French
DeutschList of Frontline (American TV program) episodes
 | Parts of this article (those related to Season 42 (2023–24)) need to be updated. The reason given is: Recent episodes airing, plus some upcoming. (January 2024) |
Frontline is an investigative journalism television program from PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), producing in-depth documentaries on a variety of domestic and international stories and issues, and broadcasting them on air and online. Produced at WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, and distributed through PBS in the United States, the critically acclaimed program has received every major award in broadcast journalism.[1] Its investigations have helped breathe new life into terrorism cold cases,[2] freed innocent people from jail, prompted U.N. resolutions, and spurred both policy and social change.[3]
As of November 21, 2023,[update] 813 episodes of Frontline have aired.
Series overview[edit]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 25 | January 17, 1983 | July 18, 1983 | |
| 2 | 24 | January 16, 1984 | June 18, 1984 | |
| 3 | 21 | October 9, 1984 | May 28, 1985 | |
| 4 | 31 | January 21, 1986 | September 9, 1986 | |
| 5 | 20 | January 27, 1987 | June 23, 1987 | |
| 6 | 19 | December 14, 1987 | June 28, 1988 | |
| 7 | 19 | October 10, 1988 | June 20, 1989 | |
| 8 | 23 | November 28, 1989 | June 12, 1990 | |
| 9 | 22 | September 11, 1990 | July 15, 1991 | |
| 10 | 23 | October 15, 1991 | June 23, 1992 | |
| 11 | 22 | October 13, 1992 | July 21, 1993 | |
| 12 | 20 | October 12, 1993 | June 21, 1994 | |
| 13 | 19 | October 18, 1994 | June 13, 1995 | |
| 14 | 18 | October 17, 1995 | June 4, 1996 | |
| 15 | 18 | October 8, 1996 | June 17, 1997 | |
| 16 | 16 | October 7, 1997 | June 2, 1998 | |
| 17 | 19 | September 21, 1998 | June 29, 1999 | |
| 18 | 18 | September 28, 1999 | May 23, 2000 | |
| 19 | 17 | October 2, 2000 | June 5, 2001 | |
| 20 | 24 | September 13, 2001 | June 27, 2002 | |
| 21 | 21 | September 3, 2002 | July 3, 2003 | |
| 22 | 17 | October 9, 2003 | June 17, 2004 | |
| 23 | 16 | September 7, 2004 | June 21, 2005 | |
| 24 | 14 | October 4, 2005 | June 20, 2006 | |
| 25 | 18 | October 3, 2006 | June 19, 2007 | |
| 26 | 14 | October 16, 2007 | June 17, 2008 | |
| 27 | 16 | October 14, 2008 | June 16, 2009 | |
| 28 | 18 | October 13, 2009 | August 25, 2010 | |
| 29 | 20 | October 11, 2010 | July 26, 2011 | |
| 30 | 22 | September 6, 2011 | July 24, 2012 | |
| 31 | 21 | September 18, 2012 | July 30, 2013 | |
| 32 | 18 | September 17, 2013 | July 29, 2014 | |
| 33 | 18 | September 9, 2014 | July 21, 2015 | |
| 34 | 18 | September 29, 2015 | June 28, 2016 | |
| 35 | 18 | September 13, 2016 | July 18, 2017 | |
| 36 | 19 | September 12, 2017 | August 14, 2018 | |
| 37 | 17 | September 11, 2018 | May 28, 2019 | |
| 38 | 25 | September 10, 2019 | August 11, 2020 | |
| 39 | 23 | September 8, 2020 | July 20, 2021 | |
| 40 | 13 | September 7, 2021 | August 9, 2022 | |
| 41 | 19 | September 6, 2022 | September 5, 2023 | |
| 42 | TBA | September 26, 2023 | TBA | |
Episodes[edit]
Season 1 (1983)[edit]
Frontline's first season, in 1983, was the only season to have Jessica Savitch as its host (Savitch died in October of that year).
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "An Unauthorized History of the NFL" | Sports | 60 minutes | January 17, 1983 | 101 |
| A look at the connections between organized crime, gambling and professional football in the United States. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "88 Seconds in Greensboro" | Extremism, violence | 60 minutes | January 24, 1983 | 102 |
| James Reston Jr. investigates a police informant's involvement with a group of Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party members who killed 5 civil rights demonstrators in a November 1979 incident in Greensboro, North Carolina. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "In the Shadow of the Capitol" | Poverty | 60 minutes | January 31, 1983 | 103 |
| Charlie Cobb explores a rarely seen side of Washington, D.C., where poverty is widespread among the population (75% of which is black). | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "A Chinese Affair" | Asian politics | 60 minutes | February 7, 1983 | 104 |
| A look at Taiwan's political struggle in determining their relations with communist mainland China. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "God's Banker" | Finance | 60 minutes | February 14, 1983 | 105 |
| Jeremy Paxman explores the career of banker Roberto Calvi, his relations with the Holy See and secret Italian society, and the mystery of his June 1982 death. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Pentagon, Inc." | Finance; military | 60 minutes | February 21, 1983 | 106 |
| An investigation into the power of the Pentagon as a business and economic force in U.S. economy. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Gunfight USA" | Firearms | 60 minutes | February 28, 1983 | 107 |
| An exploration into the underlying fears that make gun control an emotional issue in the U.S. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Children of Pride" | Biographies | 60 minutes | March 7, 1983 | 108 |
| The story of Kojo Odo, a 42-year-old single black man who opened his home to 21 children with physical or mental handicaps. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "A Journey To Russia" | Diplomacy | 60 minutes | March 21, 1983 | 109 |
| A young, three-person debate team from America travels to the Soviet Union to meet young Russians whose world views contradict their own. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Daisy: Story of a Facelift" | Health | 60 minutes | March 28, 1983 | 110 |
| A look into the world of plastic surgery focuses on a 55-year-old woman's desire to undergo a facelift. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Space: The Race For High Ground" | Science; military | 60 minutes | April 11, 1983 | 111 |
| A look at the battle between the U.S. and Soviet Union to turn outer space from a world of exploration to one of strategic defense, including the then-recent introduction by U.S. President Ronald Reagan of the Strategic Defense Initiative. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | Abortion Clinic | Health | 60 minutes | April 18, 1983 | 112 |
| An intimate look at the values and decisions both sides hold in the abortion debate. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Crisis in Zimbabwe" | African politics | 60 minutes | April 25, 1983 | 113 |
| Charlie Cobb explores how a rift between two of Zimbabwe's leaders threatens to divide the country among tribal lines. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Air Crash" | Transportation | 60 minutes | May 2, 1983 | 114 |
| How human greed and legal machinations led to the July 1982 crash of Pan Am Flight 759. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Looking For Mao" | Asian politics | 60 minutes | May 9, 1983 | 115 |
| A look at a new cultural revolution inside China, one that finds political and social relaxations that run counter to Mao Zedong's anti-capitalist dictates. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Israel: Between The River and The Sea" | Biographies | 60 minutes | May 16, 1983 | 116 |
| The story of Rafik Halabi, the only Arab reporter working in the Hebrew section of Israeli Television, and how his identity and loyalty became a national controversy. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | In Our Water | Health | 60 minutes | May 23, 1983 | 117 |
| This Oscar-nominated documentary looks at the Kaler family's 6-year battle with local and federal officials over contamination (from a nearby landfill) of their water well in South Brunswick, New Jersey. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Vietnam Memorial" | Military; psychology | 60 minutes | May 30, 1983 | 118 |
| A look at the October 1982 dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the pain and emotions that survivors, parents, and friends of the memorialized still feel about the war. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "For the Good of All" | Land development | 60 minutes | June 6, 1983 | 119 |
| Jessica Savitch looks at the National Park Service's controversial reclamation of land to make way for the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area in Ohio. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "The Russians Are Here" | Foreign diplomacy | 60 minutes | June 13, 1983 | 120 |
| A look at Russian emigrants to the U.S. and their difficulties in adjusting to American society. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Who Decides Disability?" | Health | 60 minutes | June 20, 1983 | 121 |
| A look at the Reagan administration's effort to remove tens of thousands of people from Social Security disability rolls. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Crossfire El Salvador" | Central America | 60 minutes | June 27, 1983 | 122 |
| A look at the deadly civil war in El Salvador, where death, torture, and disappearances are everyday occurrences. | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "Sanctuary" | Central America | 60 minutes | July 4, 1983 | 123 |
| A look at the plight of people seeking refuge from US-allied governments in Central America focuses on a Guatemalan family's journey through a new "underground railroad". | ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "Moneylenders" | Finance | 60 minutes | July 11, 1983 | 124 |
| Anthony Sampson looks at the difficulties developing countries have in repaying loans to Western banks, who fear financial catastrophe as a result. | ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "Klaus Barbie: The American Connection" | Criminal justice; war | 60 minutes | July 18, 1983 | 125 |
| A collaboration with the BBC looks into how U.S. intelligence relied on Klaus Barbie in their anti-Communist efforts, and whether the government was culpable in protecting the former Gestapo officer from being brought to justice for his crimes in World War II.[4] | ||||||
Season 2 (1984)[edit]
Season 2 of Frontline saw Judy Woodruff become the show's host after Jessica Savitch's death.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "Crisis at General Hospital" | Health | 60 minutes | January 16, 1984 | 201 |
| An examination of how many investor-owned, for-profit hospital chains aggressively market themselves to treat only insured or wealthy patients. | ||||||
| 27 | 2 | "We Are Driven" | Business/economy/financial | 60 minutes | January 23, 1984 | 202 |
| A look at the tough management style employed by Nissan Motor Company at its operations in both Japan and Smyrna, Tennessee. | ||||||
| 28 | 3 | "The Old Man and the Gun" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | February 6, 1984 | 203 |
| A look at the support Irish Americans have for the IRA and its violent strategy in Northern Ireland's catholic-Protestant conflict. | ||||||
| 29 | 4 | "Give Me that Big Time Religion" | Religion | 60 minutes | February 13, 1984 | 204 |
| An investigation into whether money raised by televangelists goes toward "God's work" or towards keeping the preachers on the air. | ||||||
| 30 | 5 | "The Campaign for Page One" | Politics; media | 60 minutes | February 27, 1984 | 205 |
| An inside look at the candidates in the presidential campaign and the reporters who cover them. | ||||||
| 31 32 | 6 7 | "The Mind of a Murderer (Parts 1 and 2)" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | March 19, 1984 March 26, 1984 | 206 207 |
| A two-part look into the case of Kenneth Bianchi, who committed murders in Los Angeles (as one of the "Hillside Stranglers") and Bellingham, Washington yet sought to avoid trial by claiming mental incompetence. | ||||||
| 33 | 8 | "The Struggle for Birmingham" | Politics | 60 minutes | April 2, 1984 | 208 |
| A look at the modern-day black political power focuses on Birmingham, Alabama, a key battlefield in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s. | ||||||
| 34 | 9 | "Captive in El Salvador" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 16, 1984 | 209 |
| Ofra Bikel looks at the politics and people of El Salvador that the U.S. lends support to. | ||||||
| 35 | 10 | "Chasing the Basketball Dream" | Sports | 60 minutes | April 23, 1984 | 210 |
| Charlie Cobb looks at the successes and failures of inner-city blacks seeking to make it big by playing basketball. | ||||||
| 36 | 11 | "The Other Side of the Track (rebroadcast as King of the World)" | Sports | 60 minutes | May 7, 1984 | 211 |
| A look at two racetracks on opposite ends of the thoroughbred racing spectrum, the famed Belmont Park in suburban New York and the struggling Great Barrington Fair in Western Massachusetts. | ||||||
| 37 | 12 | "Return of the Great White Fleet" | Military | 60 minutes | May 14, 1984 | 212 |
| A profile of Navy Secretary John Lehman and his efforts to build a "600-ship Navy". | ||||||
| 38 | 13 | "Warning from Gangland" | Social issues | 60 minutes | May 21, 1984 | 213 |
| A look at efforts to counter the street gang problem in Los Angeles, where violent conflicts have claimed the lives of gang members and innocent bystanders alike. | ||||||
| 39 | 14 | "Bread, Butter, and Politics" | Social issues | 60 minutes | June 4, 1984 | 214 |
| A look at the human and political aspects of hunger in the United States. | ||||||
| 40 | 15 | "Man's Best Friends" | Health & medicine | 60 minutes | June 18, 1984 | 215 |
| A look at the medical necessities of and ethical arguments over animal testing in American laboratories, hospitals, and medical schools. | ||||||
| 41 | 16 | "So You Want to Be President" | Politics | 120 minutes | October 9, 1984 | 216 |
| A look at the unsuccessful presidential campaign of Colorado Senator Gary Hart. | ||||||
| 42 | 17 | "Welcome to America" | Biographies | 60 minutes | October 16, 1984 | 217 |
| Profiles of 4 people who fled the repression of Communist Poland for a better life in Chicago. | ||||||
| 43 | 18 | "Not One of the Boys" | Politics | 60 minutes | October 23, 1984 | 218 |
| Judy Woodruff looks at the political role of women during the 1984 election season. | ||||||
| 44 | 19 | "Living Below the Line" | Business/economy/financial | 60 minutes | October 30, 1984 | 219 |
| A profile of Farrell Stallings, newly laid off from his place of employment and venturing into the bureaucratic maze of the welfare system. | ||||||
| 45 | 20 | "The Arab and the Israeli" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | November 13, 1984 | 220 |
| Two men (one Palestinian, the other Israeli) journey to America to promote a solution for the hotly debated West Bank territory. | ||||||
