The BEST National Geographic shows of all time
Every National Geographic show, ranked
We've compiled the average episode rating for every National Geographic show to compile this list of best shows!
#1 - Origins: The Journey of Humankind
Hosted by Jason Silva, ORIGINS: THE JOURNEY OF HUMANKIND rewinds all the way back to the beginning and explores the innovations that made us modern.
View Episode Rankings#2 - The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman travels the globe in search of an answer to one fundamental question for humanity: what are the common forces that bind us together?
View Episode Rankings#3 - Year Million
Explore what it will be like to be human one million years into the future. Today’s brightest futurists, scientists, scholars and notable science fiction writers guide viewers through the very latest advances in technology, ideas and innovations that likely will power the evolution of our species.
View Episode Rankings#4 - Beyond the Cosmos
Brian Greene is going to let you in on a secret: We've all been deceived. Our perceptions of time and space have led us astray. Much of what we thought we knew about our universe-that the past has already happened and the future is yet to be, that space is just an empty void, that our universe is the only universe that exists-just might be wrong. The Fabric of the Cosmos, a four-hour series based on the book by renowned physicist and acclaimed author Brian Greene, takes us to the frontiers of physics to see how scientists are piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time and the universe. With each step, audiences will discover that just beneath the surface of our everyday experience lies a world we'd hardly recognize-a startling world far stranger and more wondrous than anyone expected.
View Episode Rankings#5 - Chain of Command
An intimate portrait of the war against violent extremism and the men and women devoting their lives to it. Records the fight against radical threats all over the world as it unfolds over one full year.
View Episode Rankings#6 - The Legend of Mick Dodge
25 years ago, Mick Dodge walked away from the modern world, leaving civilization behind to live alongside nature's wonders in the Olympic Peninsula. Following a primal instinct present throughout generations of his family, Mick ventured deep into the Hoh Rainforest, making his home in the trees and hidden in the moss. Experience the wild life of Mick Dodge, a quirky character whose unique brand of Zen comes from living by his own code – off the land and off the grid.
View Episode Rankings#7 - Genius (2017)
The life stories of history's greatest minds. From their days as young adults to their final years we see their discoveries, loves, relationships, causes, flaws and genius.
View Episode Rankings#8 - Wild Russia
Sprawling over 11 time zones and two continents from Europe to the Pacific, and beyond the magnificent cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, this huge country contains a wealth of unspoilt natural wilderness. Through unprecedented access we showcase the spectacle that is Wild Russia. From east to west, via mountains, volcanoes, deserts, lakes and Arctic ice, this breathtaking six-part series uses stunning cinematography to chart the dazzling natural wonders of this vast country.
View Episode Rankings#9 - Banged Up Abroad (2007)
Terrifying tales of every traveler's worst fear - imprisonment abroad. From gruesome jails to chilling kidnappings, live through the panic, tears and desperation as each dreadful story unfolds.
View Episode Rankings#10 - Seconds From Disaster
Accounts of famous technological disasters and their subsequent investigations.
View Episode Rankings#11 - American Genius
History's greatest minds have always known that to change the world, you have to take out the competition. American Genius chronicles the competitions in innovation that pitted history’s brightest minds against each other in the race to lay claim to the future. From Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates to the Wright Brothers vs. Glen Curtiss, each episode of the show focuses on a specific rivalry, delving into the fierce power struggles, deceit, fluke timing, and raw ambition out of which innovation was born. Iconic masterminds pushed themselves to the limits of human genius, overcoming equally brilliant and ruthless competitors to turn history’s greatest ideas into reality.
View Episode Rankings#12 - Drugs, Inc.
How does the drug trade work? Can it be stopped or should it be regulated? And what are the personal costs? Those are just some of the questions answered in this miniseries, a comprehensive look at society's most abused drugs: cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana. First-person perspectives from traffickers, dealers, users, law enforcement and medical professionals detail how the drugs are processed and moved onto the streets, and the effects they have on the human body.
View Episode Rankings#13 - Explorer
Now in its third decade, National Geographic Explorer travels around the world exploring topical news stories. Hosted by Lisa Ling, Explorer visits locations with unique events and fascinating stories.
