American Masters
198640 seasonsReturning
From 1986 to present
· TMDBDocumentary
American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.
Episode ratings
Season 1More like this
Specials1 episodes
- S00E01Premiere1985-10-07
Season 112 episodes
- S01E01Private Conversations: On the Set of 'Death of a Salesman' 3.51986-06-23
- S01E02Philip Johnson, Self Portrait1986-06-30
- S01E03Katherine Anne Porter: The Eye of Memory 4.01986-07-07
- S01E04The Unknown Chaplin (1)1986-07-14
- S01E05The Unknown Chaplin (2)1986-07-21
- S01E06The Unknown Chaplin (3)1986-07-28
- S01E07Billie Holiday: The Long Night of Lady Day1986-08-04
- S01E08James Levine: A Life in Music1986-08-11
- S01E09Aaron Copland: A Self Portrait1986-08-18
- S01E10Thomas Eakins: A Motion Portrait 4.51986-08-25
- S01E11Georgia O'Keeffe1986-09-01
- S01E12Eugene O'Neill: A Glory of Ghosts1986-09-08
Season 210 episodes
- S02E01Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer1987-07-06
- S02E02Directed by William Wyler 3.91987-07-13
- S02E03Rubinstein Remembered 4.51987-07-20
- S02E04Nik and Murray 3.51987-07-27
- S02E05George Gershwin Remembered 4.51987-08-24
- S02E06Maurice Sendak: Mon Cher Papa1987-08-31
- S02E07The Negro Ensemble Company1987-09-14
- S02E08Unanswered Prayers: The Life and Times of Truman Capote1987-09-21
- S02E09The Ten-Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table1987-09-28
- S02E10Buster Keaton: Hard Act to Follow1987-11-18
Season 38 episodes
- S03E01Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me1988-07-11
- S03E02A Duke Named Ellington 5.01988-07-18
- S03E03Andre Kertesz of the Cities1988-08-08
- S03E04Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul 4.51988-08-22
- S03E05Rivera in America1988-08-29
- S03E06Saint-Gaudens: Masque of the Golden Bowl1988-09-05
- S03E07Neil Simon: Not Just for Laughs1989-03-08
- S03E08Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre 3.31989-06-26
Season 410 episodes
- S04E01Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre1989-07-03
- S04E02Stella Adler: Awake and Dream! 4.01989-07-10
- S04E03Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong1989-07-31
- S04E04James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket1989-08-14
- S04E05Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker1989-08-17
- S04E06Jasper Johns: Ideas in Paint 5.01989-09-11
- S04E07Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition 4.01989-09-18
- S04E08W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult 4.51989-09-25
- S04E09Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius 3.41989-11-15
- S04E10Milos Forman: Portrait1989-12-20
Season 58 episodes
- S05E01Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer 3.31990-07-02
- S05E02John Cassavetes 5.01990-07-09
- S05E03Martin Scorsese Directs 3.01990-07-16
- S05E04You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story 3.51990-07-23
- S05E05Edward R. Murrow: This Reporter1990-07-30
- S05E06John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen1990-08-20
- S05E07Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret 5.01990-08-27
- S05E08John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It 3.51990-09-17
Season 69 episodes
- S06E01Helen Hayes: First Lady of the American Theatre1991-07-01
- S06E02Miracle on 44th Street: A Portrait of the Actor's Studio1991-07-08
- S06E03A. Einstein: How I See the World1991-07-22
- S06E04Sarah Vaughan: The Divine One1991-07-29
- S06E05Frederic Remington: The Truth of Other Days1991-08-05
- S06E06Menuhin: A Family Portrait1991-08-12
- S06E07Robert Motherwell and the New York School1991-08-26
- S06E08Ray Charles: The Genius of Soul1992-01-03
- S06E09Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey1992-05-01
Season 73 episodes
- S07E01Paul Simon: Born at the Right Time1993-03-14
- S07E02George Lucas: Heroes, Myths & Magic1993-03-17
- S07E03D.W. Griffith: Father of Film1993-03-24
Season 82 episodes
- S08E01Benny Goodman: Adventures in the Kingdom of Swing1993-12-08
- S08E02Martha Graham: The Dancer Revealed1994-05-13
Season 94 episodes
- S09E01Rediscovering Will Rogers1994-11-30
- S09E02Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage1994-12-19
- S09E03Placido Domingo: A Musical Life1995-02-15
- S09E04Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul 3.51995-03-22
Season 105 episodes
- S10E01Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval1995-11-29
- S10E02William Styron: The Way of the Writer1996-01-22
- S10E03Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light1996-01-24
- S10E04Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud1996-04-10
- S10E05Nichols and May: Take Two 3.91996-05-22
Season 115 episodes
- S11E01Lena Horne: In Her Own Voice 3.31996-11-25
- S11E02Danny Kaye: A Legacy of Laughter1996-12-10
- S11E03Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde1997-04-09