| 46 | 21 | "Better Off Dead?" | Health & medicine | 60 minutes | November 20, 1984 | 221 |
| An intimate look into the issues doctors, lawyers, and parents face regarding medical treatment for infants born with severe physical and mental injuries. | ||||||
| 47 | 22 | "Cry, Ethiopia, Cry" | Health; foreign affairs | 60 minutes | November 27, 1984 | 222 |
| A look at the famine in Ethiopia. | ||||||
| 48 | 23 | "Red Star Over Khyber" | Foreign affairs; Middle East | 60 minutes | December 11, 1984 | 223 |
| Richard Reeves at Pakistan's acceptance of Afghani refugees from the war-torn country. | ||||||
| 49 | 24 | "Marshall High Fights Back" | Education | 60 minutes | December 18, 1984 | 224 |
| A look at Chicago's Marshall Metropolitan High School and its struggles to upgrade its academic standards. | ||||||
Season 3 (1984-85)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 1 | "Vietnam Under Communism" | Asian affairs | 60 minutes | January 15, 1985 | 301 |
| A rare look inside Vietnam 10 years after the fall of Saigon and the tangible and emotional legacies of the war on the country. | ||||||
| 51 52 | 2 3 | "Shootout on the Imperial Highway (Parts 1 and 2)" | Criminal justice; gang violence | 60 minutes | January 22, 1985 January 29, 1985 | 302 303 |
| A two-part report on gang wars in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Part 1 focuses on the efforts of James Hawkins, Sr. and his family to combat youth gangs and their criminal activities. Part 2 focuses on how gangs form and the threat they pose to the general public. | ||||||
| 53 | 4 | "The Lifer and the Lady" | Prison reform | 90 minutes | February 5, 1985 | 304 |
| The story of the relationship between convicted murder Ron Cooney and prison volunteer Lesley Earl. | ||||||
| 54 | 5 | "The Child Savers" | Family/children | 60 minutes | February 12, 1985 | 305 |
| A profile of New York's Emergency Children's Service and their efforts to confront child abuse cases. | ||||||
| 55 | 6 | "Down for the Count" | Sports | 60 minutes | February 19, 1985 | 306 |
| A look at the world of boxing; the fighters, promoters, and fans who love it; and the critics who want to ban it. | ||||||
| 56 | 7 | "Retreat from Beirut" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | February 26, 1985 | 307 |
| One year after the U.S. withdrawal from Lebanon (which followed the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings), William Greider examines the withdrawal and its repercussions. | ||||||
| 57 | 8 | "Buying the Bomb" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | March 5, 1985 | 308 |
| Seymour Hersh tells the story of a Pakistani businessman who tried to ship electrical devices which can be used as nuclear bomb triggers out of the US to Pakistan. | ||||||
| 58 | 9 | A Class Divided | Social issues; education | 60 minutes | March 26, 1985 | 309 |
| William Peters follows up on his 1970 TV documentary Eye of the Storm, which chronicled Jane Elliott's dividing her otherwise homogeneous 3rd grade class by their eye color in a lesson on discrimination. | ||||||
| 59 | 10 | "Potomac Fever" | Politics | 60 minutes | April 2, 1985 | 310 |
| Profiles of two freshmen members of the United States House of Representatives, Pete Visclosky and Tom DeLay | ||||||
| 60 | 11 | "Crisis in Central America Part 1: Yankee Years" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 9, 1985 | 311 |
| Part 1 of a 4-part look at the history of US relations in Central America and the Caribbean profiles American preeminence in the region from the Spanish–American War in the 1890s through the mid-1950s. | ||||||
| 61 | 12 | "Crisis in Central America Part 2: Castro's Challenge" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 10, 1985 | 312 |
| A profile of the Cuban Revolution and the communist country's troubled relations with the United States. | ||||||
| 62 | 13 | "Crisis in Central America Part 3: Revolution in Nicaragua" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 11, 1985 | 313 |
| A look at the U.S. involvement in and struggle for control of the Nicaraguan Revolution. | ||||||
| 63 | 14 | "Crisis in Central America Part 4: Battle for El Salvador" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 12, 1985 | 314 |
| A look at the evolution of the Salvadoran Civil War and U.S. relations with El Salvador. | ||||||
| 64 | 15 | "Men Who Molest" | Family/children; criminal reform | 60 minutes | April 16, 1985 | 315 |
| An examination of a Seattle program aimed at adults who sexually abuse children and the issue of whether they should be punished, treated, or both. | ||||||
| 65 | 16 | "Catholics in America: Is Nothing Sacred?" | Religion | 60 minutes | April 23, 1985 | 316 |
| A look at the conflict American Catholics have with church doctrine. | ||||||
| 66 | 17 | "The American Way of War" | Military | 60 minutes | April 30, 1985 | 317 |
| The relationship between the United States Army, its doctrine in modern warfare, and the American government and citizens. | ||||||
| 67 | 18 | "Memory of the Camps" | History | 60 minutes | May 7, 1985 | 318 |
| The premiere of footage from an unfinished 1945 documentary made by British and American filmmakers (Alfred Hitchcock among them) who followed Allied armies into Nazi concentration camps to capture post-liberation images. | ||||||
| 68 | 19 | "You Are in the Computer" | Housing | 60 minutes | May 14, 1985 | 319 |
| Robert Krulwich investigates computerized information systems and their roles in landlords denying rentals to prospective tenants. | ||||||
| 69 | 20 | "What About Mom and Dad?" | Family; health | 60 minutes | May 21, 1985 | 320 |
| A profile of the decisions and issues adult children face in caring for their aging parents.[5] | ||||||
| 70 | 21 | "Breaking the Bank" | Finance | 60 minutes | May 28, 1985 | 321 |
| Judy Woodruff investigates the cases of Oklahoma City-based Penn Square Bank and Chicago-based Continental Illinois and their implications on the broader U.S. banking system. | ||||||
Season 4 (1986)[edit]
During its fourth season, Frontline presented Comrades, a 12-part documentary series that originally aired on the BBC in Great Britain. Comrades profiled everyday life in and citizens of the Soviet Union through interviews and fly on the wall filming. Frontline's presentation of Comrades featured "wraparound" segments where host Judy Woodruff interviewed Richard Denton and other Comrades producers about the episode's background.[6]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 1 | "Hostage in Iran" | History; recollections | 60 minutes | January 21, 1986 | 401 | ||||||
| Five years after their release, those held hostage in Iran by Islamic revolutionaries tell the story of their 444-day ordeal. | ||||||||||||
| 72 | 2 | "Sue the Doctor?" | Health | 60 minutes | January 28, 1986 | 402 | ||||||
| An inside look at the battle between doctors and lawyers over medical malpractice suits. | ||||||||||||
| 73 | 3 | "Growing Up Poor" | Social issues | 60 minutes | February 4, 1986 | 403 | ||||||
| Profiles of children in Chester, Pennsylvania who are growing up in impoverished conditions. | ||||||||||||
| 74 | 4 | "Russia: Love It or Leave It" | Foreign relations | 60 minutes | February 11, 1986 | 404 | ||||||
| A group of American tourists escape a government-managed tour of the Soviet Union in an effort to gain insight from everyday Soviets. | ||||||||||||
| 75 | 5 | "Tobacco on Trial" | Health | 60 minutes | February 18, 1986 | 405 | ||||||
| Judy Woodruff looks at a trio of lawsuits filed by lifelong smokers seeking damages from tobacco companies over their declining health. | ||||||||||||
| 76 | 6 | "Divorce Wars" | Family/children | 60 minutes | February 25, 1986 | 406 | ||||||
| Profiles of the couples, lawyers, judges, and children caught in divorce proceedings. | ||||||||||||
| 77 | 7 | "Who's Running this War?" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | March 18, 1986 | 407 | ||||||
| A probe into the legality of covert aid provided by the U.S. to contra rebels in Nicaragua. | ||||||||||||
| 78 | 8 | "AIDS: A National Inquiry" | Health | 120 minutes | March 25, 1986 | 408 | ||||||
| A look into the AIDS crisis begins with the case of a homosexual prostitute who, before he succumbed to the disease, continued to have unprotected sex with several men. In the second hour, Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson moderates a discussion on issues of civil liberties, public safety, education, and medical progress about AIDS. | ||||||||||||
| 79 | 9 | "Standoff in Mexico" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 1, 1986 | 409 | ||||||
| A look at growing unrest in Mexico caused by election fraud and corruption involving the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party. | ||||||||||||
| 80 | 10 | "Inside the Jury Room" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | April 8, 1986 | 410 | ||||||
| An exclusive look inside a jury room during deliberations in a criminal trial in Wisconsin. | ||||||||||||
| 81 | 11 | "Taxes Behind Closed Doors" | Politics | 60 minutes | April 15, 1986 | 411 | ||||||
| William Greider offers a behind-the-scenes look at Congressmen and lobbyists involved in the politics of tax reform. | ||||||||||||
| 82 | 12 | "The Disillusionment of David Stockman" | Economics | 60 minutes | April 20, 1986 | 412 | ||||||
| Former OMB Chairman David Stockman offers a candid look at the "free lunch fiscal policy" of the Reagan Administration. | ||||||||||||
| 83 | 13 | "Vision of Star Wars" | National defense | 60 minutes | April 22, 1986 | 413 | ||||||
| Bill Kurtis heads a Frontline/NOVA collaboration examining the scientific and political implications of the Strategic Defense Initiative. | ||||||||||||
| 84 | 14 | "Hollywood Dreams" | Entertainment | 60 minutes | May 13, 1986 | 414 | ||||||
| A look into the fantasy and reality of the multibillion-dollar motion picture industry. | ||||||||||||
| 85 | 15 | "The Bloods of 'Nam" | Military; discrimination | 60 minutes | May 20, 1986 | 415 | ||||||
| Wallace Terry interviews black veterans of the Vietnam War who fought three battles—against Communist forces, discrimination in the military, and post-war disillusionment at home. | ||||||||||||
| 86 | 16 | "A Matter of the Mind" | Health | 60 minutes | May 27, 1986 | 416 | ||||||
| An examination of mental illness from the point of view of residents in a St. Paul home, who deal with not only their psychological demons but also social stigma. Audio clips from this episode were featured in the Pearl Jam song "Stupid Mop". | ||||||||||||
| 87 | 17 | "Holy War, Holy Terror" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | June 3, 1986 | 417 | ||||||
| John Laurence examines how Iran's war with Iraq is a steeping stone in spreading a radical brand of Islam throughout the world. | ||||||||||||
| 88 | 18 | "Will There Always Be an England?" | Economics | 60 minutes | June 10, 1986 | 418 | ||||||
| Ofra Bikel looks at the strained social structure in Great Britain, where unemployment is common in northern areas but power and privilege prevail in the south of the country. | ||||||||||||
| 89 | 19 | "Assault on Affirmative Action" | Social issues | 60 minutes | June 17, 1986 | 419 | ||||||
| A look into the 20-year conflict over affirmative action policies in the U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Comrades documentary | ||||||||||||
| 90 | 20 | Comrades I: The Education of Rita | Biography | 60 minutes | July 1, 1986 | COM101 | ||||||
| The life and ambitions of a Komsomol member and school graduate as she begins her first teaching job in Moscow. | ||||||||||||
| 91 | 21 | Comrades II: Hunter and Son | Biography | 60 minutes | July 8, 1986 | COM102 | ||||||
| The story of a hunter and his young son hunting for sable and other valuable fur animals in the Siberian taiga. | ||||||||||||
| 92 | 22 | Comrades III: All that Jazz | Music | 60 minutes | July 15, 1986 | COM103 | ||||||
| A look at musical subcultures (jazz and rock) unapproved by Soviet government features the performances of Sergey Kuryokhin. | ||||||||||||
| 93 | 23 | Comrades IV: The Trial of Tamara Russo | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | July 22, 1986 | COM104 | ||||||
| The Soviet justice system is examined through the trial of a hospital orderly accused of theft and the female judge presiding over the case. | ||||||||||||
| 94 | 24 | Comrades V: Master of Samarkand | Religion | 60 minutes | July 29, 1986 | COM105 | ||||||
| A look at Muslim life in the USSR focuses on a master craftsman of Uzbek heritage who for 35 years has been restoring the great Islamic mosques in Samarkand. | ||||||||||||
| 95 | 25 | Comrades VI: Pacific Outpost | Biography | 60 minutes | August 5, 1986 | COM106 | ||||||
| A profile of a workaholic communist official; her husband, who cares for their two daughters; and their lives in the Soviet Pacific coast town of Nakhodka. | ||||||||||||
| 96 | 26 | Comrades VII: Steel Mill Soccer | Biography; sports | 60 minutes | August 12, 1986 | COM107 | ||||||
| The lives of players on a factory soccer team in Azerbaijan as they fight for the town championship. | ||||||||||||
| 97 | 27 | Comrades VIII: Doctor in Moscow | Biography | 60 minutes | August 19, 1986 | COM108 | ||||||
| A day in the life of a successful, well-to-do Moscow eye surgeon reveals what life is like for privileged Soviet citizens. | ||||||||||||
| 98 | 28 | Comrades IX: Baltic Chic | Culture | 60 minutes | August 26, 1986 | COM109 | ||||||
| The influences of Western culture on Soviet society and fashion as seen through a fashion designer in Tallinn, Estonia. | ||||||||||||
| 99 | 29 | Comrades X: Soldier Boy | Biography | 60 minutes | August 26, 1986 | COM110 | ||||||
| A look at the exertion and boredom of basic Soviet military training focuses on an 18-year-old recruit and his parents who worry he may be sent to fight in Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||
| 100 | 30 | Comrades XI: October Harvest | Biography | 60 minutes | September 2, 1986 | COM111 | ||||||
| Collective farm life in southern Russia as seen through one family's work during harvest time. | ||||||||||||
| 101 | 31 | Comrades XII: Leningrad Movie | Entertainment | 60 minutes | September 9, 1986 | COM112 | ||||||
| A profile of a director in the state-funded Soviet film industry who controversially dares to depart from the state-approved script. | ||||||||||||
Season 5 (1987)[edit]
The end of Frontline's 5th season featured the documentary Apartheid. Spanning over 3 centuries, the 5-part historical documentary looked into the background and practice by South Africa's government of apartheid, the institutionalized form of racial segregation that favored the country's white minority at the expense of its indigenous black population.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | 1 | "The Real Stuff" | Science | 60 minutes | January 27, 1987 | 501 | ||||||
