Smithsonian TV Guide — Sunday, 17 May 2026

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Sunday, 17 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

Hell Below

S1 · E4 · Atlantic Showdown Documentary

Atlantic Showdown

In March 1943, a German U-boat heading for repairs stumbled onto a large Allied convoy, setting off one of the largest naval battles of World War II.

01:00 1h

Hell Below

S1 · E5 · Destroyer Killer Documentary

Destroyer Killer

On a single patrol, Commander Sam Dealey guided the USS Harder as it sank four Japanese destroyers and damaged a fifth, earning him the Medal of Honor.

02:00 1h

Hell Below

S1 · E6 · Fatal Voyage Documentary

Fatal Voyage

World War II submarine commander Dick O'Kane was the commanding officer of USS Tang, from which he sank 24 Japanese ships in five patrols.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E4 · Without Warning Documentary

Without Warning

When two float planes carrying tourists collide near a spectacular Alaskan waterfall, investigators turn to 3D technology to figure out why.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E5 · Eleven Deadly Seconds Documentary

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Experts examine the tragic crash of China Airlines Flight 676 hinges on 11 baffling seconds when neither pilot controls the airplane.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E6 · Fight for Survival Documentary

Fight for Survival

With flames emerging through the cockpit floor, the pilots of Pilgrim Airlines flight 458 manage a heroic landing on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S21 · E8 · Pitch Black True

Pitch Black

A pilots mishandling of an electrical problem causes Air Illinois Flight 710 to crash into an open field in poor weather, killing all 10 passengers on board.

07:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E66 · The South Travel

The South

An aerial tour of America's South encompasses the site of an infamous prisoner-of-war camp and the home of a colony of English settlers who vanished.

08:00 1h

Aerial America

Florida Travel

Florida

Narrator Jim Conrad goes on an aerial tour of the Sunshine State, explores the beaches of Miami and explores the hotels and homes of Palm Beach.

09:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E38 · Texas Travel

Texas

Thousands of square miles are explored to reveal the great sites in the state of Texas, from lush forests to forbidding deserts to modern cities.

10:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E67 · The Wild West Travel

The Wild West

From the skies, the American West is full of natural and man-made wonders such as St. Louis' Gateway Arch and the vast, pristine Alaskan wilderness.

11:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E54 · Wisconsin Travel

Wisconsin

The state known for its production of beer and dairy products has family-owned farms, golden autumnal forests, limestone outcroppings and a rich history.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E48 · Wilderness Travel

Wilderness

Flights over America's most unspoiled wilderness areas provide aerial views of Mount Denali, Florida's Everglades and more than 100 million acres of nature.

13:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E17 · North Carolina Travel

North Carolina

The Tar Heel State has mountains, a picturesque coastline and the U.S.' first gold mine, and it is famed as the site of the Wright Brothers' first flight.

14:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E35 · Made in the USA Travel

Made in the USA

A journey celebrates America's history of innovation and risk-taking with flyovers of Starbucks Coffee, Motown Records and other centers of creativity.

15:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E42 · The Dakotas Travel

The Dakotas

The Dakotas helped future president Theodore Roosevelt overcome the loss of his first wife and became the home of a sculptor's greatest triumph.

16:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E20 · New Mexico Travel

New Mexico

From the air, the Land of Enchantment displays the Rio Grande Rift, dormant volcanoes and adobe villages, and the birthplace of atomic weapons.

17:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E32 · Montana Travel

Montana

The fertile prairies and rugged mountains of the Treasure State are home to the fastest land mammals in North America, and it has seen many historic events.

Evening

18:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E65 · Trailblazers Travel

Trailblazers

A helicopter team travels from coast-to-coast seeking out landmarks that celebrate over two centuries of leaders who had a hand in shaping America's history.

19:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S21 · E10 · Deadly Delivery True

Deadly Delivery

Facing poor visibility, a cargo flight is on final approach to an Alabama airport when it hits a grove of trees and crashes.

20:00 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.

21:00 1h

Disasters Engineered

S2 · E4 · Beneath the Surface Documentary

Beneath the Surface

A close look is taken at disasters that have occurred as humankind has pursued new feats and innovations, including the Challenger space disaster.

22:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S5 · E3 · Behind Closed Doors Documentary

Behind Closed Doors

In 1972 a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 flying from Detroit to Buffalo, N.Y. loses a cargo door and decompresses; two years later another DC-10 has the same problem.

23:00 1h

Disasters Engineered

S2 · E4 · Beneath the Surface Documentary

Beneath the Surface

A close look is taken at disasters that have occurred as humankind has pursued new feats and innovations, including the Challenger space disaster.