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The Best Episodes of The New York Times Presents

Every episode of The New York Times Presents ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The New York Times Presents!

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A series of standalone documentaries powered by the unparalleled journalism and insight of The New York Times, bringing viewers close to the essential stories of our time.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 9 - Controlling Britney Spears
    7.7/10(469 votes)

    #1 - Controlling Britney Spears

    S1:E9

    Britney Spears has said that her conservatorship had become “an oppressive and controlling tool against her.” This New York Times investigation reveals much of how it worked, including an intense surveillance apparatus that monitored every move she made.

    Director:Samantha Stark
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 2 - Dominic Fike, At First
    7.1/10(98 votes)

    #2 - Dominic Fike, At First

    S1:E2

    The making of a pop star in 2020: A young musician is plucked from obscurity -- jail, actually -- and given a multi-million dollar record deal. Meet Dominic Fike as he prepares for his first international tour and makes his debut album.

    Director:Alexandra Garcia
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 5 - The Teenager Who Hacked Twitter
    7.1/10(117 votes)

    #3 - The Teenager Who Hacked Twitter

    S1:E5

    Elon Musk. Bill Gates. Kanye West. Joe Biden. Barack Obama. They and dozens of others were being hacked recently, and Twitter appeared powerless to stop it. Who had brought the tech giant to its knees? A 17-year-old kid in Tampa.

    Director:John Pappas
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 6 - Framing Britney Spears
    6.8/10(7097 votes)

    #4 - Framing Britney Spears

    S1:E6

    Her rise was a global phenomenon. Her downfall was a cruel national sport. People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life.

    Director:Samantha Stark
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 10 - Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson
    6.7/10(240 votes)

    #5 - Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson

    S1:E10

    In 2004, a culture war was brewing when the Super Bowl halftime show audience saw a white man expose a Black woman's breast for 9/16ths of a second. A national furor ensued. The woman was Janet Jackson, and her career was never the same.

    Director:Jodi Gomes
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 4 - Hurricane of Fire
    6.5/10(83 votes)

    #6 - Hurricane of Fire

    S1:E4

    Perhaps a fitting start to 2020, Australia rang in the New Year with much of the country engulfed in flames. A few people decided to confront the blaze. Watch them stand face to face with one of the most ferocious infernos in history.

    Director:John Pappas
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The New York Times Presents

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  7. The New York Times Presents Season 2 Episode 4 - Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano (2)
    6.3/10(73 votes)

    #7 - Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano (2)

    S2:E4

    In Part 2 of this two-part series on Hollywood’s dirtiest P.I. Anthony Pellicano is out of prison – and he’s talking. Previously unseen evidence raises questions about why so few Hollywood stars faced consequences when Pellicano was exposed.

    Director:John Pappas
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The New York Times Presents Season 2 Episode 3 - Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano (1)
    6.2/10(78 votes)

    #8 - Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano (1)

    S2:E3

    Part 1 of this two-part series on Hollywood’s dirtiest P.I. uses never-before-heard recordings to reveal the extraordinary methods Anthony Pellicano employed to hide the sins of celebrities and their lawyers when they thought no one was looking.

    Director:John Pappas
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 1 - They Get Brave
    6.0/10(93 votes)

    #9 - They Get Brave

    S1:E1

    As the coronavirus ravages more and more American cities, we look back to the place hit hardest: New York City. Doctors and nurses documented their lives, capturing awe‐inspiring resolve in the face of a breakdown in the health‐care system.

    Directors:John Pappas, Alexandra Garcia, Lora Moftah, Samantha Stark
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The New York Times Presents Season 3 Episode 3 - Lie to Fly
    6.0/10(71 votes)

    #10 - Lie to Fly

    S3:E3

    A pilot's promising career takes a dark turn when he's accused of attempting to down a plane after taking psychedelic mushrooms; the film delves into pilot mental health protocols and urgent calls for reform within the aviation industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 3 - The Killing of Breonna Taylor
    5.9/10(112 votes)

    #11 - The Killing of Breonna Taylor

    S1:E3

    A New York Times investigation examines what happened at 3003 Springfield Drive in Louisville, Kentucky, just after midnight on March 13, when police executed a warrant that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor.

