American Masters

Watch American Masters

  • TV-14
  • 1986
  • 37 Seasons
  • 8.2  (1,085)

American Masters is a PBS series that has been running since 1985. It features biographical information on artists and performers who have made significant contributions to American culture. The show has become a staple of American television and has featured numerous celebrities, from musicians to actors, writers, and activists. The show's featured guests include celebrities like Lee Grant, Peter Bogdanovich, Jack Lemmon, Eli Wallach, James Dean, Abiola Abrams, Ray Charles, Hugh Hefner, Carlos Santana, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gene Hackman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Peter Coyote, Harvey Keitel, Yoko Ono, Paul Newman, CCH Pounder, Betty White, Cesar Romero, Peggy Lipton, John Cage, Dylan McDermott, Oliver Platt, Bert Lahr, Lily Tomlin, James Garner, Clarke Peters, June Havoc, Alexis Smith, Pat Boone, Tony Martin, Laurie Anderson, Lennie Niehaus, Mary Martin, Signe Hasso, Fielder Cook, Janis Paige, Earl Holliman, Pete Seeger, Eartha Kitt, Rosemary Clooney, Patricia Morison, Ben Vereen, Arthur Penn, Turhan Bey, Edie Adams, Michael Wright, William Goldman, Terry Southern, Nicholas Pileggi, Joan Baez, Jay Cocks, George Clayton Johnson, I. A. L. Diamond, Reed Birney, Jen Drohan, Dionne Warwick, Bill Irwin, Phyllis Diller, Shimon Peres, Harry Carey, Neil Hamilton, Neil Simon, Larry David, Harry James, Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton, Anne Jackson, Pippa Scott, Miriam Makeba, William Bakewell, Oscar Peterson, Gypsy Rose Lee, Richard Davalos, Douglas Fowley, Minta Durfee, D. A. Pennebaker, Mary Doran, Benson Fong, Henry Kolker, Vernon Reid, Dalton Trumbo, Josephine Dunn, Arthur Hohl, Robert Benchley, Hunter S. Thompson, Maria Sharapova, Chris Spedding, Michael Pollan, Tony Benn, Robbie Robertson, Edna Ferber, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Frazier, Bryan Ferry, Elizabeth Marvel, Priscilla Bonner, Peter Sellars, Sammy White, Omara Portuondo, Robert Harron, Jerome Kern, Eugenie Besserer, Ernest Cossart, Frances Foster, Steve Allen, Sarah Vaughan, Martha Tilton, Raymond Walburn, Jane Novak, David Margulies, Joel Fabiani, Anna Wintour, Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson, Eric Christmas, Betty Garrett, Whitney Houston, Harold Goodwin, George Morfogen, Molly Picon, Joseph Buloff, Mae Marsh, Sidney Lumet, Luise Rainer, Jon Hamm, Robin Hughes, Carole King, Nat Hentoff, Jimmy Page, Aretha Franklin, Peggy Cartwright, James Brown, James MacArthur, Martha Graham, James Taylor, Don Gordon, Adolph Hitler, Daniel J. Boorstin, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Benny Goodman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., Amiri Baraka, Dizzy Gillespie, Caroline Wozniacki, and Jean Howard. Each episode of American Masters features a detailed portrait of the guest's life through interviews, archival footage, and dramatic reenactments. The show's creators strive to provide an interesting and insightful look into the cultural legacy of each featured guest. The series is notable for the range of celebrities who have appeared on the show. From Oscar-winning actors to Nobel Prize-winning poets, American Masters has featured some of the most significant artists, writers, and performers of the 20th and 21st centuries. As the show has progressed over the years, it has expanded its focus to include a diverse range of cultural figures, including writers, musicians, actors, and activists. Despite this, the show has maintained a consistent commitment to quality storytelling and attention to detail, making it one of the most trusted sources of information on American cultural icons. Overall, American Masters is a must-watch for anyone interested in American culture and the people who have shaped it. Each episode provides an engrossing and compelling look into the life of a significant cultural figure, making it a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience for viewers of all ages.

American Masters
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Seasons
Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV
6. Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV
May 16, 2023
See the world through the eyes of Nam June Paik, the father of video art and coiner of the term "electronic superhighway." Born in Japan-occupied Korea, Paik went on to become a pillar of the American avant-garde and transformed modern image-making with his sculptures, films and performances. Experience his creative evolution, as Academy Award nominee Steven Yeun reads from Paik's own writings.
Alejandro Jimenez: The Ground I Stand On
5. Alejandro Jimenez: The Ground I Stand On
April 4, 2023
The work and creative process of poet Alejandro Jimenez.
In the Making
4. In the Making
March 24, 2023
Opera singer J'Nai Bridges returns to the stage in "A Knee on the Neck," a tribute to George Floyd; country artist Rissi Palmer works on a new album.
Tony -- A Year in the Life of Dr. Anthony Fauci
3. Tony -- A Year in the Life of Dr. Anthony Fauci
March 21, 2023
Tony -- A Year in the Life of Dr. Anthony Fauci
Lily Gladstone: Far Out There
2. Lily Gladstone: Far Out There
March 13, 2023
Filmmaker Brooke Pepion Swaney profiles independent film actress Lily Gladstone as she prepares for the release of a high-profile Hollywood film. Drawing from her childhood on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and her peripatetic life as a professional actor, Gladstone learns to stand on her own two feet in order to make her voice heard.
Roberta Flack
1. Roberta Flack
January 24, 2023
American Masters: Roberta Flack follows the piano prodigy and one-time school teacher, from her start in a Washington, D.C. piano lounge through her skyrocketing into superstardom and becoming one of the most influential singers in American music history.
Description

