The Best TV Shows on Animal Planet

Every Animal Planet Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Dive into our updated selection of Animal Planet’s finest, featuring more than 20 series as of October 2026. Animal Planet has over 20 shows broadcast from as early as 1994 and as recent as 2018. Jim Henson's Animal Show with Stinky and Jake and The Crocodile Hunter represent the pinnacle of Animal Planet’s programming, launching in 1994 and 1997.

  • Jim Henson's Animal Show with Stinky and Jake
    Jim Henson's Animal Show with Stinky and Jake (1994)9.7

    The show was hosted by Jake, a jovial polar bear, and Stinky, his skunk friend. Other main characters included Armstrong the Chicken Hawk, Ollie the Tapir, Bunnie Bear, Tizzy the Bee, Yves St. La Roache, Rhonda Rat, and Dullard the Aardvark. Structured as a talk show, the hosts interviewed two guest animals in each episode. The animals talked about themselves and showed clips of their real-life counterparts.

  • The Crocodile Hunter Diaries
    The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002)9.0

    Discover Steve and Terri Irwin's life at the Australia Zoo and the incredible stories that unfold in front of the camera. From the birth of their daughter Bindi, to the amazing operations as they treat the wildest, most outrageous animals on the planet.

  • Croc Files
    Croc Files (1999)8.9

    Croc Files is a wildlife documentary television series focusing on crocodiles first aired on cable TV channel Animal Planet. It was created as a spin-off to the original Crocodile Hunter and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries series hosted by Australian naturalist Steve Irwin and his wife Terri Irwin. In the UK it was aired on ITV. In Australia it was aired on Network Ten.

  • Monkey Business
    Monkey Business (1997)8.3

    Monkey Business is a long-running TV series about the exploits of various primates who reside at Monkey World, a rescue centre and sanctuary for primates in Dorset, United Kingdom. The series features Jim and Dr. Alison Cronin, directors of Monkey World, as they travel around the world rescuing primates from lives of abuse, and returning them to Monkey World. Their goal is to rehabilitate the rescued primates and allow them to live in as natural a habitat as possible, being part of a group and living with friends of their own kind.

  • It's Me or the Dog
    It's Me or the Dog (2005)8.3

    It's Me or the Dog is a television program featuring dog trainer Victoria Stilwell who addresses canine behavioral problems, teaches responsible dog ownership and promotes dog training techniques based on positive reinforcement. The show currently airs in about 50 countries worldwide.

  • Monsters Inside Me
    Monsters Inside Me (2009)8.2

    Part horror movie, part medical detective story, find out what happens when people fall prey to an infection from a parasite, those nasty microscopic creatures found in water, soil and even in the air. Victims' stories are retold, including how doctors and scientists attempt to unravel each case before it's too late. Biologist Dan Riskin, assisted by doctors and experts who witnessed each case, leads the scientific discussion about each parasite.

  • Crikey! It's the Irwins
    Crikey! It's the Irwins (2018)8.1

    Follow Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin as they run the extraordinary Australia Zoo in the bushlands of northern Australia. Caring for over 1,200 animals, overseeing a world-class wildlife hospital, and conducting high-octane global conservation expeditions, the Irwins’ lives are full of adventure, fueled by their love of animals and passion for protecting them.

  • Pet Star
    Pet Star (2002)7.8

    Pet Star was a show on Animal Planet hosted by Mario Lopez. The show is a contest between owners and their trained pets who perform tricks. The tricks are graded by three celebrity judges on a scale of one to 10. In the end, the three pets with the highest score come out as finalists, and the audience votes on who is the episode's Pet Star. Then, at the end of the season, the winners compete to be the year's ULTIMATE PET STAR. The winner of a regular show gets $2,500, while the winner of the finals gets $25,000. There were many celebrity judges, including Gena Lee Nolin, Virginia Madsen, Will Estes, Lindsay Wagner, Matt Gallant, Mackenzie Phillips, Billy West, James Avery, George Wallace, Melissa Peterman, Christopher Rich, John O'Hurley, Vanessa Lengies, Dom Irrera, Carol Leifer, Andy Kindler, Melissa Rivers, Meshach Taylor, Kaley Cuoco, Rosa Blasi, Jeff Cesario, Karri Turner, Peter Scolari, Bruce Jenner, Fred Willard, Shari Belafonte, Josh Meyers, Lori Petty, Ben Stein, Richard Jeni, Ken Howard, Paul Gilmartin, Maria Menounos, Tempestt Bledsoe, David Brenner and Amy Davidson. Pet Star is based on the show Star Search. It is shown in the United Kingdom on Challenge.

  • Animal Precinct
    Animal Precinct (2001)7.7

    Animal Precinct is an American documentary reality television series that originally aired from June 26, 2001, to February 4, 2008, on Animal Planet. Set in New York City, the series follows the animal cruelty agents of the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement Division as they work as advocates for the five million pets and other animals in New York City, sometimes removing them from dangerous situations and pursuing arrests of those who have been accused of being cruel to animals. The show was filmed locally by crews from Anglia Television, edited in the UK and shown on Discovery Channel networks worldwide.