| A look at the problems and politics plaguing NASA one year after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. | ||||||||||||
| 103 | 2 | "The Earthquake Is Coming" | Science | 60 minutes | February 3, 1987 | 502 | ||||||
| A look at the wide-ranging effects that could occur if and when a devastating earthquake strikes California. | ||||||||||||
| 104 105 | 3 4 | "Stopping Drugs" | Health | 60 minutes | February 10, 1987 February 17, 1987 | 503 504 | ||||||
| A two-part examination of America's War on Drugs. Part 1 looks at the effectiveness of drug treatment programs and addicts' struggles. Part 2 looks into the effectiveness of anti-drug efforts in schools. | ||||||||||||
| 106 | 5 | "The Nazi Connection" | Science, foreign affairs | 60 minutes | February 24, 1987 | 505 | ||||||
| An examination of Operation Paperclip, in which the US Government brought scientists, engineers, and technicians from Nazi Germany after World War II for government projects, and whether some of their connections to the Nazi government were "sanitized". | ||||||||||||
| 107 | 6 | "Desperately Seeking Baby" | Family/children | 60 minutes | March 3, 1987 | 506 | ||||||
| A look into the practice of childless couples turning to private adoption deals brokered by lawyers and counselors, and the ambiguity and heartbreak that can result. | ||||||||||||
| 108 | 7 | "Street Cop" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | March 31, 1987 | 507 | ||||||
| A look at street cops in one of Boston's busiest and most violent police districts. | ||||||||||||
| 109 | 8 | "The Secret File" | National security | 60 minutes | April 14, 1987 | 508 | ||||||
| The story of Penn Kimball and his efforts to clear his name after the US Government had branded him a national security risk. | ||||||||||||
| 110 | 9 | "War on Nicaragua" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 21, 1987 | 509 | ||||||
| William Greider looks into how the US Government began and continues its support of Contra rebels in Nicaragua. | ||||||||||||
| 111 | 10 | "The Bombing of West Philly" | Law enforcement, race | 60 minutes | May 5, 1987 | 510 | ||||||
| A look into tensions between Philadelphia's police and the black liberation group MOVE, which led to a May 1985 standoff that ended with police bombing MOVE's compound. | ||||||||||||
| 112 | 11 | "In Search of the Marcos Millions" | Financial | 60 minutes | May 26, 1987 | 511 | ||||||
| An investigation into where Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos hid millions of dollars after the former Philippine first couple left in exile in 1986. | ||||||||||||
| 113 | 12 | "Israel: The Price of Victory" | Middle East | 60 minutes | June 2, 1987 | 512 | ||||||
| A look into Israel's struggles with image and democracy on the 20th anniversary of the Six-Day War. | ||||||||||||
| 114 | 13 | "Death of a Porn Queen" | Biographies | 60 minutes | June 9, 1987 | 513 | ||||||
| Al Austin examines the life and suicide of a young girl involved in the porn industry. | ||||||||||||
| 115 | 14 | "Keeping the Faith" | Religion, race | 60 minutes | June 16, 1987 | 514 | ||||||
| Roger Wilkins looks at the evolution of the Black church in a time of a growing Black middle class. | ||||||||||||
| 116 | 15 | "The Politics of Greed" | Politics | 60 minutes | June 23, 1987 | 515 | ||||||
| A look at the effects of corruption on a city government's day-to-day operations. | ||||||||||||
| Apartheid documentary | ||||||||||||
| 117 | 16 | "Apartheid Part 1: 1652–1948" | History, race/multicultural | 60 minutes | December 14, 1987 | 516 | ||||||
| A look at the precursors to apartheid in South Africa, from colonial times to the rise of the ANC, Afrikaner nationalism, and practices of white favoritism by governments. | ||||||||||||
| 118 | 17 | "Apartheid Part 2: 1948–1963" | History, race/multicultural | 60 minutes | December 14, 1987 | 517 | ||||||
| A white nationalist government implements strict segregational practices (racial classifications, separate-and-unequal schooling, forcible relocation of Blacks) and gives it the name "apartheid" — but not without facing a Nelson Mandela-led resistance. | ||||||||||||
| 119 | 18 | "Apartheid Part 3: 1963–1977" | History, race/multicultural | 60 minutes | December 15, 1987 | 518 | ||||||
| A look at the South African government's establishment of rural bantustans and the rise of Back resistance to homeland policy, which culminates in the 1976 Soweto uprising. | ||||||||||||
| 120 | 19 | "Apartheid Part 4: 1978–1986" | History, race/multicultural | 60 minutes | December 15, 1987 | 519 | ||||||
| Prime minister P. W. Botha implements reforms to maintain white supremacy in South Africa, moves that provoked negative reactions from Afrikaners and Blacks alike. | ||||||||||||
| 121 | 20 | "Apartheid Part 5: 1987" | Race/multicultural | 60 minutes | December 16, 1987 | 520 | ||||||
| A look at an unprecedented meeting in Dakar, Senegal where dissident white Afrikaners and Black leaders from the ANC met to discuss strategies for change in South Africa. | ||||||||||||
Season 6 (1987-88)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 122 | 1 | "Praise the Lord" | Financial, religion | 60 minutes | January 26, 1988 | 601 |
| The rise and fall of Jim & Tammy Bakker and why government agencies failed to investigate claims of corruption within their evangelical empire. | ||||||
| 123 | 2 | "Operation Urgent Fury" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | February 2, 1988 | 602 |
| Seymour Hersh investigates the US Military's October 1983 invasion of Grenada, the military shortcomings it laid bare, and whether it jeopardized the lives of the American college students it was meant to protect. | ||||||
| 124 | 3 | "The Man Who Shot John Lennon" | Biographies | 60 minutes | February 9, 1988 | 603 |
| A portrait of Mark David Chapman and his motivations for murdering John Lennon in 1980. | ||||||
| 125 | 4 | "Your Flight Is Cancelled" | Transportation | 60 minutes | February 16, 1988 | 604 |
| A look at the difficulties facing the air traffic system, which have included an environment of delays, cancellations, and near-collisions post-deregulation. | ||||||
| 126 | 5 | "Shakedown in Santa Fe" | Law enforcement | 60 minutes | February 23, 1988 | 605 |
| A profile of life in the Penitentiary of New Mexico, site of one of the most violent prisoner uprisings in US history in 1980. | ||||||
| 127 | 6 | "Let My Daughter Die" | Health | 60 minutes | March 1, 1988 | 606 |
| The complex legal and moral issues surrounding the case of Nancy Cruzan, the subject of what would become the Supreme Court's first right to die case. | ||||||
| 128 | 7 | "Back in the USSR" | Culture | 60 minutes | March 29, 1988 | 607 |
| Twenty years after moving to Moscow on assignment for TIME, journalist Jerry Schecter and his family return to renew friendships and explore the USSR under glasnost. | ||||||
| 129 | 8 | "Poison and the Pentagon" | Military, health | 60 minutes | April 5, 1988 | 608 |
| Joe Rosenbloom looks into the Defense Department's poor record of cleaning up the ground water pollution it has caused. | ||||||
| 130 | 9 | To a Safer Place | Family/children | 60 minutes | April 12, 1988 | 609 |
| Sexually abused by her father from infancy until running away at 14, Shirley Turcotte returns to her Winnipeg hometown to face the adults who failed to protect her, the siblings who were also abused, and the horrific childhood she seeks to make peace with. | ||||||
| 131 | 10 | "Murder on the Río San Juan" | Terror, Central America | 60 minutes | April 19, 1988 | 610 |
| A look at the motives and possible conspirators in a 1984 bombing that targeted Nicaraguan contra leader Edén Pastora. | ||||||
| 132 | 11 | "American Game, Japanese Rules" | Culture | 60 minutes | April 26, 1988 | 611 |
| Intimate profiles of Americans living and working in Japan and trying to adjust to the country's culture. | ||||||
| 133 | 12 | "Racism 101" | Social issues | 60 minutes | May 10, 1988 | 612 |
| An examination into the increase in racial incidents and violence on America's college campuses. | ||||||
| 134 | 13 | "Guns, Drugs, and the CIA" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | May 17, 1988 | 613 |
| A look into the CIA's long history of involvement with drug smugglers in trouble spots around the world, all in the name of national security. | ||||||
| 135 | 14 | "The Defense of Europe" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | May 24, 1988 | 614 |
| A Frontline/TIME joint examination into the new realities facing NATO following the American-Soviet nuclear arms treaty. | ||||||
| 136 | 15 | "Trouble in Paradise" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | May 31, 1988 | 615 |
| How attempts by the US Government to forge a military pact with Palau has affected the Pacific Ocean country of just 15,000 people. | ||||||
| 137 | 16 | "Who Pays for AIDS?" | Health | 60 minutes | June 7, 1988 | 616 |
| How the battle between local governments and Washington over who will cover the cost of the AIDS crisis has impacted patients and communities. | ||||||
| 138 | 17 | "Our Forgotten War" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | June 14, 1988 | 617 |
| A fresh look at the civil war in El Salvador and how it is affecting the US Government's involvement in the conflict. | ||||||
| 139 | 18 | "Indian Country" | Social issues | 60 minutes | June 21, 1988 | 618 |
| Mark Trahant looks at how the business and treaty success of the Quinault Indian Nation is countered by issues of poverty and unemployment among its people. | ||||||
| 140 | 19 | "My Husband is Going to Kill Me" | Social issues | 60 minutes | June 28, 1988 | 619 |
| How the justice system in Colorado failed to protect Pamela Guenther from her violent husband, who murdered her in front of their children in February 1987. | ||||||
Season 7 (1988–89)[edit]
Frontline's 7th season was Judy Woodruff's last as on-air host.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | 1 | "The Politics of Prosperity" | Economics | 60 minutes | October 10, 1988 | 700A |
| In the last weeks of the 1988 presidential campaign, correspondent William Greider explores the private but increasingly intense debate about what the next president should do to avoid economic disaster, how and when should he do it, and who will be asked to bear the burden. Frontline focuses on four communities that have not shared in the prosperity of the Reagan years. | ||||||
| 142 | 2 | "The Choice" | Biographies | 100 minutes | October 24, 1988 | 700B |
| In Frontline's first quadrennial profile of the presidential candidates, Garry Wills offers backgrounds of and thoughts from people who know candidates George Bush and Michael Dukakis. (A Frontline collaboration with TIME) | ||||||
| 143 | 3 | "The Real Life of Ronald Reagan" | Biographies | 90 minutes | January 18, 1989 | 701 |
| A profile of Ronald Reagan on the eve of his departure from the US presidency. | ||||||
| 144 | 4 | "The Spy Who Broke the Code" | National security | 60 minutes | January 24, 1989 | 702 |
| An assessment of the damage to US national security from John Anthony Walker's spying for the Soviet Union. | ||||||
| 145 | 5 | "The Battle for Eastern Airlines" | Transportation | 60 minutes | January 31, 1989 | 703 |
| Robert Kuttner looks at the management and labor struggles plaguing Eastern Air Lines. | ||||||
| 146 | 6 | "Running with Jesse" | Politics | 60 minutes | February 7, 1989 | 704 |
| A look at the 1988 presidential run of Jesse Jackson. | ||||||
| 147 | 7 | "Children of the Night" | Social issues | 60 minutes | February 14, 1989 | 705 |
| The problem of teenage runaways and suicides as seen through the case of Iain Brown, who left home at 13 for the life of a male hustler in San Francisco. | ||||||
| 148 | 8 | "Who Profits from Drugs" | War on drugs | 60 minutes | February 21, 1989 | 706 |
| How the American economy uses the profits from the illegal drug trade. | ||||||
| 149 | 9 | "Prescriptions for Profit" | Health, business | 60 minutes | March 28, 1989 | 707 |
| The practice of pharmaceutical manufacturers marketing and influencing doctors to prescribe medications. | ||||||
| 150 | 10 | "The Dallas Drug War" | War on drugs | 60 minutes | April 4, 1989 | 708 |
| Bob Ray Sanders explores how one Dallas neighborhood is struggling to combat the drugs and violence plaguing its community. | ||||||
| 151 | 11 | "Murder in the Amazon" | Environment | 60 minutes | April 11, 1989 | 709 |
| The life of Brazilian trade union leader and environmentalist Chico Mendes, and how his December 1988 murder put a focus on the ecological pillage of the Amazon rainforest. | ||||||
| 152 | 12 | "The Shakespeare Mystery" | Biographies | 60 minutes | April 18, 1989 | 710 |
| A look at a controversial literary theory: Whether Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was the real William Shakespeare. | ||||||
| 153 | 13 | "Extraordinary People" | Health | 60 minutes | May 2, 1989 | 711 |
| Judy Woodruff profiles three Canadian children who had malformations caused by their mothers' use of thalidomide during pregnancy. | ||||||
| 154 | 14 | "Yellowstone Under Fire" | Environment | 60 minutes | May 9, 1989 | 712 |
| How accelerated natural resource development during the Reagan Administration affected Yellowstone National Park. | ||||||
| 155 | 15 | "Israel: The Covert Connection" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | May 16, 1989 | 713 |
| The history of the US government's defense and intelligence alliances with Israel from the 1950s to the present. | ||||||
| 156 | 16 | "Remember My Lai" | Defense | 60 minutes | May 23, 1989 | 714 |
| A look at the My Lai Massacre from the surviving US soldiers and Vietnamese citizens who survived. | ||||||
| 157 | 17 | "Babies at Risk" | Health | 60 minutes | May 23, 1989 | 715 |
| How political and bureaucratic neglect fueled the high rate of infant mortality in some Chicago neighborhoods. | ||||||
| 158 | 18 | "Death of a Terrorist" | Biographies | 60 minutes | June 13, 1989 | 716 |
| The life and death of Irish Republican Army terrorist Mairead Farrell and how the British government deals with political terrorism. | ||||||
| 159 | 19 | "Who's Killing Calvert City?" | Environment | 60 minutes | June 20, 1989 | 717 |
| A look at the struggles of Calvert City, Kentucky, a town plagued by pollution and toxic waste generated by the chemical plants that drive its economy. | ||||||
Season 8 (1989–1990)[edit]
Beginning with Season 8, Frontline would eschew from using a regular on-air host, using an off-screen narrator to introduce each episode.