American Masters is a PBS series that has been running since 1985. It features biographical information on artists and performers who have made significant contributions to American culture. The show has become a staple of American television and has featured numerous celebrities, from musicians to actors, writers, and activists.

The show's featured guests include celebrities like Lee Grant, Peter Bogdanovich, Jack Lemmon, Eli Wallach, James Dean, Abiola Abrams, Ray Charles, Hugh Hefner, Carlos Santana, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gene Hackman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Peter Coyote, Harvey Keitel, Yoko Ono, Paul Newman, CCH Pounder, Betty White, Cesar Romero, Peggy Lipton, John Cage, Dylan McDermott, Oliver Platt, Bert Lahr, Lily Tomlin, James Garner, Clarke Peters, June Havoc, Alexis Smith, Pat Boone, Tony Martin, Laurie Anderson, Lennie Niehaus, Mary Martin, Signe Hasso, Fielder Cook, Janis Paige, Earl Holliman, Pete Seeger, Eartha Kitt, Rosemary Clooney, Patricia Morison, Ben Vereen, Arthur Penn, Turhan Bey, Edie Adams, Michael Wright, William Goldman, Terry Southern, Nicholas Pileggi, Joan Baez, Jay Cocks, George Clayton Johnson, I. A. L. Diamond, Reed Birney, Jen Drohan, Dionne Warwick, Bill Irwin, Phyllis Diller, Shimon Peres, Harry Carey, Neil Hamilton, Neil Simon, Larry David, Harry James, Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton, Anne Jackson, Pippa Scott, Miriam Makeba, William Bakewell, Oscar Peterson, Gypsy Rose Lee, Richard Davalos, Douglas Fowley, Minta Durfee, D. A. Pennebaker, Mary Doran, Benson Fong, Henry Kolker, Vernon Reid, Dalton Trumbo, Josephine Dunn, Arthur Hohl, Robert Benchley, Hunter S. Thompson, Maria Sharapova, Chris Spedding, Michael Pollan, Tony Benn, Robbie Robertson, Edna Ferber, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Frazier, Bryan Ferry, Elizabeth Marvel, Priscilla Bonner, Peter Sellars, Sammy White, Omara Portuondo, Robert Harron, Jerome Kern, Eugenie Besserer, Ernest Cossart, Frances Foster, Steve Allen, Sarah Vaughan, Martha Tilton, Raymond Walburn, Jane Novak, David Margulies, Joel Fabiani, Anna Wintour, Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson, Eric Christmas, Betty Garrett, Whitney Houston, Harold Goodwin, George Morfogen, Molly Picon, Joseph Buloff, Mae Marsh, Sidney Lumet, Luise Rainer, Jon Hamm, Robin Hughes, Carole King, Nat Hentoff, Jimmy Page, Aretha Franklin, Peggy Cartwright, James Brown, James MacArthur, Martha Graham, James Taylor, Don Gordon, Adolph Hitler, Daniel J. Boorstin, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Benny Goodman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., Amiri Baraka, Dizzy Gillespie, Caroline Wozniacki, and Jean Howard.

Each episode of American Masters features a detailed portrait of the guest's life through interviews, archival footage, and dramatic reenactments. The show's creators strive to provide an interesting and insightful look into the cultural legacy of each featured guest.

The series is notable for the range of celebrities who have appeared on the show. From Oscar-winning actors to Nobel Prize-winning poets, American Masters has featured some of the most significant artists, writers, and performers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

As the show has progressed over the years, it has expanded its focus to include a diverse range of cultural figures, including writers, musicians, actors, and activists. Despite this, the show has maintained a consistent commitment to quality storytelling and attention to detail, making it one of the most trusted sources of information on American cultural icons.

Overall, American Masters is a must-watch for anyone interested in American culture and the people who have shaped it. Each episode provides an engrossing and compelling look into the life of a significant cultural figure, making it a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience for viewers of all ages.

American Masters is a series that is currently running and has 37 seasons (286 episodes). The series first aired on June 23, 1986.

Where to Watch American Masters

American Masters is available for streaming on the PBS website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch American Masters on demand at Google Play and PBS.

  • Premiere Date
    June 23, 1986
  • IMDB Rating
    8.2  (1,085)