American Playhouse (1982–1996)

1. S01E01The Shady Hill KidnappingJanuary 12, 1982—John Cheever's comedy of a supposedly kidnapped five-year-old boy. At first, the police aren't interested until a ransom note is discovered.
2. S01E02King of AmericaJanuary 19, 1982—Hot-tempered Greek immigrant Andreas arrives in 1915 America, and finds work on a railroad. However, after giving his corrupt foreman Mekaki
3. S01E03SeguinJanuary 26, 1982—In 19th-century Texas, soldier Juan Nepomuceno Seguin fought at the Alamo and became a highly respected politician to insure better living c
4. S01E04Who Am I This Time?February 2, 1982—Shy hardware store employee Harry Nash decides to step out of his comfort zone, and takes part in a local amateur theatre troupe, where he b
5. S01E05Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of MineFebruary 9, 1982 9.0The arrival in a small town of a stranger who calls himself 'Charles Dickens' makes a magical and lasting change in the lives of an imaginat
6. S01E06Come Along with MeFebruary 16, 1982—Recently widowed Mabel Lederer sells all her belongings and leaves home to start a new life. Mabel believes she has powers to see into the f
7. S01E07For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enufFebruary 23, 1982—Nameless women identified by color (e.g., Lady in Red, Lady in Blue) share their experiences with racism, sexism, abuse, and abandonment, ul
8. S01E08Echoes and SilencesMarch 2, 1982—In search of Carl Sandburg, actor John Cullum travels to the poet's native home, Galesburg, IL, speaking with close friends and family. Thro
9. S01E09Fifth of JulyMarch 9, 1982 4.8Ken Talley is 32, strong, goodlooking and a Vietnam vet with both legs shot off seven years earlier. His lover Jed is bigger and stronger, a
10. S01E10The Great American Fourth of July and Other DisastersMarch 16, 1982—Teenage Ralph recounts the Fourth of July and similar chaoses with his family and friends. Based on the writings of Jean Shepherd.
11. S01E11Pilgrim, FarewellMarch 23, 1982—A woman suffering from terminal cancer determines to resolve several relationships in her life, especially with her daughter.
12. S01E12Northern LightsMarch 30, 1982—On a North Dakota wheat farm at the turn of the 20th century, Ray Sorenson builds his world around childhood sweetheart Inga. Then Ray sees
13. S01E13Medal of Honor RagApril 6, 1982—A Medal of Honor-winning Vietnam vet has difficulty readjusting to civilian life, and turns to a psychiatrist for help when he finds himself
14. S01E14WorkingApril 13, 1982—A musical following American workers from diverse backgrounds, from gravediggers to studio heads, exploring their feelings, frustrations, an
15. S01E15Season's bestWeekendApril 20, 1982 10.0A drifting, affluent couple spend a weekend at their country home, where the husband cheats on his complacent wife as they host guests for t
16. S01E16Private ContentmentApril 27, 1982—A young soldier attends his mother's funeral just before he's shipped out to serve in World War II.
17. S01E17My PalikariMay 4, 1982—A middle-aged Greek immigrant visits his native village, with his American-born son in tow. The elder finds that the place he remembered as
18. S01E18Oppenheimer (1)May 11, 1982—Robert Oppenheimer meets and decides to marry the hard-drinking, much-divorced Kitty, although his friends and relatives dislike her.
19. S01E19Oppenheimer (2)May 18, 1982—Oppenheimer is now in charge of the top-secret Manhattan Project, but his left-wing politics mean that he is constantly watched by the FBI a
20. S01E20Oppenheimer (3)May 25, 1982—Oppenheimer's extramarital relationship with the neurotic Jean Tatlock comes to a tragic end.
21. S01E21Oppenheimer (4)June 1, 1982—With the death of President Roosevelt, the future of the Manhattan Project seems doubtful. Oppenheimer finds himself more and more at logger
22. S01E22Oppenheimer (5)June 8, 1982—The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bring the war to an end, but Oppenheimer's new status as a national hero is short-lived.
23. S01E23Oppenheimer (6)June 15, 1982—A few years after the war, Oppenheimer finds himself regarded as a security risk, and must face a committee.
24. S01E24Oppenheimer (7)June 22, 1982—Oppenheimer's examination by the committee proves disastrous and his career with the AEC is finished, whilst that of his rival Teller flouri
25. S01E25The Ballad of Gregorio CortezJune 29, 1982—In 1901, Mexican American farmer Gregorio Cortez is forced on the run from Texas Rangers, evading a massive manhunt on horseback for days fo

