Teenage boys find ways to impress girls using a mode of transport obsolete since the 19th century; a young man's fight for independence from his mother would be normal for most kids, except for some special circumstances.
A pair of convicts almost escape prison using dental floss; high school students pose for yearbook snapshots, which capture nothing of the drama in their lives; a man with a 30-year obsession with one particular bird.
Tales of troubled marriages include an animated true story by cartoonist Chris Ware; and a real-life look at a husband whose legal obsession causes serious trouble with his spouse.
The true life stories of several Americans with the name John Smith, from an 11-week-old boy whose parents expected a girl, to a 46-year-old Texan, welcoming his son home from Iraq.
A bonus second-season edition comprised of material produced for the This American Life web site, a look at comedians and their audiences includes segments about unknown comics performing for a rowdy crowd at a club in the middle of nowhere, and a piece about Mike Birbiglia, a standup with a scathing routine about his worst gig ever.
