. |||||||
| 75 | 7 | "The Bachelor Shower" | Hal Cooper | Cynthia Heimel | November 15, 1991 (1991-11-15) | 11.5 |
| Kate has a bridal shower that doesn't go so well, while Mitch has a bachelor party that's no better, especially when he arrests the host - John. |||||||
| 76 | 8 | "I Do, Baby" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | December 13, 1991 (1991-12-13) | 11.1 |
| 77 | 9 | "I Do, Baby" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | December 13, 1991 (1991-12-13) | 11.1 |
| Kirk shows up at Kate's wedding and tries to talk her into calling it off. Wendy also arrives to show John her pregnancy, and then goes into labor. |||||||
| 78 | 10 | "Once I Had a Secret Love" | Hal Cooper | Shelley Zellman | December 20, 1991 (1991-12-20) | 10.7 |
| After insisting that everyone tell a secret, Louise confesses to having an affair with Ben. |||||||
| 79 | 11 | "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas" | Hal Cooper | Marco Pennette and John Rajeski | December 27, 1991 (1991-12-27) | 11.2 |
| John hires a Santa Claus for the day care center who has a problem with children. |||||||
| 80 | 12 | "Do the Wrong Thing" | Hal Cooper | Michael Poryes | January 3, 1992 (1992-01-03) | 12.7 |
| John has to choose which of his two dates he'll take to a Broadway show. |||||||
| 81 | 13 | "The Big Payday" | Hal Cooper | Kim Weiskopf | April 1, 1992 (1992-04-01) | 16.3 |
| The group is offered a real-estate deal by a former con man claiming to have gone straight. |||||||
| 82 | 14 | "John's Divididend Heart" | Hal Cooper | Bud Wiser | April 15, 1992 (1992-04-15) | 16.1 |
| Mary Beth creates a character based on John for her soap opera. |||||||
| 83 | 15 | "Who's Who" | Hal Cooper | Jack LoGiudice | June 12, 1992 (1992-06-12) | 5.2 |
| Kirk is interested in one of John's female literacy students (Kristen Cloke). |||||||
| 84 | 16 | "Poor John: Part 1" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | July 15, 1992 (1992-07-15) | 12.2 |
| John tries to get his funds straightened out so he and Jennifer can spend a weekend on the slopes. |||||||
| 85 | 17 | "Poor John: Part 2" | Hal Cooper | Rod Burton | July 22, 1992 (1992-07-22) | 10.5 |
| John considers filing for bankruptcy. |||||||
| 86 | 18 | "The Write Stuff" | Hal Cooper | John Rajeski | Unaired | N/A |
| John tries to write scripts for Mary Beth's soap opera. |||||||
| 87 | 19 | "Heartburn and Heartache" | Hal Cooper | Eric Pomerance | June 7, 1992 (1992-06-07) | 9.0 |
| A doctor connects John's stomach problems to Kirk. |||||||
| 88 | 20 | "Adult Education" | Hal Cooper | Barry Bleach and Lynne Kadish | Unaired | N/A |
| Kirk goes back to high school to get his diploma. |||||||
| 89 | 21 | "Freddy's Back" | Hal Cooper | Cynthia Heimel | Unaired | N/A |
| John looks after his boss's parrot. |||||||
| 90 | 22 | "The Nightmare Continues" | Hal Cooper | Howard Meyers | Unaired | N/A |
| Louise encourages the group to face their relationship problems with creative visualization. |||||||