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01The Skin of Our TeethJanuary 18, 1983 7.0The Antrobus family and their housekeeper Lilly Sabina face various global disasters, including a new ice age, a great flood, and a devastat
2. S02E02Miss LonelyheartsJanuary 25, 1983 7.0A young Depression-era reporter is assigned to write his newspaper's advice column on the insistence of his mocking editor. Unhappy in the d
3. S02E03Family BusinessFebruary 1, 1983—Isaiah Stern is a wealthy, but dying, toy manufacturer. Once more, Stern has gathered his grown sons to revise his will. Three of the four a
4. S02E04Keeping OnFebruary 8, 1983—A low-key drama exploring the struggles of an impoverished sharecropping family in the rural South with themes of Southern identity, moralit
5. S02E05The File on Jill Hatch (1)February 15, 1983—A decade-spanning look at marriage of a Black American soldier and a white British woman.
6. S02E06The File on Jill Hatch (2)February 22, 1983—A decade-spanning look at marriage of a Black American soldier and a white British woman.
7. S02E07The File on Jill Hatch (3)March 1, 1983—A decade-spanning look at marriage of a Black American soldier and a white British woman.
8. S02E08For Us, the Living: The Medgar Evers StoryMarch 22, 1983—During the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi, Medgar Evers rose from insurance agent to one of the most integral activists of the era. Fr
9. S02E09Verse Person SingularMarch 29, 1983—Actor Richard Kiley takes on the personae of thirteen different characters as he reads his favorite poems written in the first-person.
10. S02E10Until She TalksApril 5, 1983—The story of a young woman imprisoned for declining to testify before a grand jury; comprised from real courtroom transcripts and based on t
11. S02E11WingsApril 26, 1983—Former aviatrix Emily Stilson suffers a stroke and is plunged into a world of disorientation and grief. Memories flood in between painful at
12. S02E12The Rothko ConspiracyMay 3, 1983—A dramatization of the fight over the estate of artist Mark Rothko, who killed himself in 1970.

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01The Ghost WriterJanuary 17, 1984 8.0Aspiring writer Nathan Zuckerman visits the secluded home of his literary idol, E.I. Lonoff. While there, Zuckerman becomes entangled in the
2. S03E02Pudd'nhead WilsonJanuary 24, 1984—A slave switches her light-skinned baby with her master's baby. The child grows up raised by whites.
3. S03E03True WestJanuary 31, 1984—Estranged brothers, screenwriter Austin and drifter Lee, clash while staying at their mother's house in suburban Southern California, leadin
4. S03E04Nothing But a ManFebruary 7, 1984—Railroad laborer Duff Anderson struggles to maintain his dignity and marriage to a preacher's daughter in the racially segregated South.
5. S03E05Popular NeuroticsFebruary 14, 1984—Two young urban professionals, Lynne and Murray, meet by happenstance and begin an on-again, off-again relationship in which they struggle t
6. S03E06The CafeteriaFebruary 21, 1984—Esther Mirkin, a traumatized Holocaust survivor, frequents a Manhattan cafeteria where she meets Aaron, a Jewish writer, who tries to uncove
7. S03E07RefugeFebruary 28, 1984—On a remote island off the coast of Maine, four people attempt to relax but the isolated refuge fails to protect them from their own insecur
8. S03E08The Gin GameMarch 6, 1984—Weller Martin and Fonsia Dorsey reside at a nursing home, and they strike up an acquaintance. Neither seems to have any other friends, and t
9. S03E09Haunted (aka Vengeance Is Mine)March 20, 1984—A recently divorced woman returns to her dysfunctional Rhode Island family home and gets involved in drama with her neighbors.
10. S03E10The Killing FloorApril 10, 1984—During World War I, a poor black Southerner travels north to Chicago to get work in the city's slaughterhouses, where he becomes embroiled i
11. S03E11HeartlandApril 17, 1984—Miraculous occurrences happen to people throughout the world every day. God's Miracles presents personal experiences as well as unvarnished
12. S03E12City NewsApril 24, 1984—The struggles of Tom Domino, publisher and editor of a seemingly doomed, underground newspaper in New York City's East Village are chronicle
13. S03E13HughieMay 1, 1984—In the lobby of a small hotel in midtown New York, small-time hustler Erie Smith talks to the hotel's new night clerk Charlie Hughes, lament
14. S03E14Concealed Enemies, Part I: SuspicionMay 7, 1984—A dramatized account of the actual events that led to the 1950 conviction of former U. S. State Department official Alger Hiss of perjury be
15. S03E15Concealed Enemies, Part II: AccusationMay 8, 1984—A dramatized account of the actual events that led to the 1950 conviction of former U. S. State Department official Alger Hiss of perjury be
16. S03E16Concealed Enemies, Part III: InvestigationMay 9, 1984—A dramatized account of the actual events that led to the 1950 conviction of former U. S. State Department official Alger Hiss of perjury be
17. S03E17Concealed Enemies, Part IV: VerdictMay 9, 1984—A dramatized account of the actual events that led to the 1950 conviction of former U. S. State Department official Alger Hiss of perjury be

