Documentary

The Best Seasons of NOVA

Every season of NOVA ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of NOVA!

Binge this in Unknown•Peaking at 10.0/10

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

Season 6

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1979

8.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE12 · Life on a Silken Thread 8.8

Season 18

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1991

8.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE12 · So You Want to Be a Doctor? 8.8

Season 15

22 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1988

8.1/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE12 · Pioneers of Surgery: The Brutal Craft 8.8

Other Seasons

Season 20

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1993

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE15 · The Real Jurassic Park 8.6

Season 12

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1985

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE11 · The National Science Test II 8.6

Season 24

21 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 1996

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE14 · Secrets of Lost Empires: Stonehenge (1) 8.6

Season 7

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1980

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE17 · Moving Still 8.5

Season 8

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1981

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE4 · Anatomy of a Volcano 9.0

Season 14

21 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1987

8.0/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · Children of Eve 9.0

#10

Season 47

16 Episodes

First Aired: Feb 2020

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Polar Extremes 8.4

#11

Season 1

13 Episodes

First Aired: Mar 1974

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE12 · Fusion: The Energy of Promise 10.0

#12

Season 9

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1982

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · Test-Tube Babies: A Daughter For Judy 8.0

#13

Season 32

18 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2004

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE11 · Supersonic Dream 8.4

#14

Season 10

21 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1983

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · The Pleasure of Finding Things Out 8.4

#15

Season 46

23 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2019

7.9/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE14 · The Planets: Jupiter 8.5

#16

Season 23

19 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 1995

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE4 · The Doomsday Asteroid 8.4

#17

Season 25

20 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 1997

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE5 · Wild Wolves With David Attenborough 8.6

#18

Season 26

20 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 1998

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE4 · Special Effects: Titanic and Beyond 8.5

#19

Season 17

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1990

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE15 · Earthquake! 8.1

#20

Season 4

19 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1977

7.8/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · The Hot Blooded Dinosaurs 8.1

#21

Season 13

21 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1986

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE1 · Halley's Comet: Once in a Lifetime 8.0

#22

Season 19

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1992

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE9 · Eclipse of the Century 8.2

#23

Season 2

17 Episodes

First Aired: Nov 1974

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE11 · Take the World From Another Point of View 8.5

#24

Season 5

21 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1978

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE4 · One Small Step 8.3

#25

Season 3

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1976

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE8 · The Race for the Double Helix 8.5

#26

Season 45

23 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2018

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE102 · NOVA Wonders What's Living in You? 8.9

#27

Season 31

18 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2003

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE17 · World in the Balance: China Revs Up (2) 8.2

#28

Season 53

14 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2026

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE11 · Stone Age Masterpiece 8.4

#29

Season 36

17 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2008

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE7 · Ocean Animal Emergency 8.5

#30

Season 21

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1994

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE20 · In Search of the First Language 8.1

#31

Season 38

18 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2010

7.7/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE16 · Japan's Killer Quake 8.4

#32

Season 35

17 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2007

7.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · Ghost in Your Genes 8.1

#33

Season 16

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1989

7.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · The Last Journey of a Genius 8.2

#34

Season 28

17 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2000

7.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE16 · Cracking the Code of Life 8.4

#35

Season 11

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1984

7.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE19 · Stephen Jay Gould: This View of Life 8.2

#36

Season 34

15 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2006

7.6/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE3 · The Deadliest Plane Crash 8.4

#37

Season 44

28 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2016

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE20 · Death Dive to Saturn 8.4

#38

Season 42

22 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2014

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE8 · Emperor’s Ghost Army 8.1

#39

Season 27

21 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 1999

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE2 · Time Travel 8.2

#40

Season 29

17 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2001

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE6 · Bioterror 8.7

#41

Season 49

19 Episodes

First Aired: Feb 2022

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE15 · Ocean Invaders 8.5

#42

Season 30

16 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2002

7.5/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE9 · Last Flight of Bomber 31 8.3

#43

Season 48

25 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2021

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE18 · NOVA Universe Revealed: Milky Way 8.0

#44

Season 33

20 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2005

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE7 · Storm That Drowned a City 8.4

#45

Season 43

22 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2015

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE16 · Iceman Reborn 8.0

#46

Season 22

13 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 1995

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE11 · The Universe Within 8.4

#47

Season 40

20 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2012

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE6 · Doomsday Volcanoes 8.3

#48

Season 51

18 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2024

7.4/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE4 · Hunt for the Oldest DNA 8.0

#49

Season 39

19 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2011

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE19 · Secrets of the Sun 8.0

#50

Season 52

20 Episodes

First Aired: Jan 2025

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE15 · Human: Into the Americas 7.9

#51

Season 50

18 Episodes

First Aired: Feb 2023

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE12 · Ancient Earth: Frozen 8.1

#52

Season 41

22 Episodes

First Aired: Sep 2013

7.3/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE6 · Making Stuff Safer 8.2

#53

Season 37

18 Episodes

First Aired: Oct 2009

7.2/ 10

Average Rating

Best episodeE7 · What Are Dreams? 7.9