The WORST episodes of United Shades of America

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

Follow comedian and political gadfly W. Kamau Bell as he explores the far corners of our country and its various groups and subcultures.

Last Updated: 3/27/2024Network: CNNStatus: Continuing
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The Time for Reparations
star
6.70
10 votes

#1 - The Time for Reparations

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/16/2020

W. Kamau Bell heads to New Orleans to explore the topic of reparations.

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Power Of Protest
star
6.92
13 votes

#2 - Power Of Protest

Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/16/2021

Kamau goes back to Portland to explore the dynamics of the protests.

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Athletes and the Cost of Winning
star
7.00
9 votes

#3 - Athletes and the Cost of Winning

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/24/2022

While sports can be exhilarating and bring us together, they also come with a lot of intensity and pressure that can compromise athletes’ mental health. W. Kamau Bell heads to the legendary sports town of Boston, Massachusetts to find out how athletes are speaking up and leading change.

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Venezuelans in Florida
star
7.00
11 votes

#4 - Venezuelans in Florida

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/23/2020

W. Kamau Bell heads to South Florida, home of the largest number of Venezuelans in the United States, to understand the crisis that led them to seek asylum.

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The Wealth Gap
star
7.16
19 votes

#5 - The Wealth Gap

Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/23/2021

Kamau discovers American disparity through the lenses of generational wealth.

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Thank You For Your Service
star
7.17
12 votes

#6 - Thank You For Your Service

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/30/2021

Kamau spends time speaking with military veterans in San Diego to examine how the military is beset by the same destructive forces that keep the U.S. divided as a nation.

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Iranian-Americans in New York
star
7.27
11 votes

#7 - Iranian-Americans in New York

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/30/2020

W. Kamau Bell visits New York City to meet with Iranian immigrants to learn about their American experience.

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The Color Of America
star
7.29
14 votes

#8 - The Color Of America

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/6/2021

Kamau goes to Philadelphia to explore the shifting ethnic makeup of the U.S. in a celebratory exploration of an increasingly robust mixed-race population and the ways in which they are changing and challenging the culture.

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Trans in Texas
star
7.36
11 votes

#9 - Trans in Texas

Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/13/2021

While visiting Dallas, Texas, to listen and learn about the joys and struggles of the Black transgender community, W. Kamau Bell hears from Naomi Green on the frightening reality of medical discrimination.

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Going to Public School
star
7.38
16 votes

#10 - Going to Public School

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/2/2020

A look into the public education system of two contrasting school districts in Cleveland, Ohio.

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Megachurches
star
7.38
24 votes

#11 - Megachurches

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/28/2019

Kamau visits Dallas—the home of the Megachurch, to find out what is creating the new face of Christianity today, in a city where church and state are far from separate.

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Black in Appalachia
star
7.38
13 votes

#12 - Black in Appalachia

Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/17/2022

When we picture Appalachians, we generally picture the white working class of America. But a significant and largely unknown population of Black Americans have called it home since the time of the conquistadors, and they have contributed to American culture in ways that are often overlooked.

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Black To The Future
star
7.50
14 votes

#13 - Black To The Future

Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/9/2021

Kamau visits Atlanta and digs deep into the discrimination and racism that lingers in programs like STEM; he looks at efforts to build a more inclusive workforce for the globally competitive future in technology and space.

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California Is Burning
star
7.56
9 votes

#14 - California Is Burning

Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/31/2022

Years of prolonged drought and extreme heatwaves in California have seen wildfires grow in frequency, intensity, and size. It is a complex crisis, fueled by mismanagement of the land, corporate greed, and of course, climate change. There’s no quick or easy fix to any of this, so in the meantime, how do we learn to coexist with wildfire?

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All-American Family Farms
star
7.64
14 votes

#15 - All-American Family Farms

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/26/2020

How we can fix America's broken food supply chain? A nightmare scenario for farmers is happening right now. 'Essential' farmworkers feel underpaid and at risk.

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The Homeless Crisis in LA
star
7.67
12 votes

#16 - The Homeless Crisis in LA

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/30/2020

W. Kamau Bell visits Los Angeles to explore the homelessness crisis.

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Is It Cool to Be Hip?
star
7.68
53 votes

#17 - Is It Cool to Be Hip?

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/29/2016

W. Kamau Bell is off to speak to the people of Portland, Oregon where the result of a massive influx of hipsters appears to be gentrification; he inquires as to how this has affected the local neighborhoods.

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The Canadian Way
star
7.71
14 votes

#18 - The Canadian Way

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/24/2018

W. Kamau Bell takes a trip up north to Canada to see if everything is truly as great as everyone says.

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Appalachian Coal Country
star
7.72
32 votes

#19 - Appalachian Coal Country

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/18/2017

The Appalachian region has a rich history and optimism, despite being one of the hardest-hit countries economically; W. Kamau Bell plans to mine.

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The Gig Economy
star
7.72
18 votes

#20 - The Gig Economy

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/9/2020

Across the United States, the fastest-growing category of new jobs is gig work, spurred on by tech companies and their never-ending stream of apps; low and uncertain incomes have replaced benefits.

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Muslims in Small Town America
star
7.74
43 votes

#21 - Muslims in Small Town America

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/21/2017

W. Kamau Bell meets Muslims in Michigan who are eager to explain that practitioners of Islam aren't what people assume they are.

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The Border
star
7.76
29 votes

#22 - The Border

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/29/2018

W. Kamau Bell heads to the U.S. Mexico border to find out what life is like for the people who live there.

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Puerto Ricans and Puerto Rico
star
7.77
26 votes

#23 - Puerto Ricans and Puerto Rico

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/11/2017

W. Kamau Bell unlocks some of the myths of Puerto Ricans; a journey from New York City to Puerto Rico itself.

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Protect and Serve?
star
7.77
61 votes

#24 - Protect and Serve?

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/15/2016

Camden, New Jersey has a reputation as one of the country's most dangerous cities; W. Kamau Bell heads there to see if a newly implemented community policing program is helping the relationship between citizens and the police force.

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The Fountain of Youth
star
7.78
27 votes

#25 - The Fountain of Youth

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/12/2016

Kamau Bell searches for the fountain of youth. He heads to Daytona Beach, Florida and gets schooled on 'beachin.'

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