6.3/10296 votesLoading...#1 - Pilot
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 12/13/2021
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
6.7/10222 votesLoading...#2 - White Van
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 12/13/2021
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
6.9/10154 votesLoading...#4 - The $10K Car
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 1/11/2022
Sadie and Cyrus struggle with how honest to be about Katherine’s car idea. Elliot pawns his vicious dog off on Dori.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/10133 votesLoading...#5 - Recall
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2/1/2022
The executives realize a Payne vehicle may have a faulty part and debate whether to issue a recall.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/10130 votesLoading...#6 - Employee Morale
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 2/22/2022
Katherine and the team attempt to boost employee morale after the Payne CFO announces his resignation.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/10151 votesLoading...#7 - Millbank, IA
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 1/18/2022
The group travels to Iowa for the opening of a new factory.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10133 votesLoading...#8 - Charity Dinner
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 3/1/2022
The group attends the annual Payne Foundation Fundraising Gala. Katherine suspects her job may be in jeopardy. Wesley deals with a family rivalry.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10131 votesLoading...#9 - The Letter
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 2/28/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10129 votesLoading...#10 - Profile
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 3/8/2022
When a TV newsmagazine films a segment on Katherine, the team struggles to portray her in a positive light while avoiding “gotcha” questions.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/1082 votesLoading...#11 - Passion Project
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 3/28/2023
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: N/A
7.7/10100 votesLoading...#12 - Celebrity
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 2/7/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/1071 votesLoading...#13 - Dealer Event
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 4/11/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/1099 votesLoading...#14 - Young Designers
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 3/7/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/1074 votesLoading...#15 - Funeral
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 4/4/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1090 votesLoading...#16 - Cost Cutting
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 2/14/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1093 votesLoading...#17 - Going Green
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 2/21/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1089 votesLoading...#18 - Hack
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 3/14/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1088 votesLoading...#19 - Night Out
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 3/21/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10200 votesLoading...#20 - Commercial
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 1/25/2022
Katherine and the team reshoot a commercial to make it more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10125 votesLoading...#21 - Crisis
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 1/24/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10102 votesLoading...#22 - Most Hated CEO
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 1/31/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/1083 votesLoading...#23 - Judgment Day
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 4/18/2023
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Worst Episodes of American Auto
Every episode of American Auto ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of American Auto!
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...
Genres:ComedyDrama
Network:NBC
Worst Episodes Summary
"Pilot" is the worst rated episode of "American Auto". It scored 6.3/10 based on 296 votes. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz and written by Justin Spitzer, it aired on 12/13/2021. This episode scored 0.4 points lower than the second lowest rated, "White Van".
