Smithsonian Channel

Orangutan Jungle School

This series follows the stories of the orangutans and the staff at the world’s biggest orangutan rehabilitation center.

The Pacific War in Color

Witness iconic assaults, intense battles, and intimate moments of the Pacific War, in color.

Drinks, Crime and Prohibition

A deep dive into the underbelly of the Prohibition era, which was characterized as much by jazz, illegal booze and female liberation as it was by gangsters and brutality.

China's Dragon Emperor

The story of Qin Shi Huang is as epic in life as it is in death. Crowned as a boy king over 2,000 years ago, he grew to unify China for the first time, establishing a new form of government, uniform laws, and a single writing system that is still in use today. He also ordered the construction of a royal tomb that is larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza and is guarded by a massive army of terracotta warriors. Explore the transformative life and magnificent afterlife of China's first emperor.

Carriers at War

From the shipyard to the battlefield, see what makes U.S. supercarriers the cornerstone of America's naval might.

Fishing For Giants

South African extreme fisherman Andy Coetzee embarks on an epic series of adventures to reel in some of the world's most elusive and iconic fish species.

Aerial Africa

Aerial Africa reveals the fascinating stories you'd never find if you weren't in the air.

Aerial Cities

Fascinating insights in the day and night life of some of America’s most famed metropolises. Along with showcasing each city’s iconic landmarks and often-surprising history, the series’ 4K cameras capture a bird’s-eye perspective of the frenzy of work and play that make each city so distinctive.

Discovering the Cosmos

Unleash your imagination and embark on mankind’s next giant leap into space exploration.

Epic Warrior Women

Join us as we tell the tales of history's most iconic female fighters, from the legendary Amazons of Central Asia to the gladiators of the Roman Empire to the all-female fighting force of West Africa.

Arabian Seas

The waters bordering the Arabian Peninsula are home to a host of unique marine animals: from predators like zebra sharks and giant stingrays, to camouflage kings like the cuttlefish and sea horse, to occasional visitors like the migrating whale shark and hawksbill turtle. Wade into this little-seen world of ocean oddities.

Survival in the Skies

Make It Out Alive

The untold human stories behind some of the world’s greatest disasters.

Wild Castles

From the exquisite brown bears and aquatic salamanders of Predjama Castle, to the Neuschwanstein Castle that inspired the fictional fortresses of some of Disney's most iconic princesses, explore the curious history of these imposing European structures and the creatures that now call them home.

British Royal Secrets Revealed

Uncover the stories behind Princess Diana's life and the British monarchy like never before.

Shark Squad

Around the world, a group of scientists are risking their lives to come face-to-face with the most fearsome sharks in the ocean. From researchers in Guadalupe attempting to attach a camera to a great white, to a dedicated 'shark lab' in the Bahamas investigating shark migration and overall intelligence, join a thrilling journey into the hidden habitats of these premier marine predators.

First Ladies Revealed

See how our first ladies have defined presidencies, reimagined the White House, and left their mark on American history.

America in Color

From the 1920s through the 1960s, America transformed from a young country on the rise into a global superpower. Using digital colorization technology, we present these formative decades as few have seen them, revisiting 50 vibrant years of good times and great despair, technological triumphs and natural disasters, and global villains and national heroes.

Combat Ships

The very first submarine, which legend claims lurked beneath New York Harbor during the American Revolutionary War. The small ships that rescued thousands from Dunkirk. The destroyer that forced the easing of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Over the centuries, conflicts have prompted advances to ship designs, making vessels stronger, faster, smarter, and capable of changing the course of wars. Join us as we examine the world's greatest Combat Ships, and reveal how they shaped world history and inspired men and women to acts of incredible courage.

America's Secret Space Heroes

The inside stories of how the unknown engineers of NASA created such superior machines as the Saturn V moon rocket, the Space Shuttle, and the Hubble Space Telescope, often against incredible odds.