The BEST episodes of American Masters season 39
Every episode of American Masters season 39, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of American Masters season 39!
To honor America's most notable creative artists and the inspiration behind their work. Special broadcasts profiles a cross-section of the nation's finest artistic pioneers from the past and present.
#1 - Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
Season 39 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/19/2025
Discover the life of singer-songwriter Janis Ian and how she rose as a folk icon and gay rights advocate. She broke ground with “Society’s Child” (1966), a bold take on interracial love, and “At Seventeen” (1975), a searing anthem about bullying.
#2 - The Disappearance of Miss Scott
Season 39 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/21/2025
Hazel Scott was one of the most revered stars of the early 20th century. A beloved musical sensation, a Hollywood star, and the first Black American to host their own television show, she also used her star power to be an influential voice of the nascent Civil Rights Movement—until she was blacklisted during the 1950s Red Scare. Her story has been mostly silenced until this film, based on her unpublished autobiography.
#3 - Liza: A Truly Terrific, Absolutely True Story
Season 39 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/1/2025
Take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz.
#4 - Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse
Season 39 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/15/2025
Explore the work of cartoonist Art Spiegelman and the impact of his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. A defender of free speech, Spiegelman has spoken out as book bans spread across the country.
#5 - Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny
Season 39 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/27/2025
Discover Hannah Arendt, one of the most fearless political thinkers of the 20th century, who transformed her time as a political prisoner and refugee during World War II into daring insights about totalitarianism which continue to resonate today.
#6 - Marcella
Season 39 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/11/2025
Discover how celebrated writer Marcella Hazan shaped Italian cuisine in America. After immigrating to New York in the 1950s, she began making authentic dishes from her Italian roots and inspired millions of Americans with her cookbooks.