TV series
Widowed pediatrician Harry Weston is a miracle worker when it comes to dealing with his young patients, but he's more challenged by the other people surrounding him: daughters Barbara and Carol; his wisecracking office assistant, nurse LaVerne Todd; and obnoxious neighborhood mooch Charley Dietz. Thank goodness he always finds a friendly shoulder (and a warm, wet tongue) in Dreyfuss, his enormous dog.
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Checked Jul 22, 2026
Empty Nest premiered October 8, 1988. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
Widowed pediatrician Harry Weston is a miracle worker when it comes to dealing with his young patients, but he's more challenged by the other people surrounding him: daughters Barbara and Carol; his wisecracking office assistant, nurse LaVerne Todd; and obnoxious neighborhood mooch Charley Dietz. Thank goodness he always finds a friendly shoulder (and a warm, wet tongue) in Dreyfuss, his enormous dog.
Cast, crew and production details
Richard MulliganDr. Harry Weston
Kristy McNicholBarbara Weston
Dinah ManoffCarol Weston
David LeisureCharley Dietz
Park OverallLaVerne Todd
Paul ProvenzaPatrick Arcola
Lisa RieffelEmily Weston
Marsha WarfieldDr. Maxine Douglas
NBCUnited States
Touchstone TelevisionUnited StatesWatch options above are for the show and may vary by season or episode.
Episode 1
Harry sells his pediatrics practice to another doctor, who ends up firing Laverne. When the hospital sends Harry to check out an inner-city clinic, he ends up teaming up with the owner, Dr. Maxine Douglas, to keep the place open. Laverne joins them as nurse. Meanwhile, Sophia Petrillo moves back into nearby Shady Pines retirement home and drops by the Weston house.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 2
Carol throws Patrick out when she realizes that he'll never grow up, but later learns that she's pregnant. Laverne goes too far when trying to organize things at the clinic.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 3
Carol can't decide how to tell Patrick about her pregnancy. Laverne refuses to tell Maxine a secret.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 4
Laverne's mother-in-law visits, unaware that Nick and Laverne are divorced. Charley tries to persuade Carol to make him godfather of the baby.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 5
Carol is afraid to tell a date that she is pregnant. Laverne and Maxine disagree when trying to plan a baby shower.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 6
Carol reads her mother's old diary and thinks she wasn't wanted. Maxine is annoyed by a mime and a hypochondriac at the clinic.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanWritten by Bob Tischler
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 7
Maxine's mother visits and drives her crazy, but then finds out she may have glaucoma. Charley finds out the sex of Carol's baby, something she didn't want to know. Harry and Casey MacAfee try to make a date.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 8
A shy woman volunteers at the clinic and starts sending Laverne flowers and cooking her dinner, which prompts Maxine to think the lady is a lesbian. Carol tries to get her unborn child enrolled in a posh preschool.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 9
Harry and Charley get stranded at sea. Maxine tries to overcome her fear of public speaking.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanWritten by Dennis Snee
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 10
Maxine and Harry compete to sell opera tickets. After a series of false alarms, Carol gives birth to son Scotty while at the opera.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanWritten by Susan Beavers
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 11
When the baby starts ""singing Beethoven,"" Carol fears the hospital has given her the wrong child.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 12
When Maxine has a dental emergency, Harry steps in and gives an interview in her place, but the journalist makes the article sound as though Harry deserves all the credit for the clinic's success. Meanwhile, Charley falls for Dreyfuss' vet.
Directed by Dinah ManoffGuest stars Jeannie Elias, Robert Costanzo
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 13
Charley plans to marry a waitress from a pancake house. When she finds out they have the same birthday, Laverne thinks that explains why she and Maxine are so much alike, which Maxine thinks is ridiculous.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 14
Carol joins a mother-daughter support group and ends up feeling that she is the worst mother in the world, especially after locking the baby in the car. Laverne thinks Maxine is dying when she mysteriously asks for time off after a check-up.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanWritten by Cindy Chupack
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 15
When the baby can't stop sneezing, Carol hires Studs With Suds to clean the house from top to bottom, and Sophia charges her friends to come and see them in action. But when they think it may be Dreyfuss causing the allergy, Harry takes him to stay with Charley, who doesn't want to give him back. Meanwhile, strange noises from upstairs make Laverne think the clinic is haunted by the ghosts of men who were murdered there years before.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanWritten by Dennis SneeGuest stars Bill Cobbs
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 16
Harry gets shot when a young boy brings a gun to the clinic. Carol has a date with a famous anthropologist, who opts instead to go party with Charley.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 17
Charley ends up working at his brother's used car lot, but when he makes a big sale his brother takes all the credit. Maxine and Laverne become competitive when they start jogging to get in shape.
Directed by Dinah ManoffWritten by Drake Sather
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 18
Laverne fills in for a friend at Shady Pines, where Sophia's boyfriend hits on her. Sophia catches the two together and thinks Laverne is stealing her man.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanGuest stars Elmarie Wendel
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 19
Laverne's old biker boyfriend returns and the two rekindle their romance, which annoys Harry, who doesn't think the guy is good enough for her. Carol makes a memory video for baby Scotty.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanWritten by Bob Tischler
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 20
After receiving an inheritance, Charley assembles a group of people who have meant a lot to him over the years (which includes Harry, Carol, Sophia, and Don Adams from Get Smart) and takes them all on a trip to Mardi Gras. Laverne's hideous looking cat dies.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanGuest stars Don Adams, Chuck McCann, Liz Sheridan, Nita Talbot
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 21
Harry persuades his old jazz idol Sonny Baxter to come out of retirement and play at a benefit. Strange things start happening after Sophia vows revenge on Charley for dumping her niece.
Written by Dennis Snee
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 22
A wealthy philanthropist eyes Harry. Carol tries to help shy Doris (who once volunteered at the clinic but now sales roll-on moose door-to-door) come out of her shell.
Directed by Steve ZuckermanWritten by Kari Lizer
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 23
Maxine's boyfriend, an African cultural attache, proposes marriage. Sophia and Charley get Carol (who meanwhile has started to play the guitar again) hooked on the dog races.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 24
When their good-for-nothing landlord refuses to repair the problems at the clinic, Laverne threatens a rent strike and ends up getting the gang evicted. Meanwhile, Sophia convinces Carol to spend some time away from baby Scotty but she can't seem to bring herself to let him out of her sight.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 25
Carol is upset when her childhood friend returns and starts dating Harry. A patient at the clinic turns out to be a member of the family which has feuded with Laverne's for years, which sparks a mini-war between the two.
Written by Bob TischlerGuest stars Tracey Walter, Morgan Fairchild
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode 26
Harry fills in at his old practice and becomes smitten with the nurse. Laverne is upset because Harry forgets the anniversary of the day they started working together.
Directed by Steve Zuckerman
Where to watch Empty NestEpisode information updated Jul 22, 2026
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