NOVA backdrop
Documentary

The Best Episodes of NOVA Season 11

Every episode of NOVA Season 11 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NOVA Season 11!

Binge this in 18h 20m•Peaking at 8.2/10

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

Airs on
PBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons53

All1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    NOVA Season 11 Episode 1 - The Case of ESP
    6.8/10(13 votes)

    #1 - The Case of ESP

    S11:E1

    In the past decade, a number of researchers have begun systematic laboratory research into extrasensory perception—ESP. NOVA considers the claims for—and against—paranormal phenomena and looks at some startling applications in the field of archaeology, criminology and Warfare.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. NOVA Season 11 Episode 2 - Antarctica: Earth's Last Frontier
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - Antarctica: Earth's Last Frontier

    S11:E2

    An astronaut once observed a great white light shining out from the bottom of our world: Antarctica, the ice-covered continent we are only just beginning to understand. NOVA visits this wilderness of ice, larger than the United States and Mexico combined, whose only warm-blooded residents are seals, skuas, penguins and scientists.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. NOVA Season 11 Episode 3 - China's Only Child
    7.8/10(10 votes)

    #3 - China's Only Child

    S11:E3

    Efforts to control the population explosion are among the burning controversies of our time. NOVA looks at the one-child policy of the People's Republic of China, a revolutionary decree with profound implications for a people accustomed to traditionally large families.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. NOVA Season 11 Episode 4 - Will I Walk Again?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Will I Walk Again?

    S11:E4

    Is there a cure for paralyzing spinal injuries? Most neurosurgeons are doubtful, pointing to the central nervous system's most apparent inability to heal itself. But others dispute the point. NOVA explores the debate, the hopes for a cure and recent breakthroughs to help paralyzed patients.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. NOVA Season 11 Episode 5 - Visions of the Deep: The Underwater World of Al Giddings
    7.0/10(9 votes)

    #5 - Visions of the Deep: The Underwater World of Al Giddings

    S11:E5

    Al Giddings is one of the greatest underwater photographers in the world. In a riveting look at the unearthly beauties and terrors of the seas, NOVA presents a portrait of Giddings at work.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. NOVA Season 11 Episode 6 - Down on the Farm
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Down on the Farm

    S11:E6

    Agriculture is America's biggest industry. This productivity, envied around the world, is also depleting the most essential ingredients in farming: water and soil. NOVA looks at the agricultural dilemma, the short term need for profit and long term needs of the land.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of NOVA

    READ
  7. NOVA Season 11 Episode 7 - Make My People Live: The Crisis in Indian Health Care
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Make My People Live: The Crisis in Indian Health Care

    S11:E7

    What are America's obligations to its native population? As an important Indian health act comes up for renewal in Congress this Spring (1984), NOVA explores the state of medical care for a proud but vulnerable minority.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. NOVA Season 11 Episode 8 - The World According to Weisskopf
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - The World According to Weisskopf

    S11:E8

    Victor Weisskopf: physicist, lover of music and citizen of the world. NOVA profiles the international statesman of science and learns that one of the giants of 20th century physics is also one of the country's greatest humanists.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. NOVA Season 11 Episode 9 - Space Bridge to Moscow
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Space Bridge to Moscow

    S11:E9

    At a time when scientific exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union is at its lowest since the 1950s, a special hookup will allow eight leading Soviet and American scientists to share ideas face-to-face before millions of television viewers in each country on this NOVA special.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. NOVA Season 11 Episode 10 - The National Science Test I
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - The National Science Test I

    S11:E10

    NOVA departs from tradition with the first National Science Test. Viewers can match wits with celebrity panelists Jane Alexander, Jules Bergman, Marva Collins and Edwin Newman. Art Fleming hosts.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. NOVA Season 11 Episode 11 - Fountains of Paradise
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Fountains of Paradise

    S11:E11

    NOVA explores the billion-dollar-plus Mahaweli Irrigation Project in Sri Lanka. Will this high-risk project prove to be a great leap forward or an industrial and sociological disaster?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. NOVA Season 11 Episode 12 - The Mystery of Yellow Rain
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - The Mystery of Yellow Rain

    S11:E12

    NOVA explores whether "yellow rain," described by members of the Hmong tribe of Laos, is a form of chemical warfare—or a naturally occurring phenomenon.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. NOVA Season 11 Episode 13 - The Nomads of the Rain Forest
    8.1/10(13 votes)

    #13 - The Nomads of the Rain Forest

    S11:E13

    NOVA visits a tribe of Ecuadoran Indians who still maintain traditions that date back to the Stone Age—thirty years after their first contact with Western Civilization.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. NOVA Season 11 Episode 14 - Farmers of the Sea
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - Farmers of the Sea

    S11:E14

    NOVA looks at the "blue revolution"—modern advances in the ancient art of raising aquatic animals and plants—in the United States, Japan, Scotland and other countries.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. NOVA Season 11 Episode 15 - Frontiers of Plastic Surgery
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Frontiers of Plastic Surgery

    S11:E15

    NOVA's sequel to "A Normal Face" examines the merging of technology and art in modern reconstruction and cosmetic surgical techniques.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. NOVA Season 11 Episode 16 - Space Women
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Space Women

    S11:E16

    They have been part of the United States' space program for more than 20 years. Who are these talented, courageous women? NOVA looks at astronaut Sally Ride and her colleagues, how they are trained and their role in NASA's future.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. NOVA Season 11 Episode 17 - Jaws: The True Story
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Jaws: The True Story

    S11:E17

    Acclaimed underwater cameraman Al Giddings takes NOVA viewers beneath the waves to explore the fact and fiction surrounding the great white shark.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. NOVA Season 11 Episode 18 - Acid Rain: New Bad News
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Acid Rain: New Bad News

    S11:E18

    The debate over acid rain continues to grow. NOVA travels to West Germany, the mid-Atlantic states and New England to examine the controversy surrounding this phenomenon.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. NOVA Season 11 Episode 19 - Stephen Jay Gould: This View of Life
    8.2/10(18 votes)

    #19 - Stephen Jay Gould: This View of Life

    S11:E19

    What do dinosaurs, a panda's thumb and a peacock's tail have in common? Dr. Stephen Jay Gould, the internationally renowned paleontologist and Evolutionary theorist, provides some surprising answers in this NOVA profile.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. NOVA Season 11 Episode 20 - The Garden of Inheritance
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - The Garden of Inheritance

    S11:E20

    In this docudrama presentation, NOVA looks at the life, times and work of Gregor Mendel, the 19th century Augustinian friar whose revolutionary scientific Experiments in selective breeding have made him the "Father of Genetics."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 11 Ratings Summary

"The Case of ESP" is the best rated episode of "NOVA" season 11. It scored 6.8/10 based on 13 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/17/1984. This episode is rated 6.8 points higher than the second-best, "Antarctica: Earth's Last Frontier".