Explained - Season 3
Season 3
Episodes
Sugar
Once crucial for survival, sugar now poses a health risk. Is there a way to satisfy our primeval craving for sweetness in a healthy, balanced way?
Royalty
How do monarchies survive when they no longer wield power? By presenting a royal fairy tale that may not reflect the reality of the past — or present.
Flags
A flag can unite, divide and terrorize. Explore how a piece of cloth transformed into a powerful symbol of both love and hate, freedom and oppression.
Dogs
Who's a good dog? They all are! From puppy-dog eyes to feats of heroism, see how canines evolved into humankind's best friends and sources of pure love.
The End of Oil
Oil led to huge advancements — and vast inequities. As the planet warms, why is it so hard to turn away from fossil fuels, and can it be done in time?
Chess
For centuries, chess has captured hearts and minds — and pawns — and it's more popular than ever. What makes this ever-changing board game so special?
Your Skin
Don't panic, but our skin plays host to trillions of bacteria, fungi, mites and other microscopic guests. Go beyond skin-deep with our largest organ.
Apologies
Apologizing is tough, and in this era of public mea culpas, forgiveness isn't guaranteed. What makes for a good apology, and why does it hold such power?
Hurricanes
As the planet warms, hurricanes could become even more dangerous and destructive. What can be done to survive and minimize the threat of these storms?
Plastic Surgery
The Instagram face. A shapely posterior. Cosmetic surgery can make the latest beauty trends a reality. Explore its origins and effects, inside and out.
Dance Crazes
From the waltz to voguing, dance crazes have connected people throughout history. But when a dance catches on, who gets the credit — and compensation?
Time
Time flies... sometimes. Its passage can seem to speed up and slow down. Why do we experience time the way we do, and how do we take back some control?
Country Music
Dirt roads. Pickup trucks. Hip-hop? As the borders around country music shift, who decides what defines the popular genre, and who gets to be a star?
Fairy Tales
Fairy tales have survived thousands of years for a reason. Explore their far-flung history and how the stories speak to fundamental human concerns.
Videos
Recently Updated Shows
Taskmaster
Greg Davies is the Taskmaster who, with the help of his right-hand man, Alex, sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five hyper competitive comedians through a series of ingenious challenges. With the chance to be crowned show champion, rivalry amongst the comedians is encouraged, dodgy tactics rewarded and bribes accepted.
The Librarians: The Next Chapter
The Librarians: The Next Chapter centers on Vikram Chamberlain, a "Librarian" from the past who time traveled from 1847 and now finds himself stuck in the present. When Vikram returns to his castle in Belgrade, Serbia and discovers that it is now a museum, he inadvertently releases magic across the continent. With the help of a new team of eclectic heroes, including a savant in world history, a scientific genius, and a highly skilled Guardian, Vikram has only six months to clean up the mess he made.
The Gilded Age
The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and the rise of disparity between old money and new.
Against this backdrop of change, the story begins in 1882 — introducing young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Union general, who moves into the New York City home of her thoroughly old money aunts Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook. Accompanied by Peggy Scott, an accomplished African-American woman, Marian inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a social war between one of her aunts, a scion of the old money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife, George and Bertha Russell.
In this exciting new world that is on the brink of the modern age, will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path?