Popular searches:

The Best TV Shows on National Geographic

Every National Geographic Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Discover the best of National Geographic with our list of over 20 series, meticulously updated for April 2025. Among National Geographic’s finest offerings are Explorer and MegaStructures, which debuted in 1985 and 2004, respectively. From 1985 through to 2022, National Geographic has accumulated a diverse collection of over 20 television shows.

  • Cosmos
    Cosmos (2014)8.5

    Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson provides clarity for the vision of the cosmos as he voyages across the universe with never-before-told stories that delve into the scientific concepts of the laws of gravity and the origins of space and time.

  • Genius
    Genius (2017)7.7

    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.

  • Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted
    Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (2019)7.6

    Follow Gordon Ramsay as he meets with indigenous people around the globe to learn about the cultures, dishes and flavors unique to each location. Each episode concludes with Ramsay challenging himself with a local food legend by his side - putting his newfound skills to the test as they cook a feast together for the natives.

  • Life Below Zero
    Life Below Zero (2013)7.4

    Viewers go 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.

  • The Story of God with Morgan Freeman
    The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (2016)7.4

    Morgan Freeman presents his quest in order to find how most religions perceive life after death, what different civilizations thought about the act of creation and other big questions that mankind has continuously asked.

  • Drain the Oceans
    Drain the Oceans (2018)7.4

    Maritime mysteries—old and new—come to life in this series, combining scientific data and digital re-creations to reveal shipwrecks, treasures, and sunken cities on the bottom of lakes, seas and oceans around the world.

  • The Hot Zone
    The Hot Zone (2019)7.1

    In this anthology series, heroic scientists risk all to deal with deadly outbreaks.

  • MegaStructures
    MegaStructures (2004)7.0

    MegaStructures is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, France 5 in France, and 7mate in Australia. Each episode is an educational look of varying depth into the construction, operation, and staffing of various structures or construction projects, but not ordinary construction products. Generally containing interviews with designers and project managers, it presents the problems of construction and the methodology or techniques used to overcome obstacles. In some cases this involved the development of new materials or products that are now in general use within the construction industry. MegaStructures focuses on constructions that are extreme; in the sense that they are the biggest, tallest, longest, or deepest in the world. Alternatively, a project may appear if it had an element of novelty or are a world first. This type of project is known as a Megaproject.

  • Africa's Deadliest
    Africa's Deadliest (2011)7.0

    Africa is a land sculpted by time where animals have evolved complex weapons to arm them in the battle to live another day. An elephant's tusks can defend, or attack. An octopus uses camouflage to find food, or hide from an enemy. A Cape Fur Seal's speed and agility are valuable tools to catch a penguin, but ineffectual against a Great White Shark. A single hippopotamus holds a pride of twelve lions at bay with his sheer bulk, but backs down when faced with the piercing teeth of another hippo. With lethal weapons wielded by fearsome predators and prey, animals walk a precarious path, here among Africa's Deadliest.

  • Air Crash Investigation: Special Report
    Air Crash Investigation: Special Report (2018)6.9

    In this special season of Air Crash Investigation, every episode examines multiple aviation disasters that prove to have similarities including; engines that separated from their aircrafts mid-flight, mismatched pilot pairings that led to deadly crashes, and improvised landings with tragic consequences.

  • Running Wild with Bear Grylls
    Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)6.8

    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.

  • Lost Treasures of Egypt
    Lost Treasures of Egypt (2019)6.8

    An immersive, action-packed and discovery-led series following International teams of Egyptologists as they unearth the world's richest seam of ancient archaeology - Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

  • Wicked Tuna
    Wicked Tuna (2012)6.7

    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.

  • StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
    StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson (2015)6.7

    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 to "keep looking up."

  • Dog Whisperer
    Dog Whisperer (2004)6.6

    Cesar Millan has been called the Dr. Phil for Dogs. With an uncanny ability to rehabilitate problem dogs of all shapes and sizes. Each episode of the Dog Whisperer documents the remarkable transformations that take place under Cesar's guidance and teaching, helping dogs and their owners live happier lives together.

  • Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge
    Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge (2022)6.6

    Bear Grylls is taking it up a level by teaching his celebrity guests essential survival skills that they'll have to master and then prove they can use in a high stress situation.

  • Science of Stupid
    Science of Stupid (2014)6.1

    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.

  • Explorer
    Explorer (1985)5.8

    National Geographic's Explorer gives viewers special access to the issues of the day.

  • Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie
    Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie (2008)N/A

    Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie is a documentary television program focusing on food, the culture of food, cuisine, and gastronomy. The show is affiliated with Gourmet magazine.

  • Science of Stupid
    Science of Stupid (2014)N/A

    Science of action is described in several different daily routine activities like sports, stunts, adventures, and things that should not be done at home. This series shows videos of people hurting themselves and explains the science behind them.