The five-part series premieres Wednesday, September 17, at 9pm ET/8C on PBS, and will also be available for streaming at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS App

 Boston, MA – June 25, 2025 – The award-winning PBS science series, NOVA, a production of GBH, today announced HUMAN, a five-part series documenting the long and complex story of the human species, will premiere Wednesdays, September 17-October 15 at 9pm ET/8c on PBS (check local listings) and will also be available for streaming at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS App.

 Around 300,000 years ago, Homo sapiens emerged in Africa – one of at least seven human species alive at the time. Now, we are the only remaining human species, and our impact on the planet is undeniable. HUMAN, the latest co-production from the BBC Studios Science Unit and NOVA, examines how this happened and how we came to be.

 This stunningly cinematic five-part series, hosted by paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi, takes us back in time to meet the inventors of the modern world. For most of our species’ history, there was no written record, but now with remarkable new fossil evidence, the latest discoveries in DNA sequencing, and other cutting-edge scientific tools, we can piece together clues to better understand our past. Viewers will discover how closely related we are to the other, now-vanished human species, and see how the traces they left behind reveal just how “human” our prehistoric ancestors really were.

“For centuries, we have been the most influential animal on Earth, so it would be easy to assume that we were always destined for greatness, but in reality, we started as just one of many human species and, arguably, the underdog of the group,” said Al-Shamahi. “Our understanding of this remarkable journey is still filled with mystery, but in the last few years, the discovery of new human species and a revolution in DNA technology has drastically changed our understanding of our own history, making this the perfect time to tell the story of our origins.”

Al-Shamahi brings viewers into the minds of the human species that came before us. Along the way, HUMAN follows the earliest humans’ paths out of Africa, leading them to new landscapes that no other humans had ever traversed. Audiences will meet the other human species that they would have encountered and explore how those interactions helped make many of us who we are today. The series also examines how Homo sapiens began to build cities and civilizations, accelerating our species’ advancement by recording and sharing the sum of human knowledge through a transformational technology: writing.

“Our goal with HUMAN is to reconnect us with our origins as a species and show the long, complex and serendipitous journey our ancestors took to get where we are today. And it’s a story we can tell today thanks to the scientific research that is revealing their story – in other words, our story!” said Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “We’re thrilled to be working with Ella to bring our shared history to life, and are grateful to be able to share it with audiences on PBS.”

The series’s five one-hour episodes are as follows (check local listings):

NOVA “Human: Origins” Premieres Sept. 17, 2025 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS

Trace the remarkable origin story of Homo sapiens and the crucial moments that shaped our species.

NOVA “Human: Journeys” Premieres Sept. 24, 2025 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS

Follow Homo sapiens as they venture out of Africa and spread farther than any other human species.

NOVA “Human: Neanderthal Encounters” Premieres Oct. 1, 2025 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS

Discover how Homo sapiens outlasted Neanderthals – and how Neanderthals helped make us who we are today.

NOVA “Human: Into the Americas” Premieres Oct. 8, 2025 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS

Homo sapiens encounter new challenges as they venture into an unknown world.

NOVA “Human: Building Empires” Premieres Oct 15, 2025 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS

Discover how two revolutionary ancient inventions changed the course of humanity forever.

NOVA “HUMAN,” a five-part series, premieres Wednesdays, September 17 through October 15, 2025 at 9pm ET/8c on PBS (check local listings). All episodes will be available for streaming atpbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, thePBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel, and thePBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials viaPBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit thePBS Passport FAQ website.

NOVA “HUMAN” is a BBC Studios Science Unit Production with NOVA and GBH for PBS and the BBC. The partnership provides a pipeline of the high-quality, entertaining factual programs that PBS and BBC audiences have come to expect. Series Director is Naomi Austin. Series Producers are Matt Barrett and Milla Harrison. Executive Producers for BBC are Andrew Cohen and Paul Overton. Presented by Ella Al-Shamahi. HUMAN was commissioned for BBC Two by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual. The Commissioning Editor is Tom Coveney, Head of Commissioning, Science. Executives in Charge for PBS are Geoff Daniels and Diana El-Osta. Executive Producers for NOVA are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt. Senior Producer for NOVA is Caitlin Saks. NOVA is a production of GBH. BBC Studios is handling global sales for BBC Studios Science Unit.

Funding for NOVA and HUMAN is provided by Carlisle Companies, Viking Cruises, the NOVA Science Trust with support from Roger Sant, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

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About NOVA
NOVA is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe. The PBS series is also one of the most widely distributed science programs around the world, and is a multimedia, multiplatform brand reaching more than 55 million Americans every year on TV and online. NOVA’s important and inspiring stories of human ingenuity, exploration, and the quest for knowledge are regularly recognized with the industry’s most prestigious awards. In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs. NOVA is a production of GBH; more information can be found atpbs.org/nova, or by following NOVA onFacebook,X (formerly Twitter), orInstagram.

About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 53 million viewers on YouTube, and 60 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X.

About BBC Studios
BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.

About GBH
GBH is the leading multi-platform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. It is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Arthur and Molly of Denali, as well as WORLD Channel and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR®; CRB Classical 99.5; and CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® station. Dedicated to making media accessible to and inclusive of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide with PBS LearningMedia and has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information atwgbh.org.

Media Contact:
Emily Balk
GBH External Communications
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