Documentary series · Discovery
How the Universe Works
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Mike Rowe
Narrator
38 eps
Erik Dellums
Himself - Narrator
25 eps
Chris Mckay
Self - Astrobiologist
10 eps
Carly Howett
Self - Planetary Scientist
10 eps
Nina Lanza
Self - Planetary Scientist
19 eps
Hakeem Muata Oluseyi
Self - Astrophysicist
19 eps
Amber Straughn
Self - Astrophysicist
10 eps
Moogega Cooper
Self - Planetary Protection Engineer
19 eps
Max Tegmark
Self - Theoretical Physicist
10 eps
Jani Radebaugh
Self - Planetary Scientist
19 eps
Alex Philippenko
Self - Astrophysicis
10 eps
Katie Freese
Self - Cosmologist
10 eps
Grant Tremblay
Self - Astrophysicist
10 eps
Dan Durda
Self - Planetary Scientist
19 eps
Chiara Mingarelli
Self - Astrophysicist
10 eps
Kevin J. Walsh
Self - Astronomer
19 eps
Paul M Sutter
Self - Astrophysicist
19 eps
Phil Plait
Self - Astronomer
25 eps
Michelle Thaller
Self - Astronomer
25 eps
James S. Bullock
Self - Astrophysicist
11 eps
Richard Lintern
Himself - Narrator
1 eps
Albert Einstein
Himself (Archive footage)
5 eps
Lawrence Krauss
Himself
6 eps
Michio Kaku
Himself
6 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How How the Universe Works actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
How the Universe Works reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The story
What it's about
A users' guide to the cosmos, from the Big Bang to galaxies, stars, planets and moons: where did it all come from and how does it all fit together? A primer for anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered.
The run
Seasons
11 seasons · 93 episodes.
Season 0 · Complete
Specials
201912 episodes
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
20108 episodes
7.5IMDbBest episode · S01E03 Galaxies
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
20128 episodes
8.0IMDbBest episode · S02E03 Exoplanets - Planets from Hell
Season 3 · Complete
Season 3
20149 episodes
8.8IMDb
Season 4 · Complete
Season 4
20158 episodes
8.5IMDb
Season 5 · Complete
Season 5
20169 episodes
8.2IMDb
Season 6 · Complete
Season 6
201810 episodes
9.0IMDb
Season 7 · Complete
Season 7
201910 episodes
9.0IMDb
Season 8 · Complete
Season 8
20209 episodes
Season 9 · Complete
Season 9
202111 episodes
Season 10 · Complete
Season 10
20226 episodes
Season 11 · Complete
Season 11
20235 episodes
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E03
Galaxies
The evolution of galaxies, from clouds of cold gas floating in space 13 billion years ago, to the vast gravitationally bound systems of today.
S01E02
Black Holes
Black Holes, the most powerful destroyers in the Universe, the most mysterious phenomena in the heavens. For years they were only speculation, now modern astronomy is proving them frighteningly real and showing that they may well shape everything we see.
S01E04
Stars
Examining the birth of stars, and how their creation changed the cosmos for ever, leading to planets and life itself.
S01E01
Big Bang
The programme investigates how the Universe came into existence out of nothing, and how it grew from a minuscule point, smaller than an atomic particle, to the vast cosmos we see today.
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- HBO Max Amazon ChannelStreaming
- PhiloStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Discovery+ Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- Science ChannelStreaming
- HBO MaxStreaming
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Where to go from here
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Never stop watching
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