SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for American Classic Season 1, Episode 8.

The American Classic Season 1 finale delivers almost everything that viewers will be waiting for. Everything that the MGM+ show set up going back to its very first episode is paid off. And while there’s plenty of Kevin Kline being award-winning amazing, it’s actor Nell Verlaque who is the star of the show.

The finale is fittingly titled “Our Town,” as it revolves almost entirely around opening night of the Thornton Wilder play at the Millersburg Festival Theater. This is the ending that made sense from the very first episode, since the end goal was always to stage the play and save the town as a result. Anything else would’ve been anticlimactic. What’s really fascinating and fun is how much of the play writer/creators Bob Martin and Michael Hoffman let viewers see. The majority of the episode is the performance of Our Town, allowing the TV audience to experience the production. One can tell that Hoffman and Martin are theater aficionados by making that choice. Any other TV show would’ve just sprinkled bits of the play between scenes of backstage or offstage drama, but Martin and Hoffman want the TV viewers to live in the play.

And it is a very good production—not just in terms of the main characters, but even the townspeople in their supporting roles. The episode makes sure that every cast member gets seen, even if it’s just for a moment. It’s sweet that Martin and Hoffman recognize the importance of every actor. Yet even with Kline as Richard Bean delivering a fabulous performance as the Stage Manager (a performance that brings Richard full circle, as he doesn’t need his earpiece to remember his lines), the real star of the episode is Nell Verlaque. Miranda playing the lead in Our Town means that Verlaque gets the second-largest amount of screen time behind Kline, but she’s also great in the scenes that happen offstage, as Miranda reacts to the possibility that Richard may be her father. Verlaque may have been credited as a “special guest star” all season, but she’s the heart of this episode, with great stage presence and great screen presence.

American Classic also finds little spaces to tie together all of the stories it’s set up throughout the season. Richard finally sees critic Xander again, and this time he gets a rave review. (It’s hard to figure how the show could get more of Aaron Tveit in Season 2, since he only has a small part as Xander’s boyfriend, but if Martin and Hoffman could figure that out, Tveit would be a perfect addition to this ensemble.) Elsewhere, the Pattersons reconcile when they both return to watch the play; apparently Pat’s fling with Heath didn’t work out.

Most notably, Connor Boyle is in the audience and for the first time, he understands Nadia’s ambition to be an actor. It’s cool that Boyle gets a quasi-redemption arc here; it would’ve been easy to just omit him from the episode entirely, since he was the villain people love to hate and had already been dealt with. Instead, he’s treated like an actual person, who changes his mind. And even though he does, Nadia isn’t driven back into his arms; she still retains her independence. This show lets all of its characters, no matter how prominent or what side they’re on, get an ending.

Some viewers may be disappointed that the bombshell about Miranda’s parentage isn’t a larger part of the episode; it remains unclear if Richard is actually Miranda’s dad, and Jon doesn’t find out until the last second of the finale. The cliffhanger is clearly playing toward a potential American Classic Season 2. But unlike most season finale cliffhangers, it makes sense to leave this unresolved. Spending too much time on the paternity plot would have taken away from the play, and it would’ve made the episode mostly drama when the point of the entire show is to celebrate the town.

That being said, all three stars get some wonderful moments as they go through the finale. Kline and Laura Linney have the most weight to carry as Richard finally gives Kristen the encouragement she never got from him before, and as the two of them try to keep Miranda from telling Jon. But it’s Jon Tenney who is particularly moving here, because the audience can feel the warmth from Jon Bean as a proud father and husband. He’s so earnest and so happy. Of course that makes the proceedings bittersweet, but it also makes viewers fall more in love with Jon as a character.

American Classic has plenty of opportunities for Season 2. Just because the town is safe for now doesn’t mean its financial problems go away; the next season simply picks up with a new production and the next step in making the town more successful. Then there’s obviously the personal fallout from Linus blurting out the family secret. But even with all that still out there, “Our Town” is a satisfying conclusion. Audiences get to see all of the townspeople flourish, and even the bad guy is rooting for them at the end. And the show leaves its fans with more appreciation of live theater. Hopefully it will move a few people to go out and see some plays. “Our Town” forgoes too many jokes or too much drama, and just tells a very honest, human story of one great opening night.

American Classic Season 1 is now streaming on MGM+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of MGM+.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.