View Episode Rankings#14 - The Big Picture With Kal Penn
With the explosion of infographics and big data, maps aren't just about geography anymore. They can tell us all kinds of things about the human experience. National Geographic Channel’s new series The Big Picture With Kal Penn is all about finding the unexpected — and sometimes surprising — realities in both the world at large and our own backyard, revealed by crunching the numbers and finding new ways to visualize data. Host and producer Kal Penn is taking viewers on a journey to understand how things like money, sex, food, sports and crime influence our daily lives. Exploring and generating infographics from information banks and data analyses, we investigate different themes through the mapping of new data, the creative visualization of information, and in-depth personal stories with fascinating characters.
View Episode Rankings#15 - Ultimate Factories
Ultimate Factories also known as Megafactories is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2006 on the National Geographic Channel. The program explores the inner workings of factories worldwide. Each episode profiles the machinery and manpower behind each factory's main product, featuring close-ups, breakdowns, interviews, and side stories to show the sequence of events to produce the product in the factory. Hoff Productions was one of the principal producers of this highly successful series. It also airs in non-US markets as Megafactories.
View Episode Rankings#16 - Mars (2016)
The year is 2033, and humanity's first crewed mission to Mars is about to become a reality. As a clock counts down the final 90 seconds to landing, an expert crew of astronauts endures the final harrowing moments before touching down on the red planet. Even with the best training and resources available, the maiden crew of the Daedalus spacecraft must push itself to the brink of human capability in order to successfully establish the first sustainable colony on Mars. Set both in the future and in the present day, the global miniseries event MARS blends feature film-caliber scripted elements set in the future with documentary vérité interviews with today’s best and brightest minds in modern science and innovation, illuminating how research and development is creating the space technology that will enable our first attempt at a mission to Mars.
View Episode Rankings#17 - Brain Games
National Geographic Channel's Emmy-nominated series Brain Games returns this summer with 10 new mind-blowing episodes! Host Jason Silva gets inside your head and shows you what's really going on in there with an intricate series of interactive experiments designed to mess with your mind and reveal the inner-workings of your brain. Hailed by critics as "tremendous fun" that "makes science entertaining," Brain Games turns your mind's eye inwards for a fascinating journey into the three and a half pounds of tissue that makes you... you.
View Episode Rankings#18 - Megastructures
Take an eye-popping look at the greatest structures and machines ever created as we focus on some of the world's modern-day super-human miracles of construction.
View Episode Rankings#19 - Hacking the System
For 15 years, Brian Brushwood has made a career out of social manipulation and thinking like a criminal and now he’s here to reveal how to avoid people who cheat the system and show you how to use the legal tips, tricks, and shortcuts to get ahead in life. One hack at a time.
View Episode Rankings#20 - Live Free or Die
"Live Free or Die" explores one of America’s most remote subcultures, following five people who have left the modern world behind to live in backwoods and swamps where they hunt their own food, build their own shelters, and survive only on what they can produce with their own two hands and sharp intuition.
View Episode Rankings#21 - Border Wars
The officers and agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) scour the inhospitable landscape at one of the busiest border crossings in the country, seeking to intercept illegal entrants from the air, on the ground, and at the port of entry. Every day thousands of men, women and children attempt to enter the United States illegally -- some looking for work, some seeking a new life and others trying to smuggle drugs or other contraband. Many will do whatever it takes, often risking their lives by crossing Arizona's treacherous Sonoran Desert. Now, follow the officers and agents who struggle every day to defend this border, including: Officer Hector Navarro, part of the anti-terrorism contraband enforcement team; Agent Simon Keller, part of an 18-man all-terrain vehicle unit that navigates desert terrain too rough for cars; Officer Oscar Peru, who patrols the vast Arizona desert from a helicopter; Officer Mark Shanley, a 26-year CBP veteran who uses his hard-won experience to supplement the official manual; and Chief Rene Felix, a Nogales native with a personal mission to keep drug smugglers out of his town.
View Episode Rankings#22 - One Strange Rock
A mind-bending and thrilling journey that explores the fragility and wonder of planet Earth – one of the most peculiar, unique places in the universe.