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01TestamentNovember 26, 1984—It's just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, news breaks that a series of nuclear warhead
2. S04E02A Matter of PrincipleDecember 3, 1984 7.0Flag Purdy, a 'man of many principles', must learn the hard lesson of compromisation in order to keep his wife and children. The 'final stra
3. S04E03Solomon Northup's OdysseyDecember 10, 1984—A free Black man from New York is tricked, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the South, where he endures twelve years of brutal servitude
4. S04E04TomorrowDecember 17, 1984—A lonely farmer takes in a pregnant woman and looks after her. After she gives birth, tragedy strikes.
5. S04E05Go Tell It on the MountainJanuary 14, 1985—Over a single, pivotal Saturday in 1930s Harlem, 14-year-old John Grimes wrestles with his religious calling and his fraught relationship wi
6. S04E06Noon WineJanuary 21, 1985—On a hot day in 1890s Texas, a stranger arrives at the small dairy farm of Royal and Ellie Thompson, seeking work. A taciturn, English-speak
7. S04E07The Joy That KillsJanuary 28, 1985 7.0Louise dreams of traveling the world, but her weak heart and husband Brently's overbearing concern prevent her from doing so. However, news
8. S04E08Overdrawn at the Memory BankFebruary 4, 1985—Computer programmer Aram Fingal's virtual vacation in the classic film Casablanca is removed by a totalitarian government and accidentally t
9. S04E09The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine CosnowskiFebruary 11, 1985—Ralph Parker navigates his first serious romance with his new Polish neighbor, Josephine Cosnowski, during a Thanksgiving setting.
10. S04E10Some Men Need HelpFebruary 18, 1985—An oddball Good Samaritan parable as ex Mafioso tries to save his drunk neighbor from himself.
11. S04E11Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in FreedomFebruary 25, 1985—Charlotte Forten is a young Black woman who became an integral part of President Lincoln's 'Great Experiment'. During the Civil War, Souther
12. S04E12Breakfast with Les and BessMarch 11, 1985—An eccentric couple broadcast their morning radio talk show from their New York apartment in the 1960s.
13. S04E13NightsongsApril 15, 1985—A Chinese refugee from Vietnam emigrates to America, where she prepares to meet several relatives for the first time.
14. S04E14Under the Biltmore ClockApril 25, 1985—In 1915 Chicago, 21-year-old Myra Harper sets her sights on the wealthy and reserved Knowleton Whitney. All goes well, but later when Myra m
15. S04E15Displaced PersonMay 6, 1985—A young Black boy comes of age in an all-white German orphanage run by white nuns. Townspeople tease him that his father is an American GI n
16. S04E16The EuropeansMay 15, 1985—The Countess Eugenia and her brother Robert, expatriate Americans who have grown up in Europe, return to prosperous relatives in New England
17. S04E17El NorteMay 20, 1985—Indigenous Guatemalan siblings Rosa and Enrique flee their village after a government massacre and undertake a perilous journey to the Unite
18. S04E18Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1)May 27, 1985—In 1703 Salem, accused witch Sarah Cloyce, seeking justice for her sisters, recounts the events leading up to the trials, focusing on feudin
19. S04E19Three Sovereigns for Sarah (2)June 3, 1985—In 1703 Salem, accused witch Sarah Cloyce, seeking justice for her sisters, recounts the events leading up to the trials, focusing on feudin
20. S04E20Three Sovereigns for Sarah (3)June 10, 1985—In 1703 Salem, accused witch Sarah Cloyce, seeking justice for her sisters, recounts the events leading up to the trials, focusing on feudin
21. S04E21Paper AngelsJune 15, 1985—Chinese immigrants are detained on Angel Island in 1915 during the Chinese Exclusion era. The new arrivals express their hopes and anxieties
22. S04E22Cat on a Hot Tin RoofJune 24, 1985—An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his footba

