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The Best Episodes of American Playhouse Season 7

Every episode of American Playhouse Season 7 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of American Playhouse Season 7!

Binge this in 16h 58m•Peaking at 8.3/10

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 7 Episode 1 - Strange Interlude, Part I
    8.3/10(56 votes)

    S7:E1

    Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated relationship, she embarks on a turbulent journey across different roles in her life (daughter, wife, mistress, and mother).

    Director:Herbert Wise
    Writer:Robert Enders

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  2. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 13 - I Never Sang for My Father
    8.1/10(29 votes)

    S7:E13

    A man who wants to move on with his life by moving to California and marry his girlfriend, finds it difficult as he still lives in the towering shadow of his aging father.

    Director:Jack O'Brien
    Writer:Robert Anderson

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  3. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 6 - The Revolt of Mother
    7.4/10(29 votes)

    S7:E6

    In 1890s New Englans, Father is going to build a new barn. However, Mother wants the new house she's been promised.

    Director:Victor Lobl
    Writer:Cynthia A. Cherbak

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  4. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 7 - Pigeon Feathers
    6.9/10(25 votes)

    S7:E7

    A young boy suffers a crisis of faith when he begins to question whether or not the soul exists and if there is life after death.

    Director:Sharron Miller
    Writer:Jan Hartman

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  5. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 10 - Suspicion
    6.9/10(30 votes)

    S7:E10

    A sheltered heiress falls for a charming playboy and elopes with him, but soon discovers his gambling vice and mounting debts. As his lies deepen and those around them meet mysterious ends, she begins to suspect that her husband’s affection may conceal a deadly motive—and that she could be his next victim.

    Director:Andrew Grieve
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 12 - The Land of Little Rain
    6.9/10(24 votes)

    S7:E12

    Early feminist and nature writer Mary Austin struggles to write and publish in the male-dominated California of the early 20th-century.

    Director:Evelyn Purcell
    Writer:Doris Baizley

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  7. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 15 - The Big Knife
    6.1/10(15 votes)

    S7:E15

    Charles Castle is a successful Hollywood actor who has opted for screen success over art. He must make critical decisions regarding his career, his marriage, his art and morality. Castle is pressured by his superiors and manipulated into a potentially murderous cover-up to protect his career.

    Director:John Jacobs
    Writer:Clifford Odets

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  8. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 11 - The Trial of Bernhard Goetz
    5.2/10(148 votes)

    S7:E11

    A presentation of uncensored portions of the highly emotional December 1984 videotape confession of Bernhard Goetz, known as the 'Subway Vigilante', who opened fire on four teens he feared were about to rob him on a New York subway train.

    Director:Harry Moses
    Writer:Harry Moses

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  9. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 2 - Strange Interlude, Part II
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S7:E2

    Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated relationship, she embarks on a turbulent journey across different roles in her life (daughter, wife, mistress, and mother).

    Director:Herbert Wise
    Writer:Robert Enders

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  10. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 3 - Strange Interlude, Part III
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S7:E3

    Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated relationship, she embarks on a turbulent journey across different roles in her life (daughter, wife, mistress, and mother).

    Director:Herbert Wise
    Writer:Robert Enders

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  11. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 4 - The Lawrenceville Stories, Part 2: The Return of Hickey
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S7:E4

    The mischievous Hickey returns to school to find himself against a worthy rival. Scheming to outdo each other for the loyalty of their peers, their comedic battle of wits turns the school into the headmaster's worst nightmare.

    Director:Allan A. Goldstein
    Writer:Jan Jaffe Kahn

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  12. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 5 - Lemon Sky
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S7:E5

    17-year-old Alan strives to build a relationship with his preoccupied father, only to confront his father's emotional dishonesty, cruelty, and lies, leading to a bitter realization that the father he wants doesn't exist.

    Director:Jan Egleson
    Writer:Lanford Wilson

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  13. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 8 - Billy Galvin
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S7:E8

    Boston ironworker Jack Galvin wants his son to become an architect, but Billy wants to be a steelworker like his dad, leading to conflict over their differing dreams.

    Director:John Gray
    Writer:John Gray

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  14. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 9 - Journey Into Genius
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S7:E9

    A historical recreation of actual events in the life of playwright Eugene O'Neill, drawing on his troubled youth as he attempts to deal with his conflicting feelings of jealousy, competition and love with his father.

    Director:Calvin Skaggs
    Writer:Lanie Robertson

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  15. American Playhouse Season 7 Episode 14 - Native Son
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S7:E14

    In 1940s Chicago, a young Black man takes a job as a chauffeur to a white family, which takes a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills the couple's teenage daughter and then tries to cover it up.

    Director:Jerrold Freedman
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 7 Ratings Summary

"Strange Interlude, Part I" is the best rated episode of "American Playhouse" season 7. It scored 8.3/10 based on 56 votes. Directed by Herbert Wise and written by Robert Enders, it aired on 1/13/1988. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "I Never Sang for My Father".