Smithsonian Channel
Featured Show:
Arabian Inferno
The parched and barren landscape of the Arabian Peninsula offers a vivid backdrop for life in the harsh desert. Water is scarce and death due to the extreme heat is common, yet a natural world continues to flourish. Follow some of the desert's most iconic creatures and learn the unique ways in which they've adapted to the stark conditions around them.
Smithsonian Channel TV Shows
121 shows • Page 4 of 7
0Arabian Inferno
The parched and barren landscape of the Arabian Peninsula offers a vivid backdrop for life in the harsh desert. Water is scarce and death due to the extreme heat is common, yet a natural world continues to flourish. Follow some of the desert's most iconic creatures and learn the unique ways in which they've adapted to the stark conditions around them.
The Real Mad Men of Advertising
Follow the evolution of advertising from the 1950s through the 1980s, via interviews with the industry's top ad executives, and through classic ads and commercials.
0Crazy Monster
Enter a world filled with the most spectacular freaks of nature on the planet. Here you will find a weird and wonderful collection of leaping spiders, snot-casting fish, blood-sucking bats, flesh-boring bugs, and other bizarre creatures occupying our land, sea, and sky. Join us as we celebrate oddities of all shapes, sizes, and species, giving an up-close view of them in their natural habitat, and revealing how these misfits of nature have developed their strange adaptations over tens of millions of years.
The Lost Tapes
Encounter the Pearl Harbor attacks, the L.A. riots, the Son of Sam murders and Patty Hearst's kidnapping the way they unfolded on TVs and radios across America. We present these shocking events from the 20th century, not through traditional journalistic reportage, but in real-time, as they were covered by national and local news broadcasts. This footage, much of which has not been seen in decades, gives an intimacy and immediacy to stories we thought we knew but will now rediscover through a unique perspective.
0Arctic Secrets
Embark on a journey into the world's most unforgiving arctic zones, where land and ice are inseparably joined. Swim through the mammoth Mackenzie Delta, or explore the great tundra of Nunavik. These hostile regions yield little for the hardy wildlife and local Inuit tribes that wait patiently for an all-too-brief summer.
Animal Empires
Animals congregate in places where their basic needs can be met: havens from predators where competition for food is manageable and breeding opportunities are abundant. Journey to the habitats of these one-of-a-kind animals and learn their survival stories, from nesting fairy penguins, to migrating caribou.
WWII's Most Daring Raids
They were U.S. paratroopers, Norwegian operatives, and British Commandos, Allied teams leading high-risk operations throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia to fight Hitler and turn the tide of the war. WWII's Most Daring Raids puts you in the heart of the action, giving you a minute-by-minute account of the most astonishing surprise attacks against the Third Reich. We forensically examine how exactly these assaults played out, through expert analysis and testimonies from the brave men who carried them out.
0Sacred Sites
This docuseries uses scientific breakthroughs and archaeological research to bring new perspectives to some of the most remarkable, but mysterious, religious locations. Each episode focuses on a site, exploring fundamental questions about the landmarks and the people who constructed them. Exploring the sites allows the show to provide insight into the ancient civilizations and how their practices and struggles are reflected in the shrines and temples they constructed.
0Africa's Wild Havens
They provide shade in blistering heat, shelter to animals in desperate need, and feasts when the rest of the region has dried up. They are the miracle trees of the African savannas, giving predators and herbivores the tools to stay alive in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Join us as we take a look at the sausage tree of Zambia, the marula of the Manyeleti, and the camelthorn of the Kalahari, each tree uniquely evolved to adapt to Africa's extremes, and each one an integral part of the lives of the inhabitants.
0Reef Wrecks
The ocean floor is home to centuries' worth of sunken vessels integrated into marine habitats. Explore extraordinary wrecks around the world and learn how these artificial structures have become a part of the ecosystem--and in some cases, a vital tool in reversing the effects of human impact.
Secret Life Of The Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian devils are the bruisers of the animal kingdom: feisty, fearless, and always up for a fight. But despite being at the top of the food chain, these marsupials face extinction due to a deadly disease they pass on to one another through biting. Join conservationists as they step into the turf of this brawling ball of ferocity, in a bid to rescue them from themselves.
0Secrets of Wild Australia
Dive into the secret and surprising lives of some of Australia's signature wildlife. From mini marsupials to flying foxes, join these extraordinary creatures thriving in the otherworldly landscapes of this astonishing island-continent.
Extreme Africa
Africa's diverse terrain is as awesome as it is deadly. With scalding volcanic fields, scorched-earth deserts, and violent waterways, discover what lives in some of the world's most inhospitable places and see how these species have adapted to thrive where others would perish.
Land of Primates
Primates, like lemurs, baboons, and monkeys, are our closest living relatives, making them a source of endless human fascination. See their adaptability and resilience in action through their daily quests for food and shelter.
Secret Life of the Kangaroo
With their distinctive appearance, trademark bounce, and babies in pouches, kangaroos are Australia's most iconic marsupial. But kangaroo life isn't without its challenges: Predators like the dingo or goanna are always looking for dinner, and evading them is life's number one priority. Take a closer look at the up-and-down life of an Australian icon.
0Sports Detectives
Some of the most coveted and valuable treasures from history's greatest games and players are missing or misidentified. It's up to the Sports Detectives to find the items and get to the truth. Follow private investigator Kevin Barrows and sports reporter Lauren Gardner as they travel the country on the hunt for Ali's missing Olympic gold medal, Jim Craig's Miracle on Ice flag, Dale Earnhardt's first racecar, and other legendary items.
Brazil Untamed
The Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland, a lush environment where a tangled web of lives comes together. Tree-dwelling capuchin monkeys, gravity-defying Piraputanga fish that leap out of the water to pluck fruit from trees, and over 650 species of birds call this ecosystem home. Wade into this wonderland of biodiversity and uncover its natural rhythms.
Hell Below
Hell Below is an event-based series charting the stealth game of sub sea warfare, tracking the dramatic narrative from contact to attack of the greatest submarine patrols of World War II. From the rise of the Wolfpack to the drive for victory in the Pacific, we profile the strategic masterminds and the rapid evolution of technology and tactics, as the threat of undersea warfare brings every sailor's worst nightmare to life. Expert analysis and stock footage are woven with narrative driven re-enactments filmed on authentic Second World War era submarines to place the characters at the heart of the action.
0Humongous Moves
Across land, sea, and air, they carry the most massive, fragile, and expensive cargoes on the planet to destinations hundreds, even thousands, of miles away. Follow the teams of engineers tasked with planning and executing the world's most nail-biting moves. Through each daring and dangerous relocation and amidst tough conditions and tight deadlines, these heavy haulers must overcome incredible challenges to get their colossal cargoes to their new homes.
Ocean Parks
From the untouched, pristine waters of the Caribbean island of Bonaire to the vibrant beauty of the Mesoamerican Reef, explore some of the rarest protected aquatic paradises in the world.