Seasons & Episodes
Season 1
11 episodes
E01
Episode 1
Filmmaker Alex Gibney (Going Clear) tells how the FBI could have prevented the 9/11 attacks - if it weren't for the CIA.LE CAFÉ de BALZAC: Paul Giamatti plays 19th-century French author Honore de Balzac, who drank 50 cups of coffee each day.UNREALITY STAR: Patients with "The Truman Show delusion" believe their lives are being watched on TV. CARTOON by Roz Chast
E02
Episode 2
THE RIDE OF THEIR LIVES: Filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams) profiles two young people in the world's most dangerous sport - bull riding.BLACK BODIES IN MOTION AND IN PAIN: Writer Edwidge Danticat looks at racist violence in America through art.THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ATLANTIC CITY: Writer Nick Paumgarten on the closure of the Revel casino. CARTOONS by Roz Chast and Liana Finck.
E03
Episode 3
WHAT'S MOTIVATING HAYES: Filmmaker Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) profiles biologist Tyrone Hayes. When a pesticide manufacturer hired Hayes to test the effects of their product on frogs, Hayes discovered shocking results.A SKETCH starring Alan Cumming and Brett Gelman. A CONVERSATION with artist Marina Abramovic.A POEM written by Matthew Dickman.CARTOONS by Emily Flake.
E04
Episode 4
THE MAN WITHOUT A MASK: Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (God Loves Uganda; Life, Animated) profiles Cassandro, the flamboyant gay star of Mexican wrestling.SYMBOLS AND FACTS: GUNS, CARS, AND AMERICA: An essay by Adam Gopnik.BRAZENHEAD, C'EST MOI: Michael Seidenberg operated a secret bookstore in a Manhattan apartment...until he got an eviction notice.CARTOONS by Roz Chast and Farley Katz.
E05
Episode 5
WOLVESMOUTH: Filmmaker Lucy Walker (The Crash Reel) profiles renegade chef Craig Thornton.THE FRIED CHICKEN KING OF HARLEM: Chef Charles Gabriel is an uptown institution.COUPLE'S FIRST DINNER PARTY, SERVES SIX: Director Janicza Bravo gives us the recipe for a dinner gone wrong.REINCARNATION: A poem by Ellen Bass.CARTOONS by Roz Chast & Benjamin Schwartz.
E06
Episode 6
ROY SPIVEY: An ordinary woman meets a movie star during an airplane flight. Adapted from a short story by Miranda July; starring Murray Bartlett and Allison Price.LA GLOWS: Writer Lawrence Weschler explores the unique light of Los Angeles.THE CAGING OF AMERICA: Writer Adam Gopnik takes on the epidemic of mass incarceration in the United States.CARTOON by Liana Finck.
E07
Episode 7
LONE STAR NURSE: Filmmaker Dawn Porter (Gideon's Army; Trapped) follows a dedicated nurse working with some of the poorest families in America.AVANT GARDENER: Acclaimed singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett has a photography show.THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SPACE: Architect Craig Dykers is redesigning a notoriously dysfunctional location - Times Square.CARTOONS by Liana Finck and Farley Katz.
E08
Episode 8
THE HELL RAISER: Filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet) profile apostate preacher Rob Bell.EUREKA! WITH BASIL TWIST: Meet genius puppeteer Basil Twist.FRIEND OF BILL: When you least expect it, Bill Murray may appear to you.LAST SESSION: Charles Grodin and John Turturro play a therapist and a patient who wants to end therapy.CARTOONS by Liana Finck and Farley Katz.
E09
Episode 9
THE SILVER THIEF: Filmmakers Chapman Way and Maclain Way (The Battered Bastards of Baseball) profile master thief Blane Nordahl.UP AND THEN DOWN: Writer Nick Paumgarten explains why life as we know it depends on elevators.TOM OF FINLAND: The artist called Tom of Finland changed the image of gay men forever. Is his work porn, or is it art?CARTOONS by Farley Katz and Benjamin Schwartz.
E10
Episode 10
THE CYCLIST (EL CICLISTA): Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight) learns about Cuba by becoming a perp there.SNOOPS: Welcome to the monthly dinner of the Society of Professional Investigators.THE BREATH OF THE WORLD: Pulitzer-winning composer John Luther Adams moved from Alaska to New York, but his music still reflects his original surroundings.CARTOONS by Farley Katz and Benjamin Schwartz.
E11
Episode 11
PROTECT AND SERVE: Filmmaker Jesse Moss (The Overnighters) examines the Albuquerque Police Department, which has killed 28 civilians since 2010. WHO'S YOUR DADDY: Meet Kenny Burck, the proud father of The Naked Cowboy. NEVER ALONE: The Iñupiat tribe needed a way to preserve their culture and language. So they created a video game. CARTOON by Benjamin Schwartz.
Alan Cumming
as God
Brett Gelman
as Prophet
Marina Abramovic
as Marina Abramovic
Ariel Levy
as Ariel Levy
Andrew Garfield
as Andrew Garfield
Emily Flake
as Emily Flake
Tyrone Hayes
as Tyrone Hayes
Rachel Aviv
as Rachel Aviv
Roz Chast
as Roz Chast