American Playhouse

American Playhouse is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).^[1][2][3]

American Playhouse
Genre	Anthology
Directed by	Perry Miller Adato Robert Allan Ackerman Paul Bogart Kirk Browning Jonathan Demme Bill Duke Peter H. Hunt David Hugh Jones Barbara Kopple Jack O'Brien Philip Leacock Marshall W. Mason Vivian Matalon Sharron Miller Joanne Woodward
Composer	David Amram
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	13
Production
Production companies	KCET South Carolina Educational Television WGBH WNET
Original release
Network	PBS
Release	January 12, 1982 (1982-01-12) – December 22, 1993 (1993-12-22)

It premiered on January 12, 1982, with The Shady Hill Kidnapping, written and narrated by John Cheever and directed by Paul Bogart. Its final broadcast, In the Wings: Angels in America on Broadway, a rerun of a behind-the-scenes look at Tony Kushner's award-winning play in two parts, aired on January 1, 1994.

The series proved to be a springboard for the careers of numerous performers, including David Marshall Grant, Laura Linney, A Martinez, Conchata Ferrell, Eric Roberts, Lynne Thigpen, John Malkovich, Peter Riegert, Lupe Ontiveros, Ben Stiller, and Megan Mullally.

As part of WGBH's development of the Descriptive Video Service (DVS), American Playhouse was one of the first U.S. television programs to air with audio description for the visually impaired on the Secondary audio program (SAP). After trialing the system during previous seasons, the 1990 season was the first to offer it as part of their wider rollout of DVS, initially through 32 member stations.^[4][5][6]

Episodes

Season 1 (1982)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"The Shady Hill Kidnapping"	Paul Bogart	John Cheever	January 12, 1982 (1982-01-12)
2	2	"King of America"	Dezső Magyar	B.J Merholz	January 19, 1982 (1982-01-19)
3	3	"Seguin"	Jesús Salvador Treviño	Jesús Salvador Treviño	January 26, 1982 (1982-01-26)
4	4	"Who Am I This Time?"	Jonathan Demme	Neal Miller, based on the short story by Kurt Vonnegut	February 2, 1982 (1982-02-02)
5	5	"Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of Mine"	Ralph Rosenblum	Mary Trimble, based on the story by Ray Bradbury	February 9, 1982 (1982-02-09)
6	6	"Come Along with Me"	Joanne Woodward	June Finfer, Neal Miller and Joanne Woodward, based on the unfinished novel by Shirley Jackson	February 16, 1982 (1982-02-16)
7	7	"For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf"	Oz Scott	Ntozake Shange, based on her stage play	February 23, 1982 (1982-02-23)
8	8	"Carl Sandburg: Echoes and Silences"	Perry Miller Adato	Paul Shyre, based on poems by Carl Sandburg	March 2, 1982 (1982-03-02)
9	9	"Fifth of July"	Kirk Browning Marshall W. Mason	Lanford Wilson, based on his stage play	March 9, 1982 (1982-03-09)
10	10	"The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters"	Richard Bartlett	Jean Shepherd, based on his work In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash	March 16, 1982 (1982-03-16)
11	11	"Pilgrim, Farewell"	Michael Roemer	Michael Roemer	March 23, 1982 (1982-03-23)
12	12	"Northern Lights[7]"	John Hanson Rob Nilsson	John Hanson and Rob Nilsson	March 30, 1982 (1982-03-30)
13	13	"Medal of Honor Rag"	Lloyd Richards	Tom Cole, based on his stage play	April 6, 1982 (1982-04-06)
14	14	"Working"	Stephen Schwartz and Kirk Browning	Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, based on their musical	April 13, 1982 (1982-04-13)
15	15	"Weekend"	Paul Bogart	Ann Beattie, based on her short story	April 20, 1982 (1982-04-20)
16	16	"Private Contentment"	Vivian Matalon	Reynolds Price	April 27, 1982 (1982-04-27)
17	17	"My Palikari"	Charles S. Dubin	George Kirgo and Leon Capetanos	May 4, 1982 (1982-05-04)
18	18	"Oppenheimer (1)"	Barry Davis	Peter Prince	May 11, 1982 (1982-05-11)
19	19	"Oppenheimer (2)"	Barry Davis	Peter Prince	May 18, 1982 (1982-05-18)
20	20	"Oppenheimer (3)"	Barry Davis	Peter Prince	May 25, 1982 (1982-05-25)
21	21	"Oppenheimer (4)"	Barry Davis	Peter Prince	June 1, 1982 (1982-06-01)
22	22	"Oppenheimer (5)"	Barry Davis	Peter Prince	June 8, 1982 (1982-06-08)
23	23	"Oppenheimer (6)"	Barry Davis	Peter Prince	June 15, 1982 (1982-06-15)
24	24	"Oppenheimer (7)"	Barry Davis	Peter Prince	June 22, 1982 (1982-06-22)
25	25	"The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez"	Robert M. Young	Victor Villaseñor and Robert M. Young, based on the book With His Pistol in His Hand by Américo Paredes	June 29, 1982 (1982-06-29)

