Great Performances (1972–present)

1. S01E01Episode 1January 28, 1971—
2. S01E02Episode 2February 4, 1971—
3. S01E03Episode 3February 25, 1971—
4. S01E07Paradise LostFebruary 25, 1971—Paradise Lost is a drama by Clifford Odets that takes place during the Depression. The play was originally produced on Broadway by the Group
5. S01E18Hogan's GoatOctober 18, 1971—A young Irish ward boss has a chance to be elected mayor, but the disgraced current mayor makes sure the candidate's wife learns about his a

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Episode 1November 4, 1972 7.0
2. S02E02Episode 2December 30, 1972—
3. S02E10Cyrano de BergeracFebruary 6, 1974—Long-nosed Cyrano de Begerac helps an army officer woo Roxanne, the woman he loves. Directed by William Ball, starring Peter Donat and Mars

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01Season's bestEpisode 1January 23, 1974 9.0
2. S03E02June MoonJanuary 30, 1974—In a nod to the days of classic American comedy, a 1929's Tin Pan Alley lyricist meets a composer who has a big hit: "Paprika... the Spice o
3. S03E03The Widowing of Mrs. HolroydMay 8, 1974—Mr. Holroyd is an alcoholic, abusive miner in pre-WWI England who terrorizes his family. Mrs. Holroyd plans to run away with her would-be lo
4. S03E04AntigoneFebruary 13, 1974—
5. S03E05King LearFebruary 20, 1974—King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cord
6. S03E06Episode 6March 20, 1974 7.0
7. S03E07Episode 7March 27, 1974 4.8
8. S03E08Episode 8May 8, 1974 8.0
9. S03E09Episode 9May 22, 1974—
10. S03E10Episode 10December 25, 1974—

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01The SeagullJanuary 5, 1975—
2. S04E02Episode 2February 19, 1975 8.0
3. S04E03Episode 3March 12, 1975 9.0
4. S04E04Episode 4April 2, 1975—
5. S04E05Episode 5April 30, 1975—
6. S04E06Episode 6May 7, 1975—
7. S04E07Episode 7July 17, 1975—

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

1. S05E01Episode 1January 1, 1976—
2. S05E02Episode 2January 8, 1976—
3. S05E03Episode 3January 28, 1976—
4. S05E04Episode 4April 28, 1976—
5. S05E05Episode 5May 26, 1976—
6. S05E06Episode 6June 16, 1976—
7. S05E07SarahOctober 6, 1976—Fictionalized biography of Sarah Bernhard.
8. S05E08Episode 8October 13, 1976 9.0
9. S05E09Episode 9December 15, 1976—

Season 5 ranked & reviewed

1. S06E01Episode 1January 12, 1977—
2. S06E02Episode 2January 26, 1977—
3. S06E03Episode 3April 27, 1977—
4. S06E04Abide with MeJuly 12, 1977 9.0

Season 6 ranked & reviewed

1. S07E01Episode 1January 25, 1978 8.0
2. S07E02Episode 2March 1, 1978—
3. S07E03Season's bestEpisode 3August 2, 1978 10.0
4. S07E04Episode 4November 8, 1978 8.0

Season 7 ranked & reviewed

1. S08E01Episode 1June 20, 1979—

Season 8 ranked & reviewed

1. S09E01The Most Happy FellaJanuary 1, 1980 7.0
2. S09E02Episode 2June 25, 1980—
3. S09E03Episode 3November 24, 1980 4.5

Season 9 ranked & reviewed

1. S10E01Episode 1January 5, 1981—
2. S10E02Season's bestEpisode 2June 1, 1981 10.0
3. S10E03Episode 3September 20, 1981 9.0
4. S10E04Episode 4October 19, 1981 8.0
5. S10E05Episode 5November 9, 1981 7.0
6. S10E06Episode 6November 16, 1981 7.0

Season 10 ranked & reviewed

1. S11E01Great Performances' 10th Anniversary CelebrationDecember 6, 1982—

Season 11 ranked & reviewed

1. S12E01Season's bestEllington: The Music Lives OnMarch 7, 1983 9.0
2. S12E02Episode 2May 9, 1983 8.0
3. S12E03Alice in WonderlandOctober 3, 1983 8.0
4. S12E04Laurence Olivier: A LifeDecember 7, 1983 7.0A multi-award winning biography covering the life and career of actor/director Laurence Olivier.
5. S12E10Taking My TurnMay 10, 1985—
6. S12E11The Best of BroadwayMay 24, 1985—
7. S12E12OrpheusJune 7, 1985—
8. S12E13UlyssesJune 14, 1985—
9. S12E14The Coronation of PoppeaJune 21, 1985—

Season 12 ranked & reviewed

1. S13E01Doctor Fischer of GenevaOctober 11, 1985 7.5
2. S13E02Three by ThreeOctober 18, 1985—
3. S13E03Lena Horne: The Lady and Her MusicDecember 7, 1984—
4. S13E04The Importance of Being ErnestNovember 29, 1985 8.0In 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues.
5. S13E13Heartbreak HouseApril 24, 1985—Re-creation of the Broadway production of George Bernard Shaw's 1920 comedy of manners. The troubles of England are parallel with the domest
6. S13E23Early DaysApril 18, 1986—
7. S13E24Grown-UpsNovember 25, 1986—A middle-aged journalist has, at last, grown up - only to find he's trapped in a world of emotional infants.