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

1. S05E01The Rise and Rise of Daniel RocketJanuary 20, 1986 10.0A young boy is ridiculed by his schoolmates for his eccentric behavior and assertions that he can fly. Little do they know...
2. S05E02The RoommateJanuary 27, 1986—In 1952, two polar opposites at Northwestern University are assigned to the same dorm room.
3. S05E03Valentine's RevengeFebruary 3, 1986—A convict serving five years writes stories under the name 'O. Henry'. He encounters a convicted safecracker and is inspired to write the st
4. S05E04Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1)February 10, 1986—Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting
5. S05E05Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (2)February 17, 1986—Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting
6. S05E06Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (3)February 24, 1986—Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting
7. S05E07Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (4)March 3, 1986—Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting
8. S05E08Tell Me a RiddleMarch 17, 1986—Aging couple David and Eva have lost the spark that once infused their marriage. After nearly four decades together, the elderly duo is feel
9. S05E09The Little SisterApril 7, 1986—A Boston probation officer tries to help a troubled teenager from a rich Boston family.
10. S05E10The House of Ramon IglesiaApril 14, 1986—Ramón Iglesias plans to retire from his janitorial job, sell his house in a Long Island suburb and return to Puerto Rico with his wife and t
11. S05E11A Flash of GreenApril 21, 1986—Jimmy Wing is a Florida journalist and long-time friend of Elmo Bliss, a local businessman and politician involved in real-estate developmen
12. S05E12DamienApril 28, 1986—Father Damien de Vuester, a 19th-century Roman Catholic priest who worked with lepers confined to the island of Molokai, discusses his exper
13. S05E13Rocket to the MoonMay 5, 1986—In 1938 New York, a dentist finds his business failing and his marriage on the rocks. Turning 40, he's a henpecked husband with little drive
14. S05E14A Case of LibelMay 12, 1986—A former World War II reporter gets a lawyer and takes a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist to court.
15. S05E15Painting ChurchesMay 19, 1986—Gardner and Fanny Church prepare to move out of their Beacon Hill home to their summer cottage on Cape Cod. Once a famous poet, the now-reti
16. S05E16Roanoak (1)May 26, 1986—In 1584, a small band of Englishmen reached Roanoak Island off the coast of North Carolina, set up camp, and make contact with the residing
17. S05E17Roanoak (2)June 2, 1986—In 1584, a small band of Englishmen reached Roanoak Island off the coast of North Carolina, set up camp, and make contact with the residing
18. S05E18Roanoak (3)June 9, 1986—In 1584, a small band of Englishmen reached Roanoak Island off the coast of North Carolina, set up camp, and make contact with the residing
19. S05E19Sunday in the Park with GeorgeJune 16, 1986—The days leading up to the completion of his most famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat is st

Season 5 ranked & reviewed

1. S06E01All My SonsJanuary 19, 1987—Two families, related by friendship and love, face up to the consequences of greed and avarice in the post-war years. Love and death play eq
2. S06E02The Prodigious HickeyJanuary 26, 1987—In 1905, at the prestigious Lawrenceville School, chief prankster William 'Hickey' Hicks comes up with a scheme to make his shy, unpopular r
3. S06E03The Wide NetFebruary 2, 1987—William Wallace searches for his pregnant wife, Hazel, who has withdrawn from him, using a net in the Pearl River during the vernal equinox,
4. S06E04Smooth TalkFebruary 9, 1987—Bored with family life, 15-year-old Connie spends her summer at the mall and with friends, but her carefree attitude is shattered by a dange
5. S06E05A Mistaken CharityFebruary 16, 1987—Two elderly, impoverished women are forced from the family farm by well-meaning neighbors. Ensconced and miserable at a Home for Elderly Lad
6. S06E06Dim Sum: A Little Bit of HeartMarch 2, 1987—A widowed mother, convinced by a fortune teller she will die soon, pressures her youngest daughter to marry, while the daughter feels guilty
7. S06E07Eleanor: In Her Own WordsMarch 9, 1987—A one-woman show featuring Lee Remick as former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who gives forth with her views — many controversial at the tim
8. S06E08The Innocents AbroadMarch 23, 1987—Reporter Mark Twain tours Europe and the Holy Land for a San Francisco newspaper in 1867.
9. S06E09Story of a Marriage: CourtshipApril 13, 1987—In the early 1900s, a young couple in love struggle with their deeply divided families. Elizabeth Vaughn hails from a wealthy, strict Method
10. S06E10Story of a Marriage: On Valentine's DayApril 13, 1987—When Elizabeth and Horace elope, the resulting familial estrangement establish independent life, build a marriage, and navigate early parent
11. S06E11Story of a Marriage: 1918May 4, 1987—During the height of World War I, Horace faces immense pressure to enlist, all while the deadly Spanish Influenza outbreak descends on the s
12. S06E12Charley's AuntMay 11, 1987—Charley Wyckham and Jack Chesney pressure fellow student Fancourt Babberly to pose as Charley's Brazilian Aunt Donna Lucia. Their purpose is
13. S06E13Gal Young 'UnMay 18, 1987—In 1930s rural Florida, a middle-aged widow marries a younger, charming bootlegger who uses her for her money and property, leading to a sto
14. S06E14The House of Blue LeavesMay 25, 1987—Zoo attendant Artie Shaughnessy dreams of being a successful songwriter. What his mistress, Bunny Flingus, who lives downstairs from his Que
15. S06E15Blue WindowJune 1, 1987—In an affluent area of downtown New York City, a Sunday evening dinner party is hosted by Libby, an insecure thirty-something widow who lost
16. S06E16DottieJune 8, 1987—Middle-aged recluse Dottie McCann, suffering from agoraphobia, is forced to confront her illness when she must make the difficult journey to
17. S06E17Waiting for the MoonJune 15, 1987—A fictionalized portrait of one of history's great literary couples, Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas. During a 1930s summer in France, Alic

Season 6 ranked & reviewed

1. S07E01Strange Interlude, Part IJanuary 13, 1988—Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated rel
2. S07E02Strange Interlude, Part IIJanuary 19, 1988—Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated rel
3. S07E03Strange Interlude, Part IIIJanuary 20, 1988—Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated rel
4. S07E04The Lawrenceville Stories, Part 2: The Return of HickeyFebruary 3, 1988—The mischievous Hickey returns to school to find himself against a worthy rival. Scheming to outdo each other for the loyalty of their peers
5. S07E05Lemon SkyFebruary 10, 1988—17-year-old Alan strives to build a relationship with his preoccupied father, only to confront his father's emotional dishonesty, cruelty, a
6. S07E06The Revolt of MotherFebruary 17, 1988—In 1890s New Englans, Father is going to build a new barn. However, Mother wants the new house she's been promised.
7. S07E07Pigeon FeathersFebruary 17, 1988—A young boy suffers a crisis of faith when he begins to question whether or not the soul exists and if there is life after death.
8. S07E08Billy GalvinFebruary 24, 1988—Boston ironworker Jack Galvin wants his son to become an architect, but Billy wants to be a steelworker like his dad, leading to conflict ov
9. S07E09Journey Into GeniusApril 6, 1988—A historical recreation of actual events in the life of playwright Eugene O'Neill, drawing on his troubled youth as he attempts to deal with
10. S07E10SuspicionApril 13, 1988—A sheltered heiress falls for a charming playboy and elopes with him, but soon discovers his gambling vice and mounting debts. As his lies d
11. S07E11The Trial of Bernhard GoetzMay 11, 1988—A presentation of uncensored portions of the highly emotional December 1984 videotape confession of Bernhard Goetz, known as the 'Subway Vig
12. S07E12The Land of Little RainJune 1, 1988—Early feminist and nature writer Mary Austin struggles to write and publish in the male-dominated California of the early 20th-century.
13. S07E13I Never Sang for My FatherJune 15, 1988—A man who wants to move on with his life by moving to California and marry his girlfriend, finds it difficult as he still lives in the tower
14. S07E14Native SonJune 29, 1988—In 1940s Chicago, a young Black man takes a job as a chauffeur to a white family, which takes a turn for the worse when he accidentally kill
15. S07E15The Big KnifeJuly 27, 1988—Charles Castle is a successful Hollywood actor who has opted for screen success over art. He must make critical decisions regarding his care
16. S07E18Episode 18—

