Episode 1
Return to Mt. St. Helens
55m
NOVA returns to Mount St. Helens a decade after its cataclysmic eruption to learn how nature is recovering from the disaster.
Where to watch NOVA
TV series
NOVA
1974TV-PG53 seasons7.0 / 10
PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Where to watch in United States
Checked Jul 22, 2026
NOVA is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Hoopla in United States. You can also rent or buy it from Google Play, Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
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Synopsis
PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.
Season 18 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 2
ConFusion in a Jar
55m
An experiment that could mean limitless supplies of energy sets the scientific world on its head. NOVA covers the cold fusion controversy.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 3
The Hunt for China's Dinosaurs (1)
55m
NOVA covers the most elaborate expedition ever undertaken in the search for dinosaurs—to China's Gobi desert. Paleontologists brave sandstorms, heat and worse to find their fossils.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 4
Case of the Flying Dinosaur
55m
Are dinosaurs still among us? NOVA looks at the contentious question of whether present-day birds are dinosaurs. Over the years, new fossil discoveries keep amending the answer.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 5
T. rex Exposed
55m
Tyrannosaurus rex, the terrifying kind of the dinos, recently turned up in a nearly complete skeleton in Montana. NOVA follows the dig to extract the bones and looks at the science and lore of dinosaurs in general.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 6
The Russian Right Stuff: The Invisible Spaceman
55m
In the first program of a three-part miniseries on the Soviet space program, NOVA profiles the mysterious genius behind the world's first satellite, the first man to orbit the earth and other early Russian triumphs in space.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 7
The Russian Right Stuff: The Dark Side of the Moon
55m
NOVA reveals the details of Moscow's secret plan to reach the moon ahead of the Americans. Was Neil Armstrong's "giant leap for mankind" almost upstaged?
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 8
The Russian Right Stuff: The Mission
55m
In an unprecedented insider's look, NOVA covers the training, flight and recovery of a cosmonaut crew that visits the Soviet space station Mir. Unexpected emergencies show that space travel is still far from routine.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 9
Swimming With Whales
55m8.0 / 10
Gregory Peck narrates a scientific voyage around Vancouver Island in search of whales. Humpbacks, Killers, Grays and other whale species make their appearance in spectacular, never-before-seen footage both above and below the waves.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 10
The Chip vs. the Chess Master
55m
Will machines be able to beat us at our own game? The computer chess champ matches wits with the human world titleholder.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 11
Sex, Lies and Toupee Tape
55m
NOVA covers the causes and attempted cures of baldness. Some men take pride in their bald heads; others will go to great lengths to cover up. Alan "Douglas Brackman" Rachins of NBC's LA Law hosts.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 12
So You Want to Be a Doctor?
55m
In a two-hour special, NOVA follows seven aspiring doctors through four years of medical school. The first examination, the anatomy lab, the first death, the first baby-it's all part of becoming a doctor. Neil Patrick Harris, star of ABC's Doogie Howser, MD hosts. (Follow-up to the program 1521 "Can We Make a Better Doctor?")
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 13
Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls
55m
Forty years after they were discovered, the Dead Sea Scrolls have yet to be published in their entirety. NOVA looks at the laborious-some say scandalous-process of compiling and releasing this religious treasure.
Where to watch NOVA
Episode 14
Suicide Mission to Chernobyl
55m
NOVA accompanies Soviet scientists on a deadly mission inside the sarcophagus-the massive structure that entombs the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Will there be another deadly explosion?
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 15
Taller Than Everest?
55m
The tallest mountain in the world? Think again—cartographers had to when satellite date revealed a peak called "K2" might be the real champ. Which is the world's tallest mountain?
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 16
Fastest Planes in the Sky
55m
The fastest machines in the sky are going to be slow stuff when the latest speed demons on the drawing board take to the air. NOVA looks at the intoxicating lure to fly even faster.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 17
Avoiding the Surgeon's Knife
55m
NOVA follows the efforts of four participants in a celebrated California study to unblock arteries without using drugs or surgery before their heart disease becomes fatal. A studio segment featuring experts with varying medical views will air as part of the 60-minute program. ABC News Medical Correspondent George Strait moderates.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 18
Skyscraper! A NOVA Special
55m
This 80-minute NOVA pledge special chronicles the building of the Worldwide Plaza, 47-story office tower in midtown Manhattan, from a hole in the ground to a 770-foot skyscraper.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode 19
The Fine Art of Faking It
55mfinale
The spectacular eclipse of 1991 passed over major observatories on the island of Hawaii. NOVA was there for 6 1/2 minutes of frenetic research that revealed new secrets about our sun.
Where to watch NOVAEpisode information updated Jul 25, 2026
More about NOVA
Cast
Corey JohnsonNarrator
Jay O. SandersSelf - Narrator (voice)
Demetri GoritsasNarrator
Richard SmithHost
Lance LewmanNarrator (voice)
Ted MarcouxNarrator
Peter ThomasNarrator
Brian GreeneHostProduction details
- Status
- Returning Series
- Series type
- Documentary
- Episodes
- 1,025
- Original language
- English
Networks & production
PBSUnited States
GBHUnited States
Themes
candiddramaticfactualinspirationalinstructivenature
