Episode 1
Building on Ground Zero
55m
Can lessons learned from the Twin Towers' collapse make new buildings safer?
Episode credits
Directed by Larry KleinWritten by Larry KleinGuest stars Liev Schreiber
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 34 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Where to watch NOVA
Episode 2
Mystery of the Megavolcano
55m8.0 / 10
Researchers unearth clues about the greatest Volcanic eruption of the past 100000 years.
Episode credits
Directed by Ben FoxGuest stars Neil Ross
Episode 3
The Deadliest Plane Crash
55m
On March 27, 1977, on the island of Tenerife, two fully loaded 747 jumbo jets collided on a fog-blanketed runway, claiming the lives of 583 people in what is still the deadliest crash in aviation history. Now, almost 30 years later, near misses on the ground are the leading cause of aviation accidents, raising the question of what can be done to improve runway safety. Featuring moving interviews with the few survivors of the disaster and with top accident investigators, this program examines the fateful confluence of events that led to the Tenerife tragedy and its continuing relevance for air travel today.
Episode credits
Directed by Chantal HébertGuest stars Neil Ross
Episode 4
Monster of the Milky Way
52m8.0 / 10
Astronomers are closing in on the proof they've sought for years that one of the most destructive objects in the universe—a supermassive black hole—lurks at the center of our own galaxy. Could it flare up and consume our entire galactic neighborhood? Join NOVA on a mind-bending investigation into one of the most bizarre corners of cosmological science: black hole research. From event horizon to singularity, the elusive secrets of supermassive black holes are revealed through stunning computer-generated imagery, including an extraordinary simulation of what it might look like to fall into the belly of such an all-devouring beast.
Episode credits
Directed by Julia Cort, Thomas LucasWritten by Julia Cort, Jonathan GrupperGuest stars Liev Schreiber, Reinhard Genzel
Episode 5
Wings of Madness
55m
The flamboyant rise and tragic death of pioneering aviator Alberto-Santos Dumont.
Episode credits
Directed by Brian BregerGuest stars Kathryn Walker
Episode 6
Family That Walks on All Fours
55m
Experts explore the mysterious story of five siblings living in a remote Turkish village.
Episode credits
Directed by Sarah Holt, Jemima HarrisonGuest stars Kathryn Walker
Episode 7
Underwater Dream Machine
55m
Follow one man's dream to engeneer a submarine with panaramic views.
Episode credits
Directed by Andreas SawallGuest stars Neil Ross
Episode 8
Forgotten Genius
55m
The grandson of Alabama slaves, Percy Julian met with every possible barrier in a deeply segregated America. He was a man of genius, devotion, and determination. As a black man he was also an outsider, fighting to make a place for himself in a profession and country divided by bigotry—a man who would eventually find freedom in the laboratory. By the time of his death, Julian had risen to the highest levels of scientific and personal achievement, overcoming countless obstacles to become a world-class scientist, a self-made millionaire, and a civil-rights pioneer.
Episode credits
Directed by Llewellyn M. SmithWritten by Llewellyn M. Smith, Stephen LyonsGuest stars Courtney B. Vance, Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Episode 9
The Last Great Ape
55m
Scientists return to the jungles of Congo to further explore the peaceful lives of bonobos.
Episode credits
Directed by Steve GreenwoodGuest stars Lance Lewman
Episode 10
Kings of Camouflage
55m8.0 / 10
Join NOVA on a voyage beneath the waves, where you'll discover a bizarre, alien-like creature like no other. It's an animal with eight sucker-covered arms growing out of its head, three hearts pumping its blue-green blood, and a doughnut-shaped brain. It has the ability to change its color and shape to blend in with seaweed and rocks, and it has a knack for switching on electrifying light shows that dazzle its prey. Perhaps most surprising of all, this animal is quite intelligent, with a highly complex brain. In this program, underwater cameras capture the extraordinary powers of the cuttlefish.
Episode credits
Directed by Gisela KaufmannWritten by Gisela KaufmannGuest stars Lance Lewman
Episode 11
First Flower
55m
In the remote mountains of China, scientist come closer to understanding the origins of flowers.
Episode credits
Directed by Doug HamiltonWritten by Doug HamiltonGuest stars Liev Schreiber
Episode 12
Saved by the Sun
55m
As the Earth heats up at a dangerous rate and fossil fuels become scarcer, ordinary citizens and businesses are bypassing the federal government to lead the way in exploring a clean, renewable source of power: the sun. In this report, NOVA shines a light on how and why people across America and the world are "going solar," using radiant energy of the sun to power homes, businesses, and even entire communities. But can everyday people really make a difference by using solar power? And can solar technologies, with their high cost and logistical challenges, truly play a bigger role in powering the future of humanity? The grand hopes, latest innovations, roiling controversies, and practical realities of solar power all come to the fore in this program.
Episode credits
Directed by Steven LathamWritten by Larry Klein, Evan I. SchwartzGuest stars Lance Lewman
Episode 13
Pocahontas Revealed
55m
The recent archeological discovery of the Native American Powhatan village of Werowocomoco, sheds new light on the Jamestown story of Pocahontas.
Episode credits
Directed by Kirk Wolfinger, Lisa Q. WolfingerWritten by Matthew Collins
Episode 14
Bone Diggers
55m6.0 / 10
NOVA follows a group of paleontologists to a cave in southwestern Australia where the fossils of a meat-eating marsupial lion, and other extinct giant animals, have recently been discovered.
Episode credits
Directed by Carolyn Bertram, Ingo Helbig, Clay Bryce, Stuart ScowcroftWritten by Elizabeth ArledgeGuest stars Neil Ross
Episode 15
The Great Inca Rebellion
55mfinale
Through a mix of crime-lab science, archeology, and history, this NOVA/National Geographic special presents new evidence that is changing what we know about the final days of the once-mighty Inca Empire. This probing story of archeological discovery begins in a cemetery crammed with skeletons that offer tantalizing clues about a fierce 16th-century battle between warriors of the collapsing Inca Empire and Spanish invaders. Now, the long-accepted account of a swift Spanish conquest of the Inca—achieved with guns, steel, and horses—is being replaced by a more complete story based on surprising new evidence, including what may be the first gunshot wound in the Americas.
Episode credits
Directed by Graham TownsleyWritten by Graham TownsleyGuest stars Jay O. Sanders
Episode 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
