# American Masters (1986)

> A long-running PBS documentary series profiling the writers, musicians, artists, and filmmakers who shaped American culture.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/14049

## Facts

- Seasons: 41
- Episodes: 316
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: documentary
- Created by: Susan Lacy
- Network: PBS
- Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Goran Višnjić, Patsy Cline, Maya Angelou, Sidney Lumet, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Bill Clinton
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364151/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: reflective, warm, admiring, intimate, contemplative

## What critics say

Critics broadly regard American Masters as a dependable, well-crafted arts documentary strand whose archival depth and access to its subjects make its portraits illuminating.

## Synopsis

American Masters (1986-present) is a PBS documentary series created by Susan Lacy, a long-running arts biography strand that profiles enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, and filmmakers who left a lasting mark on American culture. Each standalone episode is a feature length portrait of a single subject, assembled from interviews, archival footage, performance clips, and the work itself, so the viewer gets a close look at how a creative life unfolded. Cast credits include appearances by Maya Angelou, Sidney Lumet, Oprah Winfrey, Common, and Scarlett Johansson, who appear as interview subjects or contributors rather than as fictional characters. The series runs across more than forty seasons and hundreds of episodes, with no continuing storyline, so each installment can be watched on its own. Its tone is reflective, warm, and admiring, with a focus on craft, perseverance, and the personal struggles behind artistic achievement. Fans of Biography, Great Performances, and Ken Burns' jazz and music documentaries will find a similar pull toward intimate, archive-rich portraits of notable lives.

## Shows like American Masters

- [Jazz (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/19245)
- [American Experience (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/1112)
- [Genius (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61356)
- [The West (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/28324)
- [Five Came Back (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61653)
- [NOVA (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/3387)
- [Baseball (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/17754)
- [Abstract: The Art of Design (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61397)
- [Hillary (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/81347)
- [The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/57967)

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