Nova (American TV program)

American popular science public television program (since 1974)

For other uses, see Nova (disambiguation).

Nova

Created by| Michael Ambrosino
Developed by| Michael Ambrosino
Theme music composer|

* Walter Werzowa
* John Luker
* Musikvergnuegen, Inc.
* Ray Loring (additional)

Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 52
No. of episodes| 999 (May 14, 2025) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers| Paula Apsell (senior)
Julia Cort
Chris Schmidt
Running time| 60 minutes
Production company| WGBH-TV
Original release
Network| PBS
Release| March 3, 1974 (1974-03-03) –
present
Related
Frontline
Nova ScienceNow

Nova (stylized as NOVΛ) is an American popular science television program produced by WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts, since 1974. It is broadcast on PBS in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries.[1] The program has won many major television awards.[2]

Nova often includes interviews with scientists doing research in the subject areas covered and occasionally includes footage of a particular discovery. Some episodes have focused on the history of science. Examples of topics covered include the following: Colditz Castle, the Drake equation, elementary particles, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Fermat's Last Theorem, the AIDS epidemic, global warming, moissanite, Project Jennifer, storm chasing, Unterseeboot 869, Vinland, Tarim mummies, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nova programs have been praised for their pacing, writing, and editing. Websites that accompany the segments have also won awards.[3]

## Episodes

[edit]

Main article: List of Nova episodes

## History

[edit]

Nova was first aired on March 3, 1974. The show was created by Michael Ambrosino, inspired by the BBC 2 television series Horizon, which Ambrosino had seen while working in the UK.[4] In the early years, many Nova episodes were either co-productions with the BBC Horizon team, or other documentaries originating outside of the United States, with the narration re-voiced in American English. Of the first 50 programs, only 19 were original WGBH productions, and the first Nova episode, "The Making of a Natural History Film", was originally an episode of Horizon that premiered in 1972.[4] The practice continues to this day. All the producers and associate producers for the original Nova teams came from either England (with experience on the Horizon series), Los Angeles or New York.[5] Ambrosino was succeeded as executive producer by John Angier, John Mansfield, and Paula S. Apsell, acting as senior executive producer.[4]

## Reception

[edit]

Rob Owen of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "Fascinating and gripping."[6] Alex Strachan of Calgary Herald wrote,"TV for people who don't normally watch TV."[7] Lynn Elber of the Associated Press wrote of the episode "The Fabric of the Cosmos", "Mind-blowing TV."[8] The Futon Critic wrote of the episode "Looking for Life on Mars", "Astounding [and] exhilarating."[9]

## Awards

[edit]

Joe McMaster and the crew of "Judgement Day" at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards John Rubin, John Bredar and Paula Apsell at the 68th Annual Peabody Awards for "Ape Genius"

Nova has been recognized with multiple Peabody Awards and Emmy Awards. The program won a Peabody in 1974, citing it as "an imaginative series of science adventures," with a "versatility rarely found in television." Subsequent Peabodys went to specific episodes:[2][10]

* "The Miracle of Life" (1983) was cited as a "fascinating and informative documentary of the human reproductive process," which used "revolutionary microphotographic techniques." This episode also won an Emmy.[11]
* "Spy Machines" (1987) was cited for "neatly recount[ing] the key events of the Cold War and look[ing] into the future of American/Soviet SDI competition."[12]
* "The Elegant Universe" (2003) was lauded for exploring "science's most elaborate and ambitious theory, the string theory" while making "the abstract concrete, the complicated clear, and the improbable understandable" by "blending factual story telling with animation, special effects, and trick photography." The episode also won an Emmy for editing.[13][14]

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (responsible for documentary Emmys) recognized the program with awards in 1978, 1981, 1983, and 1989. Julia Cort won an Emmy in 2001 for writing "Life's Greatest Miracle." Emmys were also awarded for the following episodes:[2]

* 1982 "Here's Looking at You, Kid"
* 1983 "The Miracle of Life" (also won a Peabody)
* 1985 "AIDS: Chapter One", "Acid Rain: New Bad News"
* 1992 "Suicide Mission to Chernobyl", "The Russian Right Stuff"
* 1994 "Secret of the Wild Child"
* 1995 "Siamese Twins", "Secret of the Wild Child"
* 1999 "Decoding Nazi Secrets"
* 2001 "Bioterror"
* 2002 "Galileo's Battle for the Heavens", "Mountain of Ice", "Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance", "Why the Towers Fell"
* 2003 "Battle of the X-planes", "The Elegant Universe" (also won a Peabody)
* 2005 "Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge"

In 1998, the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation awarded Nova its first-ever Public Service Award.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "About Nova". PBS. Archived from the original on February 3, 2006.
2. ^ a b c d "Broadcast Awards Listed by Date". PBS. Archived from the original on October 20, 2002. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
3. ^ "Web Site Awards Listed by Date". PBS. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
4. ^ a b c "Ambrosino and Nova: Making Stories That Go 'Bang'". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
5. ^ "NOVA: From the Beginning (1970s)". Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
6. ^ Owen, Rob (November 13, 2007). "Tuned In: Dover case presented in dramatic special". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
7. ^ Strachan, Alex (February 9, 2011). "Producer calls it smartest night on TV". Calgary Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via PressReader.
8. ^ Elber, Lynn (November 1, 2011). "'Fabric of the Cosmos' takes viewers on wild ride". Associated Press. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
9. ^ "Nova 'Looking for Life on Mars' Goes Inside the Mission to Search for Life on the Red Planet". The Futon Critic. February 19, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
10. ^ 34th Annual Peabody Awards, May 1975.
11. ^ 43rd Annual Peabody Awards, May 1984.
12. ^ 47th Annual Peabody Awards, May 1988.
13. ^ "National Television Academy Presents 25th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. September 13, 2004. p. 13\. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
14. ^ "63rd Annual Peabody Awards". PeabodyAwards.com. May 2004.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Nova at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Nova

