Best movies & TV Shows like Explorer

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Explorer Starring Lisa Ling, and more. If you liked Explorer then you may also like: Newark Athlete, Beauty Day, The First Wave, Mad As Hell, Access Hollywood and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

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National Geographic's Explorer gives viewers special access to the issues of the day.

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Newark Athlete

Experimental film fragment made with the Edison-Dickson-Heise experimental horizontal-feed kinetograph camera and viewer, using 3/4-inch wide film.

Beauty Day

Before the body-threatening antics of Jackass came crashing into public consciousness, there was Ontario's Ralph Zavadil, aka Cap'n Video, who cascaded off roofs into snowbanks, jumped off ladders into half-empty swimming pools, and drank eggs through his nostrils. Beauty Day is a rambunctious documentary about this irrepressible pioneer of local-access cable shenanigans who entertained and outraged viewers in the small city of St. Catharines-until a special Easter Show, featuring a fat rabbit and adorable puppies (none of which were hurt), got him kicked off the air for good. With a nod to Werner Herzog, Cheel follows the life and times of Cap'n Video and finds that the Cap'n is still quite a firecracker. Written by Laurence Kardish

The First Wave

When Covid-19 hit New York City in 2020, filmmaker Matthew Heineman gained unique access to one of New York’s hardest-hit hospital systems. The resulting film focuses on the doctors, nurses, and patients on the frontlines during the “first wave” from March to June 2020. Their distinct storylines each serve as a microcosm to understand how the city persevered through the worst pandemic in a century

Mad As Hell

MAD AS HELL follows Cenk Uygur's transformation from unknown talk show host on local Public Access TV to an internet sensation with his online news show "The Young Turks," which has amassed over one billion views on YouTube. Once Cenk ventures from the internet into national television and lands the 6 PM time slot on MSNBC, his uncensored brand of journalism is compromised and Cenk becomes the nexus in the battle between new and old media.

Access Hollywood

Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and later Christopher A. Berry directed the program. Access Hollywood primarily focuses on news in the music, television, and film industries. The United States version began broadcasting on September 9, 1996, and is nationally syndicated in the United States. In 2003, a British version of the show began production and in an Irish version began in 2006 airing on the now defunct Channel 6, now known as 3e. In Canada, CTV Two has aired the program since September 5, 2011.

Famously Single

Eight celebrities going through relationship rehab live under one roof in downtown Los Angeles and explore their romantic issues together. Through fun challenges and exercises their fame is stripped away and viewers will witness them untangle their most private emotional experiences, ripped straight out of tabloid headlines.

The First 48

The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. Gritty and fast-paced, it takes viewers behind the scenes of real-life investigations with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.

Mysteries at the Monument

Host Don Wildman takes viewers around the country without having to leave the comforts of home, visiting national parks, statues, and memorials to reveal the history and mysteries that surround these treasures. Whether it be a mysterious disappearance, an unsolved murder or an unexplained haunting, the show reveals secrets and information about each monument leaving the viewer with the a deeper understanding of these important places but often overlooked pieces of American history.

Our America with Lisa Ling

Lisa Ling takes viewers along for an in-depth look at some of the most controversial and thought-provoking issues in the United States today, including religious movements, sex offenders, drug addiction and online brides. In each episode, Lisa immerses herself into the lives of the people she meets, offering compelling accounts of varied experiences and providing insight into some of our nation's most contentious issues. In sharing these stories, Lisa challenges viewers to understand different perspectives and even question what they themselves have always known to be true.

Surviving the Cut

With extraordinary, unprecedented access, Surviving the Cut takes viewers into the intense world of military elite forces training. From divers and snipers to para-rescue men and bomb specialists, the elite and how they earn a place in the coveted units are the focus in this compelling all new series.

