The Best Episodes of American Experience Season 33

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   7.8/10(212 votes)

   #1 - The Codebreaker

   S33:E11/11/2021

   Based on the book The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies, The Codebreaker reveals the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst whose painstaking work to decode thousands of messages for the U.S. government.

   Director:Chana Gazit

   Writer:Chana Gazit

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   Director:Chana Gazit

   Writer:Chana Gazit
2. 

   7.7/10(128 votes)

   #2 - The Blinding of Isaac Woodard

   S33:E33/30/2021

   In 1946, Isaac Woodard, a Black army sergeant on his way home to South Carolina after serving in WWII, was pulled from a bus for arguing with the driver. The local chief of police savagely beat him, leaving him unconscious and permanently blind.

   Director:Jamila Ephron

   Writers:Mark Zwonitzer, Jamila Ephron

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   Director:Jamila Ephron

   Writers:Mark Zwonitzer, Jamila Ephron
3. 

   7.6/10(108 votes)

   #3 - Citizen Hearst (1)

   S33:E79/27/2021

   William Randolph Hearst builds the nation’s largest media empire by the 1930s. Born into one of America’s wealthiest families, he used his outlets to achieve unprecedented political power, then ran for office himself.

   Director:Amanda Pollak

   Writer:Gene Tempest

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   Director:Amanda Pollak

   Writer:Gene Tempest
4. 

   7.5/10(79 votes)

   #4 - Citizen Hearst (2)

   S33:E89/28/2021

   William Randolph Hearst continued his rise to power and expansion into Hollywood. The model for Citizen Kane, he had a decades-long affair with actress Marion Davies, built an enormous castle at San Simeon, and forever transformed modern media.

   Director:Stephen Ives

   Writer:Stephen Ives

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   Director:Stephen Ives

   Writer:Stephen Ives
5. 

   7.4/10(85 votes)

   #5 - Voice of Freedom

   S33:E22/15/2021

   Explore the fascinating life of celebrated singer Marian Anderson. In 1939, after being barred from performing at Constitution Hall because she was Black, she triumphed at the Lincoln Memorial in what became a landmark moment in American history.

   Director:Rob Rapley

   Writer:Rob Rapley

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   Director:Rob Rapley

   Writer:Rob Rapley
6. 

   7.4/10(159 votes)

   #6 - American Oz

   S33:E44/19/2021

   The life of author L. Frank Baum, creator of the classic novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," which has inspired films, books and musicals.

   Directors:Tracy Heather Strain, Randall MacLowry

   Writers:Randall MacLowry, Tracy Heather Strain

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   Directors:Tracy Heather Strain, Randall MacLowry

   Writers:Randall MacLowry, Tracy Heather Strain
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7. 

   6.8/10(69 votes)

   #7 - Sandra Day O'Connor: The First

   S33:E69/13/2021

   Discover the story of the Supreme Court’s first female justice. A pioneer who both reflected and shaped an era, she was the deciding vote in cases on some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues—including race, gender and reproductive rights.

   Director:Michelle Ferrari

   Writer:Michelle Ferrari

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   Director:Michelle Ferrari

   Writer:Michelle Ferrari
8. 

   6.3/10(89 votes)

   #8 - Billy Graham

   S33:E55/17/2021

   Explore the life of one of the best-known and most influential religious leaders of the 20th century. An international celebrity by age 30, he built a media empire, preached to millions worldwide, and had the ear of tycoons, presidents and royalty.

   Directors:Sarah Colt, Keven McAlester

   Writer:Unknown

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   Directors:Sarah Colt, Keven McAlester

   Writer:Unknown