As part of its 8th season, Frontline aired the 4-part documentary Decade of Destruction. Produced by Adrian Cowell, the series spotlighted the destruction of Brazil's Amazon rainforest, regarded as one of Earth's "last great frontier[s]", during the decade of the 1980s.[7]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | 1 | "Tracking the Pan Am Bombers" | Terrorism | 60 minutes | November 28, 1989 | 800 | ||||||
| A look into the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing in December 1988, including those suspected to have been responsible and whether unheeded warnings and blunders by German police may have contributed to the tragedy. | ||||||||||||
| 161 | 2 | "The Right to Die?" | Social issues | 120 minutes | December 13, 1989 | 801 | ||||||
| An expanded examination into the subject of Season 6's "Let My Daughter Die", delving into the broad issues surrounding a right to die case argued before the US Supreme Court one week before this broadcast. (A collaboration of Frontline and Fred Friendly's Media & Society Series) | ||||||||||||
| 162 | 3 | "The Bombing of Pan Am 103" | Terrorism | 60 minutes | January 23, 1990 | 802 | ||||||
| The efforts of those who lost loved ones in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing to seek justice, improve air security, and improve government efforts to respond to terrorists and their supporters. | ||||||||||||
| 163 | 4 | "The Noriega Connection" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | January 30, 1990 | 803 | ||||||
| The rise and fall of Manuel Noriega and the US' relationship with the Panamanian general they ousted from power in December 1989. | ||||||||||||
| 164 | 5 | "Miss USSR" | Culture | 60 minutes | February 6, 1990 | 804 | ||||||
| A behind-the-scenes look at the Soviet Union's first beauty pageant and the broader struggles facing women in the communist country. | ||||||||||||
| 165 | 6 | "Throwaway People" | Race | 60 minutes | February 13, 1990 | 805 | ||||||
| Roger Wilkins investigates the economic and social roots of the African American underclass, focusing on the struggles of young Black men in one Washington, DC neighborhood. | ||||||||||||
| 166 | 7 | "The Faces of Arafat" | Biographies | 60 minutes | February 27, 1990 | 806 | ||||||
| Marie Colvin profiles Yasser Arafat and the PLO leader's newfound commitment to reject terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist. | ||||||||||||
| 167 | 8 | "Anatomy of an Oil Spill" | Environment | 60 minutes | March 20, 1990 | 807 | ||||||
| How complacency and negligence by government agencies and oil companies helped lead to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. | ||||||||||||
| 168 | 9 | "Poland: The Morning After" | Economics | 60 minutes | March 27, 1990 | 808 | ||||||
| A look at Poland's change from communism to capitalism in the months following the once-banned Solidarity trade union's rise to government. | ||||||||||||
| 169 | 10 | "Born in Africa" | Economics | 90 minutes | April 3, 1990 | 809 | ||||||
| Peter Jennings narrates the story of Philly Bongoley Lutaaya and how he inspired his fellow Ugandans to fight the spread of AIDS before his death from the disease. | ||||||||||||
| 170 | 11 | "New Harvest, Old Shame" | Social issues | 60 minutes | April 17, 1990 | 810 | ||||||
| Thirty years after Edward R. Murrow's Harvest of Shame documentary, David Marash looks at the continuing plight of migrant farm workers and the forces that keep their lives so desperate. | ||||||||||||
| 171 | 12 | "Hilary in Hiding" | Family/children | 60 minutes | April 24, 1990 | 811 | ||||||
| A look at the case of Elizabeth Morgan, who served a 25-month jail term for civil contempt after refusing to divulge the whereabouts of her daughter, Hilary, who Morgan suspected had been sexually assaulted by Hilary's father. | ||||||||||||
| 172 | 13 | "Other People's Money" | Finance | 60 minutes | May 1, 1990 | 812 | ||||||
| A look at the savings and loan crisis and the role of politics in the failure of Lincoln Savings and Loan Association. | ||||||||||||
| 173 | 14 | "Plunder!" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | May 8, 1990 | 813 | ||||||
| Carl Nagin looks into how ancient artifacts looted from pre-Columbian tombs in Latin America wound up in auction houses, galleries, museums, and private collections in the United States. | ||||||||||||
| 174 | 15 | "Seven Days in Bensonhurst" | Race | 60 minutes | May 15, 1990 | 814 | ||||||
| Shelby Steele examines the dynamics of racial politics surrounding the 1989 murder of Yusef Hawkins by white youths in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. | ||||||||||||
| 175 | 16 | "Inside the Cartel" | War on drugs | 60 minutes | May 22, 1990 | 815 | ||||||
| How the drug cartels in Medellín and Cali have become part of Colombia's political and economic life. | ||||||||||||
| 176 | 17 | "Teacher, Teacher" | Education | 60 minutes | June 12, 1990 | 816 | ||||||
| The hopes and frustrations of public school teachers in one Midwestern town as they face the threat of funding cutbacks, the criticism of parents, and a growing number of troubled children from troubled homes. | ||||||||||||
| 177 | 18 | ""The Arming of Iraq: Frontline Special"" | Middle East | 60 minutes | September 11, 1990 | 817 | ||||||
| Hodding Carter investigates the complicity of US and European governments & corporations in creating Saddam Hussein's military machine in Iraq. | ||||||||||||
| Decade of Destruction documentary | ||||||||||||
| 178 | 19 | ""Decade of Destruction Part 1: Ashes of Forest"" | Environment | 120 minutes | September 18, 1990 | 818 | ||||||
| The series begins with the expansion of peasants into the Amazon, their slashing and burning of the forest land, and the natives' retaliatory actions against one settler's family. | ||||||||||||
| 179 | 20 | ""Decade of Destruction Part 2: Killing for Land"" | Environment | 60 minutes | September 19, 1990 | 819 | ||||||
| Lawless battles break out between corporate owners of Amazon farmland (who want the land left idle for speculation) and the migrant peasants who farm the plots. | ||||||||||||
| 180 | 21 | ""Decade of Destruction Part 3: Mountains of Gold"" | Environment | 60 minutes | September 20, 1990 | 820 | ||||||
| Prospectors illegally swarm over private gold reserves in the Amazon, with the government fighting to protect the untapped reserves. | ||||||||||||
| 181 | 22 | ""Decade of Destruction Part 4: Chico Mendes"" | Environment | 60 minutes | September 21, 1990 | 821 | ||||||
| The rise of Chico Mendes, his unionization of rubber tappers, and his fight to halt the rainforest's devastation and create protective areas. | ||||||||||||
| Special | ||||||||||||
| 182 | 23 | "Global Dumping Ground: Frontline Special"" | Environment | 60 minutes | October 2, 1990 | 822 | ||||||
| Bill Moyers investigates the big business of shipping of toxic waste from the US to third-world countries. | ||||||||||||
Season 9 (1990–91)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 183 | 1 | "When Cops Go Bad" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | October 16, 1990 | 901 |
| How the corrupting influence of drug money is affecting police forces in California, Florida, and New Jersey. | ||||||
| 184 | 2 | "The Hunt for Howard Marks" | Biographies | 60 minutes | October 23, 1990 | 902 |
| The story of Welsh drug smuggler Howard Marks and his capture by DEA agents. | ||||||
| 185 | 3 | "Broken Minds" | Health | 60 minutes | October 30, 1990 | 903 |
| A look the science and societal struggles behind schizophrenia, a disease that affects millions of Americans. | ||||||
| 186 | 4 | "Betting on the Lottery" | Social issues | 60 minutes | November 6, 1990 | 904 |
| James Reston Jr. looks at the growing popularity of state lotteries in the US. | ||||||
| 187 | 5 | "Springfield Goes to War" | Military | 60 minutes | November 20, 1990 | 905 |
| Bill Moyers holds a town meeting with residents of Springfield, Massachusetts grappling with the growing buildup of the Gulf War. | ||||||
| 188 | 6 | "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | November 27, 1990 | 906 |
| Four years after the story broke, Bill Moyers takes a full-view look at the Iran–Contra affair. | ||||||
| 189 | 7 | "The Struggle for South Africa" | Race/multicultural | 90 minutes | December 11, 1990 | 907 |
| David Dimbleby examines how fractures between and within Afrikaner and Black groups threatens to disrupt negotiations for a new South Africa. | ||||||
| 190 | 8 | "The Spirit of Crazy Horse" | Race/multicultural | 60 minutes | December 18, 1990 | 908 |
| One century after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Milo Yellow Hair recalls the story of his fellow Sioux people, from loss of land to invading whites through the present-day revival of Sioux cultural pride. | ||||||
| 191 | 9 | "To the Brink of War" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | January 15, 1991 | 909 |
| On the day a UN resolution for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait reaches its deadline, Hodding Carter examines US government decisions that brought the nation to the brink of war. | ||||||
| 192 | 10 | "Cuba and Cocaine" | War on drugs | 60 minutes | February 5, 1991 | 910 |
| A revelation into how drug smuggling became Cuban state policy. | ||||||
| 193 | 11 | "The Man Who Made the Supergun" | Biographies | 60 minutes | February 12, 1991 | 911 |
| A profile of Gerald Bull, a designer of long-range artillery, and the questions surrounding his 1990 assassination. | ||||||
| 194 | 12 | "Guns, Tanks, and Gorbachev" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | February 19, 1991 | 912 |
| Hedrick Smith looks at recent violent occurrences in the Soviet Union and the ramifications in US/USSR relations. | ||||||
| 195 | 13 | "The Mind of Hussein" | Biographies | 60 minutes | February 26, 1991 | 913 |
| The personal and political history of Saddam Hussein. | ||||||
| 196 | 14 | "Black America's War" | Gulf War | 60 minutes | April 2, 1991 | 914 |
| Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree leads a town meeting exploring the attitudes of Black Americans toward the Gulf War, a conflict in which nearly 30% of US soldiers were African American. | ||||||
| 197 | 15 | "War and Peace in Panama" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 9, 1991 | 915 |
| A look at the 1989 ousting of Manuel Noriega by US forces and its lingering impact. | ||||||
| 198 | 16 | "The Election Held Hostage" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 16, 1991 | 916 |
| Robert Parry investigates how the Carter and Reagan camps possibly sought deals to end the Iran hostage crisis during the 1980 presidential campaign. | ||||||
| 199 | 17 | "Who Pays for Mom and Dad?" | Family/Children | 60 minutes | April 30, 1991 | 917 |
| A look at the financial difficulties families face in seeking long-term care for elderly parents. | ||||||
| 200 | 18 | "Innocence Lost" | Family/Children | 120 minutes | May 7, 1991 | 918 |
| How an investigation into sexual abuse accusations at a daycare center divided the town of Edenton, North Carolina. | ||||||
| 201 | 19 | "The Spy Hunter" | Biographies | 60 minutes | May 14, 1991 | 919 |
| A look at James Angleton, ex-chief of counter-intelligence for the CIA, and his misguided pursuit of an agency mole. | ||||||
| 202 | 20 | "To the Last Fish" | Environment | 60 minutes | May 21, 1991 | 920 |
| How new technologies in the fishing industry are putting the world's fisheries into a dangerous state of decline. | ||||||
| 203 | 21 | "The Color of Your Skin" | Race/Multicultural | 60 minutes | June 11, 1991 | 921 |
| A look at a program at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute where students of all races confront each other with their racial anger and frustration. | ||||||
| 204 | 22 | "The Gates Nomination" | Foreign affairs | 30 minutes | July 15, 1991 | 922 |
| A profile of Robert Gates looks at the DCI nominee's role in the Iran–Contra affair. | ||||||
Season 10 (1991–92)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 205 | 1 | "In the Shadow of Sakharov" | Biographies | 90 minutes | October 15, 1991 | 1001 |
| The story of Andrei Sakharov, the nuclear physicist turned human-rights advocate who became the father of the Soviet democracy movement. | ||||||
| 206 | 2 | "The Great American Bailout" | Financial | 60 minutes | October 22, 1991 | 1002 |
| Robert Krulwich investigates the rising cost of the Savings and loan crisis (A co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting) | ||||||
| 207 | 3 | "The War We Left Behind" | Gulf War | 60 minutes | October 29, 1991 | 1003 |
| How the air war against Iraq led to a "slow-motion disaster" affecting the country's post-war utility infrastructure. | ||||||
| 208 | 4 | "Don King, Unauthorized" | Biographies | 60 minutes | November 5, 1991 | 1004 |
| Jack Newfield explores the life and career of boxing promoter Don King. | ||||||
| 209 | 5 | "My Doctor, My Lover" | Criminal justice | 90 minutes | November 12, 1991 | 1005 |
| An investigation into the scandal surrounding a Colorado psychiatrist who had an affair with one of his patients, who ended up suing him for sexual abuse. | ||||||
| 210 | 6 | "Losing the War with Japan" | Business | 90 minutes | November 19, 1991 | 1006 |
| A look at the challenge Japanese-style capitalism poses to the US market, followed by a Robert Krulwich-led discussion into the issue. | ||||||
| 211 | 7 | "The Secret Story of Terry Waite" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | November 26, 1991 | 1007 |
| Gavin Hewitt investigates the charge that Oliver North used Terry Waite, a Church of England envoy and recently released Lebanon hostage, to cover up the Iran–Contra affair (A co-production with BBC News) | ||||||
| 212 | 8 | "Who Killed Adam Mann?" | Family/Children | 60 minutes | December 3, 1991 | 1008 |
| How New York City's child welfare service failed to protect four children from their abusive parents, who were sent to prison for the beating death of one of the children. | ||||||
| 213 | 9 | "The Resurrection of Reverend Moon" | Biographies | 60 minutes | January 21, 1992 | 1009 |
| A profile of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, who after reemerging from a prison sentence for conspiracy and false tax returns, has become a notable figure in conservative-leaning politics, media, and causes. | ||||||
| 214 | 10 | "The Last Communist" | Biographies | 60 minutes | February 11, 1992 | 1010 |
| A look at Cuban leader Fidel Castro from his days as a revolutionary to his defiant leadership in present day. | ||||||
| 215 | 11 | "Coming From Japan" | Business/Economy/Financial | 60 minutes | February 18, 1992 | 1011 |
| Shuichi Kato narrates over a controversial 30-year history between Matsushita Electric Company and the U.S. and explores the issues that confronts Japan in its economic expansion. | ||||||
| 216 | 12 | "After Gorbachev's USSR" | Culture | 60 minutes | February 25, 1992 | 1012 |
| Hedrick Smith follows up on his 1990 series Inside Gorbachev's USSR by reviewing how post-Soviet Russia is handling newfound freedoms while dealing with financial struggles. | ||||||
| 217 | 13 | "Who Is David Duke?" | Biographies | 60 minutes | March 3, 1992 | 1013 |
| Hodding Carter investigates the life of David Duke, his background in extremist ideology, and the reshaping of his image into a national political figure. | ||||||
| 218 | 14 | "The Death of Nancy Cruzan" | Health | 90 minutes | March 24, 1992 | 1014 |