- S11E04Jack Paar: As I Was Saying1997-05-07
- S11E05Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper1997-06-25
Season 126 episodes
- S12E01The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg1997-09-17
- S12E02Vaudeville 4.01997-11-26
- S12E03Billy Wilder: the Human Comedy1998-02-04
- S12E04Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart 4.51998-04-29
- S12E05Don Hewitt: 90 Minutes on 60 Minutes1998-05-01
- S12E06Alexander Calder1998-06-17
Season 137 episodes
- S13E01Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note1998-10-28
- S13E02The Line King: Al Hirschfeld1999-01-06
- S13E03Paul Robeson: Here I Stand1999-02-24
- S13E04Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive Genius1999-04-07
- S13E05The Lives of Lillian Hellman1999-06-30
- S13E06Dashiell Hammett: Detective, Writer1999-06-30
- S13E07Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley1999-08-18
Season 147 episodes
- S14E01Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood1999-11-01
- S14E02Norman Rockwell: Painting America1999-11-24
- S14E03Ella Fitzgerald: Something to Live For1999-12-08
- S14E04Paul Taylor: Dancemaker2000-01-05
- S14E05Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light2000-02-02
- S14E06Isaac Stern: Life's Virtuoso2000-04-13
- S14E07The Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation2000-05-31
Season 158 episodes
- S15E01Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows2000-09-27
- S15E02Mailer On Mailer2000-10-04
- S15E03On Cukor2000-11-22
- S15E04Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy2000-12-03
- S15E05Bob Marley: Rebel Music2001-02-14
- S15E06A Conversation with Gregory Peck2001-04-09
- S15E07Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye2001-04-16
- S15E08Coming to Light: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indians2001-04-23
Season 168 episodes
- S16E01Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies2001-10-07
- S16E02F. Scott Fitzgerald: Winter Dreams2001-10-14
- S16E03Richard Rodgers: The Sweetest Sounds2001-10-21
- S16E04Quincy Jones: In the Pocket2001-11-18
- S16E05Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records2001-11-28
- S16E06Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance2001-12-16
- S16E07Ralph Ellison: An American Journey2002-02-19
- S16E08Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer2002-03-01
Season 178 episodes
- S17E01Willie Nelson: Still Is Still Moving2002-10-02
- S17E02Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces2002-10-30
- S17E03Juilliard2003-01-29
- S17E04Alice Waters and her Delicious Revolution2003-03-19
- S17E05Joni Mitchell: A Woman of Heart and Mind2003-04-02
- S17E06Muddy Waters: Can't Be Satisfied2003-04-23
- S17E07Robert Capa: In Love and War2003-05-28
- S17E08The Education of Gore Vidal2003-07-30
Season 188 episodes
- S18E01Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist2003-09-03
- S18E02James Brown: Soul Survivor2003-10-29
- S18E03Cary Grant: A Class Apart2004-01-07
- S18E04Balanchine2004-01-14
- S18E05Judy Garland: By Myself2004-02-25
- S18E06Henry Luce and Time-Life's America: A Vision of Empire2004-04-28
- S18E07Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues2004-06-23
- S18E08Julia! America's Favorite Chef2004-08-18
Season 198 episodes
- S19E01James Dean: Sense Memories2005-05-11
- S19E02Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice2005-06-29
- S19E03George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey2005-07-13
- S19E04Bob Newhart: Unbuttoned2005-07-20
- S19E05Willa Cather: The Road is All2005-09-07
- S19E06Ernest Hemingway: Rivers to the Sea2005-09-14
- S19E07Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (1)2005-09-26
- S19E08Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (2) 4.02005-09-27
Season 209 episodes
- S20E01John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend2006-05-10
- S20E02The World of Nat King Cole2006-05-17
- S20E03Woodie Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home2006-07-12
- S20E04Marilyn Monroe: Still Life2006-07-19
- S20E05Walter Cronkite: Witness to History2006-07-26
- S20E06Andy Warhol: A Documentary (Part 1)2006-09-20
- S20E07Andy Warhol: A Documentary (Part 2)2006-09-21
- S20E08Sketches of Frank Gehry2006-09-27
- S20E09Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens2007-01-03
Season 219 episodes
- S21E01Novel Reflections on the American Dream2007-04-04
- S21E02Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built2007-04-11
- S21E03Les Paul: Chasing Sound2007-07-11
- S21E04David Hockney: The Colors of Music2007-07-18
- S21E05John James Audubon: Drawn From Nature2007-07-25
- S21E06Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends2007-09-12
- S21E07Orozco: Man of Fire2007-09-19
- S21E08Good Ol' Charles Schulz2007-10-29
- S21E09Carol Burnett: A Woman of Character2007-11-05
