The five-part series premieres and streams October 14th at 9pm ET/8C on PBS, at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS App
Boston, MA – July 8, 2026 – The award-winning PBS science series, NOVA, part of the GBH documentary unit, today announced EVOLUTION, a new five-part series that traces the epic journey of life, from a single ancient cell to the amazing variety of species alive today. The series will premiere Wednesdays, October 14 - November 11 at 9pm ET/8c on PBS (check local listings) and stream at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS App.
EVOLUTION is an epic tale revealing the twists and turns of our existence over billions of years. In this landmark series—featuring passionate scientists, gorgeous photography, and stunning animations of long-lost ancestors—discover how every animal we know and love today sprang from creatures that looked nothing like them. This landmark series follows five of these remarkable stories.
“Evolution can feel like an abstract concept, but the stories at the heart of this series make it viscerally real,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “Whether it’s tracing how the first light-sensing cells eventually led to a dolphin’s brain wired for complex thought, or how ancient jaw bones became the bones in our ears — these are discoveries that fundamentally change how you see your own body and every living thing around you.”
Drawing on genetic analysis and fossil records from vastly different eras and environments, with gorgeous photography and animations of long-lost ancestors, EVOLUTION shows audiences how the smallest mutations — repeated and inherited across countless generations — can ultimately reshape life itself.
“Every animal alive today is connected by a single thread of ancestry stretching back billions of years, and yet the creatures that gave rise to modern life would be almost unrecognizable to us today,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Julia Cort. “This series gives viewers a front-row seat to these extraordinary chains of events — mutations, adaptations, and evolutionary leaps — that ultimately produced the astonishing diversity of life on our planet.”
The series’ five one-hour episodes are as follows (check local listings):
NOVA “Evolution: Brain Power” Premieres October 14, 2026 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS
Brains might be the most complex structures on our planet—so how did evolution build them? To find out, rewind the clock three billion years to trace the evolutionary story of the dolphin, one of the smartest animals alive today. Discover how the first light sensing cells led to eyes that helped wire bodies to think, how a fluke viral infection supercharged the speed of thought, and how the neocortex emerged as early mammals re-wired their brains to attune to the night. Together, these breakthroughs reveal how evolution transformed simple perception into the most powerful organ on Earth—a structure capable of thought, communication, and empathy.
NOVA “Evolution: Need to Feed” Premieres October 21, 2026 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS
The relentless pursuit of energy, the very act of eating, has profoundly shaped life on Earth. Follow the evolution of the bat to discover the untold story behind every bite we take—one marked by astonishing evolutionary leaps revealing the strange origins of fundamental body parts like powerful jaws. See how a prehistoric feeding frenzy might have sparked mass extinction, and marvel at the unlikely journey of bones from our ancestors’ jaws into our ears, giving us the incredible gift of hearing. The story of how our planet’s diverse creatures became the furious feeding machines they are today is full of surprises.
NOVA “Evolution: Body Builders” Premieres October 28, 2026 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS
Earth teems with life in every imaginable form—creatures that walk, swim, slither, and fly. Some grow to astonishing size, like the elephant, while others boast extravagant adaptations, like the hummingbird’s long beak. How did evolution craft such a dazzling variety of body plans? To find the answer, trace life back to its ultimate ancestor, LUCA, and follow the innovations that shaped complexity. See how single cells learned to cooperate, forming the first multicellular animals, and how evolving better ways to capture oxygen—first with gills, then lungs—allowed animals to grow larger and stronger. Explore why the four-limbed blueprint became nature’s most versatile design. And uncover the evolutionary twists that gave rise to peculiar yet defining features—like the elephant’s trunk—that make Earth’s living tapestry so remarkable.
NOVA “Evolution: The Mating Game” Premieres November 4, 2026 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS
Sex changed everything—evolutionarily speaking, that is. By shuffling the genetic deck it unleashed variation, fueling diversity and throwing evolution into overdrive. But how did this radical innovation begin? From the first exchange of genes to the origins of males and females, uncover the evolutionary leaps that reshaped life. Follow the ostrich to reveal how the egg became a breakthrough that allowed life to conquer land—and how feathers transformed into tools of courtship before they were ever used for flight.
NOVA “Evolution: On the Run” Premieres November 11, 2026 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS
Run. Leap. Swim. Pounce. Slither. Fly. Life moves in countless ways—but it wasn’t always this way. When animals first emerged, they clung to the seafloor, until a single twitch sparked a revolution. From the first muscle to the first heartbeat, from lobe fins that pushed life onto land to legs built for speed, movement reshaped the planet. Follow the horse—perhaps the ultimate icon of power and endurance—as its limbs evolved into precision tools for running, and see how humans harnessed that power to amplify their own. This is the untold story of how life learned to move.
NOVA “EVOLUTION,” a five-part series, premieres Wednesdays, October 14 through November 11, 2026 at 9pm ET/8c on PBS (check local listings), streaming at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel, and the PBS 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 via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
NOVA “EVOLUTION” is a BBC Studios Science Unit Production with NOVA and GBH for PBS and BBC. The partnership provides a pipeline of the high-quality, entertaining factual programs that PBS and BBC audiences have come to expect. Series Producer is Milla Harrison-Hansley. Executive Producers for BBC are Rob Liddell and Andrew Cohen. Series Producer for BBC is Alice Jones. Head of Production for BBC is Laura Davey. EVOLUTION 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.
Funding for NOVA and EVOLUTION is provided by Carlisle Companies, Viking Cruises, the NOVA Science Trust with support from Margaret and Will Hearst, and from 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 at pbs.org/nova, or by following NOVA on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram.
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 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 at wgbh.org.
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.
