Documentary

The Best Episodes of This American Life

Every episode of This American Life ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of This American Life!

Binge this in 1h 58m•Peaking at 8.4/10

The Peabody Award-winning public radio series that combines journalism with opinion, fiction and biography becomes this highly anticipated TV series hosted by Ira Glass.

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Seasons2

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    This American Life Season 2 Episode 6 - John Smith
    8.4/10(41 votes)

    #1 - John Smith

    S2:E6

    The story of one life, told through the lives of people from all over the country, all named John Smith. Baby John Smith is 11 weeks old, in South Carolina, and his parents are still reeling from the sonograms that all predicted he would be a girl. By the time he's 23, John Smith in Laramie, Wyoming, has made some mistakes and is appearing in front of a judge. At 46, he's in Texas, welcoming his oldest son back from Iraq. In-depth portraits of people growing up, growing old, and figuring out how to be fathers, husbands, and men in America today.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. This American Life Season 2 Episode 1 - Escape
    8.2/10(43 votes)

    #2 - Escape

    S2:E1

    Two teenage boys in Philadelphia look for ways to impress girls; and a young man fights for his independence from his mother.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. This American Life Season 1 Episode 1 - Reality Check
    7.7/10(30 votes)

    #3 - Reality Check

    S1:E1

    Three stories of people who hatched plans in the hopes of making their dreams come true, but were snapped back to reality by unpleasant outcomes: an elementary school student tries to solve a common childhood problem; a rancher resuscitates a beloved pet, which later turns on him; people team to give an unknown rock band the greatest night of its life.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. This American Life Season 1 Episode 4 - The Cameraman
    7.5/10(27 votes)

    #4 - The Cameraman

    S1:E4

    Being behind the camera changes you. It's not just that you see everything differently; you act differently also. This episode features two stories, one big, one small, exploring this phenomenon.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. This American Life Season 1 Episode 2 - My Way
    7.4/10(24 votes)

    #5 - My Way

    S1:E2

    An exploration of the benefits and costs of stubbornness. If you're a 15-year-old boy, and you don't want to fall in love, maybe you can just decide not to do it. Ever. Stories of trying to cheat death, love, political reality, and memory with only an idiosyncratic vision and a lot of stamina.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. This American Life Season 1 Episode 6 - Pandora's Box
    7.3/10(19 votes)

    #6 - Pandora's Box

    S1:E6

    Three stories of consequences that follow from human beings' doing what we do best: poking our noses everywhere, fixing things that may or may not be broken, and opening our big mouths. A hot dog stand in Chicago unleashes dark forces in the human soul; and scientists try, unsuccessfully, to create perfect pigs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of This American Life

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  7. This American Life Season 1 Episode 5 - Growth Spurt
    7.2/10(20 votes)

    #7 - Growth Spurt

    S1:E5

    What do you do if you don't like where you are in life? You simply decide to move forward, into the next stage, by sheer force of will. A widow; an ambitious, first-time screenwriter; and a 13-year-old girl all charge forward into their futures with uneven results.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. This American Life Season 2 Episode 2 - Two Wars
    7.0/10(23 votes)

    #8 - Two Wars

    S2:E2

    An Iraqi comes to America after leaving his war-torn country and sets out on a trip across America and lets the U.S. citizens ask questions about any subject; a Bulgarian man decides that an argument with his wife, about lawn upkeep, goes back more than 20 years.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. This American Life Season 2 Episode 3 - Going Down in History
    7.0/10(21 votes)

    #9 - Going Down in History

    S2:E3

    Stories of people trying to make — and remake — history, while others go down in history in ways they never intended. Two Wisconsin convicts gain local fame for almost escaping prison using dental floss. High school students pose for smiley yearbook snapshots, which capture nothing of the dramas in their lives. And a man with a 30-year obsession with one particular bird unveils the grainy, Big Foot-style video evidence that he saw it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. This American Life Season 1 Episode 3 - God's Close-Up
    6.9/10(24 votes)

    #10 - God's Close-Up

    S1:E3

    An artist, his Jesus-model, the model's girlfriend, the girlfriend's father, and a bunch of bearded men all converge in Utah. An elaborate artistic tableau is set up in the desert, and there are several attempts by the faithful and the not-so-faithful to bridge the divide between them. Nancy Updike reports.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. This American Life Season 2 Episode 5 - Every Marriage Is a Courtroom
    6.5/10(25 votes)

    #11 - Every Marriage Is a Courtroom

    S2:E5

    Cartoonist Chris Ware animates a true story that demonstrates that every marriage—even the happiest—is a courtroom. But most of the episode is devoted to the slow-motion disintegration of one couple's marriage. The husband's obsession with a legal battle forces the most basic marital questions into the open: what do I need? And what can I put up with?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. This American Life Season 2 Episode 7 - No Respect
    6.4/10(10 votes)

    #12 - No Respect

    S2:E7

    This episode examines comedians and their audiences. It includes segments about performing for a rowdy crowd, and a piece about Mike Birbiglia's worst gig ever.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. This American Life Season 2 Episode 4 - Underdogs
    6.0/10(25 votes)

    #13 - Underdogs

    S2:E4

    A group of teenage boys, in New York City, learn how to fight back against bullies in an old fashioned way; two boxers from Tennessee who have known each other, since they were kids, must face each other in a fight that they can't lose.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"John Smith" is the best rated episode of "This American Life". It scored 8.4/10 based on 41 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 6/8/2008. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Escape".