Father Knows Best: Season 4
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Father Knows Best Season 3.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
Follow the Leader
Sep 25, 1957
Bud must decide if he should stand up for a teacher or join the class in a revolt.
The Awkward Hero
Oct 2, 1957
Betty tutors a football player who will escort her to a dance as payment.
Bud, the Executive
Oct 16, 1957
Bud becomes the chairman for the planning of his high school picnic.
Sentenced to Happiness
Oct 23, 1957
The Anderson's gardener, Frank, is forced to get a real job and then winds up in court.
Mother Goes to School
Oct 30, 1957
Margaret enrolls in an English class in college and is put in Betty's class.
The Indispensable Man
Nov 6, 1957
Bud is not able to play in the football game because he wouldn't go to bed early.
Kathy's Big Chance
Nov 13, 1957
Kathy competes in an essay contest judged by Greer Garson.
The Way of a Dictator
Dec 4, 1957
Bud is given the pleasure of raising Kathy when he says they are doing it all wrong.
Mr. Beal Meets His Match
Dec 11, 1957
Betty is going through a phase where she thinks selfishness is the sole motivator in people's lives.
Kathy Makes a Wish
Dec 25, 1957
When Kathy finds a horseshoe and she wishes for a horse, and gets one.
Man With a Plan
Jan 1, 1958
A girl thinks Bud is going into the Army and throws a going away party.
Big Sister
Jan 8, 1957
At summer camp Kathy rebels after her counselor, Betty, keeps pushing her to do better.
Father's Biography
Jan 22, 1958
Jim can either attend a business meeting or see Kathy read his biography.
The Rivals
Jan 29, 1958
Betty has two dates for the same night and doesn't plan to break either one.
Bud, the Mind Reader
Feb 5, 1958
Bud practices mind reading, and Betty tries to make the debating team.
Margaret's Other Family
Feb 12, 1958
The family gets mad when Margaret keeps helping a furniture maker and his wife.
The Trial
Feb 19, 1958
Bud is in trouble when he is accused of causing damage to a neighbor's property.
Revenge is Sweet
Feb 26, 1958
26Feb58 Betty teases Bud saying he is sloppy when some very influential people come over.
Country Cousin
Mar 5, 1958
The Anderson's cousin, Milly, arrives for a visit and to look at the college.
Poor Old Dad
Mar 12, 1958
Bud believes that his father is henpecked when he willingly does everything Margaret wants him to.
Betty's Crusade
Mar 19, 1958
Betty tries to help an old man fix up his restaurant so he isn't evicted by Jim's company.
Young Love
Mar 26, 1958
Bud falls in love with an older woman at the grocery store who is married.
Tell It to Mom
Apr 2, 1958
Chaos strikes when Betty hides a pair of skates for a friend of hers.
A Friend in Need
Apr 16, 1958
A very talented dog shows up and takes residence in the Anderson's house.
A Medal For Margaret
Apr 23, 1958
When Jim plans to build a case for trophies, and Margaret sets out to win a medal.
The Weaker Sex
Apr 30, 1958
Betty tries to use her feminine wiles on a young man to get him to take her out.
Jim, the Answer Man
May 14, 1958
Jim is bombarded with questions when he is getting ready for a business trip.
Bud Quits School
May 21, 1958
When Bud meets a successful business man who quit school and Bud plans to do the same.
A Matter of Pride
Jun 4, 1958
Bud is chosen as the most popular boy in his class at school.
Betty Finds a Cause
Jun 11, 1958
Betty tries to make a man remove a hedge that blocks the view on a road.