View Episode Rankings#23 - Dog Whisperer
Dog Whisperer follows well-respected animal behaviorist Cesar Millan as he works to help dogs with behavior problems, and their human families. These problems range from excessive barking to behavior, that if not corrected, could leave the owners little choice but to euthanize the dog. Mr. Millan describes his work as "rehabilitating dogs, and training people." Dog owners can learn from him ways to establish a balanced relationship with their dogs that will help to prevent these problems.
View Episode Rankings#24 - Underworld, Inc.
From the illegal weapons to the underground sex trade, nothing is off limits and everything is for sale in illegal, underground markets. It's an industry that is brutal, exploitative, and corrupt where what you buy isn't always what it seems. Despite efforts to crack down on these illegal trades, more than $625 billion makes it's way into the US economy each year for illegal trade goods. Unprecedented inside access brings light to the inner workings of the last bastion of 'free' enterprise, charting a global path to the underworld economy. Workers, suppliers, sellers, customers – and the law enforcement trying to keep it in check - share their experience of a hidden world that touches us all.
View Episode Rankings#25 - Science of Stupid
This show combines cold hard science with some of the craziest, most spectacular and painful user generated clips ever recorded. Richard Hammond introduces all manner of mishaps featuring brave, if misguided individuals from around the world and then explains the science behind their failure and humiliation with the use of bespoke animations and super slo-mo cinematography. Every episode features between 50 and 60 clips of misadventure – ordinary folk making extraordinary mistakes. Each week watch stunts involving weightlifting, shooting guns or jumping over cars, that have gone wrong, paused, re-wound, and re-played and analysed to determine exactly what went wrong and why. Richard explains the physics, chemistry and biology at play, then presents forensic details to explain the stupidity that resulted in failure. He’ll look at everything including weight, volume, momentum, combustion and even how the brain operates. This is misadventure explained. This is the Science of Stupid.
View Episode Rankings#26 - No Man Left Behind
Modern war heroes overcome incredible odds in the most hostile environments on earth.
View Episode Rankings#27 - Great Migrations
Great Migrations gives the word “move” a whole new meaning. This seven-part global programming event takes viewers around the world on the arduous journeys millions of animals undertake to ensure the survival of their species. Shot from land and air, in trees and cliff-blinds, on ice floes and underwater, the shows tell the powerful stories of many of the planet’s species and their movements, while revealing new scientific insights with breathtaking high-definition clarity and emotional impact. The beauty of these stories is underscored by a new focus into these species’ fragile existence and their life-and-death quest for survival in an ever-changing world. The National Geographic Great Migrations team spent two and a half years in the field, traveling 420,000 miles across 20 countries and all seven continents to bring this ambitious production to television. Seven hours in total, Great Migrations includes four core hours chronicling epic animal migration, narrated by two-time Emmy, three-time Golden Globe winner Alec Baldwin. Additional hours include a special on scientific investigation of the mysteries of animal migration; a behind-the-scenes special on the advanced technology, dramatic challenges and passion required to capture these spectacular events; and an hour-long visual concert comprised of the stunning footage set to original music. A global initiative unprecedented in the Society's storied 122-year history, Great Migrations content will also be featured across the spectrum of National Geographic platforms, including magazine articles and maps, books, DVDs, mobile and iPhone apps, games, lectures, screenings, exhibits and tours, among others. Great Migrations reveals new scientific insight, previously undocumented behaviors and the most indepth visual record of a diverse range of animal migrations, including Botswana zebras, Mali elephants, red crabs on Christmas Island (between Australia and Indonesia), flying foxes in Australia, army ants i
View Episode Rankings#28 - Tsunami: Race Against Time
Marking 20 years since one of the deadliest natural disasters in history which spanned 14 countries, TSUNAMI: RACE AGAINST TIME provides a 360-degree view into the heart-stopping events of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
View Episode Rankings#29 - Inside Combat Rescue
For the first time ever, camera crews embed on a deployment to Afghanistan with the U.S. Air Force’s elite rescue team, Pararescuemen or PJs, as they fly day and night, in any weather, to save those in peril on the battlefield.
