Frontline backdrop
Documentary•News

The Best Episodes of Frontline Season 38

Every episode of Frontline Season 38 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Frontline Season 38!

Binge this in 5h 44m•Peaking at 8.7/10

Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast

Airs on
PBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons45

All123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Frontline Season 38 Episode 1 - The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
    6.6/10(36 votes)

    #1 - The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

    S38:E1

    A year after the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, FRONTLINE investigates the rise of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. In a two-hour documentary, Martin Smith — who has covered the Middle East for FRONTLINE for 20 years — examines the crown prince's vision for the future of Saudi Arabia, his handling of dissent and his ties to Khashoggi's killing.

    Director:Unknown
    Writers:Linda Hirsch, Martin Smith

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Frontline Season 38 Episode 2 - On The President's Orders
    7.7/10(208 votes)

    #2 - On The President's Orders

    S38:E2

    A searing, on-the-ground look at President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly campaign against suspected drug dealers and users in the Philippines, "On the President's Orders" is told with unprecedented access to the police themselves. It offers a gripping, visually stunning window into the war on drugs — those carrying it out, and those most impacted by it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Frontline Season 38 Episode 3 - Zero Tolerance
    7.4/10(176 votes)

    #3 - Zero Tolerance

    S38:E3

    How Trump turned immigration into a powerful political weapon that fueled division. Inside the effort by three insurgents to tap into populist anger, transform the GOP, and crack down on immigration.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Frontline Season 38 Episode 4 - Fire in Paradise
    7.2/10(31 votes)

    #4 - Fire in Paradise

    S38:E4

    A year after the devastating Camp Fire, FRONTLINE examines who’s to blame and why it was so catastrophic. With accounts from survivors and first responders, the documentary tells the inside story of the most destructive fire in California's history, its causes and the impact of climate change.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Frontline Season 38 Episode 5 - In the Age of AI
    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #5 - In the Age of AI

    S38:E5

    From fears about work and privacy to a rivalry between the U.S. and China, FRONTLINE explores the promise and perils of AI. The documentary traces a new industrial revolution that will reshape and disrupt our lives, our jobs and our world, and allow the emergence of the surveillance society.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Frontline Season 38 Episode 6 - Kids Caught in the Crackdown/ Iraq's Secret Sex Trade
    7.4/10(64 votes)

    #6 - Kids Caught in the Crackdown/ Iraq's Secret Sex Trade

    S38:E6

    In an investigation with The Associated Press, FRONTLINE examines the widespread consequences — and business — of the mass confinement of migrant children. The documentary details the traumatic stories of migrant children detained under President Trump’s immigration policies. Also in this two-part hour, a report on the sexual exploitation of women and girls in Iraq.

    Directors:Andrés Cediel, Daffodil Altan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Frontline

    READ
  7. Frontline Season 38 Episode 7 - For Sama
    7.6/10(442 votes)

    #7 - For Sama

    S38:E7

    In a time of conflict and darkness in her home in Aleppo, Syria, one young woman kept her camera rolling — while falling in love, getting married, having a baby and saying goodbye as her city crumbled. The award-winning documentary unfolds as a love letter from filmmaker and young mother Waad al-Kateab to her daughter — Sama.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Frontline Season 38 Episode 8 - Targeting El Paso
    7.1/10(64 votes)

    #8 - Targeting El Paso

    S38:E8

    FRONTLINE investigates how El Paso, Texas became the Trump administration’s immigration testing ground, and then the target of a white supremacist. Interviews with current and former officials, Border Patrol agents, advocates and migrants tell the inside story from the epicenter of the border crisis.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Frontline Season 38 Episode 9 - America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump (1)
    7.7/10(104 votes)

    #9 - America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump (1)

    S38:E9

    A two-part investigation into America’s increasingly bitter, divided and toxic politics. Part One of the documentary traces how Barack Obama’s promise of unity collapsed as increasing racial, cultural and political divisions laid the groundwork for the rise of Donald Trump.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Frontline Season 38 Episode 10 - America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump (2)
    7.7/10(77 votes)

    #10 - America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump (2)

    S38:E10

    A two-part investigation into America’s increasingly bitter, divided and toxic politics. Part Two of the documentary examines how Donald Trump’s campaign exploited the country’s divisions and how his presidency has unleashed anger on both sides of the divide.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Frontline Season 38 Episode 11 - Taliban Country/The Luanda Leaks
    7.5/10(63 votes)

