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The Best Episodes of American Experience Season 34

Every episode of American Experience Season 34 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of American Experience Season 34!

Binge this in 8h 22m·Peaking at 7.8/10
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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    American Experience Season 34 Episode 5 - Taken Hostage (1)
    7.8/10(93 votes)

    S34:E5

    Part 1: Revisit the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, through stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. American Experience Season 34 Episode 6 - Taken Hostage (2)
    7.6/10(76 votes)

    S34:E6

    Part 2: Revisit the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, through stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. American Experience Season 34 Episode 3 - Flood in the Desert
    7.5/10(141 votes)

    S34:E3

    Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland, who had ensured the growth of Los Angeles by bringing water to the city via aqueduct.

    Director:Rob Rapley
    Writer:Rob Rapley

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  4. American Experience Season 34 Episode 4 - Plague at the Golden Gate
    7.4/10(150 votes)

    S34:E4

    Discover how an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco. This new documentary tells the gripping story of the race against time by health officials to save the city from the deadly disease.

    Director:Li-Shin Yu
    Writer:Susan Kim

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  5. American Experience Season 34 Episode 2 - The American Diplomat
    6.7/10(102 votes)

    S34:E2

    Discover how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the US State Department during the Cold War. Asked to represent the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home, they left a lasting impact on the Foreign Service.

    Director:Leola Calzolai-Stewart
    Writer:Ken Chowder

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  6. American Experience Season 34 Episode 1 - Riveted: The History of Jeans
    6.6/10(166 votes)

    S34:E1

    The fascinating and surprising story of the iconic American garment. They’re more than just a pair of pants — America’s tangled past is woven deeply into the indigo fabric. From its roots in slavery to the Wild West, youth culture, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics are writ large.

    Directors:Anna Lee Strachan, Michael Bicks
    Writers:Michael Bicks, Anna Lee Strachan

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    The 20 BEST Episodes of American Experience

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Season 34 Ratings Summary

"Taken Hostage (1)" is the best rated episode of American Experience season 34. It scored 7.8/10 from 93 votes. Written and directed by Unknown, it aired on November 14, 2022. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Taken Hostage (2)".