This American Life

An anthology of true stories pertaining to various themes are illustrated.

Cast:Ira Glass , Milo Finch , Chris Partyka , G.J. Echternkamp , Barbara Beneville , Frank Garcia , Mark Westhusin , Cynthia Brown , Johnny Depp , Duncan Trussell , Brody Stevens , Rosie Tran , Louis Ortiz

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ Reality Check

Thu, Mar 22, 2007

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.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ My Way

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Four segments that explore the cost of stubbornness, including a man who refuses to acknowledge some important events in his wife's life; a politician who attempts to win an election without ever lying.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ God's Close-up

Thu, Apr 5, 2007

Stories where the faithful and the not-so-faithful cross paths, and where unexpected things happen when people try to get closer to God through pictures: hundreds of Polaroid camera-toting believers gather in the Mojave Desert each month hoping to see God. And an artist, his Jesus model, the model's atheist girlfriend, and her religious father face off on The Last Supper.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ The Cameraman

Thu, Apr 12, 2007

This episode is devoted to a single story by way of G.J. Echternkamp. G.J. spent years filming his mother and stepfather. In the '80s, his stepfather, Frank Garcia, was the bassist in a briefly-famous band called OXO. G.J.'s mom, Cindy Brown, met him at the height of his success, when the band's one Top 40 hit, "Whirly Girl," was on the charts. Twenty years later, they're still together, but living a life they probably wouldn't have imagined back then. G.J. started filming them as a joke, but over time, his reasons changed, and the way he saw both his parents changed as well.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ Growth Spurt

Thu, Apr 19, 2007

What do you do if you're unhappy with where you are in life? Some people simply will themselves to the next stage.

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ Pandora's Box

Thu, Apr 26, 2007

Three stories of the unexpected consequences of trying new things including scientists that accidentally discover a way to erase memories and later get surprising requests from people who want their own minds wiped clean.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Escape

Sun, May 4, 2008

Teenage boys find ways to impress girls using a mode of transport obsolete since the 19th century; a young man's fight for independence from his mother would be normal for most kids, except for some special circumstances.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Two Wars

Sun, May 11, 2008

Two foreigners in the U.S., in the aftermath of two very different wars, try to make sense of life here.

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ Going Down in History

Sun, May 18, 2008

A pair of convicts almost escape prison using dental floss; high school students pose for yearbook snapshots, which capture nothing of the drama in their lives; a man with a 30-year obsession with one particular bird.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ Fighters

Sun, May 25, 2008

Two boxers in Tennessee who've known each other all their lives face off in a match that neither can afford to lose.

5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ Scenes from a Marriage

Sun, Jun 1, 2008

Tales of troubled marriages include an animated true story by cartoonist Chris Ware; and a real-life look at a husband whose legal obsession causes serious trouble with his spouse.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ John Smith

Sun, Jun 8, 2008

The true life stories of several Americans with the name John Smith, from an 11-week-old boy whose parents expected a girl, to a 46-year-old Texan, welcoming his son home from Iraq.

7Season 2

S2.E7 ∙ No Respect

Fri, May 29, 2009

A bonus second-season edition comprised of material produced for the This American Life web site, a look at comedians and their audiences includes segments about unknown comics performing for a rowdy crowd at a club in the middle of nowhere, and a piece about Mike Birbiglia, a standup with a scathing routine about his worst gig ever.