| The legal battle by the family of Nancy Cruzan, who was left in a persistent vegetative state after a 1983 auto accident and was the subject of the first right-to-die case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. | ||||||
| 219 | 15 | "Saddam's Killing Fields" | Middle East | 60 minutes | March 31, 1992 | 1015 |
| Kanan Makiya secretly returns to Iraq to investigate rumors of an official extermination program aimed at the Kurdish people. | ||||||
| 220 | 16 | "Investigating the October Surprise" | Foreign affairs, politics | 60 minutes | April 7, 1992 | 1016 |
| In this follow-up to Season 9's "The Election Held Hostage", Robert Parry investigates whether Ronald Reagan's campaign manager could have met with Iranian officials in the summer of 1980 regarding a possible end to the hostage crisis. | ||||||
| 221 | 17 | "The Betrayal of Democracy" | Politics | 120 minutes | April 15, 1992 | 1017 |
| William Greider examines the widening divide between those in government and the citizens they serve and represent, and how the press and the political parties are failing the public. | ||||||
| 222 | 18 | "The Bank of Crooks and Criminals" | Finance, criminal justice | 60 minutes | April 21, 1992 | 1018 |
| How the Bank of Credit and Commerce International became a conduit for laundering money from criminal activities, and how it managed to elude regulatory review by US officials. | ||||||
| 223 | 19 | "Who Cares About Children?" | Family/Children | 60 minutes | April 28, 1992 | 1019 |
| A look at Arkansas' child welfare crisis, the struggle to reform the state's system, and whether governor (and presidential candidate) Bill Clinton avoided any effort toward systemic improvements.[8] | ||||||
| 224 | 20 | "China After Tiananmen" | China | 90 minutes | June 2, 1992 | 1020 |
| How China is embracing economic reforms and open society even as a firm hold on political dissent remains in place three years after pro-democracy protests were brutally silenced. | ||||||
| 225 | 21 | "Dear Frontline" | Viewer interaction, follow-up reports | 30 minutes | June 2, 1992 | 1021 |
| A presentation of viewer responses to and updates on some of Frontline's reportage. | ||||||
| 226 | 22 | "A Kid Kills" | Criminal justice; social issues | 60 minutes | June 16, 1992 | 1022 |
| A look at the case of Damien Bynoe, a 15-year-old charged in the shooting deaths of two Boston youngsters; the Boston gang culture; and the passage of juvenile crime laws in Massachusetts. | ||||||
| 227 | 23 | "Your Loan Is Denied" | Finance | 60 minutes | June 23, 1992 | 1023 |
| The effects of discriminatory mortgage-lending practices by American financial institutions. (A co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting) | ||||||
Season 11 (1992–93)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 228 | 1 | "Thomas and Hill: Public Hearing, Private Pain" | Race/Multicultural | 60 minutes | October 13, 1992 | 1101 |
| How the bitter issues surrounding Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearing affected Black America, and how Blacks and whites had little common understanding about the nomination battle. | ||||||
| 229 | 2 | "The Politics of Power" | Energy | 60 minutes | October 20, 1992 | 1102 |
| Nick Kotz looks at the issues plaguing America's energy policy and how it remains guided by special interests and dependent on foreign oil. (A co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting) | ||||||
| 230 | 3 | "The Choice 1992" | Biographies | 120 minutes | October 21, 1992 | 1103 |
| Richard Ben Cramer offers profiles of presidential candidates Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush. | ||||||
| 231 | 4 | "The Best Campaign Money Can Buy" | Politics | 60 minutes | October 27, 1992 | 1104 |
| Robert Krulwich looks into the money givers funding the 1992 presidential campaigns and the access and influence they gain as a result. (A co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting) | ||||||
| 232 | 5 | "Monsters Among Us" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | November 10, 1992 | 1105 |
| Al Austin examines the sexual assault epidemic and Washington's decision to keep offenders locked up until they are no longer considered a danger to the public. | ||||||
| 233 | 6 | "JFK, Hoffa and the Mob" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | November 17, 1992 | 1106 |
| A look at Frank Ragano's allegations of mob involvement in the deaths of John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa and in the CIA's plots to kill Fidel Castro. | ||||||
| 234 | 7 | "In Search of Our Fathers" | Family/children | 60 minutes | November 24, 1992 | 1107 |
| Marco Williams explores his family's past to discover the circumstances surrounding his absent father. | ||||||
| 235 | 8 | "Clinton Takes Over" | Government | 60 minutes | January 19, 1993 | 1108 |
| On the eve of Bill Clinton's inauguration, Hodding Carter offers an inside view of the new president's administration and the policies it will form. | ||||||
| 236 | 9 | "Journey to the Occupied Lands" | Middle East | 90 minutes | January 26, 1993 | 1109 |
| Michael Ambrosino explores life in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and the territories' role in Arab-Israeli peace talks. | ||||||
| 237 | 10 | "What Happened to the Drug War?" | War on Drugs | 60 minutes | February 2, 1993 | 1110 |
| How flaws in the US Government's anti-drug defenses have allowed smugglers in Texas to gain the upper hand. | ||||||
| 238 | 11 | "The Secret File on J. Edgar Hoover" | Criminal Justice | 60 minutes | February 9, 1993 | 1111 |
| J. Edgar Hoover amassed secret files on prominent Americans during his time as FBI Director, but his own private life left him open to blackmail, which may have led to the mafia going unchecked by the Bureau for decades. | ||||||
| 239 | 12 | "The Arming of Saudi Arabia" | Middle East | 60 minutes | February 16, 1993 | 1112 |
| A look into U.S. efforts to strengthen Saudi Arabia's military defenses. | ||||||
| 240 | 13 | "Apartheid's Last Stand" | Racial segregation | 60 minutes | March 2, 1993 | 1113 |
| A look into the progresses gained and compromises made in negotiations to peacefully end Apartheid rule in South Africa. | ||||||
| 241 | 14 | "Choosing Death: Health Quarterly Special" | Health | 120 minutes | March 23, 1993 | 1114 |
| Roger Mudd anchors a look into the complexities and dilemmas of euthanasia, including issues about the practice in the Netherlands and an in-studio discussion about the euthanasia debate in the U.S. (A co-production of Frontline and Health Quarterly) | ||||||
| 242 | 15 | "In Our Children's Food" | Health | 60 minutes | March 30, 1993 | 1115 |
| Bill Moyers reports on U.S. Government failures to certify the safety of agricultural chemicals and why the pesticide industry is the only source of safety data. | ||||||
| 243 | 16 | "The Trouble with Baseball" | Sports | 60 minutes | April 6, 1993 | 1116 |
| How the economic power struggle between Major League Baseball's owners and players is putting the sport on the brink of disaster. | ||||||
| 244 | 17 | Iran and the Bomb | Middle East | 60 minutes | April 13, 1993 | 1117 |
| How Iran is quietly building an arsenal of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. | ||||||
| 245 | 18 | "L.A. Is Burning: 5 Reports from a Divided City" | Social issues | 90 minutes | April 27, 1993 | 1118 |
| A look at Los Angeles, one year after the riots, through the eyes of five people who have thought and written about the city from the perspectives of its different communities, races, and classes. | ||||||
| 246 | 19 | "Ashes of the Cold War" | Economics | 60 minutes | May 4, 1993 | 1119 |
| How post-Cold War cutbacks in military spending have affected the industries and people whose livelihood was invested in the military-industrial complex. | ||||||
| 247 | 20 | "The Health Care Gamble" | Health | 60 minutes | May 25, 1993 | 1120 |
| A look at President Bill Clinton's efforts to transform health care reform from a campaign issue to a social reality. (Produced in association with The Health Quarterly) | ||||||
| 248 249 | 21 22 | "Innocence Lost: The Verdict (Parts I-IV)" | Family/Children, criminal justice | 60 minutes | July 20, 1993 (Parts I & II; 60 minutes each) July 21, 1993 (Parts III & IV; 60 minutes each) | 1121 1122 |
| A follow-up to 1991's Innocence Lost details the Little Rascals day care sexual abuse trial (at which owner Bob Kelly was convicted and sentenced to 12 consecutive life terms) and the lingering issues of dealing with child sexual abuse cases. Parts I & II use previously aired and unaired footage to track the earliest days of the case. Parts III & IV explores testimony of the victims and actions by prosecutors, defense attorneys, and jurors. | ||||||
Season 12 (1993–94)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | 1 | "The Heartbeat of America" | Industry | 90 minutes | October 12, 1993 | 1201 |
| How General Motors went from being the undisputed top carmaker in America to suffering the biggest financial loss in U.S. corporate history. A co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting) | ||||||
| 251 | 2 | "Prisoners of Silence" | Health | 60 minutes | October 19, 1993 | 1202 |
| A look at the controversial practice of facilitated communication to assist those with autism who cannot verbally communicate. | ||||||
| 252 | 3 | "Secrets of a Bomb Factory" | Military | 60 minutes | October 26, 1993 | 1203 |
| Why a federal grand jury investigating potential crimes at Colorado's Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant went public with what they learned while hearing secret testimony in the case. (A co-production with Oregon Public Broadcasting) | ||||||
| 253 | 4 | "Showdown in Haiti" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | November 9, 1993 | 1204 |
| A look into the diplomatic confrontation between Haiti's military government and a Clinton Administration that wants to restore deposed Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. | ||||||
| 254 | 5 | "Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?" | Biographies | 180 minutes | November 16, 1993 | 1205 |
| An investigative biography exploring the life of Lee Harvey Oswald and whether he was the man responsible for the Kennedy assassination. | ||||||
| 255 | 6 | "AIDS, Blood and Politics" | Health | 60 minutes | November 30, 1993 | 1206 |
| How the FDA and American Red Cross failed to safeguard the nation's blood supply from the AIDS virus in the early 1980s, and why some of America's largest blood banks are still not in full compliance with federal regulations on blood safety. | ||||||
| 256 | 7 | "Behind the Badge" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | December 14, 1993 | 1207 |
| Jack Newfield looks at the effects of police brutality and corruption cases on police officers themselves, specifically the rank and file of the New York City Police Department. | ||||||
| 257 | 8 | "A Place for Madness" | Health; mental illness | 60 minutes | January 18, 1994 | 1208 |
| The balance of protecting rights of the mentally ill with safeguarding society from those who are dangerous to themselves and to others. | ||||||
| 258 | 9 | "The Diamond Empire" | Business | 90 minutes | February 1, 1994 | 1209 |
| How South Africa's Oppenheimer family helped fuel a cartel that cultivated the scarcity myth — and in turn inflated the monetary value — of the world's diamond supply. | ||||||
| 259 | 10 | "Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Story" | Media | 60 minutes | February 15, 1994 | 1210 |
| Richard Ben Cramer looks at "the tabloidization of American television" through its coverage of sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson. | ||||||
| 260 | 11 | "Red Flag Over Tibet" | Asia | 60 minutes | February 22, 1994 | 1211 |
| Orville Schell chronicles the history and culture of Tibet and the issues surrounding its control by communist China. | ||||||
| 261 | 12 | "Sarajevo: The Living and the Dead" | Bosnian War | 60 minutes | March 1, 1994 | 1212 |
| Radovan Tadic captures an intimate portrait of Sarajevans trying to live in the midst of a debilitating and depriving siege. | ||||||
| 262 | 13 | "In the Game" | Sports | 60 minutes | March 29, 1994 | 1213 |
| A behind-the-scenes look at the Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team and its quest for a national championship. | ||||||
| 263 | 14 | "The Kevorkian File" | Biographies | 60 minutes | April 5, 1994 | 1214 |
| A profile of Jack Kevorkian and the right to die issue he has come to personify. | ||||||
| 264 | 15 | "Mandela" | Biographies | 60 minutes | April 26, 1994 | 1215 |
| A look at the rise to political prominence of Nelson Mandela and former wife Winnie Mandela on the eve of South Africa's first post-apartheid elections. | ||||||
| 265 | 16 | "The Struggle for Russia" | Russia | 120 minutes | May 3, 1994 | 1216 |
| A look at the economic, political, and social turmoil plaguing Boris Yeltsin's leadership in Russia. | ||||||
| 266 | 17 | Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo | Bosnian War | 90 minutes | May 10, 1994 | 1217 |
| John Zaritsky's documentary of a young Bosnian couple — Serb Boško Brkić and Bosniak Admira Ismić — whose deaths by sniper fire, while trying to cross a bridge into Serb-held territory, led to one of the more widely seen images from the siege of Sarajevo. (A Frontline co-production with Germany's WDR and Canada's CBC and NFB) | ||||||
| 267 | 18 | "Public Lands, Private Profits" | Business | 60 minutes | May 24, 1994 | 1218 |
| Robert Krulwich surveys the mining industry's practice of extracting millions of dollars in minerals and precious metals from public lands at no cost to them. (A co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting) | ||||||
| 268 | 19 | "Go Back to Mexico!" | Immigration | 60 minutes | June 7, 1994 | 1219 |
| William Langewiesche looks at how America can sustain an influx of immigrants, as well as its effects on economic, social, and political discourse. | ||||||
| 269 | 20 | "The Trouble with Evan" | Family/Children | 90 minutes | June 21, 1994 | 1220 |
| Surveillance cameras record one family's difficulties in trying to reform their 11-year-old son's criminal behavior. | ||||||
Season 13 (1994–95)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 270 | 1 | "School Colors" | Education; social issues | 150 minuets | October 18, 1994 | 1301 |
| The lingering issues of school segregation along racial and ethnic lines — even 4 decades after Brown v. Board of Education — as seen through California's Berkeley High School, whose student body is 38% white and 35% Black.[9] (Produced with the Center for Investigative Reporting) | ||||||
| 271 | 2 | "Is This Any Way to Run a Government?" | Government | 60 minutes | October 25, 1994 | 1302 |
| How Congressional power has long stymied bureaucratic reform efforts within the United States Department of Agriculture. | ||||||
| 272 | 3 | "Hot Money" | Finance | 60 minutes | November 1, 1994 | 1303 |
| How the practice of moving money to secret, low-regulated off-shore accounts has played a role in the crimes of money laundering, fraud, and tax evasion. | ||||||
| 273 | 4 | "How to Steal $500 Million" | Criminal Justice | 60 minutes | November 8, 1994 | 1304 |
| The rapid rise and stunning fall of Phar-Mor, and how president/co-founder Michael "Mickey" Monus and other top executives were able to hide one of the largest corporate frauds in U.S. history from the company's auditors. | ||||||
