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The Best Episodes of American Playhouse Season 4

Every episode of American Playhouse Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of American Playhouse Season 4!

Binge this in 1d 6h•Peaking at 9.0/10

American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 20 - Three Sovereigns for Sarah (3)
    9.0/10(70 votes)

    S4:E20

    In 1703 Salem, accused witch Sarah Cloyce, seeking justice for her sisters, recounts the events leading up to the trials, focusing on feuding neighbors and the girls' accusations, including those by Abigail Williams.

    Director:Philip Leacock
    Writer:Victor Pisano

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  2. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 9 - The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski
    8.2/10(97 votes)

    S4:E9

    Ralph Parker navigates his first serious romance with his new Polish neighbor, Josephine Cosnowski, during a Thanksgiving setting.

    Director:Fred Barzyk
    Writer:Jean Shepherd

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  3. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 12 - Breakfast with Les and Bess
    8.2/10(15 votes)

    S4:E12

    An eccentric couple broadcast their morning radio talk show from their New York apartment in the 1960s.

    Director:Perry Rosemond
    Writer:Lee Kalcheim

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  4. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 5 - Go Tell It on the Mountain
    7.8/10(101 votes)

    S4:E5

    Over a single, pivotal Saturday in 1930s Harlem, 14-year-old John Grimes wrestles with his religious calling and his fraught relationship with his abusive, hypocritical stepfather, Gabriel. Extended flashbacks explore the oppressive Southern past and personal histories of John's mother, his aunt, and Gabriel, ultimately illuminating the generational trauma and complex family secrets that shape his life.

    Director:Stan Lathan
    Writers:Leslie Lee, Gus Edwards

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  5. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 15 - Displaced Person
    7.8/10(36 votes)

    S4:E15

    A young Black boy comes of age in an all-white German orphanage run by white nuns. Townspeople tease him that his father is an American GI named Joe Louis. Told of a 'sighting' of the alleged father, the boy sets out to find the soldier.

    Director:Alan Bridges
    Writer:Fred Barron

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  6. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 19 - Three Sovereigns for Sarah (2)
    7.6/10(19 votes)

    S4:E19

    In 1703 Salem, accused witch Sarah Cloyce, seeking justice for her sisters, recounts the events leading up to the trials, focusing on feuding neighbors and the girls' accusations, including those by Abigail Williams.

    Director:Philip Leacock
    Writer:Victor Pisano

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  7. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 11 - Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom
    7.5/10(27 votes)

    S4:E11

    Charlotte Forten is a young Black woman who became an integral part of President Lincoln's 'Great Experiment'. During the Civil War, Southern troops were forced off the Sea Islands off the coast of Georgia, which left 8,000 slaves as free. Miss Forten's mission was to journey south to Sea Island and lead those slaves in the transition from slavery to freedom, where she sought to give newly freed black children a decent education and chance for a better life.

    Director:Barry Crane
    Writer:Samm-Art Williams

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  8. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 18 - Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1)
    7.5/10(288 votes)

    S4:E18

    In 1703 Salem, accused witch Sarah Cloyce, seeking justice for her sisters, recounts the events leading up to the trials, focusing on feuding neighbors and the girls' accusations, including those by Abigail Williams.

    Director:Philip Leacock
    Writer:Victor Pisano

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  9. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 13 - Nightsongs
    7.4/10(17 votes)

    S4:E13

    A Chinese refugee from Vietnam emigrates to America, where she prepares to meet several relatives for the first time.

    Director:Marva Nabili
    Writer:Marva Nabili

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  10. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 3 - Solomon Northup's Odyssey
    7.3/10(330 votes)

    S4:E3

    A free Black man from New York is tricked, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the South, where he endures twelve years of brutal servitude before finding a way to contact his family and secure his freedom.