Season 7 ranked & reviewed

1. S08E01A Raisin in the SunFebruary 1, 1989—Walter Lee Younger is a young man struggling with his station in life. Sharing a tiny apartment with his wife, son, sister and mother, he se
2. S08E02Ask Me AgainFebruary 8, 1989—Rebellious young literary editor Elizabeth Leopold clashes with her wealthy, snobbish mother over her life choices, including her job and a
3. S08E03StackingFebruary 15, 1989—After her father is injured, a teenager and an alcoholic employee struggle to save their financially troubled farm in 1954 Montana.
4. S08E04My American CousinFebruary 22, 1989—Sandy Wilcox is a pre-teen girl in rural 1950s British Columbia whose longing to be treated as an adult is roused even further when her olde
5. S08E05Love and Other SorrowsMarch 1, 1989—In St. Louis, circa 1950, Ben Griffin lives with his widowed mother and beautiful older sister, Dodie. The restoration of the family's afflu
6. S08E06Stand and DeliverMarch 15, 1989—Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a poor Hispanic neighborhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts
7. S08E07The Silence at BethanyMarch 22, 1989—A young man, seeking meaning and focus in his life, returns to the Mennonite farm community where he was born.
8. S08E08The Lawrenceville Stories, Part 3: The Beginning of the FirmApril 5, 1989—Hickey and Tennessee Shad combine their mischievous talents to make life miserable for an insufferable freshman while staying one step ahead
9. S08E09Life Under WaterApril 12, 1989—Feeling alienated from the world and his mother, Kip enters a complicated relationship with two girls he meets on the beach.
10. S08E10A Great WallApril 15, 1989—When computer programmer Leo Fang is passed up for promotion, he feels it is because he is Chinese, and quits. He takes his Chinese-American
11. S08E11The Diaries of Adam and EveApril 26, 1989—Explores the humorous conflicts and eventual partnership between the sexes, with Adam portrayed as a reclusive creature of habit and Eve as
12. S08E12The MeetingMay 3, 1989—In 1965, at a hotel in Harlem, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X engage in a conversation
13. S08E13A Walk in the WoodsMay 10, 1989—A true story about one US and one USSR delegate who, during 1982 talks in Geneva between USA and USSR on limiting medium-range nukes in Euro
14. S08E14Big TimeMay 17, 1989—In the fast-paced materialistic world of the late 1980s, three morally ambiguous players navigate an unfulfilling corporate world, emphasizi
15. S08E15The Thin Blue LineMay 24, 1989—An unorthodox investigation into the wrongful conviction of Randall Dale Adams for the 1976 murder of Dallas police officer Robert Wood. Usi
16. S08E16Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of BlissMay 31, 1989—Follows Ralphie's first summer job, his family's chaotic road trip to the 'Haven of Bliss', and the misadventures that ensue, including losi
17. S08E17Imagining AmericaJune 7, 1989—An anthology consisting of four shorts with the central theme of life in the United States, including a surreal narrative about a man's sear
18. S08E18Belizaire the CajunJune 14, 1989—Belizaire Breaux, a charismatic herb doctor, becomes entangled in a struggle for his people's survival against prejudiced vigilantes, while
19. S08E19Rachel RiverJune 21, 1989—A divorced radio personality in a small Minnesota town returns to her roots and investigates the life of a reclusive, recently deceased woma
20. S08E20Thousand Pieces of GoldNovember 30, 1989—In 1880s China, Lalu is sold into marriage by her impoverished father. Rather than becoming a bride, Lalu ends up in an Idaho gold-mining to

Season 8 ranked & reviewed

1. S09E01Sensibility and SenseJanuary 24, 1990—Three friends, once bonded over their radical beliefs in the 1930s, reunite after becoming estranged over a book one of them wrote.
2. S09E02Women and WallaceJanuary 31, 1990—After his mother's suicide, Wallace Kirkman struggles in his relationships with the women in his life.
3. S09E03The Wizard of LonelinessFebruary 7, 1990—After his mother dies and father goes to fight in World War II, young Wendall Oler moves in with his aunt and uncle in the countryside. Lone
4. S09E04Zora Is My Name!February 14, 1990—A celebration of the life of Zora Neale Hurston, who was born at the turn of the 20th-century and grew to be an important voice with her wri
5. S09E05In a Shallow GraveFebruary 21, 1990—Disfigured WWII veteran Garnet Montrose returns from Guadacanal and enlists a drifter to court his former sweetheart through letters, leadin
6. S09E06Andre's MotherMarch 7, 1990 4.0Katherine Gerard has lost her son Andre to AIDS. At his memorial service, we follow Katherine confronting the death of her son, the anguish
7. S09E07The WashMarch 21, 1990—Nobu Matsumoto is a neglectful husband. Not the most loving man. His wife Masi gradually encounters a widower, a kind, gentle figure. She ev
8. S09E08Triple PlayMarch 28, 1990—A trio of short films by Chanticleer Films and Columbia Pictures: Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (an older widower accidentally stumbles
9. S09E09Break of DawnApril 11, 1990—In 1930s Los Angeles, Mexican immigrant Pedro J. González becomes a pioneering Spanish-language radio star before being wrongly convicted an
10. S09E10Prisoners of InertiaApril 25, 1990—Indecisive newlyweds get into a series of misadventures while on a day trip from Manhattan to Hoboken, New Jersey.
11. S09E11Eat a Bowl of TeaMay 2, 1990—An American-Chinese man brings over his wife from China to America, but the challenges of making a living and adjusting to a new life, plus
12. S09E12All God's DangersMay 9, 1990—Ned Shaw recounts his life as an illiterate Black tenant farmer born into a society of former slaves and slaveholders. The story ends in Dec
13. S09E13Sidewalk StoriesMay 16, 1990—A New York City street artist rescues a baby girl after her father is murdered. He then sets off to find the mother, but has to first learn
14. S09E14Bloodhounds of BroadwayMay 23, 1990—On New Year's Eve 1928, in the New York underworld, a gambler sells his body to science, a gangster needs a transfusion, and a gambler is on
15. S09E15Where the Spirit LivesJune 6, 1990—In 1937, a young First Nations girl named Ashtecome is kidnapped along with several other children from a village as part of a deliberate Ca
16. S09E16An Enemy of the PeopleJune 13, 1990—When a scientist learns that his town's lucrative springs present a serious health threat, the community refuses to listen to him.
17. S09E17SeparationJune 27, 1990—When neurologically ill American actress Sarah calls emotionally crippled English playwright Joe, they begin a very special relationship con
18. S09E18Hyde in HollywoodJuly 6, 1990—In 1939, closeted director/actor Julian Hyde finds himself targeted by vicious and unscrupulous attacks by a gossip column by the name of Ho