| 274 | 5 | "Hillary's Class" | Biographies | 60 minutes | November 15, 1994 | 1305 |
| The lives of Hillary Clinton and her fellow graduates from the Wellesley College Class of 1969. | ||||||
| 275 | 6 | "The Nicotine War" | Health | 60 minutes | January 3, 1995 | 1306 |
| A look at FDA commissioner David A. Kessler's efforts to regulate the tobacco industry, and how a Republican-controlled Congress may stymie his mission. | ||||||
| 276 | 7 | "Does T.V. Kill?" | Media, social issues | 90 minutes | January 10, 1995 | 1307 |
| Al Austin examines how violence on television affects real life. | ||||||
| 277 | 8 | "What Happened to Bill Clinton?" | Government | 60 minutes | January 31, 1995 | 1308 |
| A mosaic of perspectives and insights on Bill Clinton and his performance as U.S. President. | ||||||
| 278 | 9 | "The Godfather of Cocaine" | Biographies | 90 minutes | February 14, 1995 | 1309 |
| The rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and how he violently amassed a $4 billion fortune through international cocaine smuggling alliances. | ||||||
| 279 | 10 | "The Begging Game" | Social issues | 60 minutes | February 21, 1995 | 1310 |
| Deborah Amos explores the lives and backgrounds of New York City panhandlers. | ||||||
| 280 | 11 | "Rush Limbaugh's America" | Biographies | 60 minutes | February 28, 1995 | 1311 |
| The rise of Rush Limbaugh and his influence on both his talk radio & TV audiences and conservative politics. | ||||||
| 281 282 | 12 13 | "Divided Memories (Parts 1 & 2)" | Health | 120 minutes 120 minutes | April 4, 1995 April 11, 1995 | 1312 1313 |
| Ofra Bikel's 2-part look into the validity of repressed memories in sexual abuse cases. Part 1 examines how memory works and the different kinds of therapies used to help patients remember. Part 2 looks at how remembered abuse has affected families involved and how real memories are distinguished from those that are not true. | ||||||
| 283 | 14 | "The Homecoming" | Biographies | 60 minutes | April 25, 1995 | 1314 |
| Two decades after his exile from the USSR, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn returns to Russia, offering words of advice and courage to the struggling people he meets along the way. | ||||||
| 284 | 15 | "When the Bough Breaks" | Family/Children | 60 minutes | May 2, 1995 | 1315 |
| Intimate hidden-camera looks into how young children's behavior is affected by the fraying of the parent/child bond. | ||||||
| 285 | 16 | "The Vanishing Father" | Family/Children | 60 minutes | May 16, 1995 | 1316 |
| How living in fatherless households can adversely affect children's behavior no matter the economic status. | ||||||
| 286 | 17 | "The Confessions of RosaLee" | Media | 60 minutes | May 23, 1995 | 1317 |
| A look at a Washington, DC woman and the unending loop of crime, prostitution, and addiction surrounding her and her family, and how her Washington Post profile by Leon Dash influenced policymakers and community leaders. | ||||||
| 287 | 18 | "Welcome to Happy Valley" | Health | 60 minutes | June 6, 1995 | 1318 |
| A look at Prozac and the controversial practice by one Washington psychologist of prescribing it to all of his patients. | ||||||
| 288 | 19 | "Currents of Fear" | Health | 60 minutes | June 13, 1995 | 1319 |
| A look into whether a high incidence of cancer in an Omaha neighborhood is due to an electric substation located there. | ||||||
Season 14 (1995–96)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 289 | 1 | "Waco: The Inside Story" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | October 17, 1995 | 1401 |
| New Yorker correspondent Peter Boyer probes the political infighting inside the FBI's Waco command center and the Justice Department's Washington offices during the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian's compound. | ||||||
| 290 | 2 | "The Search for Satan" | Health | 60 minutes | October 24, 1995 | 1402 |
| A look into whether professed victims of secret cults and ritual abuse were helped by the psychiatric care they received.[10] | ||||||
| 291 | 3 | "High Stakes in Cyberspace" | Technology | 60 minutes | October 31, 1995 | 1403 |
| Robert Krulwich looks into the "land rush" to stake claims in cyberspace and how these changes will affect society. | ||||||
| 292 | 4 | "Who's Afraid of Rupert Murdoch?" | Biographies, media | 90 minutes | November 7, 1995 | 1404 |
| A look at Rupert Murdoch's drive to establish the first global telecommunications network, and how his success in media has been dogged by controversy over journalistic standards and political influence. | ||||||
| 293 | 5 | "Natasha and the Wolf" | Criminal justice | 90 minutes | November 14, 1995 | 1405 |
| How a Russian gangster and killer charmed and seduced all who crossed his path, including the state prosecutor who aided in his escape from prison. | ||||||
| 294 | 6 | "Living on the Edge" | Social Issues | 60 minutes | December 12, 1995 | 1406 |
| Bill Moyers follows up with two Milwaukee families he first profiled in a 1991 documentary who, after suffering layoffs from blue-collar employment, now struggle to provide for their families while working less-secure jobs. | ||||||
| 295 | 7 | "The Gulf War" | Middle East | 120 minutes | January 9, 1996 | 1407 (Hour 1) 1408 (Hour 2) |
| Five years after Operation Desert Storm, a look into the diplomatic maneuvering and military assaults in the Gulf War, as well as the post-war rebellion inside Iraq. | ||||||
| 296 | 8 | "The Long March of Newt Gingrich" | Biographies | 60 minutes | January 16, 1996 | 1409 |
| Peter J. Boyer offers an investigative biography of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, from his childhood roots through his years of ambition and his becoming the face of the Republican Revolution. | ||||||
| 297 | 9 | "So You Want to Buy a President?" | Politics | 90 minutes | January 30, 1996 | 1410 |
| Robert Krulwich looks into the expected flow of cash into the 1996 presidential campaigns and the interests of those who donate the money. | ||||||
| 298 | 10 | "Murder on 'Abortion Row'" | Criminal justice | 120 minutes | February 6, 1996 | 1411 |
| A look into what led abortion opponent John Salvi to carry out fatal shootings at two reproductive health clinics in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1994. | ||||||
| 299 | 11 | "Breast Implants on Trial" | Health | 90 minutes | February 27, 1996 | 1412 |
| An examination of the medical and legal issues surrounding silicone breast implants. | ||||||
| 300 | 12 | "Smoke in the Eye" | Media | 60 minutes | April 2, 1996 | 1413 |
| A look into the internal corporate and journalistic conflicts news organizations deal with in covering big business, centering on the legal battles surrounding ABC and CBS reports on the tobacco industry. (A co-production with CBC Television's the fifth estate)[11] | ||||||
| 301 | 13 | "Angel on Death Row" | Biographies | 60 minutes | April 9, 1996 | 1414 |
| A profile of Sister Helen Prejean, her role as spiritual advisor to death row inmates, and her crusade against the death penalty. | ||||||
| 302 | 14 | Shtetl | Multicultural | 180 minutes | April 17, 1996 | 1320 |
| Marian Marzynski travels to Brańsk, a Polish town struggling to reconcile with its anti-Semitic World War II-era past. | ||||||
| 303 | 15 | "The Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson" | Biographies | 90 minutes | April 30, 1996 | 1415 |
| An in-depth look at civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and a portrait of race and politics in post-World War II America. | ||||||
| 304 | 16 | "The Kevorkian Verdict" | Health | 60 minutes | May 14, 1996 | 1416 |
| The saga of Jack Kevorkian and his role in how America thinks physician-assisted suicides about end-of-life issues. | ||||||
| 305 | 17 | "Does America Still Work?" | Business | 60 minutes | May 21, 1996 | 1417 |
| Jeff Madrick looks behind the political rhetoric to see how companies, workers, and civic leaders are wrestling with global competition and the end of an era of industrial affluence. | ||||||
| 306 | 18 | "The Gate of Heavenly Peace" | Foreign Affairs | 150 minutes | June 4, 1996 | 1418 |
| A meticulous chronology of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and a contextual history of China's protest movement. | ||||||
Season 15 (1996–97)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 307 | 1 | "The Choice '96" | Biographies | 120 minutes | October 8, 1996 | 1501 |
| Profiles of presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. | ||||||
| 308 | 2 | "Navy Blues" | Military | 60 minutes | October 15, 1996 | 1502 |
| The effects of the Tailhook scandal on the U.S. Navy and the controversy over the introduction of women into combat roles and positions of greater military authority. | ||||||
| 309 | 3 | "Why America Hates the Press" | Media | 60 minutes | October 22, 1996 | 1503 |
| With public respect for the press at an all-time low, several notable journalists take a self-examination into the dynamics of the news business and its effect on American politics. | ||||||
| 310 | 4 | "Loose Nukes" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | November 19, 1996 | 1504 |
| How weapons-grade plutonium and uranium in the former Soviet Union has become vulnerable to theft. | ||||||
| 311 | 5 | "Secret Daughter" | Biographies | 150 minutes | November 26, 1996 | 1505 |
| Frontline producer June Cross tells her story as the daughter of a white mother and an African-American father (vaudevillian Jimmy Cross), and how her mother kept June and her parentage a secret to protect the career of June's white stepfather (actor Larry Storch). | ||||||
| 312 | 6 | "Betting on the Market" | Business/finance | 60 minutes | January 14, 1997 | 1506 |
| A look at the seduction of investing in the stock market and its implications on Americans' finances. | ||||||
| 313 | 7 | "Six O'Clock News" | Media | 90 minutes | January 21, 1997 | 1507 |
| Ross McElwee looks at the "nagging metaphysical questions" behind life-shattering events — the type covered (sometimes in graphic fashion) by TV news — and the individuals who lives were altered by the incidents. | ||||||
| 314 | 8 | "What Jennifer Saw" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | February 25, 1997 | 1508 |
| Jennifer Thompson recounts her brutal 1984 rape and how she has dealt with the exoneration, thanks to DNA evidence, of the man she mistakenly accused of the crime. | ||||||
| 315 | 9 | "Valentina's Nightmare" | Africa | 60 minutes | April 1, 1997 | 1509 |
| A profile of the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath centers on a 13-year-old Tutsi girl and her struggle for survival after a machete attack. | ||||||
| 316 | 10 | "Murder, Money, and Mexico" | Latin America | 60 minutes | April 8, 1997 | 1510 |
| How Mexico's monetary crisis was precipitated by corruption during the sexenio of former president Carlos Salinas de Gortari. | ||||||
| 317 | 11 | "The Fixers" | Biographies | 60 minutes | April 15, 1997 | 1511 |
| How a husband-and-wife team parlayed a handful of political contributions into millions in personal wealth — and multiple visits to the White House. | ||||||
| 318 | 12 | "Nuclear Reaction" | Energy | 60 minutes | April 22, 1997 | 1512 |
| Richard Rhodes looks at how the general public's aversion toward nuclear power has derailed its progress as a vital energy source. | ||||||
| 319 | 13 | "Little Criminals" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | May 13, 1997 | 1513 |
| A look at violent crimes committed by young children centers on a Richmond, California case in which a 6-year-old badly beat an infant neighbor while stealing a tricycle from the infant's home. | ||||||
| 320 | 14 | "The Opium Kings" | War on drugs | 60 minutes | May 20, 1997 | 1514 |
| Adrian Cowell looks at the international heroin business, centering on the case of Shan warlord Khun Sa. | ||||||
| 321 | 15 | "Innocence Lost: The Plea" | Criminal justice | 120 minutes | May 27, 1997 | 1515 |
| Ofra Bikel revisits the Little Rascals day care sexual abuse trial (a subject of Frontline episodes in Seasons 9 & 11), focusing on the fates of the defendants and those who were encouraged to take plea deals from prosecutors. | ||||||
| 322 | 16 | "Hot Guns" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | June 3, 1997 | 1516 |
| Frontline and the Center for Investigative Reporting look into the market of illegal, unregistered, and stolen firearms. | ||||||
| 323 | 17 | "Easy Money" | Business | 60 minutes | June 10, 1997 | 1517 |
| How casino gambling has emerged to become a popular (and legalized) form of adult entertainment. | ||||||
| 324 | 18 | "Nazi Gold" | World War II | 60 minutes | June 17, 1997 | 1518 |
| A look at Switzerland's wartime support of Nazi Germany, including its work to replenish Nazi military supplies, its barring of Jewish refugees, and the disappearance of Jewish savings from Swiss banks. (A co-production with BBC) | ||||||
Season 16 (1997–98)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 325 | 1 | "Once Upon a Time in Arkansas" | Government/politics | 60 minutes | October 7, 1997 | 1601 |
| Peter Boyer looks into the deals and relationships at the heart of the Whitewater scandal surrounding First Couple Bill and Hillary Clinton. | ||||||
| 326 | 2 | "The Lost American" | Biographies | 90 minutes | October 14, 1997 | 1602 |
| The mysterious disappearance of Fred Cuny, a maverick humanitarian aid expert who helped millions and fought to change how the world responds to disaster. | ||||||
| 327 | 3 | "Behind the Mask: The IRA and Sinn Fein" | Biographies | 120 minutes | October 21, 1997 | 1603 |
| The secret history of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its equally formidable political arm, Sinn Féin, which have waged a bloody campaign in Northern Ireland for over a quarter of a century. | ||||||
| 328 | 4 | "Dreams of Tibet" | Asia | 60 minutes | October 28, 1997 | 1604 |
| Orville Schell explores the clash of values between American opinion of China's human rights record (shaped by powerful forces in Hollywood) and an uncomprehending and intransigent Chinese leadership. | ||||||
| 329 | 5 | "A Whale of a Business" | Business; environment | 60 minutes | November 11, 1997 | 1605 |
| A look at America's marine theme park business and the treatment of marine mammals, centering on the plight of the orca whale Keiko. | ||||||
| 330 | 6 | "The Princess and the Press" | Media | 90 minutes | November 18, 1997 | 1606 |
| How the British royal family's relationship with the British press, once governed by unwritten rules of privacy, evolved into the media circus that surrounded Princess Diana in her final years. | ||||||
| 331 | 7 | "Last Battle of the Gulf War" | Health | 60 minutes | January 20, 1998 | 1607 |
| A definitive account of what's behind the bitter Gulf War Syndrome controversy, as well as the broad scope of veterans affairs and the psychology of war. | ||||||
| 332 | 8 | "My Retirement Dreams" | Social issues | 60 minutes | February 3, 1998 | 1608 |
| Marian Marzynski takes a personal journal into how older Americans adjust into their retirement years. | ||||||
| 333 | 9 | "The Two Nations of Black America" | Social issues | 60 minutes | February 10, 1998 | 1609 |
| Henry Louis Gates Jr. asks why America has "both the highest Black middle class and the largest underclass in our history." | ||||||
