American Masters
PBS · 1986– · Airing now · Music · ★ 7.6/10
Now in its 30th year, American Masters has produced an exceptional library of more than 160 television programs, bringing unique originality and perspective to exploring the lives and illuminating the creative journeys of our most enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists and filmmakers – those who have "left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape". Balancing a broad cast of characters and artistic approaches, while preserving historical authenticity and intellectual integrity, these portraits resonate the attention, style and substance each subject deserves. American Masters sustains high audience awareness and loyalty, averaging 2-to-5 million viewers per program.
Next episode: S40 E8 “Liz Diller” — November 24, 2026 on PBS
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American Masters episode guide
Season 1 · 12 episodes · Jun 23, 1986 – Sep 8, 1986
- Arthur Miller: Private Conversations
- Phillip Johnson: A Self Portrait
- Katherine Anne Porter: The Eye of Memory
- The Unknown Chaplin: Part 1
- The Unknown Chaplin: Part 2
- The Unknown Chaplin: Part 3
- Billie Holiday: The Long Night of Lady Day
- James Levine: A Life in Music
- Aaron Copland: About the Composer
- Thomas Eakins: A Motion Portrait
- Georgia O'Keeffe
- Eugene O'Neill: A Glory of Ghosts
Season 2 · 12 episodes · Jul 6, 1987 – Nov 20, 1987
- Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Directed by William Wyler
- Rubinstein Remembered
- Nik and Murray
- George Gershwin Remembered
- Maurice Sendak: Mon Cher Papa
- The Negro Ensemble Company
- Unanswered Prayers: The Life and Times of Truman Capote
- The Algonquin Round Table: The Ten Year Lunch
- Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow
- Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (Part 2)
- Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (Part 3)
Season 3 · 8 episodes · Jul 11, 1988 – Jun 26, 1989
Season 4 · 10 episodes · Jul 3, 1989 – Dec 20, 1989
- Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre
- Stella Adler: Awake and Dream!
- Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong
- James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
- Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker
- Jasper Johns: Ideas in Paint
- Mort Sahl: Shaping Laughter
- W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult
- Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius
- Milos Forman: Portrait
Season 5 · 8 episodes · Jul 2, 1990 – Sep 17, 1990
- Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer
- John Cassavetes
- Martin Scorsese Directs
- You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
- Edward R. Murrow: This Reporter
- John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen
- Sanford Meisner: The Theater's Best Kept Secret
- John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I'm Saying It
Season 6 · 10 episodes · Jul 1, 1991 – May 1, 1992
- Helen Hayes: First Lady of the American Theatre
- Miracle on 44th Street: A Portrait of the Actor's Studio
- A. Einstein: How I See the World
- Sarah Vaughan: The Divine One
- Frederic Remington: The Truth of Other Days
- Menuhin: A Family Portrait
- Robert Motherwell and the New York School
- Ray Charles: The Genius of Soul
- Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol
- Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey
Season 7 · 3 episodes · Mar 14, 1993 – Mar 24, 1993
Season 8 · 2 episodes · Dec 8, 1993 – May 13, 1994
Season 9 · 4 episodes · Nov 30, 1994 – Mar 22, 1995
Season 10 · 5 episodes · Nov 29, 1995 – May 22, 1996
Season 11 · 5 episodes · Nov 25, 1996 – Jun 25, 1997
Season 12 · 6 episodes · Sep 17, 1997 – Jun 17, 1998
Season 13 · 7 episodes · Oct 28, 1998 – Aug 18, 1999
Season 14 · 7 episodes · Nov 1, 1999 – May 31, 2000
Season 15 · 8 episodes · Sep 27, 2000 – Apr 23, 2001
Season 16 · 8 episodes · Oct 7, 2001 – Mar 1, 2002
Season 17 · 8 episodes · Oct 2, 2002 – Jul 30, 2003
Season 18 · 8 episodes · Sep 3, 2003 – Aug 18, 2004
Season 19 · 7 episodes · May 11, 2005 – Sep 27, 2005
Season 20 · 9 episodes · May 10, 2006 – Jan 3, 2007
- John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend
- The World of Nat King Cole
- Woodie Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home
- Marilyn Monroe: Still Life
- Walter Cronkite: Witness to History
- Andy Warhol: A Documentary: Part 1
- Andy Warhol: A Documentary: Part 2
- Sketches of Frank Gehry
- Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
Season 21 · 9 episodes · Apr 4, 2007 – Nov 5, 2007
Season 22 · 9 episodes · Feb 27, 2008 – Sep 25, 2008
- Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
- Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
- Marvin Gaye: What's Going On
- You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet (1923-1935)
- You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: Good War, Uneasy Peace (1935-1950)
- You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: A New Reality (1950-1970)
- You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: Woodstock Notions (1970-1989)
- You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story: The Big Tent (1980-Present)
- The Brothers Warner
Season 23 · 8 episodes · Feb 18, 2009 – Dec 28, 2009
Season 24 · 8 episodes · Jan 11, 2010 – Dec 27, 2010
Season 25 · 9 episodes · Jan 12, 2011 – Dec 29, 2011
- Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides
- Troubadors: Carole King/James Taylor & the Rise of the Singer-Songwriter
- John Muir in the New World
- James Levine: America's Maestro
- Pearl Jam Twenty
- Bill T. Jones: A Good Man
- Woody Allen: A Documentary: Part 1
- Woody Allen: A Documentary: Part 2
- Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter
Season 26 · 8 episodes · Jan 23, 2012 – Dec 28, 2012
Season 27 · 6 episodes · Feb 22, 2013 – Dec 27, 2013
Season 28 · 9 episodes · Jan 21, 2014 – Dec 2, 2014
Season 29 · 7 episodes · Jan 23, 2015 – Sep 25, 2015
Season 30 · 9 episodes · Jan 29, 2016 – Dec 27, 2016
- Mike Nichols: An American Master
- B.B. King: The Life of Riley
- Carole King: Natural Woman
- Fats Domino: The Birth of Rock N' Roll
- Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
- Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blue
- The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End
- Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
- Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future
Season 31 · 11 episodes · Jan 3, 2017 – Dec 29, 2017
Season 32 · 8 episodes · Jan 19, 2018 – Oct 14, 2018
Season 33 · 12 episodes · Jan 2, 2019 – Nov 18, 2019
- Decoding Watson
- Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me
- Charley Pride: I'm Just Me
- Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives
- Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People
- Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable
- Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life
- Robert Shaw - Man of Many Voices
- Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
- Raul Julia: The World's a Stage
- Rothko: Pictures Must Be Miraculous
- N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear
Season 34 · 9 episodes · Feb 25, 2020 – Dec 29, 2020
Season 35 · 10 episodes · Jan 18, 2021 – Oct 19, 2021
Season 36 · 8 episodes · Jan 11, 2022 – Dec 27, 2022
Season 37 · 9 episodes · Jan 24, 2023 – Oct 6, 2023
Season 38 · 6 episodes · Jan 2, 2024 – Dec 16, 2024
Season 39 · 8 episodes · Feb 21, 2025 – Dec 12, 2025
Season 40 · 8 episodes · Dec 16, 2025 – Nov 24, 2026
Season 41 · 1 episode · Dec 29, 2026
Where to watch American Masters
American Masters airs on PBS (United States). Official site. Open it in TV Tracker to see every streaming service it's on in the US.
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