Season 2 (1983)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"The Skin of Our Teeth"	Jack O'Brien	Thorton Wilder	January 18, 1983 (1983-01-18)
TBA	2	"Miss Lonelyhearts"	Michael Dinner	Robert E. Bailey and Michael Dinner, based on the novel by Nathaniel West	January 25, 1983 (1983-01-25)
TBA	3	"Family Business"	John Stix	Dick Goldberg, based on his stage play	February 1, 1983 (1983-02-01)
TBA	4	"Keeping On"	Barbara Kopple	Horton Foote	February 8, 1983 (1983-02-08)
TBA	5	"The File on Jill Hatch (1)"	Alastair Reid	Kenneth Cavander	February 15, 1983 (1983-02-15)
TBA	6	"The File on Jill Hatch (2)"	Alastair Reid	Kenneth Cavander	February 22, 1983 (1983-02-22)
TBA	7	"The File on Jill Hatch (3)"	Alastair Reid	Alex Mount	March 1, 1983 (1983-03-01)
TBA	8	"For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story"	Michael Schultz	Ossie Davis and J. Rotcop, based on the book by Myrlie Evers-Williams and William Peters	March 22, 1983 (1983-03-22)
TBA	9	"Verse Person Singular"	Robert Deubel	created by Richard Kiley	March 29, 1983 (1983-03-29)
TBA	10	"Until She Talks"	Mary Lampson	Doris Baizley	April 5, 1983 (1983-04-05)
TBA	11	"Wings"	John Madden (director)	Arthur Kopit, based on his stage play	April 26, 1983 (1983-04-26)
TBA	12	"The Rothko Conspiracy"	Paul Watson	Michael Baker	May 3, 1983 (1983-05-03)

Season 3 (1984)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"The Ghost Writer"	Tristram Powell	Tristram Powell and Philip Roth, based on the novel by Roth	January 17, 1984 (1984-01-17)
TBA	2	"Pudd'nhead Wilson"	Alan Bridges	Philip H. Reisman Jr., based on the novel by Mark Twain	January 24, 1984 (1984-01-24)
TBA	3	"True West"	Allan Goldstein and Gary Sinise	Sam Shepard, based on his stage play	January 31, 1984 (1984-01-31)
TBA	4	"Nothing but a Man"	Michael Roemer	Michael Roemer and Robert M. Young	February 7, 1984 (1984-02-07)
TBA	5	"Popular Neurotics"	Sheldon Larry	Aubrey Wertheim, based on his stage play	February 14, 1984 (1984-02-14)
TBA	6	"The Cafeteria"	Amram Nowak	Ernest Kinoy, based on the short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer	February 21, 1984 (1984-02-21)
TBA	7	"Refuge"	Huck Fairman	Huck Fairman and Luther Sperberg	February 28, 1984 (1984-02-28)
TBA	8	"The Gin Game"	Terry Hughes	Donald L. Coburn, based on his stage play	March 6, 1984 (1984-03-06)
TBA	9	"Haunted"	Michael Roemer	Michael Roemer	March 20, 1984 (1984-03-20)
TBA	10	"The Killing Floor"	Bill Duke	Leslie Lee	April 10, 1984 (1984-04-10)
TBA	11	"Heartland[8]"	Richard Pearce	Beth Ferris and William Kittredge, based on the letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart	April 17, 1984 (1984-04-17)
TBA	12	"City News"	David Fishelson and Zoe Zinman	David Fishelson and Zoe Zinman	April 24, 1984 (1984-04-24)
TBA	13	"Hughie"	Terry Hughes and José Quintero	Eugene O'Neill	May 1, 1984 (1984-05-01)
TBA	14	"Concealed Enemies (1)"	Jeff Bleckner	Hugh Whitemore	May 7, 1984 (1984-05-07)
TBA	15	"Concealed Enemies (2)"	Jeff Bleckner	Hugh Whitemore	May 7, 1984 (1984-05-07)
TBA	16	"Concealed Enemies (3)"	Jeff Bleckner	Hugh Whitemore	May 8, 1984 (1984-05-08)
TBA	17	"Concealed Enemies (4)"	Jeff Bleckner	Hugh Whitemore	May 9, 1984 (1984-05-09)

