American Experience (1988)

Season 34

TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

Released Oct. 4, 1988 Episode 74 min 12+

Genres: Biography, Documentary, History

Keywords: tmdb.biography, tmdb.usa-history, tmdb.current-affairs, imdb.media-coverage, imdb.americana, imdb.american-history, imdb.history-documentary + 9 more, imdb.social-documentary, imdb.reenactment, imdb.public-media, imdb.anthology, mdblist.ext.2k-blu-ray, mdblist.has-trailer, awards.oscar-nominated, awards.emmy-award-winner, awards.emmy-award-nominated

Watch Providers: PBS, PBS, PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel, YouTube TV

Production Companies: WGBH Boston

Network: PBS

Country: United States
Languages: English

IMDb 3391

8.6

/2467/

Trakt

/99/

TMDb

/39/

Tomatoes

David Grubin
Director

David Ogden Stiers
Narrator (voice)

Linda Hunt
Narrator (voice)

David McCullough
Host, Narrator (voice)

Michael Murphy
Narrator (voice)

Liev Schreiber
Narrator (voice)

Joe Morton
Narrator (voice)

Jason Robards
Narrator (voice)

Blair Brown
Ellen Wilson (voice), Narrator (voice)

S34E1 - Riveted: The History of Jeans

The fascinating and surprising story of the iconic American garment. They’re more than just a pair of pants — America’s tangled past is woven deeply into the indigo fabric. From its roots in slavery to the Wild West, youth culture, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics are writ large.

Feb. 7, 2022, midnight

S34E2 - The American Diplomat

Discover how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the US State Department during the Cold War. Asked to represent the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home, they left a lasting impact on the Foreign Service.

Feb. 15, 2022, midnight

S34E3 - Flood in the Desert

Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland, who had ensured the growth of Los Angeles by bringing water to the city via aqueduct.

May 3, 2022, midnight

S34E4 - Plague at the Golden Gate

Discover how an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco. This new documentary tells the gripping story of the race against time by health officials to save the city from the deadly disease.

May 24, 2022, midnight