Oprah's Master Class


Oprah's Master Class is a primetime television program that airs on the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The series premiered on the network's first day, January 1, 2011.

Concept

According to OWN, Master Class "tells the stories you've never heard from the people you thought you knew best. Hand-picked by Oprah Winfrey for their unique impact on the world, true modern masters from Academy Award-winning actors, to Grammy-winning musicians, to ground-breaking athletes, share the greatest lessons they've learned along the way. In an intimate setting, they share their successes, failures, triumphs, disappointments and heartbreaks."
Each episode features an in-depth conversation with the subject, as they explore their story with viewers. The conversation is split up into numerous lessons that each master teaches, using personal anecdotes from their life to illustrate the point. Video clips, photographs, and re-enactments illustrate a visual representation of the stories being told. The biographical sketch is interspersed with personal insights and reflections from Oprah Winfrey on each master's life lessons.

Overview

Episodes

Season One (2011)

The first season of Oprah Presents: Master Class premiered on Saturday January 1, 2011 on the first day of the launch of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, with rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur Jay-Z. The first season aired weekly on Sundays at 10/9c and consists of eight hour-long episodes.
№Ep.Original airdateModern masterOccupation
11.1January 1, 2011Jay-ZRapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, co-owner of the Brooklyn Nets
21.2January 2, 2011Diane SawyerTelevision journalist
31.3January 16, 2011Maya AngelouPoet, civil rights activist, dancer, film producer, television producer, playwright, film director, author, actress, professor
41.4January 23, 2011Simon CowellA&R executive, television producer, television personality, entrepreneur
51.5January 30, 2011Lorne MichaelsCanadian television producer, creator of Saturday Night Live
61.6February 13, 2011Condoleezza RiceFormer United States Secretary of State
71.7March 27, 2011Oprah Winfrey Talk show host, media proprietor, actress
81.8April 3, 2011Oprah Winfrey Talk show host, media proprietor, actress

Season Two (2012)

The second season of Oprah's Master Class premiered on Sunday January 8, 2012 at 10/9c on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network with actress, writer, and activist Jane Fonda. The second season premiered to record-high numbers for the series, with 930,000 viewers tuning into Fonda's Master Class. The second season aired weekly on Sundays at 10/9c and consists of ten hour-long episodes.
№Ep.Original airdateModern masterOccupationU.S. viewers
92.1January 8, 2012Jane FondaActress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, fitness guru0.93
102.2January 15, 2012Goldie HawnActress, film director, producer, author, singer0.47
112.3January 22, 2012Morgan FreemanActor, film director, aviator, narrator0.50
122.4January 29, 2012Ted TurnerMedia mogul, philanthropist, chairman of United Nations Foundation board of directors0.49
132.5February 12, 2012Laird HamiltonAmerican big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, model0.17
142.6March 4, 2012Reba McEntireAmerican country music artist, actress0.60
152.7March 25, 2012Jon Bon JoviMusician, singer, songwriter, actor0.43
162.8April 1, 2012Grant HillProfessional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, philanthropist0.34
172.9April 22, 2012Sidney Poitier Actor, film director, author, diplomat0.40
182.10April 29, 2012Sidney Poitier Actor, film director, author, diplomat0.32

Season Three (2013)

The third season of Oprah's Master Class premiered on March 3, 2013 at 10/9c with an episode featuring singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. The third season aired weekly on Sundays at 10/9c and consists of eight hour-long episodes.
№Ep.Original airdateModern masterOccupationU.S. viewers
193.1March 3, 2013Alicia KeysSinger-songwriter, actress0.45
203.2March 10, 2013Cindy CrawfordModel, social activist, designer0.44
213.3March 17, 2013Tom BrokawTelevision journalist, author0.33
223.4March 24, 2013Stevie NicksSinger-songwriter, musician0.38
233.5June 2, 2013Lenny KravitzSinger-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor and arranger0.76
243.6June 9, 2013Susan SarandonActress, political and social activist0.36
253.7June 16, 2013Berry GordyRecord producer, founder of Motown record label, songwriter, film producer, television producer0.32
263.8June 16, 2013Diahann CarrollTelevision and stage actress, singer0.31

