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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!

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

Season 34 Ratings Summary

"Riveted: The History of Jeans" is the best rated episode of "American Experience" season 34. It scored 6.6/10 based on 147 votes. Directed by Michael Bicks, Anna Lee Strachan and written by Michael Bicks, Anna Lee Strachan, it aired on 2/7/2022. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "The American Diplomat".

  • Riveted: The History of Jeans
    6.6/10147 votes

    #1 - Riveted: The History of Jeans

    Season 34 Episode 1 - Aired 2/7/2022

    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.

    Director: Michael Bicks, Anna Lee Strachan

    Writer: Michael Bicks, Anna Lee Strachan

  • The American Diplomat
    7.0/1089 votes

    #2 - The American Diplomat

    Season 34 Episode 2 - Aired 2/15/2022

    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

  • Flood in the Desert
    7.5/10118 votes

    #3 - Flood in the Desert

    Season 34 Episode 3 - Aired 5/3/2022

    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

  • Plague at the Golden Gate
    7.6/10127 votes

    #4 - Plague at the Golden Gate

    Season 34 Episode 4 - Aired 5/24/2022

    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

  • Taken Hostage (1)
    8.2/1072 votes

    #5 - Taken Hostage (1)

    Season 34 Episode 5 - Aired 11/14/2022

    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: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Taken Hostage (2)
    8.0/1058 votes

    #6 - Taken Hostage (2)

    Season 34 Episode 6 - Aired 11/15/2022

    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: N/A

    Writer: N/A