Season 9 ranked & reviewed

1. S10E01Into the WoodsMarch 15, 1991—In a woods filled with magic and fairy tale characters, a baker and his wife set out to end the curse put on them by their neighbor, a spite
2. S10E02The Grapes of WrathMarch 22, 1991—Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them o
3. S10E03Three HotelsMarch 29, 1991—An American couple, Kenneth and Barbara Hoyle, reflect on their lives as players in international business, set in hotel rooms in Morocco, t
4. S10E04The Sunset GangApril 5, 1991—Three stories about the Jewish elderly in Florida: in 'Yiddish', a man and a woman, both married to others, form a bond through their native
5. S10E05Signs of LifeApril 26, 1991—The closing of a small shipbuilder in New England places stresses on the people involved.
6. S10E06The End of a SentenceMay 3, 1991—Sentenced to community service in a prison, an English professor teaches creative writing to an inmate.
7. S10E07O Pioneers!May 15, 1991—A young woman inherits her father's farm after he dies. Over the years, she overcomes challenges and turns it into a success, all the while
8. S10E08Triple Play IIMay 21, 1991—Three more short films: in 'Peacemaker', a 1950s father helps his 11-year-old son overcome his fear of the A-bomb; in 'The Price of Life', t
9. S10E09Hot Summer WindsMay 22, 1991—A look at the domestic tension between an illiterate Japanese immigrant farmer and his educated wife in 1930s California.
10. S10E10The Plot Against HarryMay 31, 1991—Deadpan, small-time Kosher Nostra mobster Harry Plotnick goes meshugga when he gets into the catering biz with his ex-brother-in-law.
11. S10E11DarrowJune 7, 1991—American lawyer Clarence Darrow evolves from a corporate attorney to a champion of the underdog, defending labor leaders like Eugene V. Debs
12. S10E12The Hollow BoyJune 14, 1991—A lonely German boy, whose bigoted parents want him to constantly work in their bakery, finds solace in a close-knit, musically-gifted Jewis
13. S10E13MisplacedJune 28, 1991—The story of strong-minded Polish mother Halina Nowak, who desperately wants her talented son Jacek to have a life in the free world.
14. S10E14A Marriage: Georgia O'Keeffe & Alfred StieglitzJuly 26, 1991—Explores the complex, passionate, and often tumultuous relationship between the iconic artist and her mentor/husband, a pivotal figure in Am
15. S10E15Longtime CompanionSeptember 29, 1991—During the summer of 1981, a group of friends in New York are completely unprepared for the onslaught of AIDS. What starts as a rumor about
16. S10E16MetropolitanDecember 4, 1991—A radical student is adopted by a group of young New Yorkers, serves as a catalyst to alter his and their lives. Gathering in a Manhattan ap