Season 4 (1984–1985)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"Testament"	Lynne Littman	John Sacret Young, based on the short story "The Last Testament" by Carol Amen	November 26, 1984 (1984-11-26)
TBA	2	"A Matter of Principle"	Gwen Arner	Morton Neal Miller and Nancy Miller, based on the short story by John D. Weaver	December 3, 1984 (1984-12-03)
TBA	3	"Solomon Northup's Odyssey"	Gordon Parks	Lou Potter and Samm-Art Williams, based on the autobiography Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup	December 10, 1984 (1984-12-10)
TBA	4	"Tomorrow"	Joseph Anthony	Horton Foote, based on his stage play	December 17, 1984 (1984-12-17)
TBA	5	"Go Tell It on the Mountain"	Stan Lathan	Gus Edwards and Leslie Lee, based on the novel by James Baldwin	January 14, 1985 (1985-01-14)
TBA	6	"Noon Wine"	Michael Fields	Michael Fields, based on the novel by Katherine Anne Porter	January 21, 1985 (1985-01-21)
TBA	7	"The Joy That Kills"	Tina Rathborne	Tina Rathborne and Nancy Dyer, based on the short story "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin	January 28, 1985 (1985-01-28)
TBA	8	"Overdrawn at the Memory Bank"	Douglas Williams	Corinne Jacker, based on the short story by John Varley	February 4, 1985 (1985-02-04)
TBA	9	"The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski"	Fred Barzyk	Jean Shepherd, based on his work In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash	February 11, 1985 (1985-02-11)
TBA	10	"Some Men Need Help"	Allan Goldstein	John Ford Noonan, based on his play	February 18, 1985 (1985-02-18)
TBA	11	"Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom"	Barry Crane	Samm-Art Williams	February 25, 1985 (1985-02-25)
TBA	12	"Breakfast with Les and Bess"	Perry Rosemond	Lee Kalcheim	March 11, 1985 (1985-03-11)
TBA	13	"Nightsongs"	Marva Nabili	Marva Nabili, based on journal entries by Fae Myenne Ng	April 15, 1985 (1985-04-15)
TBA	14	"Under the Biltmore Clock"	Neal Miller	Neal Miller and Ilene Cooper, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald	April 22, 1985 (1985-04-22)
TBA	15	"Displaced Person"	Alan Bridges	Fred Barron, based on the short story by Kurt Vonnegut	May 6, 1985 (1985-05-06)
TBA	16	"The Europeans"	James Ivory	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, based on the novel by Henry James	May 13, 1985 (1985-05-13)
TBA	17	"El Norte"	Gregory Nava	Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas	May 20, 1985 (1985-05-20)
TBA	18	"Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1)"	Philip Leacock	Victor Pisano	May 27, 1985 (1985-05-27)
TBA	19	"Three Sovereigns for Sarah (2)"	Philip Leacock	Victor Pisano	June 3, 1985 (1985-06-03)
TBA	20	"Three Sovereigns for Sarah (3)"	Philip Leacock	Victor Pisano	June 10, 1985 (1985-06-10)
TBA	21	"Paper Angels"	John Lone	Genny Lim, based on her stage play	June 17, 1985 (1985-06-17)
TBA	22	"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"	Jack Hofsiss	Tennessee Williams, based on his stage play	June 24, 1985 (1985-06-24)

