The WORST episodes of American Auto

Every episode of American Auto ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of American Auto!

Set at the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit where a floundering group of executives try to rediscover the company identity amidst a rapidly changing industry.

Last Updated: 9/14/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended

6.75

173 votes

#1 - Pilot

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/13/2021

Payne Motors gets a new CEO on the same day they're rolling out a new self-driving (and problematic) vehicle.

Directors: Jeffrey Blitz

Writer: Justin Spitzer

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6.81

133 votes

#2 - White Van

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/13/2021

Katherine deals with the PR fallout of a serial killer driving a Payne. Jack tries to figure out his role in the company.

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6.85

91 votes

#3 - Employee Morale

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/22/2022

Katherine and the team attempt to boost employee morale after the Payne CFO announces his resignation.

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6.86

100 votes

#4 - The $10k Car

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/11/2022

Sadie and Cyrus struggle with how honest to be about Katherine’s car idea. Elliot pawns his vicious dog off on Dori.

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6.99

94 votes

#5 - Millbank, IA

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/18/2022

The group travels to Iowa for the opening of a new factory.

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7.00

110 votes

#6 - Earnings Call

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/4/2022

Katherine promises a big announcement on her first quarterly earnings call. Jack and Elliot negotiate a contract with the line-workers union.

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7.07

73 votes

#7 - The Letter

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/28/2023

Katherine has to go on a listening tour after a group of younger employees demand the company stop contributing to "pro-life" politicians. The men of the office are charged with writing Payne's policies regarding abortion.

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7.11

88 votes

#8 - Charity Dinner

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/1/2022

The group attends the annual Payne Foundation Fundraising Gala. Katherine suspects her job may be in jeopardy. Wesley deals with a family rivalry.

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7.13

95 votes

#9 - Commercial

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/25/2022

Katherine and the team reshoot a commercial to make it more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.

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7.13

85 votes

#10 - Profile

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/8/2022

When a TV newsmagazine films a segment on Katherine, the team struggles to portray her in a positive light while avoiding "gotcha" questions.

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7.13

67 votes

#11 - Dealer Event

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 4/11/2023

Katherine is deathly afraid of rodents but is forced to drive a Pika filled with rabbits for the annual dealer event. Wesley takes Jack under his wing and teaches him how to schmooze the dealers. Sadie, Cyrus and Elliot struggle with a presentation.

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7.15

88 votes

#12 - Recall

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/1/2022

The executives realize a Payne vehicle may have a faulty part and debate whether to issue a recall.

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7.16

76 votes

#13 - Crisis

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/24/2023

Katherine and the team bring in crisis manager Ian Osofsky to help combat the negative publicity the company is receiving from accusations it covered up defective auto parts.

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7.16

68 votes

#14 - Night Out

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/21/2023

The gang ends up at Katherine's house for what seems like an innocent night of drinking and employee bonding, but things escalate when everyone learns that Katherine and Richard are in the middle of a divorce.

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7.22

78 votes

#15 - Celebrity

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/7/2023

When Payne loses their spokesperson, Katherine and the team go to great lengths to woo a new celebrity -- Andy Richter -- only to have second thoughts.

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7.28

74 votes

#16 - Most Hated CEO

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/31/2023

Ian and Sadie attempt to rehab Katherine's image from the pawl controversy by staging a phony video with Katherine's family and a visit to "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

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7.30

69 votes

#17 - Passion Project

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/28/2023

Coming off the news of her divorce, Katherine wants to institute big changes in the office, which prompts Cyrus to introduce her to his dream car. Things go south when Katherine attempts to transform his design into a vision of her own.

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7.34

62 votes

#18 - Judgement Day

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/18/2023

Katherine and her team make one last effort to raise the Payne stock and save their jobs by rallying behind the launch of the Pika. When global events cause the whole market to crash, Katherine loses hope that Payne will ever recover.

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7.34

64 votes

#19 - Funeral

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/4/2023

When Wesley's grandfather passes away, Katherine and the others learn that all the heirs plan to sell their company shares, which would tank the stock price. They attempt damage control at the funeral to try to stop it.

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7.35

69 votes

#20 - Young Designers

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/7/2023

Payne sponsors its annual young designers contest at a local elementary school, which sparks controversy when Katherine inadvertently offends multiple countries via an Instagram Live interview with a Somali-American student.

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7.42

74 votes

#21 - Cost Cutting

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/14/2023

In an effort to reduce costs, Jack, Cyrus and Elliot have to let go of some employees while Wesley and Dori search for office savings. Sadie helps prep Katherine for her first post-crisis TV interview.

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7.46

67 votes

#22 - Hack

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/14/2023

The Payne servers get hacked, causing Katherine and Elliot to conflict on whether or not to pay the ransom. This becomes increasingly more personal for Katherine when the hackers reveal they have personal photos of her.

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7.51

80 votes

#23 - Going Green

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/21/2023

Katherine and the team head to Silicon Valley to invest in green tech, including Sandbox, a potentially bogus company founded by Wesley's friend, Chase.

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