Stream with KPBS+ / Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 14 - Nov. 15, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV
Ponder this: All the incredible diversity of animal life on Earth sprang from a single organism. Every animal, no matter how weird, is related to every other. And behind each species is an incredible story of the millions of generations that gave rise to them. In this landmark series—featuring passionate scientists, gorgeous photography, and stunning animations of long-lost ancestors—discover how every animal we know and love today sprang from creatures that looked nothing like them. Full of surprising twists and turns over billions of years, each chapter in this epic tale reveals how animal life became so diverse and resilient through the awesome power of evolution.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: "Brain Power" airs Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encores Sunday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Intelligence is the defining trait of our species. Discover how our sophisticated human brains—and those of our clever animal cousins like the dolphin—evolved from the time when our ancestors were tiny senseless sea creatures.
Episode 2: "Need To Feed" airs Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - The relentless pursuit of energy, the very act of eating, has profoundly shaped life on Earth. Discover the surprising story of how our planet's diverse creatures became the furious feeding machines they are today, one mutation at a time.
Episode 3: "Body Builders" airs Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Nov. 1 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - From the first time two cells stuck together, evolution has been crafting new bodies—biological machines then put to the test by Earth's ever-changing environments. Discover the process behind the incredible variety of animal shapes and sizes.
Episode 4: "The Mating Game" airs Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Discover how the rise of sexual reproduction—with each new generation a roll of the genetic dice—fuels staggering diversity, pushing life to specialize and shaping everything from tiny single-celled organisms to towering ostriches.
Episode 5: "On the Run" airs Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Billions of years ago, the twitch of the first muscle cells ignited a revolution of purposeful movement. Take a wild evolutionary ride from these early aquatic ancestors to highly-optimized runners like the horse, whose story is linked to our own.
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