Season 5 (1986)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
77	1	"The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket"	Emile Ardolino	Peter Parnell, based on his stage play	January 20, 1986 (1986-01-20)
78	2	"The Roommate"	Nell Cox	Morton Neal Miller, based on the short story "The Christian Roommates" by John Updike	January 27, 1986 (1986-01-27)
Two young men who are polar opposites are assigned to the same dorm room at Northwestern University in 1952.
79	3	"Valentine's Revenge"	Paul Saltzman	Paul M. Lally, based on the short story by O. Henry	February 3, 1986 (1986-02-03)
80	4	"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1)"	Peter H. Hunt	Guy Gallo, based on the novel by Mark Twain	February 10, 1986 (1986-02-10)
81	5	"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (2)"	Peter H. Hunt	Guy Gallo, based on the novel by Mark Twain	February 17, 1986 (1986-02-17)
82	6	"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (3)"	Peter H. Hunt	Guy Gallo, based on the novel by Mark Twain	February 24, 1986 (1986-02-24)
83	7	"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (4)"	Peter H. Hunt	Guy Gallo, based on the novel by Mark Twain	March 3, 1986 (1986-03-03)
84	8	"Tell Me a Riddle"	Unknown	Unknown	March 17, 1986 (1986-03-17)
An elderly couple who are frustrated with each other about how to spend their last years of life decide to travel across the USA and visit their children and grandchildren.
85	9	"The Little Sister"	Unknown	Unknown	April 7, 1986 (1986-04-07)
86	10	"The House of Ramon Iglesia"	Luis F. Soto	José Rivera	April 14, 1986 (1986-04-14)
Ramón Iglesia plans to retire from his janitorial job, sell his suburban Long Island home and return to Puerto Rico with his wife and three sons, but does not hold the deed to his house which was purchased through an oral contract. Javier, his oldest son, refuses to return to Puerto Rico and chastises him for his unsophisticated approach to legal matters, but eventually has a change of heart and decides to help.
87	11	"A Flash of Green"	Unknown	Unknown	April 21, 1986 (1986-04-21)
88	12	"Damien"	Nino J. Martin	Aldyth Morris	April 28, 1986 (1986-04-28)
A 19th century Roman Catholic priest who worked with lepers on the island of Molokai discusses his experiences there.
89	13	"Rocket to the Moon"	John Jacobs	Wesley Moore, Clifford Odets	May 5, 1986 (1986-05-05)
In 1938 New York, a middle-aged dentist's practice is failing and his marriage is on the rocks. He becomes withdrawn until he starts getting involved with his lively assistant, a free spirit with a penchant for tall tales and a hidden loneliness. After receiving encouragement from his own father-in-law, the two find comfort in each other.
90	14	"A Case of Libel"	Eric Till	Henry Denker, Louis Nizer	May 12, 1986 (1986-05-12)
In 1954, a news reporter sues a columnist for libel for proclaiming him a communist in print.
91	15	"Painting Churches"	Jack O'Brien	Tina Howe	May 19, 1986 (1986-05-19)
An examination of the relationship between an artist daughter and her aging parents.
92	16	"Roanoak (1)"	Jan Egleson	Dina Harris, James K. McCarthy	May 26, 1986 (1986-05-26)
93	17	"Roanoak (2)"	Unknown	Unknown	June 2, 1986 (1986-06-02)
94	18	"Roanoak (3)"	Unknown	Unknown	June 9, 1986 (1986-06-09)
95	19	"Sunday in the Park with George"	Terry Hughes	James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim	June 16, 1986 (1986-06-16)
A fictionalized Georges Seurat paints his lover, Dot, and "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte."

