Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer - Season 1

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer - Season 1

Season 1

Set in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, this series explores the lessons learned from previous global pandemics — including smallpox, cholera, the Spanish flu and others — and reveals how scientists, doctors, self-experimenters and activists launched a public health revolution, saving millions of lives, fundamentally changing how we think about illness and ultimately paving the way for modern medicine.
Network
Episodes4
DatesMay 11, 2021 - Jun 1, 2021

Episodes

Vaccines
Season 1Episode 160 min

Vaccines

Vaccines explores the history and use of vaccination, from early practices in Africa introduced to America during the slave trade and Thomas Jefferson's clinical trials, to the first anti-vax protests in the 19th century and COVID-19 today.

May 11, 2021
Medical Drugs
Season 1Episode 260 min

Medical Drugs

Learn about the surprisingly recent invention of medicine that combats illness directly, such as antibiotics. From the accidental discovery of penicillin to today's hunt for antivirals, this history underpins work to find COVID-19 treatments.

May 18, 2021
Data
Season 1Episode 360 min

Data

Track the importance of data mapping and analysis in the quest to improve public health. The painstaking work of past data detectives made us aware of epidemic "curves" as well as the extent of health inequalities among different U.S. communities.

May 25, 2021
Behavior
Season 1Episode 460 min

Behavior

Behavior examines the importance of public engagement during a health crisis, from the discovery that the simple act of handwashing could save lives in a 19th Century Viennese maternity hospital - to facemasks and lockdowns used to combat the Spanish flu 100 years ago, along with what we are experiencing today.

Jun 1, 2021

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
The Daily Show
Running

The Daily Show

Hosted by a rotating cast of comedy greats, The Daily Show remains the go-to source for provocative satire, insightful interviews and an award-winning team of correspondents and contributors.

GenreComedy
Irish Blood
Upcoming

Irish Blood

Irish Blood focuses on Fiona, whose path in life is earmarked by her father, Declan, who seemingly abandoned her and her mother on her tenth birthday. After years of channelling anger toward him, to the benefit of her litigious clients, a message from her father sends her to Ireland. There she learns key truths about her father as well as a family that doesn't know she exists, and, moreover, that the story of abandonment that has shaped her entire life - was a lie. A lie intended to protect her and her mother from her father's shady business dealings. Fiona resolves to uncover the full truth about her father and reconnect with the parent she only thought she knew. 

GenreDrama, Crime, Mystery
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Running

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, John Oliver presents a satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events.

GenreComedy
Your Friends & Neighbors
Running

Your Friends & Neighbors

Coop is a recently divorced hedge fund manager who, after being fired, resorts to stealing from the wealthy residents in his tony upstate New York suburb in order to keep his family's lifestyle afloat. These petty crimes begin to reinvigorate him until he breaks into the wrong house at the wrong time.

GenreDrama
Government Cheese
Running

Government Cheese

Government Cheese is a surrealist family comedy set in 1969 San Fernando Valley that tells the story of the Chambers, a quirky family pursuing lofty and seemingly impossible dreams, beautifully unfettered by the realities of the world. When Hampton Chambers is released from prison, his long-awaited family reunion doesn't go quite as he'd planned. During his absence, Hampton's wife, Astoria, and sons, Einstein and Harrison, have formed an unconventional family unit, and Hampton's return spins their world into chaos.

GenreComedy, Family