    #11 - Taliban Country/The Luanda Leaks

    S38:E11

    FRONTLINE reporter Najibullah Quraishi goes on a dangerous journey into both Taliban- and ISIS-held territory amid efforts to end nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan. Also in this two-part hour, an investigation with the ICIJ into how Isabel dos Santos became Africa’s richest woman.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Frontline Season 38 Episode 12 - Battle for Hong Kong
    7.5/10(47 votes)

    #12 - Battle for Hong Kong

    S38:E12

    FRONTLINE goes inside the battle for Hong Kong, following protesters through the most intense clashes over several months of pro-democracy protests. The film examines their struggle against what they say is growing influence from the communist government of mainland China.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Frontline Season 38 Episode 13 - Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos
    7.7/10(78 votes)

    #13 - Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos

    S38:E13

    FRONTLINE examines Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ ascent to power and the global impact of the empire he built. The film also investigates the darker side of the company’s rapid growth, and the challenge of trying to rein in the power of the richest man in the world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Frontline Season 38 Episode 14 - NRA Under Fire
    7.2/10(69 votes)

    #14 - NRA Under Fire

    S38:E14

    Once an unrivaled political power, the NRA is facing challenges from all sides. FRONTLINE examines how the NRA aligned with President Trump and his base, and finds itself under attack ahead of the 2020 election.

    Director:Gabrielle Schonder
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Frontline Season 38 Episode 15 - Plastic Wars
    8.7/10(128 votes)

    #15 - Plastic Wars

    S38:E15

    With the plastic industry expanding like never before, and the crisis of ocean pollution growing, FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the fight over the future of plastics.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Frontline Season 38 Episode 16 - China Undercover
    7.0/10(28 votes)

    #16 - China Undercover

    S38:E16

    With undercover footage and firsthand accounts from survivors of China's detention camps, FRONTLINE investigates the Communist regime’s mass imprisonment of Muslims, and its use of sophisticated surveillance technology against the Uyghur community.

    Director:Robin Barnwell
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Frontline Season 38 Episode 17 - Coronavirus Pandemic
    7.1/10(232 votes)

    #17 - Coronavirus Pandemic

    S38:E17

    How did the U.S. become the country with the worst known coronavirus outbreak in the world? FRONTLINE investigates the American response to COVID-19 — from Washington State to Washington, D.C. — and examines what happens when politics and science collide.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Frontline Season 38 Episode 18 - Inside Italy's COVID War
    5.8/10(25 votes)

    #18 - Inside Italy's COVID War

    S38:E18

    FRONTLINE goes inside a hospital battling the coronavirus crisis in northern Italy, as doctors are forced to make life and death decisions. An intimate, exclusive story that follows one besieged ER doctor, her staff and the patients suffering from COVID-19, from the darkest days to the signs of hope.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Frontline Season 38 Episode 19 - The Virus: What Went Wrong?
    6.4/10(56 votes)

    #19 - The Virus: What Went Wrong?

    S38:E19

    As COVID-19 spread from Asia to the Middle East to Europe, why was the U.S. caught so unprepared? Despite repeated warnings of a potent contagion headed our way, America’s leaders failed to prepare and protect us. Why and who is accountable?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Frontline Season 38 Episode 20 - Opioids, Inc.
    7.0/10(64 votes)

    #20 - Opioids, Inc.

    S38:E20

    The story of a drug company that pushed opioids by bribing doctors and committing insurance fraud. With the Financial Times, FRONTLINE investigates how Insys Therapeutics profited from a fentanyl-based painkiller 50 times stronger than heroin.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Frontline Season 38 Episode 21 - Once Upon a Time in Iraq
    7.1/10(251 votes)

    #21 - Once Upon a Time in Iraq

    S38:E21

    This is the story of the Iraq war, told by Iraqis who lived through it. They share their personal accounts and lasting memories of life under Saddam Hussein, the U.S.-led invasion of their country and the 17 years of chaos that followed — from the sectarian violence to the rise and brutal reign of ISIS.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 38 Ratings Summary

"The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia" is the best rated episode of "Frontline" season 38. It scored 6.6/10 based on 36 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Linda Hirsch, Martin Smith, it aired on 10/1/2019. This episode is rated 1.1 points higher than the second-best, "On The President's Orders".