Smithsonian TV Guide — Saturday, 16 May 2026

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Saturday, 16 May 2026. 24 programmes listed , including 6 tonight. US listings updated daily — scroll down to tonight's highlights or use the day tabs above to browse the weekly schedule.

Early Morning

00:00 1h

Disasters Engineered

S2 · E2 · Construction Catastrophe Documentary

Construction Catastrophe

Experience the shockwaves that rocked Britain after a towering inferno killed 72 residents in a building with a fatal design flaw.

01:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S5 · E2 · Gimli Glider Documentary

Gimli Glider

In 1983 an Air Canada jetliner runs out of fuel at 41,000 feet, and the pilots are faced with the task of landing with almost all of their instruments disabled.

02:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S2 · E2 · A Wounded Bird True

A Wounded Bird

As a commuter plane leaves Atlanta one of its propellers breaks and strikes the engine nacelle, causing the wing to lose its lift, and the plane sinks rapidly.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S23 · E1 · Deadly Exchange Documentary

Deadly Exchange

After a commuter flight crashes a mile away from the Missouri runway where it was supposed to land, investigators look into the final seconds in the cockpit.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S4 · E3 · Fire Fight Documentary

Fire Fight

The toilet of an Air Canada DC-9 catches on fire, and as the plane makes an emergency landing in Cincinnati, a flashover causes the cabin to burst into flames.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S3 · E1 · Hanging by a Thread True

Hanging by a Thread

An Aloha Airlines flight from Hilo to Honolulu, Hawaii was forced to land on Maui when a crack in its fuselage resulted in explosive decompression.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S11 · E6 · Turning Point Documentary

Turning Point

The hydraulics controlling the lower rudder of a Boeing 747 fail 35,000 feet above the Bering Sea, but its pilots maintain control of the plane.

07:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E16 · Maryland & Delaware Travel

Maryland & Delaware

Maryland and Delaware have been the sites of everything from a terminus of the Underground Railroad to the battle that inspired 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'

08:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E12 · Massachusetts Travel

Massachusetts

The sights of the Bay State span hundreds of years, including the Pilgrims' landing place, the highway on which Paul Revere rode and Boston's sports venues.

09:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E63 · Natural Wonders Travel

Natural Wonders

A collection of aerial views of America's natural wonders includes the story of the original debates over how the Grand Canyon was formed.

10:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E74 · Outdoor Adventures Travel

Outdoor Adventures

A cross-country flight showcases its mountains, beaches, national parks and other tourist attractions.

11:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E21 · Michigan Travel

Michigan

Michigan's elements changed the world, from assembly lines that made it possible for everyone to own a car to a record company that shaped popular culture.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E56 · Southern California Travel

Southern California

An aerial tour of Southern California reveals towering mountains, a valley with Earth's hottest recorded temperatures, and some of the world's largest cities.

13:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E62 · Man-Made Marvels Travel

Man-Made Marvels

Aerial views of iconic American landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, New York City's Central Park and the Gateway Arch reveal their impressive beauty.

14:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E3 · Virginia Travel

Virginia

A flyover of the Old Dominion provides stunning views of America's capital city and its first European settlement as well as the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

15:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E4 · Connecticut Travel

Connecticut

A tour of the historic state by air shows towns with colonial-era churches and meeting houses built around village greens as well as a 17th-century university.

16:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E5 · Tennessee Travel

Tennessee

An aerial tour of the width of the state reveals mountains and rivers, Civil War battlefields, and the cities where country music and the blues were born.

17:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E6 · Vermont Travel

Vermont

A helicopter view of the state provides a look at its famous scenery, with maple trees, classic red barns and green forests as far as the eye can see.

Evening

18:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E7 · Arkansas Travel

Arkansas

From the air, the green forests and the spectacular terrain of the Ozark Mountains and the wide Arkansas and Mississippi rivers are impressive sights.

19:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E8 · Rhode Island Travel

Rhode Island

A flyover of America's smallest state reveals historic lighthouses and a stone millhouse that may have been built by Norsemen before the time of Columbus.

20:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E45 · Best Small Towns Travel

Best Small Towns

An aerial tour from coast to coast captures the charm of America's most interesting small towns, from California to Florida with many visits in between.

21:00 1h

Hell Below

S1 · E1 · The Wolfpack Documentary

The Wolfpack

Commander Otto Kretschmer led a pack of German U-boats at the start of World War II, but he was taken prisoner after one and a half years.

22:00 1h

Hell Below

S1 · E2 · Hitler's Revenge Documentary

Hitler's Revenge

During World War II, German U-boats gathered along America's East Coast to attack Allied merchant ships from Newfoundland to South Carolina.

23:00 1h

Hell Below

S1 · E3 · America Fights Back Documentary

America Fights Back

In January 1943, the U.S. Navy adopted a new, radically aggressive strategy in the Pacific Ocean, using submarines to attack entire Japanese convoys.