Season 229 episodes
- S22E01Pete Seeger: The Power of Song2008-02-27
- S22E02Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun2008-04-09
- S22E03Marvin Gaye: What's Going On2008-05-07
- S22E04You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet (1923-1935)2008-09-23
- S22E05You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: Good War, Uneasy Peace (1935-1950)2008-09-23
- S22E06You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: A New Reality (1950-1970)2008-09-24
- S22E07You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: Woodstock Notions (1970-1989)2008-09-24
- S22E08You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: The Big Tent (1980-Present)2008-09-25
- S22E09The Brothers Warner2008-09-25
Season 238 episodes
- S23E01Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About2009-02-18
- S23E02Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts2009-04-08
- S23E03Hollywood Chinese2009-05-27
- S23E04Neil Young: Don't Be Denied2009-06-10
- S23E05Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes2009-07-01
- S23E06Trumbo2009-09-02
- S23E07Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound2009-10-14
- S23E08Louisa May Alcott: the Woman Behind 'Little Women'2009-12-28
Season 248 episodes
- S24E01Sam Cooke: Crossing Over2010-01-11
- S24E02I.M. Pei: Building China Modern2010-03-31
- S24E03The Doors: When You're Strange2010-05-12
- S24E04Merle Haggard: Learning to Live with Myself2010-06-21
- S24E05Cachao: Uno Más2010-09-20
- S24E06A Letter to Elia2010-10-04
- S24E07Lennon NYC2010-11-22
- S24E08Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould2010-12-27
Season 259 episodes
- S25E01Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides2011-01-12
- S25E02Troubadors: Carole King/James Taylor & the Rise of the Singer-Songwriter2011-03-02
- S25E03John Muir in the New World2011-04-18
- S25E04James Levine: America's Maestro2011-06-01
- S25E05Pearl Jam Twenty2011-10-21
- S25E06Bill T. Jones: A Good Man2011-11-11
- S25E07Woody Allen: A Documentary (1) 4.52011-11-20
- S25E08Woody Allen: A Documentary (2) 4.52011-11-21
- S25E09Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter2011-12-29
Season 268 episodes
- S26E01Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune2012-01-23
- S26E02Cab Calloway: Sketches2012-02-27
- S26E03Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel2012-04-02
- S26E04Harper Lee: Hey, Boo2012-04-02
- S26E05Johnny Carson: King of Late Night 4.02012-05-14
- S26E06The Day Carl Sandburg Died2012-09-24
- S26E07Inventing David Geffen2012-11-20
- S26E08Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance2012-12-28
Season 275 episodes
- S27E01Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock & Roll 4.02013-02-22
- S27E02Philip Roth: Unmasked2013-03-29
- S27E03Mel Brooks: Make a Noise 4.52013-05-20
- S27E04Billie Jean King2013-09-10
- S27E05Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'2013-11-05
Season 2810 episodes
- S28E01Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did for Love2013-12-27
- S28E02Salinger2014-01-21
- S28E03Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth2014-02-07
- S28E04A Fierce Green Fire2014-04-22
- S28E05Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself2014-05-16
- S28E06Tanaquil Le Clercq: Afternoon of a Faun2014-06-20
- S28E07Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning2014-08-29
- S28E08Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work2014-09-23
- S28E09The Boomer List2014-09-23
- S28E10Bing Crosby Rediscovered2014-12-02
Season 298 episodes
- S29E01Ricky Jay: Deceptive Practice 0.52015-01-23
- S29E02August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand2015-02-20
- S29E03Jascha Heifetz: God's Fiddler 0.52015-04-16
- S29E04American Ballet Theatre: A History 0.52015-05-15
- S29E05Harper Lee 0.52015-07-10
- S29E06Althea 0.52015-09-04
- S29E07Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer's Journey 0.52015-09-18
- S29E08The Women's List 0.52015-09-25
Season 309 episodes
- S30E01Mike Nichols2016-01-29
- S30E02B.B. King: The Life of Riley 1.82016-02-12
- S30E03Carole King: Natural Woman 0.52016-02-19
- S30E04Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll 0.52016-02-26
- S30E05Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl2016-03-04
- S30E06Janis: Little Girl Blue 0.52016-05-03
- S30E07The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End2016-05-27
- S30E08Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You2016-10-25
- S30E09Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future2016-12-27
Season 3110 episodes
- S31E01By Sidney Lumet2017-01-03
- S31E02Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise 0.52017-02-21
- S31E03Patsy Cline2017-03-01
- S31E04James Beard: America’s First Foodie2017-05-19