Wild Arabia

Deep in the Gulf region is one of the world's last great wildernesses - a mysterious and magical landscape hidden to the world for decades. Observe the dramatic and varied geology and extraordinary wildlife in the world premiere of 'WILD ARABIA'. With unparalleled access, Animal Planet takes viewers to the crossroads of three continents to a clandestine kingdom of rich culture and breathtaking beauty. Once the trade hub of the ancient world, Arabia has transitioned into a secluded splendor where the modern world brushes up against a vast and ageless sweeping terrain. Feast your eyes on the scenic and sculptural sand dunes of Saudi Arabia and Oman, which are populated by camel trains and elegant white gazelles. Discover the scores of undersea volcanoes in the deep trenches off the coast of Yemen, and uncover the secrets of the Tigris-Euphrates River Delta.

Friday Night Tykes

In America, football is king ... and nowhere is football bigger than in Texas. Esquire Network takes viewers inside the grown-up world of youth football in FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES, a new 10-part docuseries airing Tuesdays at 9p e/p, debuting January 14 with two back-to-back episodes at 9p and 10p e/p. With exclusive access to the 8 to 9 year-old Rookies division in the San Antonio region of the Texas Youth Football Association (TYFA), FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES follows five teams on and off the field throughout the 2013 season, from pre-season training through the state championships. Along the way, cheerleaders cheer, tailgaters barbecue and the crowd goes wild, but intense rivalries flare, parents and coaches clash and the young players face some very adult pressures and concerns, from extreme training drills, heckling from rabid fans, and balancing on-the-field expectations against a typical off-the-field childhood.

FBI Takedowns

Across America, elite teams of FBI agents are on a mission to hunt down the most wanted criminals in the country. With exclusive access to some of the FBI's most notorious cases and the agents who led the charge, FBI TAKEDOWNS immerses viewers in the most adrenaline-fueled manhunts, takedowns, and high stakes games of cat and mouse. An electrifying ride, each one-hour episode follows the pursuit and capture of deadly criminals who have committed some of the most violent attacks on this generation.

Surviving Marriage

Married couples on the verge of divorce take part in an extreme form of therapy in hopes of saving their relationships. Akin to being locked in a room and told to work it out -- sort of -- one couple on each episode spend five days together on a secluded South Pacific island. Without modern conveniences and with limited access to food and water, the husband and wife have to rely on each other to survive the challenging conditions, including when they take part in physical and emotional exercises designed by marriage counselors. Guiding viewers are clinical psychologist Dr. Colleen Long and family therapist Tom Kersting, who explain how the participants are faring during the often-volatile journey. On the final day, the couple decide if they want to remain married or call it quits.

Save My Life: Boston Trauma

In "Save My Life: Boston Trauma", viewers will get unparalleled access to top tier trauma teams inside the emergency rooms and operating rooms of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals including the Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General, and Brigham and Women’s. Lives that could be lost in lesser hands at less renowned medical centers are saved through feats of miraculous skill. The only certainty is that those who need care will receive the very best that medicine has to offer. This remarkable series tells many stories of heroism, poignancy, and unexpected humor. One minute a mother struggles with the news that her son has been critically wounded in a shooting, while in the next scene doctors become a captive audience as their patient launches into an impromptu rap.

Lone Star Law

Follow Viewers get unprecedented access to the more than 500 agents of Texas Parks and Wildlife wardens who embark on dangerous missions to apprehend those who commit crimes against nature. The series captures the more than 60,000 arrests each year made by the wardens as they execute undercover stings, work on ongoing investigations and protect their territories.

National Enquirer Investigates

National Enquirer Investigates will make viewers question everything they thought they knew about the most sensational crimes and celebrity scandals in Hollywood history by giving viewers unprecedented access to The National Enquirer’s secret files, featuring never-before-told stories alongside fascinating new evidence, insider interviews and fresh expert analysis.

Fury Files

The mysterious Fury gives viewers top-secret access to S.H.I.E.L.D. intel on key Marvel heroes and villains by bringing together a mix of animation and motion comic art.

