The Joy of Painting — 1983-1994 · 31 seasons · 405 eps

★ 9.3

The Joy of Painting poster

The Joy of Painting

1983-1994 31 seasons 405 episodes

★ 9.3 (6,913 votes) Top 3%

The Joy of Painting was an American television show hosted by painter Bob Ross that taught its viewers techniques for landscape oil painting. Although Ross could complete a painting in half an hour, the intent of the show was not to teach viewers "speed painting". Rather, he intended for viewers to learn certain techniques within the time that the show was allotted. The show began on January 11, 1983, and lasted until May 17, 1994, a year before Ross' death.

Episode Ratings Grid

Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.

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S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

S6

S7

S8

S9

S10

S11

S12

S13

S14

S15

S16

S17

S18

S19

S20

S21

S22

S23

S24

S25

S26

S27

S28

S29

S30

S31 1-30

S31 31-32

E1

9.2

9.4

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9.7

9.7

9.5

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8.9

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8.8

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E2

9.4

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9.7

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9.2

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8.1

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8.9

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E3

9.3

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7.8

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?

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?

9.4

7.8

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9.0

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E4

9.2

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?

8.0

8.6

9.2

9.0

9.1

9.1

E5

9.2

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9.1

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9.5

9.5

8.9

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9.1

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?

?

?

7.9

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?

7.7

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E6

9.5

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8.7

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E7

9.4

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8.6

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E8

9.5

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9.6

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?

7.6

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9.1

8.6

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?

8.7

9.3

8.9

E9

9.3

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9.5

9.6

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9.0

7.7

6.9

?

7.9

7.7

7.9

7.0

7.6

7.9

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8.0

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8.2

9.0

E10

9.5

9.3

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9.7

9.8

9.6

9.8

9.5

9.2

9.7

9.3

9.7

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?

7.0

8.4

7.3

7.5

8.7

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7.6

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?

8.4

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2.9

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E11

9.4

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9.3

9.6

9.8

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9.9

9.7

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7.0

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8.6

?

8.0

7.2

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6.8

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8.0

7.8

8.6

8.8

9.1

8.7

8.6

E12

9.4

9.2

9.3

9.7

9.4

9.7

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9.6

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9.5

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6.8

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E13

9.6

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9.0

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E14

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E30

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Avg

9.4

9.3

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9.6

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7.9

8.0

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8.9

Peak

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Episode Power Rankings

The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.

🏆 Top Episodes

#1 9.9

S8E4 Waterside Way

A wilderness path leads you to the side of a still lake in a setting that Bob Ross accents with an abundance of trees.

#2

S8E5 9.9

Hunter's Haven

Bob Ross' exciting use of blue, yellow and orange hues brings vibrancy to this wood side setting and dream cabin beside a clear blue lake.

#3

S8E11 9.9

Mountain Range

Guest painter Steve Ross uses lots of color in this stirring depiction of giant peaks behind foothills opening onto a smooth lake.

4. S5E11 "Autumn Glory" 9.8
5. S6E2 "Nature's Edge" 9.8
6. S6E3 "Morning Mist" 9.8
7. S6E4 "Whispering Stream" 9.8
8. S6E10 "Country Life" 9.8
9. S6E11 "Western Expanse" 9.8
10. S6E13 "Blaze of Color" 9.8

📉 Bottom Episodes

#382

S29E10 2.9

Pot o' Posies

Follow guest artist Annette Kowalski as she creates a beautiful hanging clay pot full of leaves and flowers using the Bob Ross painting method.

381. S23E12 "Crimson Tide" 6.8
380. S23E11 "Frozen Beauty in Vignette" 6.8
379. S17E2 "The Old Home Place" 6.8
378. S16E9 "Barn in Snow Oval" 6.9

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.

Trend

Episode Engagement

Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

Rating threshold:

190 Standouts

1 Infamous

162 Hidden Gems

29 Forgettable

Top Standout: S1E1 A Walk in the Woods

Most Infamous: S29E10 Pot o' Posies

Best Hidden Gem: S29E7 Cypress Creek

Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.

Series Trajectory

A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.

Trend

Season Momentum

Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.

Season Consistency

Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.

Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.