Season 6 (1987)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"All My Sons"	Unknown	Arthur Miller	January 19, 1987 (1987-01-19)
TBA	2	"The Prodigious Hickey"	Unknown	Unknown	January 26, 1987 (1987-01-26)
TBA	3	"The Wide Net"	Unknown	Unknown	February 2, 1987 (1987-02-02)
TBA	4	"Smooth Talk"	Unknown	Unknown	February 9, 1987 (1987-02-09)
TBA	5	"A Mistaken Charity"	Unknown	Lawrence DuKore, adapted from the story by Mary Wilkins Freeman	February 16, 1987 (1987-02-16)
TBA	6	"Eleanor: In Her Own Words"	Unknown	Russell Vandenbroucke	March 9, 1987 (1987-03-09)
A one-women show with Lee Remick as Eleanor Roosevelt
TBA	7	"The Innocents Abroad"	Unknown	Unknown	March 23, 1987 (1987-03-23)
TBA	8	"Story of a Marriage (1)"	Unknown	Unknown	April 6, 1987 (1987-04-06)
TBA	9	"Story of a Marriage (2)"	Unknown	Unknown	April 13, 1987 (1987-04-13)
TBA	10	"Story of a Marriage (3)"	Unknown	Unknown	April 13, 1987 (1987-04-13)
TBA	11	"A Case of Libel"	Unknown	Unknown	May 4, 1987 (1987-05-04)
TBA	12	"Charley's Aunt"	Unknown	Unknown	May 11, 1987 (1987-05-11)
TBA	13	"Gal Young 'Un"	Unknown	Unknown	May 18, 1987 (1987-05-18)
TBA	14	"The House of Blue Leaves"	Unknown	John Guare	May 25, 1987 (1987-05-25)
TBA	15	"Blue Window"	Unknown	Craig Lucas	June 1, 1987 (1987-06-01)
TBA	16	"Dottie"	David Gelfand	Bruce Gelfand	June 8, 1987 (1987-06-08)
TBA	17	"Waiting for the Moon"	Unknown	Unknown	June 15, 1987 (1987-06-15)

Season 7 (1988)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"Strange Interlude (1)"	Unknown	Unknown	January 18, 1988 (1988-01-18)
TBA	2	"Strange Interlude (2)"	Unknown	Unknown	January 19, 1988 (1988-01-19)
TBA	3	"Strange Interlude (3)"	Unknown	Unknown	January 20, 1988 (1988-01-20)
TBA	4	"The Return of Hickey"	Unknown	Unknown	February 3, 1988 (1988-02-03)
TBA	5	"Lemon Sky"	Unknown	Lanford Wilson	February 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)
TBA	6	"The Revolt of Mother"	Unknown	adapted from the story by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman	February 17, 1988 (1988-02-17)
TBA	7	"Pigeon Feathers"	Sharron Miller	Jan Hartman[9]	February 17, 1988 (1988-02-17)
TBA	8	"Billy Galvin"	Unknown	Unknown	February 24, 1988 (1988-02-24)
TBA	9	"A Flash of Green"	Unknown	Unknown	March 23, 1988 (1988-03-23)
TBA	10	"Journey Into Genius"	Unknown	Lanie Robertson	April 6, 1988 (1988-04-06)
TBA	11	"Suspicion"	Andrew Grieve	Jonathan Lynn and Barry Levinson from the 1941 screenplay	April 20, 1988 (1988-04-20)
TBA	12	"The Trial of Bernard Goetz"	Harry Moses	Harry Morgan Moses	May 11, 1988 (1988-05-11)
TBA	13	"The Land of Little Rain"	Unknown	Unknown	June 1, 1988 (1988-06-01)
TBA	14	"I Never Sang for My Father"	Unknown	Unknown	June 15, 1988 (1988-06-15)
TBA	15	"Native Son"	Unknown	Unknown	June 29, 1988 (1988-06-29)
TBA	16	"The Big Knife"	John Jacobs	Unknown	July 27, 1988 (1988-07-27)

