The 7 Best And 7 Worst Episodes Of Deadliest Catch

"Deadliest Catch," which first aired in 2005, can be either amazing or absolutely terrible. The show follows a team of dedicated fishermen — who have one of the world's most dangerous jobs — as they each try to charter their vessels across the unpredictable Bering Sea. Spearheaded by renowned captains such as Sig Hansen and Johnathan Hillstrand, the series gives viewers a glimpse into the world of crab fishing, which features stormy conditions, territorial battles, and life-or-death injuries. It's safe to say we never quite know what we're going to get from each episode. 

Even with 18 seasons under their belts, the fishermen are still regularly making waves, tangoing with Russian missile boats and planning even more comeback spinoffs, despite allegedly hanging up their rods for good. There's still plenty to dive into behind the scenes. 

The most notable "Deadliest Catch" episodes make a name for themselves for wildly different reasons. Whether you're an armchair fisherman or looking to get stuck into the world of "Deadliest Catch," here are the 7 best and 7 worst episodes according to IMDb.

Sometimes, reality TV blends too much fiction into its facts. The narrative of the Season 16 episode "Double Agent" involves American satellites spying on Russian operatives, which feels a little too far-fetched. Paced like a crime drama rather than reality television, the storyline is a far cry from "Deadliest Catch's" usual fare of untimely deaths, life-threatening outbreaks, and medical emergencies. The geopolitical aspect of fishing life should be exciting but instead verges on the mundane. The Cornelia Marie is a vessel that has seen its share of action, and it deserves the break it gets here, but unfortunately, its lower-key usage doesn't make for compelling TV.

The side plots don't pick up too much steam, either. Scott Campbell Jr. is working to revive a long-dormant fishery, while Wild Bill is busy facing his own personal challenges on the waters. He might be wild by name, but this episode shows Bill certainly isn't so by nature. This episode is realistic insofar as it shows that the lives of fishermen are not constantly jam-packed with action, but we all know the action is what we're watching for. 

One of the aspects of "Deadliest Catch" that fans love is the close bond between the Skippers and deckhands. Even so, it doesn't make losing a veteran crew member any easier to bear. Season 16's "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" is one of the lowest-rated episodes on IMDb, proving that filming post-COVID likely took its toll on the show's quality. With a valuable crew member missing, Jake is pushed to steam a greenhorn army on his own, heading toward the Russian line. It's not the first time we've seen the two countries tussle over territory, meaning the show is retreading tired ground. 

Another thing fans noticed about this episode was the reality of the fisherman's families back home. As one viewer points out, Josh is more focused on not missing his daughter's birthday than his work, prompting Casey to say that what needs to be done must be done. With a crew that sometimes functions like a family, it's disheartening to hear senior members be so dismissive of newer crew members' major life events. We knew being on the seas was tough, but is this really necessary?

Coming in at 6.4 on the IMDb episode ratings, Season 16's "Like Father, Like Daughter" isn't without its issues. By this point in "Deadliest Catch," it's been established that Sig is a man of two minds. He clearly loves his life on the water, but has doubts about whether he should give it all up so he can spend more time with his family. In this episode, his daughter Mandy is doing her best to influence Sig's decisions. Fans know that the fishermen have a strange and often volatile relationship with their families, whom they've largely abandoned for the seas. 

This episode is a tricky one to watch for fans of Sig. We know fishing is what he loves and makes him come alive, so seeing him being railroaded into other decisions feels against the spirit of "Deadliest Catch" altogether. At the same time, the ships are dealing with the fallout of the injury sustained from the 15-foot drop. The road to recovery after the big incident is not so dazzling.

As one of the worst-rated episodes of "Deadliest Catch" on IMDb, Season 16's "Harm's Way" once again focuses on the eye of a storm, but not in the best way. Our favorite Skippers are in the midst of dealing with fearsome Siberian weather conditions, hitting their vessels from 500 miles away. The fallout, however, is less appealing. By the show's 16th season, Josh has earned himself a reputation for being slow to pick up the slack and for hiding under Casey's wing for what feels like an incredibly long time. His moment of finally striking out on his own means taking big risks to keep his crew safe.

The Cornelia Marie has had its fair share of controversy. Josh's hasty plans don't seem to work in its favor. His more senior counterparts aren't having the best of luck, either. Junior loses control of his rudders, leaving him at the mercy of the storm, while Jake's greenhorn deals with a toilet problem. If plumbing problems are the best kind of drama able to be captured on camera, it's perhaps a sign that this episode should have been left on the cutting room floor.

For those of us who have spent far too much time binge-watching "Grey's Anatomy," there are clearly certain places medical attention shouldn't be received. Midway through a dangerous fishing expedition is certainly one of those cases. In a particularly hairy episode of "Deadliest Catch," Johnathan Hillstrand actually goes under the knife during the Season 16 episode "The Bleeding Edge," getting stitched back together after a fairly nasty accident. For viewers of a more squeamish nature, it's certainly an outing to the Bering Sea to be avoided, though the outcome could have been far worse.  

It's safe to say the episode's main storyline is unpleasant. The side plots do little to pick up the missing excitement. Wild Bill takes things down a notch as he deals with a rather unruly greenhorn, while Junior sets out to chase the Golden King Crab. There are a lot of head-in-hand moments from the Skippers during the episode, and as fans painfully wait for things to take off, we can see why.

This is a rare "Deadliest Catch" episode where nothing actually happens, but 45 minutes of our time nonetheless passes by. The Season 8 episode "Collision Course" is akin to montage/filler episodes in sitcoms, padding out a season and being the weakest link. Instead of heading back out on the choppy waters, the Captains sit down to touch on their own legacies and swap stories of bygone days. Jake and Josh Harris have a particular focus, comparing what they have each learned as deckhands aboard different ships.

When it gets down to it, this type of episode just doesn't work in a reality TV format, particularly one that depends so much on high-stakes drama. Even while the change in pacing is welcome, the content itself fails to entertain. Elliot does briefly square off with his boat's owner, but it's not enough to save "Collision Course." Let's put it this way: The episode definitely doesn't live up to its title.

Clearly, the team behind "Deadliest Catch" didn't learn their lesson from the much-panned Season 8 episode "Collision Course," as the Season 18 premiere kicks off as even more of the same on a bigger scale. "The King Is Dead..." is an extended look back at a King Crab expedition that went completely awry, fronted by fan favorites Sig and Johnathan. The episode is supposed to serve as the team's reintroduction to the seas, with both Captains needing to rally their troops in the face of financial closure. However, watching them devise a new fishing strategy turns from must-watch into must-miss television.

It might be considered to be the deadliest job on earth, but stripping it back to the most basic of problems doesn't translate well on screen. Both Sig and Johnathan have a rocky reputation as it is, with Sig called out for misogynistic behavior and Johnathan branded as "too nice" for letting his fellow captains walk all over him. A tell-all type of episode doesn't fit the show's format or the fishermen's bolshy personalities.