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The Best Episodes of American Experience Season 27

Every episode of American Experience Season 27 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of American Experience Season 27!

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TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    American Experience Season 27 Episode 1 - Ripley: Believe It or Not
    7.6/10(58 votes)

    #1 - Ripley: Believe It or Not

    S27:E1

    Robert Ripley's obsession with the odd and keen eye for the curious made him one of the most successful men in America during the Great Depression. Over three decades, his Believe It or Not! franchise grew into an entertainment empire, expanding from newspapers to radio, film and, ultimately, television. Americans not only loved his bizarre fare, but were fascinated by the man himself, and the eccentric, globetrotting playboy became an unlikely national celebrity. This is the story of the man who popularized the iconic phrase, and proof of why we still can’t resist his challenge to “Believe it — or not!”

    Director:Cathleen O'Connell
    Writer:Cathleen O'Connell

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  2. American Experience Season 27 Episode 2 - Klansville, USA
    7.1/10(77 votes)

    #2 - Klansville, USA

    S27:E2

    The rise of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina during the 1960s is recalled. In 1963, Bob Jones Sr. started the state's chapter for the racist organization, and grew its membership to more than 10,000 within three years. Included: remarks from sociologist David Cunningham, whose book "Klansville, USA" the documentary is partially based on; historians David Cecelski and Gary Freeze; the Southern Poverty Law Center's Mark Potok; and journalist Patsy Sims, author of "The Klan."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. American Experience Season 27 Episode 3 - Edison
    7.1/10(172 votes)

    #3 - Edison

    S27:E3

    EDISON explores the complex alchemy that accounts for the enduring celebrity of America's most famous inventor, offering new perspectives on the man and his milieu, and illuminating not only the true nature of invention, but its role in turn-of-the-century America's rush into the future.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. American Experience Season 27 Episode 4 - The Big Burn
    7.7/10(91 votes)

    #4 - The Big Burn

    S27:E4

    In the summer of 1910, hundreds of wildfires raged across the Northern Rockies. By the time it was all over, more than three million acres had burned and at least 78 firefighters were dead. It was the largest fire in American history.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. American Experience Season 27 Episode 5 - The Forgotten Plague
    7.2/10(159 votes)

    #5 - The Forgotten Plague

    S27:E5

    By the dawn of the 19th century, the most deadly killer in human history, tuberculosis, had killed one in seven of all the people who had ever lived. Throughout the 1800s, the disease struck America with a vengeance, ravaging communities and touching the lives of almost every family. The battle against the deadly bacteria had a profound and lasting impact on America. It shaped medical and scientific pursuits, social habits, economic development, western expansion, and government policy. Yet both the disease and its impact are poorly understood; in the words of one writer, tuberculosis is our "forgotten plague."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. American Experience Season 27 Episode 6 - Last Days In Vietnam
    7.5/10(104 votes)

    #6 - Last Days In Vietnam

    S27:E6

    The North Vietnamese Army was nearing Saigon and the South Vietnamese resistance was at a low. Nearly 5,000 Americans still needed to remove from South Vietnam, but their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers and friends would be captured by the North Army if they where left behind. Many of these South Vietnamese people were able to escape with the help of a number of memorable Americans, who, unsanctioned, managed to complete operations that saved many of the South Vietnamese.

    Director:Rory Kennedy
    Writers:Keven McAlester, Mark Bailey

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