Smithsonian TV Guide — Thursday, 14 May 2026

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Thursday, 14 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

Mayday: Air Disaster

S19 · E1 · Deadly Descent Documentary

Deadly Descent

A skilled captain manages to save his crippled aircraft and everyone on board, and then it's up to investigators to track down the microscopic culprit.

01:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S16 · E4 · Deadly Detail True

Deadly Detail

On August 20, 2007, China Airlines Flight 120, a Boeing 737-800, caught fire and exploded after landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan.

02:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S3 · E4 · Fight for Your Life True

Fight for Your Life

A FedEx employee who feels he has nothing left to lose sneaks onto a cargo flight, waits until the plane is in the air, and attacks the crew in the cockpit.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

Design Flaws True

Design Flaws

Investigators hunt for answers after a failure reveals a weak spot in every Boeing 767 when a plane nosedives into a Thai jungle.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S2 · E1 · Blow Out True

Blow Out

A maintenance worker's mistake while replacing a cockpit window causes the window to pop out in flight, and the captain is sucked partway through the hole.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S6 · E2 · Science of Disaster: Fatal Flaw True

Science of Disaster: Fatal Flaw

A review of several notable crashes reveals that they were caused by mechanical problems, ranging from mistakes in maintenance and repairs to design flaws.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S13 · E11 · Getting Out Alive True

Getting Out Alive

Flight crews and passengers who have lived through airplane crashes share tips for survival, explaining whether the front or the back of the plane is safest.

07:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E2 · Metal War Ships Documentary

Metal War Ships

Designers use archival footage, detailed interviews and explore surviving ships to explain the evolution of ironclad vessels and their role in history.

08:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E1 · War Beneath the Waves Documentary

War Beneath the Waves

In-depth interviews with crewmembers and never-before-seen archival footage detail the development and evolution of submarines through history.

09:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E7 · Cold War Warriors Documentary

Cold War Warriors

The submarines and warships that undertook operations in Soviet waters, Cuba and Vietnam during the Cold War are examined in great detail.

10:00 1h

Combat Ships

S4 · E3 · Hidden Figures Documentary

Hidden Figures

An enslaved teenager winds up in the middle of the Seven Years' War; during World War II a Black Merchant Marine forces the Navy to integrate his ship.

11:00 1h

Combat Ships

S4 · E7 · Record Breakers Documentary

Record Breakers

Over the centuries, technological advancements have led to bigger and faster combat ships and altered maritime warfare.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E4 · Gulf War Warriors Documentary

Gulf War Warriors

Persian Gulf naval conflicts including Desert Storm, the Iran-Iraq War and present day.

13:00 1h

Combat Ships

S1 · E8 · The Smallest Ships Documentary

The Smallest Ships

Stories about the USS Philadelphia and the M33 gunboat are shared as an analytical look is taken at how small wartime vessels made an impact of battle.

14:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E5 · Sunk Documentary

Sunk

A sunken WWI cruiser and WWII submarine are found by a series of high-tech missions.

15:00 1h

Combat Ships

S3 · E6 · Top Guns Documentary

Top Guns

Exploring naval armaments throughout history featuring cannon armed sailing ships, to revolutionary weapons technology.

16:00 1h

Combat Ships

S4 · E1 · Courageous Captains Documentary

Courageous Captains

Four remarkable captains that have gone above and beyond the call of duty throughout naval history.

17:00 1h

Air Warriors

S7 · E3 · Top Gunships True

Top Gunships

A celebration of the world's top close air support aircrafts, which are designed to enter battles at a moment's notice to cover troops.

Evening

18:00 1h

Air Warriors

S5 · E2 · KC-135 Stratotanker True

KC-135 Stratotanker

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker has served in Vietnam and in all U.S. conflicts since then, refueling American military aircraft in mid-air.

19:00 1h

Air Warriors

S11 · E5 · F-100 Super Sabre True

F-100 Super Sabre

Narrators Beau Weaver and Bob Naughton tell the story of the North American F-100 Super Sabre and how it became a sonic powerhouse after some difficulties.

20:00 1h

Air Warriors

S2 · E3 · Black Hawk True

Black Hawk

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk became the U.S. Army's go-to helicopter for delivering troops to and from the battlefront in 1979 after years of development.

21:00 1h

Air Warriors

S11 · E8 · C-47 Skytrain True

C-47 Skytrain

The history of how the C-47 went from a passenger plane to a gunship in Vietnam.

22:00 1h

Air Warriors

S7 · E1 · Top Dogfighters True

Top Dogfighters

Stories of aerial combat include tales of dangerous fights that took place over Nazi occupied Germany with P-38 Lightning and Messerschmitts aircrafts.

23:00 1h

Air Warriors

S8 · E2 · B-29 Superfortress True

B-29 Superfortress

An examination of the B-29 vessel's involvement in ending the war in Japan and bombing airfields during the Korean War.