Episodes|

* "Arctic Passage"
* "The Bible's Buried Secrets"
* "Bombing Hitler's Dams"
* "Dawn of Humanity"
* "Decoding COVID-19"
* "The Elegant Universe"
* "The Family That Walks on All Fours"
* "Flying Casanovas"
* "Hurricane!"
* "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial"
* "Making North America"
* "Musical Minds"
* "Mystery of the Senses"
* "Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives"
* "Search for the Super Battery"
* "Secrets of Lost Empires"
* "Secrets of the Psychics"
* Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine

Related|

Awards

* v
* t
* e

PBS

Documentaries|

* Independent Lens (episodes) (since August 9, 1999)
* PBS Short Film Festival (since 2012)
* POV (episodes) (since July 5, 1988)

Drama|

* Masterpiece (since January 10, 1971)

Music and fine arts|

* American Masters (episodes) (since June 22, 1986)
* Art:21 (since 2001)
* Austin City Limits (performers) (since January 3, 1976)
* Bluegrass Underground (since 2011)
* Craft in America (since 2007)
* Great Performances (episodes) (since November 4, 1972)
* Next at the Kennedy Center (since 2023)

History|

* American Experience (episodes) (since October 4, 1988)
* Antiques Roadshow (since January 9, 1997)
* Finding Your Roots (episodes) (since March 25, 2012)
* Secrets of the Dead (since May 15, 2000)

News and public affairs|

* Amanpour & Company (since September 10, 2018)
* BBC World News America (since June 3, 2019 from American Public Television)
* Firing Line (episodes) (April 4, 1966 – December 26, 1999; since June 22, 2018)
* Frontline (episodes) (since January 17, 1983)
* PBS News Hour (since October 20, 1975)
* To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbé (since April 3, 1992)
* Washington Week (since February 23, 1967)

Personalities|

* Samantha Brown
* Ken Burns
* Ric Burns
* Amy Holmes
* Bill Moyers
* Hari Sreenivasan
* Judy Woodruff

How-to and special interest|

* MotorWeek (since October 15, 1981)
* This Old House (episodes) (since January 1, 1979)

Science and nature|

* Nature (episodes) (since October 10, 1982)
* Nova (episodes) (since March 3, 1974)

Networks|

* Create
* PBS
* PBS America (UK)
* PBS Digital Studios
* PBS Kids
* PBS YOU1
* World Channel

Major stations|

* Boston
* WGBH
* WGBX
* Chicago
* WTTW
* Dallas
* KERA
* Houston
* KUHT
* Los Angeles
* KCET
* KLCS
* KOCE
* Maryland
* MPT
* Miami–Ft. Lauderdale–West Palm Beach
* WLRN
* WPBT
* WXEL
* New Jersey
* NJ PBS
* New York
* WLIW
* WNET
* Philadelphia–Wilmington–Lehigh Valley
* WHYY
* WLVT
* Pittsburgh
* WQED
* San Francisco/Watsonville/San Jose
* KQED/KQET
* KQEH
* Tampa–St. Petersburg
* WEDQ
* WEDU
* Washington, D.C.
* WETA
* WHUT

Former|

* BBC OS (January 1, 2020 – March 30, 2023)
* A Chef's Life (September 7, 2013 – October 22, 2018)
* Need to Know (May 7, 2010 – June 28, 2013)
* We'll Meet Again with Ann Curry (January 23, 2018 – January 8, 2019)

Related|

* Public broadcasting in the United States
* Corporation for Public Broadcasting
* America's Public Television Stations
* List of PBS member stations
* List of programs broadcast by PBS
* PBS Distribution
* PBS Satellite Service
* Executive Order 14290

* 1Defunct network
* 2Distributed by American Public Television (APT)

* v
* t
* e

GBH

Television stations|

* WFXZ-CD1
* WGBH-TV
* WGBX-TV
* WGBY-TV

Radio stations|

* WCAI
* WCRB
* WGBH
* WNAN
* WZAI

Media accessibility| efforts|

* Media Access Group (closed captioning and audio description)
* Descriptive Video Service

Television productions|

* American Experience
* Antiques Roadshow
* Arthur
* Ask This Old House
* Basic Black
* Between the Lions
* Cook's Country
* Curious George
* Decoding COVID-19
* Design Squad
* Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman
* Food Trip with Todd English
* French in Action
* Frontline
* Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth
* Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie
* Greater Boston
* High School Quiz Show
* Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One
* Martha Speaks
* Masterpiece
* Molly of Denali
* Nova
* Nova ScienceNow
* Peep and the Big Wide World
* Pinkalicious & Peterrific
* Postcards from Buster
* Religious America
* Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking
* Simply Ming
* The New Yankee Workshop
* The Victory Garden
* This Old House
* Time Warp Trio
* Work It Out Wombats!
* Zoom
* 1972–1978
* 1999–2005

Radio productions|

* Innovation Hub
* The World

Distributions|

* PBS Distribution
* Public Radio International2

* 1WFXZ-CD maintains a channel sharing agreement with WGBH-TV.
* 2Merged into Public Radio Exchange

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