Season 1

Ira Glass covers reaching for dreams, willpower, cameramen, stubbornness, new innovations, and more.
Reality Check
Episode 1: Reality Check

Original Air Date: Mar 22, 2007

In episode 101, the first season premiere, host Ira Glass tells stories of those who set out to make dreams come true, but were snapped back to reality by unpleasant outcomes: an elementary school student tries to solve a common childhood problem; a rancher resuscitates a beloved pet that later turns on him; an unknown rock band gets the greatest night of its life.

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Growth Spurt
Episode 2: Growth Spurt

Original Air Date: Apr 19, 2007

In episode 102, several subjects attempt to will themselves to effect positive change in their lives, including a first-time screenwriter, a 13-year-old girl, and a widow, with mixed results.

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The Camera Man
Episode 3: The Camera Man

Original Air Date: Apr 12, 2007

In episode 103, a pair of segments that focus on the role of cameramen include an animated short from award-winning cartoonist Chris Ware ("Jimmy Corrigan") and a young filmmaker who sets out to document his alcoholic stepfather.

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God's Close-Up
Episode 4: God's Close-Up

Original Air Date: Apr 5, 2007

In episode 104, people try to get closer to God through pictures as a group of people gather every month in the Mojave Desert hoping to take God's photo, and an artist serves dinner to his Jesus model, his atheist girlfriend, and her religious father.

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My Way
Episode 5: My Way

Original Air Date: Mar 29, 2007

In episode 105, four stories explore the cost of stubbornness: a man refuses to acknowledge some important events in his wife's life; a 14-year-old boy decides he will never, ever fall in love; a politician attempts to win an election without telling a single lie; a man who continues doing a job during an emergency when most people would probably stop.

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Pandora's Box
Episode 6: Pandora's Box

Original Air Date: Apr 26, 2007

In episode 106, the first season finale, innovation yields surprising results for pig researchers who create new problems with every one solved, hot dog vendors who inadvertently unleash raw emotions, and scientists who learn how to erase memories.

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2 Seasons, 13 Episodes

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  • Season 2

    Ira Glass covers escaping from home, war refugees in the U.S., trying to make history, underdogs, troubled marriages, and more.

    Season 2
  • Season 1

    Ira Glass covers reaching for dreams, willpower, cameramen, stubbornness, new innovations, and more.

    Season 1
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