  • The Crocodile Hunter
    The Crocodile Hunter (1997)7.6

    Australian host Steve Irwin and his wife Terri run a wildlife refuge. Their shared passion is educating the world about wildlife, including the much feared crocodile and numerous venomous snakes. Steve's specialty is the capture and relocation of crocodiles. No animal appears too threatening to Steve, his true respect for animals is the foundation for everything he does.

  • Meerkat Manor
    Meerkat Manor (2005)7.6

    Meerkat Manor is a British television programme produced by Oxford Scientific Films for Animal Planet International that premiered in September 2005 and ran for four series until its cancellation in August 2008. Blending more traditional animal documentary style footage with dramatic narration, the series told the story of the Whiskers, one of more than a dozen families of meerkats in the Kalahari Desert being studied as part of the Kalahari Meerkat Project, a long-term field study into the ecological causes and evolutionary consequences of the cooperative nature of meerkats. The original programme was narrated by Bill Nighy, with the narration redubbed by Mike Goldman for the Australian airings and Sean Astin for the American broadcasts. The fourth series, subtitled The Next Generation, saw Stockard Channing replacing Astin as the narrator in the American dubbing.

  • Tanked
    Tanked (2011)7.6

    Following the antics of two brothers-in-law as they run the largest aquarium manufacturing company in the nation, Tanked dunks viewers into the high-decibel, family-owned business of Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM). Led by business partners, best friends and constant rivals Wayde King and Brett Raymer, this 13,000 square foot facility, located in Las Vegas, produces some of the most outrageous, larger-than-life and one-of-a-kind tanks for some of the most striking fish and clients around.

  • River Monsters
    River Monsters (2009)7.5

    Extreme angler Jeremy Wade is on the hunt for fish with a taste for human flesh. This rip-roaring ride mixes action and adventure with mysteries, edge-of-the-seat chase and a battle of wills between man and nature.

  • The Future Is Wild
    The Future Is Wild (2002)7.4

    The Future Is Wild was a 2002 thirteen-part documentary television miniseries. Based on research and interviews with several scientists, the miniseries shows how life could evolve in the future if Homo sapiens left the earth. The version broadcast on the Discovery Channel modified this premise, supposing instead that the human race had completely abandoned the Earth and had sent back probes to examine the progress of life on the planet. The show took the form of a nature documentary. The miniseries was released with a companion book written by geologist Dougal Dixon, the author of several "anthropologies and zoologies of the future", in conjunction with natural history television producer John Adams. For a time in 2005, a theme park based on this program was opened in Japan. In 2008 a special on the Discovery Channel about the development of the video game Spore was combined with airings of The Future Is Wild. A film version of the series was picked up by Warner Bros.

  • My Cat from Hell
    My Cat from Hell (2011)7.4

    From cats that break up relationships to violent felines that put their owners in the hospital, cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy has seen it all. Follow Jackson as he brings his unique understanding of cats to desperate families on the verge of giving up on their furry companions.

  • The Haunted
    The Haunted (2009)7.2

    The Haunted is an American paranormal television series that premiered on November 22, 2009 on Animal Planet. Produced by Picture Shack Entertainment, the program features ghost stories and paranormal investigations involving animals. It also incorporates actual footage and photographs from the famiilies and paranormal research teams involved.

  • Animal Nation With Anthony Anderson
    Animal Nation With Anthony Anderson (2017)7.0

    A celebration of animals and the people who love them featuring viral videos, celebrity interviews, discussions of animal behavior, and comedian correspondents report from the field.

  • Treehouse Masters
    Treehouse Masters (2013)6.8

    People who know and work with Pete Nelson describe him as a tree whisperer. For his part, Nelson lets the trees do the talking. He's a world-renowned treehouse designer and builder, and this series documents the work he and his team of craftsmen—including his son Charlie—do to create incredible homes and businesses in nature's canopy. Pete uses a combination of science and art to realize clients' sky-high aspirations of magnificent multi-bedroom treehouses with elaborate kitchens and bathrooms, or simpler, peaceful one-room escapes. Other backyard escapes featured in the series include a spa retreat, a brewery, and a honeymoon suite. "We awaken that inner child who dreams of living among the trees," Pete says.

  • Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet
    Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet (2015)6.8

    There's no such thing as "a regular day" at Denver's Planned Pethood Plus veterinary clinic. For 80,000-plus clients and their pets, the clinic and its maverick ER vet Dr. Jeff Young represent one last hope and possibly the difference between life and death.

  • Lost Tapes
    Lost Tapes (2008)6.2

    Lost Tapes is an American television horror series that aired on Animal Planet. Produced by Go Go Luckey Entertainment, the program presents found footage depicting traumatic encounters with cryptozoological creatures, including the Chupacabra and Bigfoot, and even supernatural creatures such as the Werewolf and Vampire, and extraterrestrials: Alien and Reptilian. The pilot aired on Animal Planet October 30, 2008 for Halloween, but the series officially premiered on January 6, 2009. Animal Planet commissioned a second season, which premiered on September 29, 2009. Season 3 premiered on September 28, 2010, with episodes featuring zombies and the Kraken. The show also used to air on Planet Green.