| 334 | 10 | "From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians" | Religion | 151 minutes 153 minutes | April 6, 1998 | 1610, 1611 1612, 1613 |
| Biblical scholars recount the rise of Christianity within the Roman Empire, the rift between Christians and Jews, and the evolution of the Jesus Movement into the Christian Movement. Hour 1 profiles how Judaism and the Roman empire shaped Jesus' life. Hour 2 traces the beginnings of the Jesus Movement as a sect within Judaism. Hour 3 follows the story of the first attempts to write the life of Jesus--the Gospels. Hour 4 chronicles how the Christian movement became separate from Judaism. | ||||||
| 335 | 11 | "The High Price of Health" | Health | 60 minutes | April 14, 1998 | 1614 |
| Hospitals in California and Massachusetts are at the center of this report on the transformation of health care into a profit-driven enterprise. | ||||||
| 336 | 12 | "Busted: America's War on Marijuana" | War on drugs | 60 minutes | April 28, 1998 | 1615 |
| A look into the effect of government and law enforcement efforts to stem the tide of marijuana use. | ||||||
| 337 | 13 | "Inside the Tobacco Deal" | Biographies | 60 minutes | May 12, 1998 | 1616 |
| Lowell Bergman looks at how two Mississippi lawyers took Big Tobacco to the edge of bankruptcy and criminal prosecution. | ||||||
| 338 | 14 | "Secrets of an Independent Counsel" | Government | 60 minutes | May 19, 1998 | 1617 |
| Donald Smaltz takes viewers inside his investigation of former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, while correspondent Peter Boyer examines how independent counsels such as Smaltz work and how far they'll go to get what they want. | ||||||
| 339 | 15 | "The World's Most Wanted Man" | Biographies | 90 minutes | May 26, 1998 | 1618 |
| The hunt for indicted Serbian war leader Radovan Karadzic, and his role in the atrocities and genocide of the Bosnian War. | ||||||
| 340 | 16 | "Fooling With Nature" | Health; environment | 60 minutes | June 2, 1998 | 1619 |
| A look at new evidence in the controversy over how dangerous man-made chemicals are to human health and the environment. | ||||||
Season 17 (1998–99)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 341 342 343 | 1 2 3 | The Farmer's Wife | Family; farming | 120 minutes 120 minutes 150 minutes | September 21, 1998 September 22, 1998 September 23, 1998 | 1701 1702 1703 |
| David Sutherland's 3-part profile of a Nebraska farm couple and their struggles to keep their farm and marriage afloat. (A co-production of David Sutherland Productions and Frontline in association with the Independent Television Service) | ||||||
| 344 | 4 | "Ambush in Mogadishu" | Foreign affairs, military | 90 minutes | September 29, 1998 | 1704 |
| How a 1993 peacekeeping mission in Somalia involving U.S. special forces went awry, and how it influences current U.S. special forces operations in Afghanistan. | ||||||
| 345 | 5 | "Washington's Other Scandal" | Campaign finance | 60 minutes | October 6, 1998 | 1705 |
| A special report by Bill Moyers on the 1996 election campaign, showing how both political parties contrived to bend and break laws regulating campaign donations to their own benefit. | ||||||
| 346 | 6 | "Plague War" | Science, warfare | 60 minutes | October 13, 1998 | 1706 |
| A report on the threat of biological weapons, how the Soviet Union secretly amassed an arsenal of such weapons, and how U.S. officials and scientists are racing to find a defense against their use. | ||||||
| 347 | 7 | "The Child Terror" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | October 27, 1998 | 1707 |
| Peter Boyer looks at Janet Reno's zeal in investigating and prosecuting cases of child sexual abuse, a model that prosecutors across the country would emulate. | ||||||
| 348 | 8 | "Fat" | Health | 60 minutes | November 3, 1998 | 1708 |
| How modern life, biology, genetics, media, and the diet industry influence our relationship with food and the war against obesity. | ||||||
| 349 | 9 | "Snitch" | Criminal justice | 90 minutes | January 12, 1999 | 1709 |
| The impact of prosecutors' use of informants in prosecuting drug crimes. | ||||||
| 350 | 10 | "Rwanda: The Triumph of Evil" | Africa | 60 minutes | January 26, 1999 | 1710 |
| How the U.S. and the U.N. ignored the warning signs of the impending Rwandan genocide. | ||||||
| 351 | 11 | "The Execution" | Criminal justice | 90 minutes | February 9, 1999 | 1711 |
| 3 year journalistic analysis of the life, crimes, impact and execution of Clifford Boggess, who was put to death in June 1998, by the State of Texas for two robbery/murders committed in 1986. | ||||||
| 352 | 12 | "Russian Roulette" | Defense | 60 minutes | February 23, 1999 | 1712 |
| An investigation into the safety and security of the Russian nuclear arsenal and the potential for accidental launch or diversion of its nuclear weapons. | ||||||
| 353 | 13 | "Hunting Bin Laden" | War on terror | 60 minutes | April 13, 1999 | 1713 |
| A look at Osama bin Laden, his terror network, and his role in terrorist attacks against American interests. | ||||||
| 354 | 14 | "Spying on Saddam" | Foreign affairs | 60 minutes | April 27, 1999 | 1714 |
| A look into allegations that UNSCOM, a U.N. commission created to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, was turned by the U.S. into a spy agency against Saddam Hussein. | ||||||
| 355 | 15 | "Give War a Chance" | Defense | 60 minutes | May 11, 1999 | 1715 |
| Examining the gulf between what civilian diplomats want and what the military is prepared to deliver. | ||||||
| 356 | 16 | "The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela" | Biographies | 120 minutes | May 25, 1999 | 1716 |
| An in-depth profile of Nelson Mandela. | ||||||
| 357 | 17 | "Making Babies" | Health | 60 minutes | June 1, 1999 | 1717 |
| The revolution in the science of reproduction and the troubling questions it's raising. | ||||||
| 358 | 18 | "Pop" | Biographies | 60 minutes | June 22, 1999 | 1718 |
| Joel Meyerowitz and his son go on a trip with Joel's 87-year-old father, Hy Meyerowitz, who still offers wit and wisdom despite the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. | ||||||
| 359 | 19 | "The Crash" | Business/Economy/Financial | 60 minutes | June 29, 1999 | 1719 |
| How a real estate bust in Thailand became an Asia-wide financial crisis that would ultimately have a worldwide effect. | ||||||
Season 18 (1999–2000)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360 | 1 | "John Paul II: The Millennial Pope" | Biographies | 150 minutes | September 28, 1999 | 1801 |
| A comprehensive biography of John Paul II. | ||||||
| 361 | 2 | "Secrets of the SAT" | Education | 60 minutes | October 5, 1999 | 1802 |
| A look at the obsession over standardized tests, the test scores they produce, and their impact on the college admission process and American education in general. | ||||||
| 362 | 3 | "Mafia Power Play" | Criminal justice, sports | 60 minutes | October 12, 1999 | 1803 |
| An investigation into how Russian organized crime figures are extorting Russian-born National Hockey League players and using those connections to establish a criminal presence in North America. | ||||||
| 363 | 4 | "The Lost Children of Rockdale County" | Social Issues, family/children, health | 90 minutes | October 19, 1999 | 1804 |
| A series of profiles uncovers the overindulging roots of a 1996 outbreak of syphilis among teenagers in the affluent community of Conyers, Georgia. | ||||||
| 364 365 | 5 6 | "Apocalypse" | Religion | 120 minutes | November 22, 1999 | 1805 (Hour 1) 1806 (Hour 2) |
| An examination of apocalyptic beliefs over 2500 years of western cultural history. | ||||||
| 366 | 7 | "Justice for Sale" | Politics, jurisprudence, finance | 60 minutes | November 23, 1999 | 1807 |
| Bill Moyers investigates the influence of campaign contributions in the judicial election process and how they may be corrupting the court system. The hour his highlighted by Moyers' interview with U.S. Supreme Court justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, who voice their concerns about the monetary campaign system in judicial races. | ||||||
| 367 | 8 | "The Case for Innocence" | Science, criminal justice | 90 minutes | January 11, 2000 | 1808 |
| A look into DNA testing in criminal cases and the reluctance of legal & judicial figures and governors to employ such testing — which has led those convicted of rape & murder yet proven innocent through testing to remain imprisoned. | ||||||
| 368 | 9 | "The Killer at Thurston High" | TBA | 90 minutes | January 18, 2000 | 1809 |
| The troubled life of Kipland 'Kip' Kinkel, a 15-year-old Oregon high school student who, in a May 1998 incident, killed both of his parents and then killed 2 classmates and wounded 25 others at his high school. | ||||||
| 369 | 10 | "The Survival of Saddam" | Biographies | 60 minutes | January 25, 2000 | 1810 |
| A look at Saddam Hussein's rise to power and how he has maintained his grip despite opposition from within and outside Iraq. | ||||||
| 370 | 11 | "Assault on Gay America" | Social issues | 60 minutes | February 15, 2000 | 1811 |
| Forrest Sawyer explores homophobia's permeation into American society and how it became a catalyst for hate crimes directed at the LGBT community. | ||||||
| 371 372 | 12 13 | "War in Europe" | Foreign Affairs, Defense/Military | 120 minutes | February 22, 2000 | 1812 (Hour 1) 1813 (Hour 2) |
| Peter Boyer examines the political constraints, internal divisions and miscalculations that shaped in NATO's war against Serbia over the Kosovo region. The broadcast highlighted by an in-depth interview with Wesley Clark, who led the war as NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe. | ||||||
| 373 | 14 | "Dr. Solomon's Dilemma" | Health | 60 minutes | April 4, 2000 | 1814 |
| Hedrick Smith profiles the struggle of one Boston doctor and his colleagues over balancing patient care with resulting financial constraints. | ||||||
| 374 | 15 | "What's Up with the Weather?" | Science, environment/climate | 120 minutes | April 18, 2000 | GLWA000K |
| A look at the impact of global warming, the political struggle between environmentalists and industrialists, the tentative balance of reducing greenhouse gases with the needs of a technologically-based 21st century world economy. (A co-production of Frontline and NOVA) | ||||||
| 375 | 15 | "Jefferson's Blood" | Biographies, racial issues | 90 minutes | May 2, 2000 | 1815 |
| Shelby Steele examines Thomas Jefferson's relationship with his slave and mistress Sally Hemings, and follows their descendants as they undergo DNA testing to verify their ancestry. | ||||||
| 376 | 16 | "Return of the Czar" | Foreign relations | 60 minutes | May 9, 2000 | 1816 |
| An in-depth look at Russia, almost decade after the fall of the Soviet Union, finds a country becoming more militarized and influenced by anti-Western propaganda — just as Vladimir Putin is set to ascend to the Russian presidency. | ||||||
| 377 | 17 | "The Battle Over School Choice" | Education | 60 minutes | May 23, 2000 | 1817 |
| An investigation of the political and educational clash over charter schools, voucher programs, and school choice options, as well as the allure of for-profit inner-city academies. | ||||||
Season 19 (2000–01)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 378 | 1 | "The Choice 2000" | Biographies | 120 minutes | October 2, 2000 | 1901 |
| Biographies on presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore. | ||||||
| 379 380 | 2 3 | "Drug Wars" | War on drugs, history | 120 minutes 120 minutes | October 9, 2000 October 10, 2000 | 1902 1903 |
| A 2-part history of America's war on drugs as told from both sides of the battlefield. Part 1 spans the origins of the anti-drug campaign to the rise & fall of Columbia's drug cartels. Part 2 examines the impact of both the crack cocaine epidemic and Mexico's role in supplying drugs to meet American demand. | ||||||
| 381 | 4 | "The Future of War" | Military | 60 minutes | October 24, 2000 | 1904 |
| A look at the U.S. Army's internal debate over evolving from a Cold War force to one ready for 21st century conflicts. | ||||||
| 382 383 | 5 6 | "Real Justice (Parts 1 & 2)" | Criminal justice | 90 minutes 90 minutes | November 14, 2000 November 21, 2000 | 1905 1906 |
| A 2-part warts-and-all look inside the halls of the Suffolk County, Massachusetts court system (District Court in Part 1, Superior Court in Part 2) | ||||||
| 384 | 7 | "The Clinton Years" | Biographies | 120 minutes | January 16, 2001 | 1907 |
| A look at Bill Clinton's life from the Arkansas governor's mansion through a hard-fought presidential campaign and his eight years in the White House. (A co-production of Frontline and ABC News' Nightline) | ||||||
| 385 | 8 | "Juvenile Justice" | Criminal justice | 90 minutes | January 30, 2001 | 1908 |
| An observation of how Santa Clara County, California's juvenile court system prosecutes crimes against a quartet of young offenders (1 white, 2 Hispanic, 1 African American) who have committed violent crimes. | ||||||
| 386 | 9 | "Saving Elian" | Foreign relations, family/children, immigration | 60 minutes | February 6, 2001 | 1909 |
| Ofra Bikel examines how Elián González became a symbol in the struggle for freedom from Cuban communist oppression that has long enveloped Miami's Cuban-American community. | ||||||
| 387 | 10 | "Hackers" | Criminal justice, technology | 60 minutes | February 13, 2001 | 1910 |
| A report on the exploits of hackers and how their actions have highlighted the Internet's insecurities. | ||||||
| 388 | 11 | "The Merchants of Cool" | Business/Economy/Financial | 60 minutes | February 27, 2001 | 1911 |
| Douglas Rushkoff examines the techniques businesses and marketers use to cater to the teenage consumer demographic, as well as the resulting cultural ramifications. | ||||||
| 389 390 | 12 13 | "Organ Farm" | Science, health/medical | 60 minutes | March 27, 2001 April 3, 2001 | 1912 1913 |
| A 2-part look at xenotransplantation, the experimental process of transplanting genetically modified cells and organs into humans, and the possible benefits and medical risks that may result. | ||||||
| 391 | 14 | "Medicating Kids" | Health/Medical | 60 minutes | April 10, 2001 | 1914 |
| An intimate look into the growing use of prescribing behavior-modifying drugs (e.g. Ritalin, Prozac, Adderall) to children, and whether the practice is medically necessary or just a quick fix. | ||||||
| 392 | 15 | "Harvest of Fear" | Science | 120 minutes | April 24, 2001 | 1915 |
| A look into the practice of genetically modifying food crops, and whether its potential is a boon or a threat to mankind. (A co-production of Frontline and NOVA) | ||||||
| 393 | 16 | "LAPD Blues" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | May 15, 2001 | 1916 |
| Peter J. Boyer looks at the reports of police brutality, racism, and corruption surrounding the Los Angeles Police Department. | ||||||
| 394 | 17 | "Blackout" | Business, infrastructure | 60 minutes | June 5, 2001 | 1917 |
| A look into whether the California electricity crisis was caused by high demand, flawed deregulation, or market manipulation by entrepreneurs in the power utility business. | ||||||
Season 20 (2001–02)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 395 | 1 | "Hunting Bin Laden" | War on terror | 60 minutes | September 13, 2001 | 1713A |
| Airing two days after the September 11 attacks, this updated version of a Season 17 report retraces the evidence linking Osama bin Laden and his terror network to 9/11 and other attacks against American interests. | ||||||