    Director:Yoruba Richen
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The New York Times Presents Season 2 Episode 5 - The Legacy of J Dilla
    5.8/10(89 votes)

    #12 - The Legacy of J Dilla

    S2:E5

    In his short lifetime, J Dilla was a musician, producer and visionary who profoundly influenced rap and hip-hop. Given how prolific he was in his 32 years, why didn’t his accolades come sooner?

    Directors:Esther Dere, Christopher Frierson
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 8 - Move Fast & Vape Things
    5.7/10(77 votes)

    #13 - Move Fast & Vape Things

    S1:E8

    Two Stanford graduate students had an inspired idea and an idealistic mission: create an e-cigarette that would help millions of people stop smoking. How did the founders of Juul lose their way and end up accused of addicting a whole new generation?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 11 - To Live and Die in Alabama
    5.4/10(67 votes)

    #14 - To Live and Die in Alabama

    S1:E11

    Three police officers died in a shootout at a drug house in Alabama. One man was sentenced to death for the shootings, even though he was never accused of even touching the murder weapon. This is the story of Nathaniel Woods.

    Director:Matthew Kay
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The New York Times Presents Season 2 Episode 1 - Elon Musk's Crash Course
    5.4/10(303 votes)

    #15 - Elon Musk's Crash Course

    S2:E1

    Elon Musk, the world's richest person, has claimed since 2015 that, for Tesla, technology for self-driving cars is a "solved problem," and made outlandish claims about Autopilot capabilities. But a New York Times investigation reveals the quixotic nature of Musk's pursuit of self-driving technology, and the tragic results.

    Director:Emma Schwartz
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The New York Times Presents Season 3 Episode 1 - How to Fix a Pageant
    5.1/10(50 votes)

    #16 - How to Fix a Pageant

    S3:E1

    Decades of waning cultural credibility and recent scandals have left the Miss USA pageant in chaos. This film explores allegations that rotted the core of an iconic institution and questions if it has outlived its relevance.

    Director:Nicole Rittenmeyer
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The New York Times Presents Season 3 Episode 4 - Weight of the World
    5.1/10(61 votes)

    #17 - Weight of the World

    S3:E4

    As GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic soar in popularity for weight loss, following three people on their own GLP-1 journeys and exploring how decades of diet culture and society's relentless pursuit of thinness paved the way for their rise.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The New York Times Presents Season 3 Episode 2 - Broken Horses
    4.8/10(57 votes)

    #18 - Broken Horses

    S3:E2

    Churchill Downs, the cathedral of horse racing, turned into a horse graveyard at last year's Kentucky Derby. This film explores the sport beneath the pageantry, where a quest for faster horses is causing alarming breakdowns.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The New York Times Presents Season 2 Episode 2 - Superspreader
    4.7/10(85 votes)

    #19 - Superspreader

    S2:E2

    Are you hesitant to get a Covid vaccine? This doctor opposes them. If you agree, he has some pet supplies he wants to sell you. Meet Dr. Mercola, perhaps the most influential spreader of Covid vaccine misinformation online.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The New York Times Presents Season 1 Episode 7 - Who Gets To Be an Influencer?
    4.6/10(70 votes)

    #20 - Who Gets To Be an Influencer?

    S1:E7

    The New York Times follows the rise of Collab Crib, the first mainstream Black "creator mansion," exclusively documenting their whirlwind drive to achieve social media stardom in 90 days. The intimate, character-based film captures the influencers wrestling with a nagging, and profound, challenge: how can they succeed in a nascent industry that seems tilted to their disadvantage?

    Director:Lora Moftah
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Controlling Britney Spears" is the best rated episode of "The New York Times Presents". It scored 7.7/10 based on 469 votes. Directed by Samantha Stark and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/24/2021. This episode scored 0.6 points higher than the second highest rated, "Dominic Fike, At First".