The BEST episodes of American Experience season 30

Every episode of American Experience season 30, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of American Experience season 30!

Presents an absorbing look at the personalities, events and resources that have had a profound impact on the shaping of America's past and present.

Last Updated: 11/17/2024Network: PBSStatus: Continuing
Share:
The Island Murder
star
7.67
9 votes

#1 - The Island Murder

Season 30 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/17/2018

In the summer 1931, Honolulu's tropical tranquility was shattered when a young Navy wife made a drastic allegation of rape against five nonwhite islanders. What unfolded in the following days and weeks was a racially-charged murder case that would make headlines across the nation, enrage Hawai'i's native population, and galvanize the island's law enforcers and the nation's social elite.

The Bombing of Wall Street
star
7.55
22 votes

#2 - The Bombing of Wall Street

Season 30 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/13/2018

Explore the story behind the first terrorist attack in the U.S., a mostly-forgotten 1920 bombing in the nation’s financial center that left 38 dead – a crime that remains unsolved today.

Directors: Susan Bellows
The Gilded Age
star
7.53
17 votes

#3 - The Gilded Age

Season 30 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/6/2018

Meet the titans and barons of the glittering late 19th century, whose materialistic extravagance contrasted harshly with the poverty of the struggling workers who challenged them. The vast disparities between them sparked debates still raging today.

Directors: Sarah Colt
The Chinese Exclusion Act
star
7.50
12 votes

#4 - The Chinese Exclusion Act

Season 30 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/29/2018

Examine the origin, history and impact of the 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become U.S. citizens. The first in a long line of acts targeting the Chinese for exclusion, it remained in force for more than 60 years.

Into the Amazon
star
7.44
16 votes

#5 - Into the Amazon

Season 30 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/9/2018

The remarkable story of President Theodore Roosevelt’s journey with legendary Brazilian explorer Candido Rondon into the heart of the South American rainforest to chart an unexplored tributary of the Amazon.

Directors: John Maggio
Writer: John Maggio
The Secret of Tuxedo Park
star
7.20
20 votes

#6 - The Secret of Tuxedo Park

Season 30 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/16/2018

In the fall of 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his country’s most valuable military secret — a revolutionary radar component — to a Wall Street tycoon, Alfred Lee Loomis. Using his connections, his money, and his brilliant scientific mind, Loomis and his team of scientists developed radar technology that played a more decisive role than any other weapon in World War II.

Directors: Rob Rapley
Writer: Rob Rapley