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The Worst Episodes of American Auto

Every episode of American Auto ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of American Auto!

Binge this in 8h 3m•Peaking at 8.2/10

In the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit, a floundering group of executives at Payne Motors must adapt to the changing times or be sent to the junkyard.

Airs on
NBC
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Seasons2

All12

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    American Auto Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    6.3/10(327 votes)

    S1:E1

    Payne Motors gets a new CEO on the same day they’re rolling out a new self-driving — and problematic — vehicle

    Director:Jeffrey Blitz
    Writer:Justin Spitzer

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  2. American Auto Season 1 Episode 2 - White Van
    6.8/10(236 votes)

    S1:E2

    Katherine deals with the PR fallout of a serial killer driving a Payne; Jack tries to figure out his role in the company

    Director:Jeffrey Blitz
    Writer:Justin Spitzer

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  3. American Auto Season 1 Episode 3 - Earnings Call
    6.9/10(188 votes)

    S1:E3

    Katherine promises a big announcement on her first quarterly earnings call. Jack and Elliot negotiate a contract with the line workers union.

    Director:Matt Sohn
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. American Auto Season 1 Episode 4 - The $10K Car
    6.9/10(166 votes)

    S1:E4

    Sadie and Cyrus struggle with how honest to be about Katherine’s car idea. Elliot pawns his vicious dog off on Dori.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. American Auto Season 1 Episode 7 - Recall
    7.3/10(142 votes)

    S1:E7

    The executives realize a Payne vehicle may have a faulty part and debate whether to issue a recall.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. American Auto Season 1 Episode 8 - Employee Morale
    7.3/10(139 votes)

    S1:E8

    Katherine and the team attempt to boost employee morale after the Payne CFO announces his resignation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. American Auto Season 1 Episode 5 - Millbank, IA
    7.5/10(163 votes)

    S1:E5

    The group travels to Iowa for the opening of a new factory.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. American Auto Season 1 Episode 9 - Charity Dinner
    7.5/10(142 votes)

    S1:E9

    The group attends the annual Payne Foundation Fundraising Gala. Katherine suspects her job may be in jeopardy. Wesley deals with a family rivalry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. American Auto Season 2 Episode 6 - The Letter
    7.5/10(140 votes)

    S2:E6

    Katherine has to go on a "listening tour" after a group of younger employees demand the company stop contributing to "pro-life" politicians. The men of the office are charged with writing Payne's policies regarding abortion.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. American Auto Season 1 Episode 10 - Profile
    7.6/10(138 votes)

    S1:E10

    When a TV newsmagazine films a segment on Katherine, the team struggles to portray her in a positive light while avoiding “gotcha” questions.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. American Auto Season 2 Episode 3 - Celebrity
    7.6/10(111 votes)

    S2:E3

    When Payne loses their spokesperson, Katherine and the team go to great lengths to woo a new celebrity — Andy Richter — only to have second thoughts.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. American Auto Season 2 Episode 10 - Passion Project
    7.6/10(90 votes)

    S2:E10

    Coming off the news of her divorce, Katherine wants to institute big changes in the office, which prompts Cyrus to introduce her to his dream car. However, things go south when Katherine attempts to transform his design into a vision of her own.

    Director:Phill Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. American Auto Season 2 Episode 2 - Most Hated CEO
    7.7/10(114 votes)

    S2:E2

    Ian and Sadie attempt to rehab Katherine's image from the pawl controversy by staging a phony video with Katherine's family and a visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. American Auto Season 2 Episode 7 - Young Designers
    7.7/10(110 votes)

    S2:E7

    Payne sponsors its annual young designers contest at a local elementary school, which sparks controversy when Katherine inadvertently offends multiple countries via an Instagram Live interview with a Somali American student.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. American Auto Season 2 Episode 12 - Dealer Event
    7.7/10(78 votes)

    S2:E12

    Katherine is deathly afraid of rodents but is forced to drive a Pika filled with rabbits for the annual dealer event. Wesley takes Jack under his wing, teaching him how to schmooze the dealers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. American Auto Season 2 Episode 4 - Cost Cutting
    7.9/10(99 votes)

    S2:E4

    In an effort to reduce costs, Jack, Cyrus and Elliot have to let go of some employees while Wesley and Dori search for office savings. Sadie helps prep Katherine for her first post-crisis TV interview.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. American Auto Season 2 Episode 8 - Hack
    7.9/10(97 votes)

    S2:E8

    The Payne servers get hacked, causing Katherine and Elliot to conflict on whether or not to pay the ransom. This becomes increasingly more personal for Katherine when the hackers reveal they have personal photos of her.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. American Auto Season 2 Episode 9 - Night Out
    7.9/10(97 votes)

    S2:E9

    The gang ends up at Katherine's house for what seems like an innocent night of drinking and employee bonding, but things escalate when everyone learns that Katherine and Richard are in the middle of a divorce.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. American Auto Season 2 Episode 11 - Funeral
    7.9/10(79 votes)

    S2:E11

    When Wesley's grandfather passes away, Katherine and the others learn that all the heirs plan to sell their company shares, which would tank the stock price; they attempt damage control at the funeral to try to stop it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. American Auto Season 1 Episode 6 - Commercial
    8.0/10(212 votes)

    S1:E6

    Katherine and the team reshoot a commercial to make it more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Albertina Rizzo

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  21. American Auto Season 2 Episode 1 - Crisis
    8.0/10(135 votes)

    S2:E1

    Katherine and the team bring in crisis manager Ian Osofsky to help combat the negative publicity the company is receiving from accusations it covered up defective auto parts.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. American Auto Season 2 Episode 5 - Going Green
    8.0/10(105 votes)

    S2:E5

    Katherine and the team head to Silicon Valley to invest in green tech, including Sandbox, a potentially bogus company founded by Wesley’s friend, Chase.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. American Auto Season 2 Episode 13 - Judgment Day
    8.2/10(92 votes)

    S2:E13

    Katherine and her team make one last effort to raise the Payne stock and save their jobs by rallying behind the launch of the Pika; when global events cause the whole market to crash, Katherine loses hope that Payne will ever recover.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Pilot" is the worst rated episode of "American Auto". It scored 6.3/10 based on 327 votes. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz and written by Justin Spitzer, it aired on 12/13/2021. This episode scored 0.5 points lower than the second lowest rated, "White Van".