Season 13 ranked & reviewed

1. S14E01Episode 1March 22, 1985—
2. S14E02Episode 2April 24, 1985 8.0
3. S14E03Episode 3May 24, 1985—
4. S14E04The Gospel at Colonus (Episode 4)November 8, 1985 8.0The legendary gospel musical that transforms Sophocles’ timeless tale of the last days of Oedipus into a parable for our times. With its epi
5. S14E05Season's bestEpisode 5November 25, 1985 10.0
6. S14E06Episode 6November 29, 1985—
7. S14E07Episode 7December 7, 1985—

Season 14 ranked & reviewed

1. S15E01The Cotton Club RemenberedFebruary 7, 1986—
2. S15E02Season's bestEpisode 2March 7, 1986 8.0
3. S15E03Episode 3March 14, 1986 7.0
4. S15E04Episode 4October 17, 1986—
5. S15E05Episode 5November 28, 1986 8.0
6. S15E06Early DaysApril 18, 1986—

Season 15 ranked & reviewed

1. S16E01Episode 1January 1, 1987—
2. S16E02Season's bestEpisode 2January 8, 1987 10.0
3. S16E03Monsignor QuixoteFebruary 13, 1987—In this modern adaptation of the Don Quixote theme based on a novel by Graham Greene, Quixote is an old Spanish village priest who travels t
4. S16E04Celebrating Gershwin: The Jazz AgeMarch 13, 1987 6.0
5. S16E05Broadway Sings: The Music of Jule StyneMarch 15, 1987—Musical salute to composer Jule Styne.
6. S16E06Episode 6April 1, 1987—
7. S16E07Episode 7September 30, 1987 7.0
8. S16E08The Music Makers: An ASCAP Celebration of American Music at Wolf TrapOctober 16, 1987—
9. S16E09Episode 9November 6, 1987—A Hollywood actress who worries that the movie world is eroding her grip on reality is drawn into a love affair with an ordinary - and marri
10. S16E10Episode 10November 27, 1987—
11. S16E11Episode 11December 4, 1987—

Season 16 ranked & reviewed

1. S17E01Episode 1January 1, 1988—
2. S17E02Season's bestEpisode 2January 8, 1988 10.0
3. S17E03Episode 3February 2, 1988 8.0
4. S17E04Episode 4April 8, 1988—
5. S17E05Richard Burton: In from the ColdSeptember 20, 1988 5.5
6. S17E06Episode 6November 4, 1988 7.0

Season 17 ranked & reviewed

1. S18E01San Francisco Opera: Mefistofele by Arrigo BoitoJanuary 1, 1989 9.0
2. S18E02Episode 2January 8, 1989 9.3
3. S18E03Episode 3March 3, 1989—
4. S18E04Season's bestEpisode 4April 8, 1989 10.0
5. S18E05Episode 5September 9, 1989—
6. S18E06Episode 6October 27, 1989 10.0
7. S18E07Episode 7November 3, 1989—
8. S18E08An Evening with Alan Jay LernerNovember 24, 1989—Musical celebration of the songs of lyricist Alan Jay Lerner.
9. S18E09Episode 9December 1, 1989—

Season 18 ranked & reviewed

1. S19E01Season's bestEpisode 1January 1, 1990 9.0
2. S19E02Episode 2January 8, 1990 3.7
3. S19E03Episode 3January 15, 1990 8.0
4. S19E04Music by Richard RodgersMarch 1, 1990—Life and work of American composer Richard Rodgers, whose work, in collaboration with Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, and others, gave th
5. S19E05Episode 5March 18, 1990—
6. S19E06Episode 6May 10, 1990—

Season 19 ranked & reviewed

1. S20E01Episode 1January 25, 1991 8.0
2. S20E02Season's bestEpisode 2February 1, 1991 9.0
3. S20E03Episode 3March 8, 1991 8.0
4. S20E04Episode 4October 2, 1991 7.0
5. S20E05Episode 5October 30, 1991 9.0
6. S20E06Episode 6December 20, 1991 8.0
7. S20E07Episode 7December 23, 1991—

Season 20 ranked & reviewed