The Great American Read - Season 1

The Great American Read - Season 1

Season 1

The Great American Read is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America's 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey)*. It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and our shared human experience.

The television series features entertaining and informative documentary segments, with compelling testimonials from celebrities, authors, notable Americans and book lovers across the country. It is comprised of a two-hour launch episode in which the list of 100 books is revealed, five one-hour theme episodes that examine concepts common to groups of books on the list, and a finale, in which the results are announced of a nationwide vote to choose America's best-loved book.

The series is the centerpiece of an ambitious multi-platform digital, educational and community outreach campaign, designed to get the country reading and passionately talking about books.

Network
Episodes8
DatesMay 22, 2018 - Oct 23, 2018

Episodes

Launch Special
Season 1Episode 1120 min

Launch Special

The country's 100 favorite novels are announced in a two-hour celebration of reading, hosted by Meredith Vieira. Celebrities, authors, and book lovers reveal the novels that have affected their lives. The national vote gets under way, to decide America's Best-Loved Novel.

May 22, 2018
Fall Kick-off
Season 1Episode 260 min

Fall Kick-off

Meredith Vieira returns as the Great American Read hits high gear. You spent the summer reading and voting for your favorite novels, now tune in to see which books celebrities, authors, and other readers across the country are rooting for.

Sep 11, 2018
Who Am I?
Season 1Episode 360 min

Who Am I?

How do the books we love answer the question "Who am I?" We explore first-person narratives and other ways authors tell stories of characters on personal journeys. From navigating the teen years through discovering our "chosen families", these novels can help us find ourselves at any age.

Sep 18, 2018
Heroes
Season 1Episode 460 min

Heroes

We examine books on America's list that feature heroic characters. Celebrities, literary experts, authors and everyday book lovers discuss why our favorite heroes are complex and relatable, from the everyday hero to the tragic and unlikely or anti-hero.

Sep 25, 2018
Villains and Monsters
Season 1Episode 560 min

Villains and Monsters

How do novels featuring our favorite villains and monsters help us understand why people behave badly? We examine the evil characters in our favorite novels, to find out why we go to the dark side. We also meet authors who have created some of our best-loved villains.

Oct 2, 2018
What We Do For Love
Season 1Episode 660 min

What We Do For Love

How do our favorite novels reflect what we do for love? From classic romance to family dramas, from unrequited passion to unforgettable first love, we take a look at our best-loved books that feature the most important emotion in our lives. And we examine why we are drawn to these stories.

Oct 9, 2018
Other Worlds
Season 1Episode 760 min

Other Worlds

Take a magical journey to another world through some of America's best-loved novels. From Middle Earth to Lilliput, the trials and tribulations of these alternate universes help us to better understand our own world.
Oct 16, 2018
Grand Finale
Season 1Episode 860 min

Grand Finale

And the winner is... after millions of votes, find out which of the 100 nominated books is crowned America's best-loved novel.
Oct 23, 2018

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