TV series
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
Checked Sep 1, 2026
NOVA is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, Hoopla, Prime Video, and YouTube TV 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.
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.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
The film chronicles an expedition to study and retrieve parts of the USS Monitor, the famous Civil War ironclad, which sank off North Carolina only months after its famous battle with the CSS Virginia.
Directed by Kirk WolfingerWritten by Jonathan WickhamGuest stars Roy Scheider
Episode 2
The film uses a celebrated recent trial as a springboard to examine and successfully challenge the notion of Holocaust denial
Directed by Leslie WoodheadWritten by Leslie WoodheadGuest stars Ian Holm
Episode 3
The film follows a six-year odyssey by a group of divers to identify a mysterious U-boat they discovered in 1991 off the coast of New Jersey
Directed by Kirk WolfingerWritten by Rushmore DeNooyerGuest stars Roy Scheider
Episode 4
The program follows the efforts of two rival teams of astronomers as they search for exploding stars, map out gigantic cosmic patterns of galaxies, and grapple with the ultimate question: What is the fate of the universe?
Directed by Thomas LucasWritten by Julia Cort, Michael Winship, Thomas LucasGuest stars Liev Schreiber
Episode 5
The film takes a look at the extraordinary natural history of the Seychelles, an ancient archipelago of about 100 islands scattered between India and Madagascar.
Directed by Marti Louw, Miles BartonGuest stars Peter Thomas
Episode 6
The film examines a disturbing increase in the prevalence of debilitating and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders, particularly anorexia and bulimia.
Directed by Larkin McPheeWritten by Larkin McPheeGuest stars Susan Sarandon
Episode 7
The program chronicles a year in the life of wildlife and people around Lake Biwa, Japan, a cycle that has continued unchanged for thousands of years.
Directed by Tetsunori Kikuchi, Shinichi MurataWritten by David Attenborough, Jeremy Hogarth, Satoko SaitoGuest stars David Attenborough
Episode 8
The program follows a French-led expedition to recover thousands of porcelain and other artifacts from a centuries-old Chinese shipwreck off the coast of Brunei.
Directed by Stephen SweigartWritten by Stephen SweigartGuest stars David Ogden Stiers
Episode 9
The program investigates the mysterious disappearance -- and, half a century later, reappearance -- of Stardust, a civilian aircraft that crashed in the Andes in 1947.
Directed by Sarah HoltWritten by Jonathan RenoufGuest stars David Ogden Stiers
Episode 10
The program documents a series of spectacular escape attempts made at Colditz Castle, the Nazi's most impregnable prison.
Directed by Chris Durlacher, Henry Chancellor, Jeremy Llewellyn-Jones, Adam EnglishWritten by Jeremy Llewellyn-Jones, Chris DurlacherGuest stars Roy Scheider
Episode 11
The film follows the work of archeologists who are using new excavations and hieroglyphic translations to interpret the early history of Copán, a Classic Maya site in northern Honduras.
Directed by Gary GlassmanWritten by Gary GlassmanGuest stars Héctor Elizondo
Episode 12
For decades Dr. Judah Folkman struggled against the grain of many in the cancer research community in his quest to pioneer a novel form of cancer treatment. In 1960, when he was a young surgical resident, Folkman discovered a startling secret about how cancer grows, which he called angiogenesis. It was a clue he would pursue for the next 40 years. "Cancer Warrior" tells the incredible saga of his personal dedication in a race to defeat one of humanity's most invincible foes.
Directed by Nancy LindeWritten by Nancy LindeGuest stars Liev Schreiber
Episode 13
In "Tattooed Doctor," the first hour of NOVA's "Survivor M.D." series, emergency-room physician Dr. Tom Tarter eloquently describes some of the challenges and rewards of emergency medicine.
Directed by Michael BarnesWritten by Michael BarnesGuest stars John Hockenberry
Episode 14
In 1987 NOVA embarked with seven brilliant, natural-born survivors on the longest-running boot camp in higher education: the nearly decade-long process of training to be a fully qualified doctor. Now all but one of them (who switched careers) are out in the world in high-powered medical careers, trying to balance the demands of work, families, and personal lives, as NOVA reports on Survivor MD, which airs in three one-hour segments.
Directed by Michael BarnesWritten by Michael BarnesGuest stars John Hockenberry
Episode 15
In 1987 NOVA embarked with seven brilliant, natural-born survivors on the longest-running boot camp in higher education: the nearly decade-long process of training to be a fully qualified doctor. Now all but one of them (who switched careers) are out in the world in high-powered medical careers, trying to balance the demands of work, families, and personal lives, as NOVA reports on Survivor MD, which airs in three one-hour segments.
Directed by Michael BarnesWritten by Michael BarnesGuest stars John Hockenberry
Episode 16
This two-hour special, hosted by ABC "Nightline" correspondent Robert Krulwich, chronicles the race to capture one of the biggest prizes in scientific history: the complete letter-by-letter sequence of genetic information that defines human life -- the human genome.
Directed by Elizabeth ArledgeWritten by Julia Cort, Elizabeth ArledgeGuest stars Robert Krulwich
Episode 17
A gene from a jellyfish is placed in a potato plant, making it light up whenever it needs watering. Rice plants are genetically transformed to produce vitamin A, preventing millions of African children from going blind. Other plants are modified to produce plastic or pharmaceuticals. While many see these as wondrous advancements, others fear they could spawn serious new threats to human health, a loss of genetic viability in our most important crop species, and other signficant and perhaps unforeseen problems. In "Harvest of Fear," NOVA and FRONTLINE join forces to explore the growing controversy over genetically modified agriculture.
Directed by Jon PalfremanWritten by Jon PalfremanGuest stars Will Lyman
Episode information updated Sep 2, 2026
Corey JohnsonNarrator
Jay O. SandersSelf - Narrator (voice)
Demetri GoritsasNarrator
Richard SmithHost
Lance LewmanNarrator (voice)
Ted MarcouxNarrator
Peter ThomasNarrator
Brian GreeneHost
PBSUnited States
GBHUnited States