Season 10 ranked & reviewed

1. S11E01Surviving DesireJanuary 22, 1992—A literature professor falls for a student, leading to a relationship that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally fraught, paral
2. S11E02The FeudFebruary 26, 1992—In 1950s upstate New York, what begins as a trivial hardware store argument over a lit cigar and a non-smoking policy spirals into a bizarre
3. S11E03Fool's FireMarch 25, 1992—A crippled dwarf is forced to become jester under a tyrannical king, but when the king abuses a beautiful dwarf with whom the jester is in l
4. S11E04Mrs. CageMay 20, 1992—Feeling insignificant, a housewife witnesses a murder in a parking lot, shoots the killer, and then turns herself in, leading to an interrog
5. S11E05Daughters of the DustJuly 22, 1992—In 1902, a Gullah family on the Sea Islands off South Carolina decide whether to migrate to the mainland, risking their unique cultural heri
6. S11E06Tales from HollywoodOctober 19, 1992—Young playwright Ödön von Horváth joins a colony of German artists who fled the Nazis in Los Angeles, observing their struggles and compromi
7. S11E07Strangers in Good CompanyNovember 11, 1992—A busload of women become stranded in an isolated part of the Canadian countryside. As they await rescue, they reflect on their lives throug
8. S11E0884 Charlie MopicNovember 18, 1992—An Army cameraman is embedded with a reconnaissance patrol and charts their mission across territory controlled by the North Vietnamese.
9. S11E09TruNovember 23, 1992—Isolated in his apartment, Truman Capote deals with the crisis of his friends turning on him following the publication of an excerpt from An
10. S11E10Thank You and Good NightNovember 30, 1992—Blending humor and tragedy, filmmaker Jan Oxenberg goes on a personal journey to process the aging and death of her grandmother.
11. S11E11Straight Out of BrooklynJanuary 20, 1993—Larry, a troubled teen living in the rough Red Hook section of Brooklyn, decides he wants out and turns to crime to fund his escape. But his
12. S11E12Fires in the MirrorApril 28, 1993—Actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith performs a series of 29 different roles related to the Crown Heights riot in 1991. Anonymous and famou
13. S11E13In the Wings: Angels in America on BroadwayJune 11, 1993—Includes production meetings, rehearsals and performances, as well as interviews with New York cast members prior to the May 1993 Broadway o
14. S11E14La carpaJune 16, 1993—Along the US–Mexico border, a young, shy laborer, after witnessing the tragic slaying of his best friend, is transformed by the spirit of a
15. S11E15Porgy and BessOctober 6, 1993—In the early 1900s, the fictional Catfish Row section of Charleston, South Carolina serves as home to a Black fishing community. Crippled be
16. S11E16The QuarrelNovember 29, 1993—In 1948 Montreal, on Rosh Hashanah, writer Chaim Kovler is forced to reflect on his religion when asked to be the tenth in a minyan. At the
17. S11E17HallelujahDecember 22, 1993—As Christmas at the Messiah Church in Washington D.C. approaches, a young preacher and, later in the day, a mysterious pregnant girl arrive

Season 11 ranked & reviewed

1. S12E01Tales of the CityJanuary 10, 1994—Mary Ann Singleton, a naïve young secretary from the mid-west, tumbles head first into the colorful world of San Francisco, where carefree c
2. S12E02Simple MenApril 4, 1994—Diametrically opposite brothers Bill and Dennis McCabe set off on a journey to reunite with their estranged father but when their motorcycle
3. S12E03Brother's KeeperMay 2, 1994—A look at the life of Delbert Ward, a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in i
4. S12E04Long ShadowsAugust 26, 1994—Explores the life of Haru Matsukata Reischauer, the Japanese-born author who married U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Edwin O. Reischauer.
5. S12E05Ethan FromeNovember 16, 1994—Married couple Ethan and Zeena Frome are in need an extra hand around the house due to Zeena's debilitated body and constant illness. The yo
6. S12E06Golden GateNovember 30, 1994—Brash young FBI agent Kevin David Walker trumps up charges of Communist-spying against a Chinese laundryman. Ten years later, he seeks to ma

Season 12 ranked & reviewed

1. S13E01Angels and InsectsJanuary 2, 1995—In Victorian England, wealthy patriarch Sir Harald Alabaster invites an impoverished biologist, William Adamson, into his home. There, Willi
2. S13E02Blown Sideways Through LifeJuly 19, 1995—Claudia Shear's off-Broadway, one-woman show weaves her true misadventures through 64 different jobs and searches for an identity beyond mer
3. S13E03Drawn from MemoryOctober 30, 1995—Paul Fierlinger concentrates his considerable talents as an animator to recount through fragmented memories, vivid recollections, and the oc
4. S13E04The Beans of Egypt, MaineAugust 11, 1996—The Beans are poor, proud, hated by all, but alive in the sense that they struggle against their lot and support each other in time of troub
5. S13E05PassionSeptember 29, 1996—In 19th-century Italy, Giorgio, a young soldier, is in love with Clara. But they're separated when Giorgio is posted far away, where he meet
6. S13E06Episode 6—

Season 13 ranked & reviewed