This American Life

2007-03-22 Documentary TV-14

The Peabody Award-winning public radio series that combines journalism with opinion, fiction and biography becomes this highly anticipated TV series hosted by Ira Glass.

Storyline

The Peabody Award-winning public radio series that combines journalism with opinion, fiction and biography becomes this highly anticipated TV series hosted by Ira Glass.

First Aired

2007-03-22
Last Aired

2009-05-28
Creator

Ira Glass
Genre

Documentary
Seasons

2
Episodes

13
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

Showtime

Keywords:

magazine show

Stream and watch This American Life

Season 1

Season 2

1. Reality Check

Three stories of people who hatched plans in the hopes of making their dreams come true, but were snap...More

Three stories of people who hatched plans in the hopes of making their dreams come true, but were snapped back to reality by unpleasant outcomes: an elementary school student tries to solve a common childhood problem; a rancher resuscitates a beloved pet, which later turns on him; people team to give an unknown rock band the greatest night of its life.Less

2007-03-22

2. My Way

An exploration of the benefits and costs of stubbornness. If you're a 15-year-old boy, and you don't w...More

An exploration of the benefits and costs of stubbornness. If you're a 15-year-old boy, and you don't want to fall in love, maybe you can just decide not to do it. Ever. Stories of trying to cheat death, love, political reality, and memory with only an idiosyncratic vision and a lot of stamina.Less

2007-03-29

3. God's Close-Up

An artist, his Jesus-model, the model's girlfriend, the girlfriend's father, and a bunch of bearded me...More

An artist, his Jesus-model, the model's girlfriend, the girlfriend's father, and a bunch of bearded men all converge in Utah. An elaborate artistic tableau is set up in the desert, and there are several attempts by the faithful and the not-so-faithful to bridge the divide between them. Nancy Updike reports.Less

2007-04-05

4. The Cameraman

Being behind the camera changes you. It's not just that you see everything differently; you act differ...More

Being behind the camera changes you. It's not just that you see everything differently; you act differently also. This episode features two stories, one big, one small, exploring this phenomenon.Less

2007-04-12

5. Growth Spurt

What do you do if you don't like where you are in life? You simply decide to move forward, into the ne...More

What do you do if you don't like where you are in life? You simply decide to move forward, into the next stage, by sheer force of will. A widow; an ambitious, first-time screenwriter; and a 13-year-old girl all charge forward into their futures with uneven results.Less

2007-04-19

6. Pandora's Box

Three stories of consequences that follow from human beings' doing what we do best: poking our noses e...More

Three stories of consequences that follow from human beings' doing what we do best: poking our noses everywhere, fixing things that may or may not be broken, and opening our big mouths. A hot dog stand in Chicago unleashes dark forces in the human soul; and scientists try, unsuccessfully, to create perfect pigs.Less