    Director:Gordon Parks
    Writers:Lou Potter, Samm-Art Williams

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  11. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 6 - Noon Wine
    7.2/10(82 votes)

    S4:E6

    On a hot day in 1890s Texas, a stranger arrives at the small dairy farm of Royal and Ellie Thompson, seeking work. A taciturn, English-speaking Swede from North Dakota, Olaf Helton is competent, strong, and good at farm work. As years pass, the farm flourishes. Then one day, a second stranger also from North Dakota, Homer Hatch, changes lives in ways no one could have imagined.

    Director:Michael Fields
    Writer:Michael Fields

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  12. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 2 - A Matter of Principle
    6.9/10(89 votes)

    S4:E2

    Flag Purdy, a 'man of many principles', must learn the hard lesson of compromisation in order to keep his wife and children. The 'final straw' comes when the family bring a Christmas tree into his house.

    Director:Gwen Arner
    Writers:Neal Miller, Nancy Miller

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  13. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 14 - Under the Biltmore Clock
    6.9/10(103 votes)

    S4:E14

    In 1915 Chicago, 21-year-old Myra Harper sets her sights on the wealthy and reserved Knowleton Whitney. All goes well, but later when Myra meets his wacky parents, it turns out to be much harder for Myra than simply landing the man of her dreams.

    Director:Neal Miller
    Writers:Neal Miller, Ilene Cooper

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  14. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 7 - The Joy That Kills
    6.6/10(30 votes)

    S4:E7

    Louise dreams of traveling the world, but her weak heart and husband Brently's overbearing concern prevent her from doing so. However, news of a train accident changes everything.

    Director:Tina Rathborne
    Writers:Tina Rathborne, Nancy Dyer

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  15. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 10 - Some Men Need Help
    6.6/10(22 votes)

    S4:E10

    An oddball Good Samaritan parable as ex Mafioso tries to save his drunk neighbor from himself.

    Director:Allan A. Goldstein
    Writer:John Ford Noonan

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  16. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 1 - Testament
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S4:E1

    It's just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, news breaks that a series of nuclear warheads has been dropped along the Eastern Seaboard and, more locally, in California. As people begin coping with the devastating aftermath of the attacks — many suffer radiation poisoning — the Wetherly family tries to survive.

    Director:Lynne Littman
    Writer:John Sacret Young

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  17. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 4 - Tomorrow
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S4:E4

    A lonely farmer takes in a pregnant woman and looks after her. After she gives birth, tragedy strikes.

    Director:Joseph Anthony
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 8 - Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S4:E8

    Computer programmer Aram Fingal's virtual vacation in the classic film Casablanca is removed by a totalitarian government and accidentally trapped in the virtual reality simulation. He must find a way out before he expires.

    Director:Douglas Williams
    Writer:Corinne Jacker

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  19. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 16 - The Europeans
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S4:E16

    The Countess Eugenia and her brother Robert, expatriate Americans who have grown up in Europe, return to prosperous relatives in New England. Eugenia hopes to make an advantageous marriage with a wealthy cousin. As Eugenia encounters obstacles, Robert finds his suit bearing fruit.

    Director:James Ivory
    Writer:Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

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  20. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 17 - El Norte
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S4:E17

    Indigenous Guatemalan siblings Rosa and Enrique flee their village after a government massacre and undertake a perilous journey to the United States ('El Norte') seeking a new life, only to face new hardships as undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles.

    Director:Gregory Nava
    Writers:Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas

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  21. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 21 - Paper Angels
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S4:E21

    Chinese immigrants are detained on Angel Island in 1915 during the Chinese Exclusion era. The new arrivals express their hopes and anxieties as they try to reconcile their Chinese heritage with their new lives in California.

    Director:John Lone
    Writer:Genny Lim

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  22. American Playhouse Season 4 Episode 22 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S4:E22

    An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

    Director:Jack Hofsiss
    Writer:Tennessee Williams

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Season 4 Ratings Summary

"Three Sovereigns for Sarah (3)" is the best rated episode of "American Playhouse" season 4. It scored 9/10 based on 70 votes. Directed by Philip Leacock and written by Victor Pisano, it aired on 6/10/1985. This episode is rated 0.8 points higher than the second-best, "The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski".