Smithsonian TV Guide — Tuesday, 21 July 2026

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Tuesday, 21 July 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

S2 · E6 · Cuban Crisis Documentary

Cuban Crisis

A U.S. Navy hunter-killer team battles for control of Cuba when they interrupt the Soviet's mission to delver nuclear torpedoes to the communist island.

01:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S25 · E3 · Power Struggle Documentary

Power Struggle

Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 crashed into the Java Sea after a hard left bank, revealing deadly defects in the investigation that followed.

02:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S12 · E1 · Fight for Control True

Fight for Control

While flying over the Aleutian Islands, one of an aircraft's four propellers comes off and tears a hole in the cabin, causing decompression and loss of control.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S11 · E12 · The Invisible Plane Documentary

The Invisible Plane

A small jet taxis in front of a large airliner and is destroyed, and the airliner tries to take off in spite of having lost an engine, but it cannot fly.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S16 · E4 · Grounded: Boeing Max 8 True

Grounded: Boeing Max 8

Indonesian investigators work to understand why one of the world's best-selling new airplanes fell into the Java Sea.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S15 · E10 · Carnage in São Paulo Documentary

Carnage in São Paulo

Members from the Brazilian Air Force team up with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine what caused a plane to crash seconds after takeoff.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S12 · E3 · Caution to the Wind True

Caution to the Wind

During heavy rainstorms caused by a nearby typhoon, a pilot in Singapore taxis his jet airliner to the wrong runway because of poor visibility.

07:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S4 · E5 · Costa Diadema Travel

Costa Diadema

Costa Diadema is a Dream-class cruise ship owned by Carnival Corporation which gives its 3,700 passengers the ultimate Mediterranean experience.

08:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S4 · E1 · Norwegian Joy Travel

Norwegian Joy

Norwegian Joy sails amid icebergs in Alaska's Inside Passage, treating guests to glaciers, humpback whales, and the largest zipline in the world.

09:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S4 · E7 · Roald Amundsen Travel

Roald Amundsen

The Roald Amundsen sails where few ships will ever go, the vessel was built specifically to take passengers on an unforgettable voyage to Antarctica.

10:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S4 · E8 · Sky Princess Travel

Sky Princess

The Sky Princess carries passengers from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to three Central American stops, and it manages to get into and out of ports despite its size.

11:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S1 · E1 · Paul Gauguin Travel

Paul Gauguin

The crew of the MS Paul Gauguin, a ship that sails through French Polynesia, deals with rough weather, narrow passageways and shallow channels.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S1 · E2 · Le Soleal Travel

Le Soleal

A 14-day voyage through Indonesia on Le Soleal goes to places most cruise ships cannot get to, showing its passengers unique wildlife and live volcanoes.

13:00 1h

Mighty Trains

S4 · E4 · Belgrade to Bar Railway Science

Belgrade to Bar Railway

Passengers take a ride from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, to the beaches of Montenegro aboard the rugged Belgrade to Bar train.

14:00 1h

Mighty Trains

S2 · E1 · Rocky Mountaineer Science

Rocky Mountaineer

The Rocky Mountaineer rail-tour company offers picturesque tours across Western Canada and over the Rocky Mountains as the train goes from Vancouver to Banff.

15:00 1h

Mighty Trains

S4 · E2 · Transcantabrico Classico Science

Transcantabrico Classico

Passengers aboard a luxury tourist train are taken on a unique journey through Northern Spain alongside a historic 19th century rail line.

16:00 1h

Mighty Ships

S7 · E1 · Norwegian Breakaway - The Voyage True

Norwegian Breakaway - The Voyage

The floating city called Norwegian Breakaway contains 29 restaurants, 22 bars and a casino, and its maiden voyage begins with a North Atlantic winter storm.

17:00 1h

Mighty Ships

S7 · E2 · Norwegian Breakaway - The Build True

Norwegian Breakaway - The Build

Germany's Meyer-Werft Shipyard takes on the challenge of building a cruise ship three times the size of HMS Titanic in just 18 months.

Evening

18:00 1h

Mighty Ships

S9 · E6 · Fram True

Fram

MS Fram, a cruise ship that goes where others fear to tread, leaves Reykjavik, Iceland, sailing in and out of the fjords of Greenland on its way to Ilulissat.

19:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S4 · E2 · MSC Regal Princess Travel

MSC Regal Princess

A detailed look is taken at a cruise of the Baltic Sea on the Regal Princess ship, and how the captain and crew deliver memorable experiences to passengers.

20:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S3 · E4 · Viking Star Travel

Viking Star

The Viking Star-class cruise ship visits southern Spain, Normandy and the canals of Amsterdam, as the crew navigates narrow passages and battles rough seas.

21:00 1h

Mighty Planes

S3 · E2 · T-38 Talon True

T-38 Talon

The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat trainer aircraft that can climb 30,000 feet per minute, fly at 858 mph, and roll at 300 degrees per second.

22:00 1h

Mighty Trains

S4 · E6 · Coastal Pacific Science

Coastal Pacific

Travelling up the coast of New Zealand in style aboard the Coastal Pacific, a train that embodies the nation's spirit of grit and determination.

23:00 1h

Mighty Cruise Ships

S3 · E1 · Koningsdam Travel

Koningsdam

The MS Koningsdam is a Dutch mega-cruise ship operated by Holland America, it is their largest and most technologically advanced ship ever constructed.