American Experience backdrop
Documentary

The Best Episodes of American Experience Season 37

Every episode of American Experience Season 37 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of American Experience Season 37!

Binge this in 8h 38m•Peaking at 7.6/10

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

Airs on
PBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons38

All1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    American Experience Season 37 Episode 1 - Forgotten Hero: Walter White and The NAACP
    6.6/10(45 votes)

    #1 - Forgotten Hero: Walter White and The NAACP

    S37:E1

    While many consider the birth of the civil rights movement to be 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus, the stage had been set decades before by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Some of the NAACP leaders are familiar, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Thurgood Marshall, but Walter White, head of the NAACP from 1929 to 1955, has been all but forgotten. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Walter White looked white; he described himself as “an enigma, a Black man occupying a white body.” Like virtually all light-skinned African Americans of his day, White was descended from enslaved Black women and powerful white men. But he was Black — by law, identity, and conviction and spent his entire life fighting for Black civil rights. Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP traces the life of this neglected civil rights hero and seeks to explain his disappearance from our history.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. American Experience Season 37 Episode 2 - Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act
    7.1/10(62 votes)

    #2 - Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act

    S37:E2

    The emotional and dramatic story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. A story of courage and perseverance, the film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to achieve their goal and change the lives of all Americans.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. American Experience Season 37 Episode 3 - Mr. Polaroid
    7.6/10(81 votes)

    #3 - Mr. Polaroid

    S37:E3

    Before the iPhone, the Polaroid camera let people instantly chronicle their lives. Along with instant photo mania, its company culture became the model for Silicon Valley. Mr. Polaroid is the story of Edwin Land, the man behind the camera.

    Director:Gene Tempest
    Writer:Gene Tempest

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. American Experience Season 37 Episode 4 - Clearing the Air: The War on Smog
    7.2/10(37 votes)

    #4 - Clearing the Air: The War on Smog

    S37:E4

    A chronicle of how Los Angeles' devastating smog problem in the 1940s and 50s led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Air Act.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. American Experience Season 37 Episode 5 - Hard Hat Riot
    2.8/10(5 votes)

    #5 - Hard Hat Riot

    S37:E5

    Hard Hat Riot tells the story of a struggling metropolis, a flailing president, a divided people, and a bloody juncture when the nation violently diverged ― culminating in a new political and cultural landscape that radically redefined American politics and foreshadowed the future.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. American Experience Season 37 Episode 6 - Kissinger, Part One: The Necessity of Power
    6.4/10(32 votes)

    #6 - Kissinger, Part One: The Necessity of Power

    S37:E6

    The story of Henry Kissinger, the enigmatic powerbroker who served in the topmost echelons of U.S. diplomacy. Celebrated or reviled, his contradictions reflect those central to late 20th century U.S. foreign policy. With interviews from proteges and colleagues, Kissinger endeavors to understand his relentless drive for power, and how his policies shaped today’s world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of American Experience

    READ
  7. American Experience Season 37 Episode 7 - Kissinger, Part Two: The Opportunist
    6.4/10(30 votes)

    #7 - Kissinger, Part Two: The Opportunist

    S37:E7

    Discover how Henry Kissinger's anti-Communist zeal would shape U.S. foreign policy in Vietnam, China, Chile, and the Soviet Union in the second half of the 20th century, through the voices of historians and colleagues.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 37 Ratings Summary

"Forgotten Hero: Walter White and The NAACP" is the best rated episode of "American Experience" season 37. It scored 6.6/10 based on 45 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 2/24/2025. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act".