7.4/10186 votes#1 - Mike Nichols
Season 30 Episode 1 - Aired 1/29/2016
The life and 50-year career of director Mike Nichols, one of only two people who have won Peabody, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.
Director: Elaine May
Writer: N/A
7.8/1042 votes#2 - B.B. King: The Life of Riley
Season 30 Episode 2 - Aired 2/12/2016
The challenging life and career of blues guitarist B.B. King; candid interviews feature Bono, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and Ringo Starr.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/1095 votes#3 - Carole King: Natural Woman
Season 30 Episode 3 - Aired 2/19/2016
Rare home movies, performances and photos help illustrate the life and career of singer-songwriter Carole King, from 1960s New York to Los Angeles in the 1970s to the present.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/1078 votes#4 - Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
Season 30 Episode 4 - Aired 2/26/2016
The New Orleans rhythm and blues of Fats Domino helped aid integration in the South.
Director: Joe Lauro
Writer: Rick Coleman, Joe Lauro
7.8/10112 votes#5 - Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
Season 30 Episode 5 - Aired 3/4/2016
A profile of country music icon Loretta Lynn, whose hard-fought road to stardom was dramatized in the 1980 film "Coal Miner's Daughter." Included: home movies, photos and concert footage, plus insights from family, friends and fellow musicians, including Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Jack White and Trisha Yearwood.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1061 votes#6 - Janis: Little Girl Blue
Season 30 Episode 6 - Aired 5/3/2016
One of the most revered and influential rock ’n’ roll singers of all time, Janis Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) thrilled audiences and blazed new creative trails before her death at age 27. Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil, West of Memphis, Prophet’s Prey) examines Joplin’s story in depth, for the first time on film, presenting an intimate portrait of a complicated and driven artist.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1052 votes#7 - The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End
Season 30 Episode 7 - Aired 5/27/2016
Discover the story behind the pioneering outlaw country music supergroup that featured Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, told through vintage performances and new interviews about life on the road and in the studio.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/10105 votes#8 - Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
Season 30 Episode 8 - Aired 10/25/2016
Writer/producer Norman Lear's turbulent childhood, early success with sitcoms “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times” and “Maude,” and social activism.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/1030 votes#9 - Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future
Season 30 Episode 9 - Aired 12/27/2016
The film explores the life and visionary work of Finnish-American modernist architectural giant Eero Saarinen (1910-1961). Best known for designing National Historic Landmarks such as St. Louis’ iconic Gateway Arch and the General Motors Technical Center (Warren, Mich.), Saarinen also designed New York’s TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Yale University’s Ingalls Rink and Morse and Ezra Stiles Colleges, Virginia’s Dulles Airport, and modernist pedestal furniture like the Tulip chair.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of American Masters Season 30
Every episode of American Masters Season 30 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of American Masters Season 30!
American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Season 30 Ratings Summary
"Mike Nichols" is the best rated episode of "American Masters" season 30. It scored 7.4/10 based on 186 votes. Directed by Elaine May and written by N/A, it aired on 1/29/2016. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "B.B. King: The Life of Riley".