This American Life

Season 1

TV-14
100%
An anthology of true stories pertaining to various themes are illustrated.

6 Episodes

  • Reality Check
    E1
    Reality CheckThree 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.
  • My Way
    E2
    My WayAn 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.
  • God's Close-Up
    E3
    God's Close-UpAn 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.
  • The Cameraman
    E4
    The CameramanG.J. spent years filming his mother and stepfather. In the '80s, his stepfather, Frank Garcia, was the bassist in a briefly-famous band called OXO. G.J.'s mom, Cindy Brown, met him at the height of his success, when the band's one Top 40 hit, "Whirly Girl," was on the charts.
  • Growth Spurt
    E5
    Growth SpurtWhat 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.
  • Pandora's Box
    E6
    Pandora's BoxThree 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.

Cast of Season 1

  • Ira GlassHimself - Host / Writer / Producer
  • Nancy UpdikeWriter
  • Christine VachonProducer

Season 1 Ratings & Reviews

 

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