- S31E05Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft 4.02017-05-26
- S31E06Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny2017-09-01
- S31E07Tyrus 0.52017-09-08
- S31E08Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive2017-10-30
- S31E09Inspiring Woman Web Series 0.52017-11-08
- S31E10This is Bob Hope2017-11-13
Season 328 episodes
- S32E01Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart 0.52018-01-19
- S32E02Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story2018-05-18
- S32E03Ted Williams: “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived” 4.52018-07-23
- S32E04Artists Flight: Eva Hesse 0.52018-08-31
- S32E05Artists Flight: Everybody Knows…Elizabeth Murray 0.52018-09-07
- S32E06Andrew Wyeth 5.02018-09-07
- S32E07Basquiat: Rage to Riches 0.52018-09-14
- S32E08Itzhak Perlman 0.52018-10-14
Season 3312 episodes
- S33E01Decoding Watson 0.52019-01-02
- S33E02Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me 2.02019-02-19
- S33E03Charley Pride 0.52019-02-22
- S33E04Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives 0.52019-03-01
- S33E05Joseph Pulitzer: Voice Of The People2019-04-12
- S33E06Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable 0.52019-04-19
- S33E07Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life 0.52019-06-14
- S33E08Robert Shaw -- Man of Many Voices 0.52019-06-21
- S33E09Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin 0.52019-08-02
- S33E10Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage 0.52019-09-13
- S33E11Rothko: Pictures Must Be Miraculous 0.52019-10-25
- S33E12N. Scott Momaday: Words From a Bear 0.52019-11-18
Season 348 episodes
- S34E01Miles Davis Birth of the Cool 3.32020-03-03
- S34E02Mae West: Dirty Blonde 1.92020-06-16
- S34E03Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am2020-06-01
- S34E04Unladylike2020: The Changemakers2020-07-10
- S34E05Walter Winchell: The Power of Gossip2020-10-20
- S34E06Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Now Is2020-10-23
- S34E07Keith Haring: Street Art Boy 0.52020-12-04
- S34E08Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page 0.52020-12-29
Season 3510 episodes
- S35E01How It Feels to Be Free 0.52021-01-18
- S35E02Flannery 0.52021-03-23
- S35E03Twyla Moves 0.52021-03-26
- S35E04Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story2021-04-02
- S35E05Oliver Sacks: His Own Life2021-04-09
- S35E06Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir2021-05-03
- S35E07Ballerina Boys 0.52021-06-04
- S35E08Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away 0.52021-07-27
- S35E09Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It 0.52021-10-05
- S35E10Becoming Helen Keller 0.52021-10-19
Season 368 episodes
- S36E01Ailey 0.52022-01-11
- S36E02Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands 0.52022-02-08
- S36E03Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha 0.52022-05-10
- S36E04Joe Papp in Five Acts2022-06-03
- S36E05Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road 3.52022-06-14
- S36E06Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On 0.52022-11-22
- S36E07The Adventures of Saul Bellow 0.52022-12-12
- S36E08Groucho & Cavett2022-12-27
Season 379 episodes
- S37E01Roberta Flack 0.52023-01-24
- S37E02Dr. Tony Fauci 0.52023-03-21
- S37E03In the Making 0.52023-03-24
- S37E04Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV 0.52023-05-16
- S37E05Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll 0.52023-06-02
- S37E06Jerry Brown: The Disrupter 0.52023-09-15
- S37E07Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely 0.52023-09-22
- S37E08A Song for Cesar 0.52023-09-29
- S37E09Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes 0.52023-10-06
Season 387 episodes
- S38E01HOPPER: An American Love Story 4.02024-01-02
- S38E02Moynihan 0.52024-03-29
- S38E03The Incomparable Mr. Buckley2024-04-02
- S38E04Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames2024-08-28
- S38E05Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined 0.52024-09-17
- S38E06Renegades: Daniel K. Inouye 0.52024-10-08
- S38E07Brenda Lee: Rockin' Around 0.52024-12-16
Season 398 episodes
- S39E01The Disappearance of Miss Scott 0.52025-02-21
- S39E02LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story 0.52025-04-01
- S39E03Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse 0.52025-04-15
- S39E04Janis Ian: Breaking Silence 0.52025-06-20
- S39E05Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny 0.52025-06-27
- S39E06Marcella 0.52025-07-11
- S39E07Marlee Matlin Not Alone Anymore 0.52025-10-15
- S39E08Starring Dick Van Dyke 0.52025-12-12
Season 404 episodes
- S40E01Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire 0.52026-01-27
- S40E02Sun Ra: Do the Impossible 0.52026-02-14
- S40E03Bella! This Woman's Place Is in the House 0.52026-03-17
- S40E04W.E.B. Du Bois 0.52026-05-19