View Episode Rankings#30 - The '80s: The Decade That Made Us
A Six-Part Miniseries Event Narrated by Rob Lowe It's, like, totally tubular. The '80s: The Decade That Made Us isn't about nostalgia; it's about the history of our modern world that spawned political, technological, cultural, and social revolutions that began in the United States and went on to dominate the world. This cultural programming event is the defining biography of a generation. It's about a decade of people, decisions, and inventions that changed our future, told from the perspective of the unknowing history makers who lived these iconic moments. We worked out, worked harder, played harder and consumed more—because the 1980s was the decade when we went forward to the future.
View Episode Rankings#31 - Taboo
Around the world there are people of different cultures who take actions and decisions that seem out of the ordinary to the average westerner. Considered taboo, these people and their stories are now being known.
View Episode Rankings#32 - Life Below Zero
When bears, wolves and foxes are your only neighbors, life can be pretty lonely. Add minus-60-degree days and a constant battle for the most basic necessities, and you have the daily challenges of people who live in remote corners of Alaska. This series takes viewers deep into an Alaskan winter to meet six tough and resilient residents as they try to stay one step ahead of storms and man-eating beasts to make it through to spring. The closest neighbor to Sue Aikens is more than 300 miles away. Eric Salitan subsists solely on what he hunts and forages. Chip and Agnes Hailstone catch fish for currency in bartering for supplies, and Andy and Kate Bassich use their pack of sled dogs for transportation.
View Episode Rankings#33 - StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson brings together celebrities, scientists and comedians to explore a variety of cosmic topics and collide pop culture with science in a way that late-night television has never seen before. Weekly topics range from popular science fiction, space travel, extraterrestrial life, the Big Bang, to the future of Earth and the environment. Tyson is an astrophysicist with a gifted ability to connect with everyone, inspiring us all to "keep looking up." The studio audience portion of the series is filmed in the Cullman Hall of the Universe at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City — where Tyson serves as the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium.
View Episode Rankings#34 - Underdogs (2025)
Follow the story of the heroic underdogs of the natural world – the good, the bad and the frankly ugly. From their hidden talents to their bold hygiene choices, unsavory courtship rituals, devious camouflage techniques and "tough love" parenting skills, Underdogs will celebrate and champion the unique and unpredictable behaviors of a little known and surprising cast of animal characters.
View Episode Rankings#35 - Doomsday Preppers
Doomsday Preppers explores the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it. Unique in their beliefs, motivations, and strategies, preppers will go to whatever lengths they can to make sure they are prepared for any of life’s uncertainties. And with our expert’s assessment, they will find out their chances of survival if their worst fears become a reality.
View Episode Rankings#36 - The Long Road Home
Relive a heroic fight for survival during the Iraq War, when the 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood was ferociously ambushed on April 4, 2004, in Sadr City, Baghdad — a day that came to be known in military annals as “Black Sunday.”
View Episode Rankings#37 - Breakthrough
BREAKTHROUGH explores the remarkable scientific discoveries in brain science, longevity, water, energy, pandemics and cyborg technology. Lifesaving, mind-boggling innovation is a part of everyday life, so we sometimes take it for granted. It happens in the blink of an eye – on battlefields and playgrounds, in supercolliders and the International Space Station, in smart homes and smart cars. These are modern-day revolutions in how we live. Each hour-long episode is directed by a Hollywood visionary – Angela Bassett, Peter Berg, Paul Giamatti, Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard and Brett Ratner.
View Episode Rankings#38 - Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold
The professional adventure rock climber Honnold embark on a lifelong dream - an epic climbing quest across the remotest and toughest walls and peaks of Greenland.
View Episode Rankings#39 - Wicked Tuna
Fishing is a hard life, and harder with bluefin stocks depleted. In Gloucester, Massachusetts, there's a special breed of fishermen. For generations they've used rod and reel to catch the elusive bluefin tuna. They depend on these fish for their livelihood, and the competition is brutal. Over the next 10 weeks, the most skilled fishermen will set out in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic in hopes of catching the valuable bluefin tuna. When one bluefin can bring in as much as $20,000—they'll do whatever it takes to hook up.
View Episode Rankings#40 - Big, Bigger, Biggest
How did bridges evolve in size from tiny bamboo walkways spanning streams to long suspension bridges connecting distant islands? How did buildings surge in stature from ground-hugging houses to cloud-busting skyscrapers? We reveal evolutionary engineering leaps that enabled different types of structures to explode from big to bigger to biggest.
