As of July 2026, Frontline Season 4 aired in 1986 with 31 episodes — streaming now on PBS. Full episode guide and where to watch below.

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Frontline Season 4

1986 31 Episodes Documentary · News ⭐ 7/10

Frontline Season 4 is currently streaming on and , and it treats its subject with more rigour than the format usually demands. A single, tightly-focused season means there is plenty to get through without ever feeling padded. 57 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. The access the production secured is remarkable, and it does justice to it. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Frontline Season 4 earns its spot. Frontline Season 4 resists the urge to oversimplify a subject that deserves better. Season 4 of Frontline includes 31 episodes. It aired from January 1986 to September 1986. This season stars Will Lyman and Judy Woodruff. Will Lyman and Judy Woodruff lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 1986. What elevates Frontline Season 4 above most documentary work is a refusal to settle for the easy version of the story. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For viewers who want their entertainment to leave them with something, Frontline Season 4 delivers on both counts. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Short enough to finish in a weekend, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Rigorous in a way documentary work does not always commit to. Not background viewing — it rewards your full attention.

📡 Where to Watch Frontline Season 4

🇺🇸 United States

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

PBS America Amazon Channel

🎬 Frontline Season 4 — Episode Guide

Hostage in Iran

While the whole world watched, 52 Americans were held hostage in Iran by Islamic revolutionaries for 444 days. On the fifth anniversary of their release, using never-before-seen footage from inside the American embassy compound in Tehran, the hostages tell the story of their long ordeal.

Sue the Doctor?

For many doctors, practicing medicine has become a nightmare. Today, one out of every six American doctors faces a malpractice suit. Frontline takes an inside look at the fierce battle developing between doctors and lawyers over medical malpractice suits.

Growing Up Poor

The children of Chester, Pennsylvania are plagued by poor health, malnutrition, drugs, and family problems. Half of them live below the poverty line. Frontline follows them through the maze of social service programs available to them and discovers what it is like growing up poor.

Russia-Love It or Leave It

A unique look at the Soviet Union through the eyes of Americans as they attempt to escape the confines of a carefully managed Russian tour. They elude their government guides and search for their fellow man on the streets of the Soviet Union.

Tobacco on Trial

Life-long smokers who say their health has been destroyed by cigarettes are suing tobacco companies. Frontline correspondent Judy Woodruff takes an inside look at the preparation of these massive lawsuits, concentrating on a suit that would later reach the Supreme Court as well as presenting the emp...

Half of all American marriages end in divorce. Using unique access to mediation and court proceedings, Frontline profiles the couples, the lawyers, the judges, and most poignantly, the children caught between parents.

Who's Running this War?

Eight months before the Iran-contra scandal broke, Frontline investigated the contras, probed the legality of private aid, and asked questions about the role of the White House and a mysterious Marine colonel named Oliver North.

AIDS: a National Inquiry

Fabian Bridges, a homosexual prostitute, bragged he had sex with six partners a night and refused to stop even though he knew he had AIDS. In a special broadcast, Frontline first follows Bridges' tragic journey across the US and later, a panel of national experts, led by Harvard Law School professor...

Standoff in Mexico

Political violence is breaking out in northern Mexico. Frontline documents the growing unrest in Mexico caused by fixed elections, corruption, violence, and the widening gap between Mexico City and the more conservative border states.

Inside the Jury Room

For the first time on American television, Frontline cameras move inside a jury room to record the deliberations in a Wisconsin criminal trial. The results yield a view of 12 Americans grappling with guilt, innocence, and the nature of justice as never before seen.

Taxes Behind Closed Doors

For more than a year, Frontline has been behind the scenes with congressmen and lobbyists covering the deals, dollars, and politics of tax reform. Correspondent William Greider investigates how Washington really works as seen through this exclusive access to the inner circles of Congress.

The Disillusionment of David Stockman

Former budget director David Stockman gives an exclusive interview to correspondent William Greider on what has been called 'the greatest free lunch fiscal policy' in modern times.

Visions of Star Wars

Frontline and Nova combine resources for the first time to explore the Strategic Defense Initiative. The program contains the most comprehensive information on Star Wars ever produced. Correspondent Bill Kurtis interviews Russian and American scientists, arms-control experts, and politicians to reve...

Hollywood Dreams

Hollywood is called an industry, a place, a state of mind. But making it in Hollywood, and making movies, persists as part of the American dream. In the real world of agents, casting directors, aspiring actors, and studio executives, how are movies made? Frontline examines the fantasy and reality of...

The Bloods of 'Nam

A high percentage of men on the frontlines in Vietnam were young, poor, undereducated, and black. By most accounts, they had the highest casualties. But these young men say they were fighting two wars-against the enemy and against discrimination. Correspondent Wallace Terry, the author of 'Bloods,' ...

A Matter of the Mind

Millions of Americans are mentally ill. They live in a world that is fragile and often frightening. Inside a halfway house in St. Paul, Minnesota, Frontline examines mental illness from the point of view of those who struggle with it as they fight their psychological demons and confront the social s...

Holy War, Holy Terror

Frontline correspondent John Laurence examines the background of the Islamic Revolution, the roots of radical Shiism and reveals why Iran's war with Iraq is an important step in spreading their brand of Islam throughout the world.

Will There Always Be an England?

England is a country divided. One in five workers in northern England is unemployed, while in the south of the country, power, privilege prevail. Ofra Bikel explores Britain's social structure, cultural values, and attitudes toward enterprise and work.

Assault on Affirmative Action

The Supreme Court ruled against a Memphis firefighter who successfully fought for an affirmative action plan for the hiring of fellow firefighters in 1984. As a result, the Justice Department asked 50 cities to tighten their affirmative action policies. Correspondent George Curry examines the 20 yea...

Comrades I: The Education of Rita

Rita Tikhonova, 21, is a model Russian citizen. The lifestyle and ambitions of an outstanding Young Communist League member in Moscow are depicted as she completes her education at a prestigious school and begins her first teaching job.

🎭 Cast of Frontline Season 4

Will Lyman

Self - Narrator (voice)

Judy Woodruff

📋 All Seasons of Frontline

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