Season Four (2014)

Oprah's Master Class returned to OWN on May 11, 2014, with an episode featuring Justin Timberlake. The fourth season aired weekly on Sundays at 10/9c and consists of ten hour-long episodes.
№Ep.Original airdateModern masterOccupationU.S. viewers
274.1May 11, 2014Justin TimberlakeSinger-songwriter, actor, record producer, philanthropistN/A
284.2June 1, 2014Whoopi GoldbergActress, comedian, producer, author, singer, activist, talk show hostN/A
294.3June 8, 2014Tim McGrawSinger-songwriter, actorN/A
304.4June 15, 2014Robin RobertsNewscasterN/A
314.5June 22, 2014Lionel RichieSinger-songwriter, musician, record producer, actorN/A
324.6June 29, 2014Barbara WaltersJournalist, newscaster, producer, author, talk show hostN/A
334.7July 13, 2014Vanessa L. WilliamsSinger, actress, producerN/A
344.8July 20, 2014Billy Bob ThorntonActor, director, screenwriter, musicianN/A
354.9July 27, 2014Sharon StoneActress, producer, modelN/A
364.10August 3, 2014Cicely TysonActressN/A

Season Five (2015)

Oprah's Master Class returned to OWN on Sunday October 25, 2015 with an episode featuring Ellen DeGeneres. The fifth season aired weekly on Sundays at 8/7c and consists of seven hour-long episodes.
№Ep.Original airdateModern masterOccupationU.S. viewers
375.1October 25, 2015Ellen DeGeneresComedian, television host, actress, writer, producer, designer0.56
385.2November 1, 2015Smokey RobinsonSinger-songwriter, record producer, record executive0.47
395.3November 8, 2015Robert DuvallActor, director0.19
405.4November 15, 2015Dwayne JohnsonActor, producer, professional wrestler0.40
415.5November 22, 2015Patti LabelleSinger-songwriter, actress0.52
425.6November 26, 2015James TaylorSinger-songwriter, musician0.17
435.7December 6, 2015Jeff BridgesActor, singer, producer0.17

Season Six (2017-18)

Oprah's Master Class returned to OWN on Saturday June 10, 2017 with a sneak-preview episode featuring Kevin Hart.
№Ep.Original airdateModern masterOccupationU.S. viewers
446.1June 10, 2017Kevin HartActor, comedian, writer, producer0.39
456.2August 22, 2017Tyler PerryActor, comedian, filmmaker, producer, writer, songwriter1.13
466.3August 23, 2017Lynn WhitfieldActress, producer0.66
476.4September 2, 2017Steve HarveyStandup comic, television host, radio host, author0.47
486.5September 9, 2017LL Cool JRapper, actor, author, entrepreneurN/A
496.6September 16, 2017Shaquille O’NealProfessional basketball player, sports analyst, rapper, author0.34
506.7September 23, 2017UsherSinger, songwriter, dancer, actor0.32
516.8September 23, 2017Gladys KnightSinger, songwriter, actress, author0.39
526.9January 15, 2018John LewisPolitician, civil rights leaderN/A

Specials

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResult
201243rd NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Variety Series or Special
201218th Annual NAMIC Vision AwardsNews/ Informational Show
2012Gracie AwardsOutstanding Portrait/Biography
201344th NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Variety Series or Special
201319th Annual NAMIC Vision AwardsNews/ Informational Show
201365th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Informational Series or Special
201445th NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Variety Series or Special
201546th NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Variety Series or Special
201521st Annual NAMIC Vision AwardsNews/ Informational Show
2015Gracie AwardsOutstanding Portrait/Biography
201647th NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Variety Series or Special
201622nd Annual NAMIC Vision AwardsNews/ Informational Show
2016Gracie AwardsOutstanding Portrait/Biography
201849th NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding News / Information –

International broadcast