View Episode Rankings#41 - Ultimate Airport Dubai
Less than 55 years ago, Dubai International Airport was a vast desert of sand. Today, it is a modern mecca of international air travel. With a staggering 344,000 flights, 57 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo flying in and out each year, it is the worlds third busiest airport for international passengers. In Ultimate Airport Dubai, step behind-the-scenes of Dubai Internationals three massive terminals, including Terminal 3 the largest building on earth by floor space, measuring 359 football pitches in size! With unprecedented access to all facets of this mega facility, the series follows some of the 60,000 staff working hard to keep it safe, secure, and on schedule.
View Episode Rankings#42 - Lockdown
A series examining prison life that visits facilities in California, Ohio and Minnesota for reports on prison conditions, gang activity and supermax incarceration of dangerous criminals.
View Episode Rankings#43 - Ultimate Survival Alaska
They are some the toughest, most extreme survivalists that Alaska has to offer. Going head to head, eight men of a rare breed are about to take the ultimate test of survival in Arctic conditions that only National Geographic could inspire. Dropped in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness by bush plane, with only their raw, mountain-man ingenuity, they’ll navigate through treacherous glaciated river valleys, barren ridgelines, and high mountain peaks, battling hunger, hostile predators, and perilous weather conditions along the way. Like the original National Geographic explorers, for those who succeed there is no grand prize, just the well-fought pride of having conquered the grueling challenges that Mother Nature can throw at them. It's an epic competition series where the only prize is survival.
View Episode Rankings#44 - India from Above
This two-part series narrated by Dev Patel showcases the beauty of India through its natural wonders, fascinating people, and diverse cultures for soaring heights.
View Episode Rankings#45 - Known Universe
Ever wondered what would happen if you were sucked into a black hole? Or, if wormholes could make time travel a reality? And could life on Earth survive a huge meteor strike like the one that took out the dinosaurs? This series combines the most current scientific information, cutting-edge computer graphics, dramatic time-lapse sequences and everyday examples to shed light on some of the most mind-boggling aspects of our universe.
View Episode Rankings#46 - Running Wild with Bear Grylls
The famed survivalist takes A-list celebrities on journeys into the wildest locations around the world, forcing the stars to push their bodies and minds to the limit to successfully complete the adventure of a lifetime.
View Episode Rankings#47 - Chasing UFOs
A team of trained investigators sets out to uncover the truth about UFOs. But they’re not just looking for more stories on extraterrestrial activity—they want answers. Risking it all, this team of scientists and UFO researchers investigate and dissect some of the most mysterious sightings on the planet to unearth stunning new evidence. The data they collect on these adventures paints an entirely new picture of what we know about these strange lights in the sky.
View Episode Rankings#48 - Ancient X-Files
Ancient X Files travels around the world to solve some intriguing riddles. Each story is a piece of detective work by an expert trying to make sense of some puzzling ancient artefact, to find the truth behind some extraordinary legend, to discover the origins of a bizarre myth or to establish the authenticity of a venerated religious relic. This series explores the bits of archaeology and history which seem to defy explanation. Our experts are following chains of clues and putting theories to the test, in an effort to explain the unexplained. Ancient X Files investigates claims about the whereabouts of the lost Ark of the Covenant; attempts to establish the authenticity of a cup some believe to be the Holy Grail; tries to de-code the mysterious Phaistos disc; investigates a cloth which is believed to carry traces of the DNA of Jesus Christ; and deciphers an encrypted book of alchemy written by the great Sir Isaac Newton.
View Episode Rankings#49 - Continent 7: Antarctica
Follow the experience of the close-knit communities of scientists, engineers and hardened field vets that have forged an existence unlike anything in our planet, fighting brutal conditions to conduct crucial science.
View Episode Rankings#50 - Tut's Treasures: Hidden Secrets
Tutankhamun’s tomb discovery by Howard Carter in 1922 made headlines across the world and created great interest in Ancient Egypt and its artifacts. However as years have passed since the discovery, many of the pharaoh’s priceless treasures have disappeared into museum basements and archives across Egypt. Now all 5,398 objects are being bought together for the first time since their discovery to be shown at the newly constructed Egyptian Museum.
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