| 396 | 2 | "Target America" | War on terror | 60 minutes | October 4, 2001 | 2001 |
| A look at a decades-long division within America's security apparatus over how to deal with Islamic militants. | ||||||
| 397 | 3 | "Looking for Answers" | War on terror | 60 minutes | October 9, 2001 | 2002 |
| Bill Moyers anchors this investigation, led by Lowell Bergman, into why the CIA and FBI failed to uncover the 9/11 hijackers, as well as the U.S. government's failure to fully understand the hatred Muslim fundamentalists have for America and its interests. (Produced in partnership with The New York Times) | ||||||
| 398 | 4 | "Dangerous Straits" | Foreign relations | 60 minutes | October 18, 2001 | 2003 |
| A look into the troubled diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and how issues over Taiwan and China's support of some Islamic states have fostered the strain. (Produced in partnership with The New York Times) | ||||||
| 399 | 5 | "Trail of a Terrorist" | War on terror | 60 minutes | October 25, 2001 | 2004 |
| Terence McKenna looks at Ahmed Ressam's trail from North Africa to Canada to an averted attempt to blow up a Los Angeles airport terminal in December 1999. (A co-production with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) | ||||||
| 400 | 6 | "Gunning for Saddam" | Middle East, war on terror | 60 minutes | November 8, 2001 | 2005 |
| A look at the debate within the U.S. government over how to deal with Saddam Hussein over the Iraqi leader's state sponsorship of terrorist activities. | ||||||
| 401 | 7 | "Saudi Time Bomb?" | The Middle East & the War on Terror | 60 minutes | November 15, 2001 | 2006 |
| An exploration into America's fragile post-9/11 ties with Saudi Arabia and whether support within the kingdom toward Islamic fundamentalism threatens the stability of their relationship and the Middle East. (Produced in partnership with The New York Times) | ||||||
| 402 | 8 | "The Monster That Ate Hollywood" | Arts/Entertainment | 60 minutes | November 22, 2001 | 2007 |
| How multinational conglomerates, profit-minded studio executives, and a yearning to make blockbuster films have changed Hollywood's motion picture industry. | ||||||
| 403 | 9 | "An Ordinary Crime" | Criminal justice | 90 minutes | January 10, 2002 | 2008 |
| An investigation into a bizarre case of injustice: Terence Garner is implicated, convicted, and sentenced for his role in a robbery and attempted murder, despite sharing only the first name as the man the lead suspect in the crime implicated. | ||||||
| 404 | 10 | "Inside the Terror Network" | War on terror | 60 minutes | January 17, 2002 | 2009 |
| How the hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks led such outwardly ordinary lives and constructed their plot in seemingly broad daylight. | ||||||
| 405 | 11 | "Dot Con" | Business | 60 minutes | January 24, 2002 | 2010 |
| A look into the financial forces behind the unprecedented rise and seemingly overnight fall of the Internet economy. | ||||||
| 406 | 12 | "Inside the Teenage Brain" | Health | 60 minutes | January 31, 2002 | 2011 |
| How science may help to explain why adolescents behave the way they do, and how it may lead to changes in how we parent, teach, or understand teenagers. | ||||||
| 407 | 13 | "American Porn" | Arts/entertainment | 60 minutes | February 7, 2002 | 2012 |
| A look at the business of the pornography industry and the emerging political battle against it. | ||||||
| 408 | 14 | "Rollover: The Hidden History of the SUV" | Transportation | 60 minutes | February 21, 2002 | 2013 |
| How Detroit's connections with Washington regulators may have led to the popularity of sport utility vehicles, despite safety concerns. | ||||||
| 409 | 15 | "Testing Our Schools" | Education | 60 minutes | March 28, 2002 | 2014 |
| John Merrow examines how a business-like quest for higher test scores is changing teaching and learning in America. | ||||||
| 410 | 16 | "Battle for the Holy Land" | Middle East | 60 minutes | April 11, 2002 | 2015 |
| A look into how the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has evolved from sticks & stones into an all-out combat involving commando units, militants, target killings, and suicide bombings. | ||||||
| 411 | 17 | "Requiem for Frank Lee Smith" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | April 11, 2002 | 2016 |
| How a man convicted of rape & murder remained on Florida's death row, despite possible evidence of innocence, and why he wasn't exonerated until 10 months after his death from cancer. | ||||||
| 412 | 18 | "Modern Meat" | Health | 60 minutes | April 18, 2002 | 2017 |
| How the meat production industry has become highly mechanizes, and how the industry has gained great control of the meat inspection process. | ||||||
| 413 | 19 | "Did Daddy Do It?" | Criminal justice | 60 minutes | April 25, 2002 | 2018 |
| A Frontline investigation calls into question the seemingly ironclad case against a Cuban immigrant convicted of sexually abusing numerous children at his family's day care service in Miami. | ||||||
| 414 | 20 | "Terror and Tehran" | Middle East | 60 minutes | May 2, 2002 | 2019 |
| A look into the terror threat from Iran and whether U.S. actions against the country help or hinder moderates' struggle to reform the country's hard-line conservative government. | ||||||
| 415 | 21 | "Muslims" | Religion | 120 minutes | May 9, 2002 | 2020 |
| A look at the beliefs, identities, perspectives, and tensions that shape the practice of the Muslim religion in the modern world. | ||||||
| 416 | 22 | "The Siege of Bethlehem" | Middle East | 60 minutes | June 13, 2002 | 2021 |
| A look at the siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, in which Palestinian militants sought refuge from Israel Defense Forces. | ||||||
| 417 | 23 | "Bigger Than Enron" | Business | 60 minutes | June 20, 2002 | 2022 |
| How market deregulation, an oversight system gone soft, and conflicts of interest between accounts and the companies they were auditing allowed the scandal that engulfed Enron to go unchecked — and why that company's downfall might be only the tip of the iceberg. | ||||||
| 418 | 24 | "Shattered Dreams to Peace: The Road from Oslo" | Middle East | 120 minutes | June 27, 2002 | 2023 |
| A look into the quest for Middle East peace that began with the Oslo Accords was endlessly threatened, and ultimately undone, by the dynamics of politics and violence on both sides. | ||||||
Season 21 (2002–03)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 419 | 1 | "Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero" | Religion, psychology | 120 minutes | September 3, 2002 | 2101 |
| An exploration of the various spiritual questions awoken by the September 11 attacks. | ||||||
| 420 | 2 | "Campaign Against Terror" | War on terror, military | 120 minutes | September 8, 2002 | 2102 |
| The behind-the-scenes story of the U.S. and global response to the September 11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan. | ||||||
| 421 | 3 | "The Man Who Knew" | Biographies, war on terror | 90 minutes | October 3, 2002 | 2103 |
| The story of FBI agent John P. O'Neill, an FBI counter-terrorism expert whose warnings about al Qaeda fell generally on deaf ears. Pressured to leave the bureau, he became security director for the World Trade Center, where he died during the September 11 attacks. | ||||||
| 422 | 4 | "Missile Wars" | Military | 60 minutes | October 10, 2002 | 2104 |
| A look at the issue of missile defense of the U.S. and how it fits into American military strategy after 9/11. | ||||||
| 423 | 5 | "A Crime of Insanity" | Criminal justice, health | 60 minutes | October 17, 2002 | 2105 |
| An examination of the personal, political, and societal fallout from the colliding of the legal and psychiatric worlds, centering on the 1994 story of a paranoid schizophrenic who held a college classroom hostage. | ||||||
| 424 | 6 | "Let's Get Married" | Family/children | 60 minutes | November 14, 2002 | 2106 |
| Alex Kotlowitz explores the decreasing prominence of marriage and whether government should have a role in strengthening the institution. | ||||||
| 425 | 7 | "In Search of Al Qaeda" | Afghanistan/Pakistan | 60 minutes | November 21, 2002 | 2107 |
| How, despite American forces crushing the Taliban in Afghanistan, members of the Al Qaeda network managed to escape out of Afghanistan. | ||||||
| 426 | 8 | "Much Ado About Something" | Arts/entertainment | 90 minutes | January 2, 2003 | 2108 |
| A look into whether Christopher Marlowe was the actual writer of plays and poems long credited to William Shakespeare. | ||||||
| 427 | 9 | "A Dangerous Business" | Business/Economy/Financial | 60 minutes | January 9, 2003 | 2109 |
| An investigation into whether McWane Inc. prioritized the production and profitability of its iron ore foundries ahead of worker and environmental safety. (A joint investigation of Frontline, The New York Times, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) | ||||||
| 428 | 10 | "Failure to Protect: The Taking of Logan Marr" | Family/Children | 60 minutes | January 30, 2003 | 2110 |
| A probe into the death of a 5-year-old girl in foster care in Maine examines what led to her decline in well being and whether she should have been placed in foster care in the first place. | ||||||
| 429 | 11 | "Failure to Protect: The Caseworker Files" | Family/Children | 120 minutes | February 6, 2003 | 2111 |
| A companion to "The Taking of Logan Marr", Hour 1 of this episode follows the work of a group of foster care caseworkers. Hour 2 is a town hall-style discussion on child welfare policy. | ||||||
| 430 | 12 | "China in the Red" | Foreign Affairs/Defense/Military | 120 minutes | February 13, 2003 | 2112 |
| This documentary chronicles 3 years in the lives and struggles of Chinese citizens caught up in the country's social and economic transformation. | ||||||
| 431 | 13 | "The War Behind Closed Doors" | Middle East, War on Terror | 60 minutes | February 20, 2003 | 2113 |
| An investigation into the Bush administration's desire to go to war with Iraq and whether the publicly stated reasons (e.g. fear of weapons of mass destruction) are masking the real reasons for war. | ||||||
| 432 | 14 | "The Long Road to War" | Middle East, War on Terror | 120 minutes | March 17, 2003 | 0000 |
| This special report draws on Frontline's previous reportage on Iraq to examine the conflict between the U.S. and Saddam Hussein that has led to the brink of war. | ||||||
| 433 | 15 | "Blair's War" | Foreign relations, war on terror | 60 minutes | April 3, 2003 | 2114 |
| An examination of Prime Minister Tony Blair's role in support of the Iraq War (despite strong opposition in the United Kingdom) and how it has laid bare the strain of relations between the U.S. and its western allies. | ||||||
| 434 | 16 | "Kim's Nuclear Gamble" | Foreign Affairs/Defense/Military | 60 minutes | April 10, 2003 | 2115 |
| A look at the unstable relationship between the U.S. and North Korea and how the world has wound up on the brink of a nuclear showdown with the "Hermit Kingdom". | ||||||
| 435 | 17 | "Cyber War!" | Science & Technology, counter-terrorism | 60 minutes | April 24, 2003 | 2116 |
| How the U.S. infrastructure faces real vulnerability in a new battleground — cyberspace. | ||||||
| 436 | 18 | "Burden of Innocence" | Criminal Justice | 60 minutes | May 1, 2003 | 2117 |
| Profiles of recently released inmates who, despite receiving full exoneration for crimes they did not commit, do not receive any financial compensation or transitional assistance from the states that wrongfully imprisoned them. | ||||||
| 437 | 19 | "The Wall Street Fix" | Business/Economy, Financial Crisis | 60 minutes | May 8, 2003 | 2118 |
| Hedrick Smith looks at the hidden ties that enabled big banks and Wall Street insiders to profit while leaving ordinary investors holding worthless stock. | ||||||
| 438 | 20 | "The Other Drug War" | Health/Medical | 60 minutes | June 19, 2003 | 2120 |
| Examining the battle between states and the pharmaceutical industry over the high cost of prescription drugs. | ||||||
| 439 | 21 | "Public Schools, Inc." | Education | 60 minutes | July 3, 2003 | 2119 |
| A look into "edupreneur" Chris Whittle and his Edison Schools, and whether it's possible to run better public schools that also turn a profit. (A joint investigation by Frontline, The NewsHour's "Merrow Report", and The New York Times) | ||||||
Season 22 (2003–04)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Topic(s) | Running time | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 440 | 1 | "Truth, War, and Consequences" | Middle East | 90 minutes | October 9, 2003 | 2201 |
| Martin Smith examines the justification for America's war in Iraq, what went wrong in post-war planning, and what's at stake for both countries. | ||||||
| 441 | 2 | "Chasing the Sleeper Cell" | War on terror | 60 minutes | October 16, 2003 | 2202 |
| A look at the Lackawanna Six, whether they were an Al Qaeda sleeper cell (as government officials claimed), and whether the powers the FBI and CIA have been granted by the Patriot Act have any effectiveness. | ||||||
| 442 | 3 | "The Alternative Fix" | Health/Medical | 60 minutes | November 6, 2003 | 2203 |
| The embrace and business of and questionable science behind alternative medicine is examined. | ||||||
| 443 | 4 | "Dangerous Prescription" | Health/Medical | 60 minutes | November 13, 2003 | 2204 |
| A look at the integrity of America's drug safety system, the influence of pharmaceutical companies on the FDA's drug approval process, and whether that process is adequate in protecting the American public. | ||||||
| 444 | 5 | "Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?" | Biographies | 180 minutes | November 20, 2003 | 1205 |
| Coinciding with the 40th anniversary week of the Kennedy assassination, this encore of a 1993 episode explores the life of Lee Harvey Oswald and whether he was the man responsible for killing Kennedy. | ||||||
| 445 | 6 | "From China with Love" | Foreign affairs, counter-intelligence | 60 minutes | January 15, 2004 | 2205 |
| The story of Katrina Leung, an FBI asset (code named "Parlor Maid") who, the U.S. government alleges, conspired with her FBI handler and lover, Special Agent James J. Smith, compromised American intelligence on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security. | ||||||
| 446 | 7 | "Chasing Saddam's Weapons" | War on terror | 60 minutes | January 22, 2004 | 2206 |
| BBC reporter Jane Corbin looks at the high-stakes hunt for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and whether the ultimate results will justify the Bush administration's call for war. (A BBC production in association with Frontline) | ||||||
| 447 | 8 | "Beyond Baghdad" | Middle East | 60 minutes | February 12, 2004 | 2207 |
| Martin Smith journeys the length and breadth of Iraq to examine what it will take to stabilize the fractured country, establish democracy, and transfer power to its people. | ||||||
| 448 | 9 | "Tax Me if You Can" | Business/Economy | 60 minutes | February 19, 2004 | 2208 |
| Hedrick Smith looks at the use of tax shelters by corporations and wealthy individuals, the role of accounting firms in these deals, and how ordinary taxpayers wind up footing the bill. | ||||||
| 449 | 10 | "The Invasion of Iraq" | Middle East | 120 minutes | March 9, 2004 | |