The BEST episodes of The Blue Planet

Every episode of The Blue Planet ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Blue Planet!

The BBC spent five years and $10 million to produce this landmark exploration of the ocean, a world we know less about than the moon. We go further out and deeper down to show you things that have never been seen before. The Blue Planet: Seas of Life reveals the sea and its communities at their most fearsome and alluring. Until now, we've only touched the surface...

Last Updated: 1/3/2024Network: BBC OneStatus: Ended
Share:
Frozen Seas
star
8.19
300 votes

#1 - Frozen Seas

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/3/2001

An environment where only the toughest survive, the Arctic and Antarctic are unrelenting habitats. Only in spring does life begin again. Plankton blooms and feeds fast hordes of migrating fish, walruses rake the seabed for clams, and minke and humpback whales gorge themselves on gigantic swarms of krill. But it is a brief spring feast - the ice soon returns and pushes life back into the ocean.

Watch Now:Amazon
Coral Seas
star
8.16
311 votes

#2 - Coral Seas

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/17/2001

Bathed in bright sunlight and warm clear water, the coral reef is a rich oasis of life - the rainforest of the sea. Bizarrely adorned harlequin shrimp carry off a starfish several times their size, while haunting songs reverberate around the reef, heralding the arrival of humpback whales. Shimmering schools of brightly colored fish battle for territory in this competitive world where you have to stand out to survive.

Watch Now:Amazon
Coasts
star
8.07
191 votes

#3 - Coasts

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/31/2001

From rocky cliffs to gentle dunes, the coasts are always changing. Day in and day out, they are battered by crashing waves. Seabirds come here by the thousands to nest, while baby turtles hatch and race to the sea, pursued by hungry predators. Young sea lion pups are born and play on the sand - until a killer whale attacks, crashing in on the surf. But when breeding season is over, life returns to the sea and the shores are empty once again.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Deep
star
8.06
471 votes

#4 - The Deep

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/19/2001

A place of mountain ranges, perpetual night, pressures extremes and cold... and the weirdest life forms on our planet. Dive into the depths of the ocean, an eerie world where predators with teeth so large they can't even close their mouths, chase bio-luminescent creatures of the deep. Discover the spectacular smoking chimneys of the hydrothermal vents. Go deeper down than you have ever been...

Watch Now:Amazon
Seasonal Seas
star
7.84
219 votes

#5 - Seasonal Seas

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/10/2001

As the days grow longer, billions of microscopic plankton bloom under the blazing sun. Here in the temperate seas, three-ton basking sharks graze among forests of giant kelp - the fastest growing plant in the world. The forests harbor thousands of other animals, including sea otters, brilliantly colored anemones, squid, and exquisite leafy dragons. But as the year wears on, storms rage in the icy sea... a desperate challenge for the animals that remain.

Watch Now:Amazon
Introduction
star
7.79
623 votes

#6 - Introduction

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/12/2001

Experience the power of the blue whale - the largest mammal ever to grace our planet. Learn how the sun and moon help control and tame the ocean. Travel far and wide - from the Eastern Pacific to Alaska, from the Bering Sea to the shores of Southern California - and begin to understand the complexity and power of our oceans.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Open Ocean
star
7.71
329 votes

#7 - Open Ocean

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/26/2001

In the immense space of the open ocean the sea bed is a staggering five miles below the surface and the nearest island is over 300 miles away. Yet here live many of the most spectacular predators in the ocean. Marvel as you experience ruthless and beautiful battles between hunter and prey.

Watch Now:Amazon
Tidal Seas
star
7.66
230 votes

#8 - Tidal Seas

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/24/2001

The sun and moon move billions of tons of water with every turn of the tide. The strongest tides empty entire bays, smash trees on riverbanks, and strand sea creatures on suddenly dry land. Weaker tides control the movements of huge numbers of fish, coaxing stingrays though astounding underwater arches. And as the water recedes, the tide can create unbelievable landscapes - like a sparkling world of salt crystals inhabited only by tiny shrimp and bright pink flamingos.

Watch Now:Amazon