Season 8 (1989)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"A Raisin in the Sun"	Unknown	Lorraine Hansberry	February 1, 1989 (1989-02-01)
TBA	2	"Ask Me Again"	Deborah Reinisch	Laurie Colwin, Richard Greenberg	February 8, 1989 (1989-02-08)
TBA	3	"Stacking"	Martin Rosen	Victoria Jenkins	February 15, 1989 (1989-02-15)
TBA	4	"My American Cousin"	Unknown	Unknown	February 22, 1989 (1989-02-22)
TBA	5	"Love and Other Sorrows"	Unknown	based on Harold Brodkey's short story "First Love and Other Sorrows	March 1, 1989 (1989-03-01)
TBA	6	"Stand and Deliver"	Ramón Menéndez	Ramón Menéndez, Tom Musca	March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15)
TBA	7	"The Silence at Bethany"	Joel Oliansky	Joyce Keener	March 22, 1989 (1989-03-22)
TBA	8	"Life Under Water"	Unknown	Unknown	April 12, 1989 (1989-04-12)
TBA	9	"The Diaries of Adam and Eve"	Unknown	adapted from Extracts from Adam's Diary and Eve's Diary by Mark Twain	April 26, 1989 (1989-04-26)
TBA	10	"The Meeting"	Unknown	Unknown	May 3, 1989 (1989-05-03)
TBA	11	"A Walk in the Woods"	Unknown	Lee Blessing	May 10, 1989 (1989-05-10)
TBA	12	"Big Time"	Unknown	Unknown	May 17, 1989 (1989-05-17)
TBA	13	"The Thin Blue Line"	Errol Morris	Errol Morris	May 24, 1989 (1989-05-24)
TBA	14	"Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss"	Unknown	Jean Shepherd	May 31, 1989 (1989-05-31)
TBA	15	"Imagining America"	Unknown	Unknown	June 7, 1989 (1989-06-07)

Season 9 (1990)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"Sensibility and Sense"	David Hugh Jones	Richard Nelson	January 24, 1990 (1990-01-24)
TBA	2	"Women & Wallace"	Don Scardino	Jonathan Marc Sherman, based on his play	January 31, 1990 (1990-01-31)
TBA	3	"Zora Is My Name!"	Neema Barnette	Unknown	February 14, 1990 (1990-02-14)
TBA	4	"Andre's Mother"	Unknown	Terrence McNally	March 7, 1990 (1990-03-07)
TBA	5	"Bloodhounds of Broadway"	Unknown	Unknown	May 23, 1990 (1990-05-23)
TBA	6	"Hyde in Hollywood"	Gerald Gutierrez	Peter Parnell	July 6, 1990 (1990-07-06)

Season 10 (1991)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"Into the Woods"	Unknown	James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim	March 15, 1991 (1991-03-15)
TBA	2	"The Grapes of Wrath"	Unknown	Unknown	March 22, 1991 (1991-03-22)
TBA	3	"Three Hotels"	Jon Robin Baitz	Jon Robin Baitz	March 29, 1991 (1991-03-29)
TBA	4	"The Sunset Gang"	Unknown	adapted from stories by Warren Adler	April 5, 1991 (1991-04-05)
TBA	5	"Hot Summer Winds"	Unknown	adapted from stories by Hisaye Yamamoto	May 22, 1991 (1991-05-22)
TBA	6	"The Hollow Boy"	Unknown	Jay Neugeboren, adapted from the short story by Hortense Calisher	June 12, 1991 (1991-06-12)

Season 11 (1992–1993)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"Fool's Fire"	Julie Taymor	Julie Taymor, adapted from the short story by Edgar Allan Poe	March 25, 1992 (1992-03-25)
TBA	2	"Tales from Hollywood"	Unknown	Unknown	October 19, 1992 (1992-10-19)
TBA	3	"Tru"	Unknown	Unknown	November 23, 1992 (1992-11-23)
TBA	4	"Andre's Mother"	Unknown	Unknown	January 17, 1993 (1993-01-17)
TBA	5	"Fires in the Mirror"	Unknown	Unknown	April 28, 1993 (1993-04-28)
TBA	6	"In the Wings: Angels in America on Broadway"	Tom Bywaters	Tom Bywaters	June 11, 1993 (1993-06-11)
TBA	7	"La Carpa"	Carlos Avila	Carlos Avila and Edit Villarreal	June 16, 1993 (1993-06-16)
TBA	8	"Porgy and Bess"	Unknown	Unknown	October 6, 1993 (1993-10-06)
TBA	9	"Tales of the City"	Unknown	Unknown	November 15, 1993 (1993-11-15)
TBA	10	"Hallelujah"	Charles Lane	Unknown	December 22, 1993 (1993-12-22)

