PLANET CALIFORNIA

Stream now with KPBS Passport on KPBS+ / Watch Thursday, Jan.1, 2026 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. on KPBS 2

PLANET CALIFORNIA is a two-part documentary celebrating California’s wildlife and wild places, and their coexistence with the 40 million people who call it home. Famous for its beaches and Hollywood, California is also a wellspring of biodiversity. Bounded by mountains, deserts and the Pacific Ocean, here are iconic wild places like Yosemite National Park and Death Valley, as well as Baja California’s lesser-known wild beauty.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Rivers of Gold” Thursday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. on KPBS 2 - California is a land of extremes - tallest, deepest, highest, hottest. But in a rapidly changing and thirsty world, drought, dams and fire pose dire threats to an ecosystem connected by rivers on land, in the air and in the sea.

“Close Encounters” Thursday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Hollywood may captivate, but in one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth, the real stars of California - a wild and spectacular cast of creatures in the sea and on land, from blue whales to burrowing owls - are ready for their close-up.

Watch On Your Schedule: Stream now with KPBS Passport on KPBS+, a new free streaming video app designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier.

You can also tune in live to watch our four TV channels in real time: KPBS, KPBS 2, Create, KPBS Kids 24/7. We also added a new channel - FNX (First Nation Experience).

Your KPBS Passport member benefit works on KPBS+ too! You’ll have access to even more great shows when you simply log in with your KPBS Passport account.

Credits: Directed by Rick Rosenthal. Executive producers: Birgit Peters and Sabine Holzer. A Terra Mater Factual Studios / Wild Logic production in co-production with Doclights/NDR Naturfilm, PBS in association with ARTE France

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Burrowing Owls

Courtesy of Mark Romanov/© Wild Logic

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Rattlesnake

Courtesy of Mark Romanov/© Wild Logic

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Great White Shark, Baja California

Courtesy of Erick Higuera\

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California Wildflower Bloom

Courtesy of Rick Rosenthal/© Wild Logic

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Sunset, Redwoods, Fog

Courtesy of Rick Rosenthal/© Wild Logic

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Rock Creek Sierras, Calif.

Courtesy of Rick Rosenthal/© Wild Logic

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California Wildfire

Courtesy of Rick Rosenthal/© Wild Logic

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Kit Foxes

Courtesy of Erick Higuera