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Season guide

American Playhouse: Season 7

16 episodes Premiered Jan 13, 1988 Updated Sep 25, 2026
Previously on American Playhouse

Season 7 Lore Primer

Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.

  • ⚡ Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of American Playhouse Season 6.
  • ⚡ Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
  • ⚡ Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
  • ⚡ Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
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Season 7 Episodes

Episode Guide

🛡️ SPOILER SHIELD

Season 7 Progress Shield

Future titles & synopses blurred. Tap "Reveal" on any card to peek.
Binge Efficiency Engine

Season 7: Filler vs. Essential Canon

Filter episodes by narrative weight. Focus on essential mytharc and skip standalone side quests.

19%
81%
Mytharc (3): Crucial lore & season climaxes
Core (13): Character development & subplots
Side Quest (0): Standalone / filler
S7·E1 Mytharc

Strange Interlude, Part I

Jan 13, 1988 · 84 min

Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated relationship, she embarks on a turbulent jo

S7·E2 Core

Strange Interlude, Part II

Jan 19, 1988 · 84 min

Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated relationship, she embarks on a turbulent jo

S7·E3 Core

Strange Interlude, Part III

Jan 20, 1988 · 84 min

Spanning decades, Nina Leeds, deeply traumatized by the death of her fiancé during World War I, is unable to move past the unconsummated relationship, she embarks on a turbulent jo

S7·E4 Mytharc

The Lawrenceville Stories, Part 2: The Return of Hickey

Feb 3, 1988 · 55 min

The mischievous Hickey returns to school to find himself against a worthy rival. Scheming to outdo each other for the loyalty of their peers, their comedic battle of wits turns the

S7·E5 Core

Lemon Sky

Feb 10, 1988 · 106 min

17-year-old Alan strives to build a relationship with his preoccupied father, only to confront his father's emotional dishonesty, cruelty, and lies, leading to a bitter realization

S7·E6 Core

The Revolt of Mother

Feb 17, 1988 · 47 min

In 1890s New Englans, Father is going to build a new barn. However, Mother wants the new house she's been promised.

S7·E7 Core

Pigeon Feathers

Feb 17, 1988 · 60 min

A young boy suffers a crisis of faith when he begins to question whether or not the soul exists and if there is life after death.

S7·E8 Core

Billy Galvin

Feb 24, 1988 · 99 min

Boston ironworker Jack Galvin wants his son to become an architect, but Billy wants to be a steelworker like his dad, leading to conflict over their differing dreams.

S7·E9 Core

Journey Into Genius

Apr 6, 1988 · 55 min

A historical recreation of actual events in the life of playwright Eugene O'Neill, drawing on his troubled youth as he attempts to deal with his conflicting feelings of jealousy, c

S7·E10 Core

Suspicion

Apr 13, 1988 · 96 min

A sheltered heiress falls for a charming playboy and elopes with him, but soon discovers his gambling vice and mounting debts. As his lies deepen and those around them meet mysteri

S7·E11 Core

The Trial of Bernhard Goetz

May 11, 1988 · 137 min

A presentation of uncensored portions of the highly emotional December 1984 videotape confession of Bernhard Goetz, known as the 'Subway Vigilante', who opened fire on four teens h

S7·E12 Core

The Land of Little Rain

Jun 1, 1988

Early feminist and nature writer Mary Austin struggles to write and publish in the male-dominated California of the early 20th-century.

S7·E13 Core

I Never Sang for My Father

Jun 15, 1988

A man who wants to move on with his life by moving to California and marry his girlfriend, finds it difficult as he still lives in the towering shadow of his aging father.

S7·E14 Core

Native Son

Jun 29, 1988 · 111 min

In 1940s Chicago, a young Black man takes a job as a chauffeur to a white family, which takes a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills the couple's teenage daughter and then

S7·E15 Core

The Big Knife

Jul 27, 1988

Charles Castle is a successful Hollywood actor who has opted for screen success over art. He must make critical decisions regarding his career, his marriage, his art and morality.

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