Playhouse 90 poster

Playhouse 90 (1956)

Comedy · Crime · Drama

Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the mid-1950s were usually hour-long shows, the title highlighted the network's intention to present something unusual, a weekly series of hour-and-a-half dramas rather than 60-minute plays. Playhouse 90 began as a pitch by Frank Stanton—the formidable, forward-thinking right-hand man to CBS chairman William S. Paley—during a brainstorming session for program ideas. The project was ultimately developed by Hubbell Robinson, a CBS vice president who received no screen credit on Playhouse 90 but is often described as its creator.

IMDb rating
8.3 (480 votes)
Seasons
4
Language
EN
Type
TV series

Ratings refreshed Jul 3, 2026 · 4 seasons indexed

Seasons

Season 1 (1956)

7.24 avg 17 episodes 6.9 → 7.6 85 min avg

Ep 1: 6.9 · 134 votesEp 2: 8.3 · 360 votesEp 8: 6.7 · 28 votesEp 13: 6.4 · 43 votesEp 16: 6.8 · 18 votesEp 19: 7.9 · 24 votesEp 20: 7.8 · 301 votesEp 23: 8.0 · 13 votesEp 24: 7.7 · 27 votesEp 25: 6.8 · 24 votesEp 26: 6.3 · 20 votesEp 27: 7.8 · 12 votesEp 32: 6.6 · 14 votesEp 33: 7.3 · 20 votesEp 34: 7.0 · 14 votesEp 36: 7.1 · 16 votesEp 38: 7.6 · 17 votes
Season 1 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Forbidden Area6.9134
2Requiem for a Heavyweight8.3360
8Eloise6.728
13Massacre at Sand Creek6.443
16So Soon to Die6.818
19The Miracle Worker7.924
20The Comedian7.8301
23Invitation to a Gunfighter8.013
24The Last Tycoon7.727
25The Hostess with the Mostes'6.824
26Where's Charley?6.320
27Clipper Ship7.812
32Homeward Borne6.614
33The Helen Morgan Story7.320
34Winter Dreams7.014
36Without Incident7.116
38Ain't No Time for Glory7.617

Season 2 (1957)

7.23 avg 10 episodes 7.2 → 6.8 90 min avg

Ep 1: 7.2 · 19 votesEp 6: 5.3 · 19 votesEp 19: 5.9 · 13 votesEp 23: 7.7 · 34 votesEp 25: 8.3 · 31 votesEp 30: 7.4 · 13 votesEp 35: 7.7 · 34 votesEp 38: 8.3 · 74 votesEp 39: 7.7 · 11 votesEp 40: 6.8 · 11 votes
Season 2 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Death of Manolete7.219
6Around the World in 90 Minutes5.319
19The 80 Yard Run5.913
23No Time at All7.734
25Portrait of a Murderer8.331
30The Dungeon7.413
35Bomber's Moon7.734
38A Town Has Turned to Dust8.374
39The Great Gatsby7.711
40Bitter Heritage6.811

Season 3 (1958)

7.75 avg 15 episodes 8.1 → 7.3 90 min avg

Ep 1: 8.1 · 38 votesEp 2: 7.8 · 196 votesEp 3: 9.3 · 30 votesEp 7: 6.0 · 57 votesEp 8: 9.4 · 18 votesEp 10: 6.5 · 14 votesEp 12: 7.8 · 14 votesEp 16: 8.1 · 43 votesEp 18: 8.5 · 10 votesEp 23: 7.3 · 23 votesEp 24: 7.1 · 18 votesEp 28: 8.1 · 83 votesEp 32: 7.6 · 16 votesEp 35: 7.3 · 22 votesEp 36: 7.3 · 18 votes
Season 3 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Plot to Kill Stalin8.138
2Days of Wine and Roses7.8196
3The Time of Your Life9.330
7Heart of Darkness6.057
8Old Man9.418
10Free Weekend6.514
12The Nutcracker7.814
16The Velvet Alley8.143
18Child of Our Time8.510
23For Whom the Bell Tolls: Part 17.323
24For Whom the Bell Tolls: Part 27.118
28Judgment at Nuremberg8.183
32A Marriage of Strangers7.616
35The Killers of Mussolini7.322
36Project Immortality7.318

Season 4 (1960)

7.88 avg 4 episodes 8.0 → 7.9 90 min avg

Ep 12: 8.0 · 29 votesEp 14: 8.8 · 46 votesEp 16: 6.8 · 9 votesEp 17: 7.9 · 30 votes
Season 4 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
12Tomorrow8.029
14Alas, Babylon8.846
16The Shape of the River6.89
17In the Presence of Mine Enemies7.930