Season 12 (1994)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City"	Unknown	Unknown	January 10, 1994 (1994-01-10)
TBA	2	"The Sunset Gang"	Calvin L. Skaggs	Ronald Ribman, based on the book by Warren Adler	March 21, 1994 (1994-03-21)
TBA	3	"Long Shadow"	Sheldon Larry	Milan Stitt	August 26, 1994 (1994-08-26)
TBA	4	"Break of Dawn"	Isaac Artenstein	Isaac Artenstein	September 9, 1994 (1994-09-09)
TBA	5	"La Carpa"	Carlos Avila	Carlos Avila and Edit Villarreal	September 23, 1994 (1994-09-23)

Season 13 (1995–1996)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
TBA	1	"The Making of Angels and Insects"	Unknown	Unknown	January 2, 1995 (1995-01-02)
TBA	2	"Fires in the Mirror"	Unknown	Unknown	February 3, 1995 (1995-02-03)
TBA	3	"Blown Sideways Through Life"	Christopher Ashley	Claudia Shear, based on her play	July 19, 1995 (1995-07-19)
TBA	4	"Drawn from Memory"	Paul Fierlinger	Paul Fierlinger	October 30, 1995 (1995-10-30)
TBA	5	"The Beans of Egypt, Maine"	Unknown	Unknown	August 11, 1996 (1996-08-11)
TBA	6	"Passion"	Unknown	Stephen Sondheim	September 29, 1996 (1996-09-29)

Notable cast

• Tom Aldredge
• Anne Bancroft
• Christine Baranski
• Claire Bloom
• Jacques Boudet
• Kenneth Branagh
• Kate Burton
• Christopher Collet
• Jeff Daniels
• Jeffrey DeMunn
• Pedro De Pool
• Ruby Dee
• Matt Dillon
• Olympia Dukakis
• Megan Follows
• Matt Frewer
• Boyd Gaines
• Lillian Gish
• Joanna Gleason
• Danny Glover
• Annie Golden
• Louis Gossett Jr.
• George Grizzard
• Julie Hagerty
• Ed Harris
• Rosemary Harris
• Edward Herrmann
• Helen Hunt
• Glenda Jackson
• James Earl Jones
• Raul Julia
• Swoosie Kurtz
• Cloris Leachman
• John Malkovich
• Butterfly McQueen
• Caroline McWilliams
• Rita Moreno
• Paul Newman
• Geraldine Page
• Sarah Jessica Parker
• Estelle Parsons
• Mandy Patinkin
• Bernadette Peters
• Lenka Peterson
• Vanessa Redgrave
• Keanu Reeves
• Lee Remick
• Jason Robards
• Esther Rolle
• Liliane Rovère
• Susan Sarandon
• Sylvia Sidney
• Jean Simmons
• Gary Sinise
• Anna Deavere Smith
• Elaine Stritch
• Richard Thomas
• Anne Twomey
• Dick Van Dyke
• Chuck Wagner
• Christopher Walken
• Eli Wallach
• Robert Westenberg
• Lynn Whitfield
• Paul Winfield
• Alfre Woodard
• Chip Zien

Accolades

Some of the productions won multiple Emmys: one from Robert Morse in Tru,^[10] Outstanding Children's Program for Displaced Person^[11] and technical achievements for The Meeting alongside many nominations.^[12]

Academy Award recognitions included El Norte's nomination for Best Original Screenplay,^[13][14] a Best Actress nod for Jane Alexander in Testament^[15][16] and a Best Actor nod for Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver.^[17][18]

Golden Globe recognitions included three for Stand and Deliver (two for Olmos (Leading Actor) and Diamond Phillips (Supporting Actor) and one for Best Motion Picture - Drama).^[19]

American Playhouse also won a Peabody Award in 1990.^[20]

Legacy

Episodes like Nothing but a Man, The Thin Blue Line, El Norte and Stand and Deliver were each inducted into the National Film Registry.^[21]

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank was featured as an episode of the cult science fiction series Mystery Science Theater 3000.^[22][23]