Deadline: White House

Hosted by Nicolle Wallace, this program provides in-depth reporting and dynamic discussions on the political stories driving the news cycle. Nicolle Wallace brings viewers the latest political developments of the day, in addition to interviews with leading newsmakers and influential politicians. Drawing on her years of experience as communications chief for President George W. Bush and senior advisor for the McCain-Palin campaign, Wallace provides political insight and clarity on where key decision-makers stand on complex issues.

CBC Docs POV

CBC’s new documentary program gets to the heart of current affairs and social issues that matter to Canadians. With unique and often unexpected access, these stories will ignite discussions.

Mums Make Porn

Five ordinary mums confront the impact of easy access porn on their kids and shine a light on the issues relating to young people’s attitude toward sex today. Combining focused journalism with warm and mischievous entertainment, the mums explore the world of modern pornography to produce their own 12-minute porn film.

Broken Bread

Broken Bread showcases inspiring people who are making a difference in their communities through food. Restaurant entrepreneur, social activist and acclaimed chef Roy Choi takes viewers on a journey through his hometown, the city of Los Angeles, exploring complex social justice issues while meeting inspiring individuals and organizations who use food as a platform for activism as well as a catalyst for change.

Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King

Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King offers exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to one of sports most flamboyant and controversial characters Tyson Fury and his larger than life family. Giving viewers an unprecedented insight into the life of one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in British sport.

Weird But True!

The brother-sister duo of Charlie and Kirby Engelman hosts this series that explores the science between the planet and its wildlife. A different topic is explored in each episode by ecologist Charlie and artist Kirby. The siblings look to inspire young people to question the "how" and "why" behind the way the world works and encourage the viewers to go out and try to discover the answers to their own questions about the world.

The 93 Victims of Samuel Little

Samuel Little may not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking of serial killers, but he is one of the most prolific and elusive of all time. He was convicted of murdering four women but is thought to have killed as many as 93 women over four decades. For the first time ever, viewers will have exclusive access to investigators, stories from families and chillingly detailed descriptions from Samuel Little himself.

Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller

A 360-degree view of the trafficking world from the point-of-view of the traffickers, law enforcement agents and those caught in the crossfire with access only National Geographic can provide.

Cal Fire

Cal Fire imbeds viewers within the largest emergency force in the country; access to all 6,100 firefighters as they work to contain California's near-constant blazes.

Uninterrupted's Top Class

Follow a new mecca of high school athletics nestled just outside of Los Angeles, the back-to-back state champion Sierra Canyon Trailblazers. Viewers get exclusive access to the team as they balance the pressures of competing on a global stage while finding success at one of the most academically elite high schools in the country.

The Wright Stuff

The Wright Stuff is a British television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning from 9:15 to 11:10am. The series characterises itself as "Britain's brightest daytime show", which "gives ordinary people the chance to talk and comment on everything from the invasion of Iraq to social, emotional and even sexual issues back at home", as well as featuring "showbiz stars and media commentators". The Wright Stuff has been nominated as "Best Daytime Programme" at both the Royal Television Society and the National Television Awards. The show first aired on 11 September 2000 and was created at Anglia Television who produced it for two years until their takeover by Granada. It is now produced by Princess Productions who also produced the short-lived The Vanessa Show.

Light & Magic

Granted unparalleled access, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan takes viewers on an adventure behind the curtains of Industrial Light & Magic, the special visual effects, animation and virtual production division of Lucasfilm. Learn what inspired some of the most legendary filmmakers in Hollywood history, and follow their stories from their earliest personal films to bringing George Lucas’ vision to life.

Impact x Nightline

Each week, ABC News’ correspondents will leave the anchor desk and studios behind, taking viewers on a journey straight to the source of the stories everyone is talking about, plus the ones no one has even heard of yet. The program’s timely reporting will dive deep into the issues driving the conversations across America and spotlight real people affected by current events featuring hard-hitting investigative reports and profiles of newsmakers from around the globe.

Late Night Lockup

When the sun sets, the strangest suspects pass through police stations, and officers encounter their weirdest and wildest behavior. Direct access to body cams and CCTV takes viewers along for the ride with police who must deal with insanity after dark.

To The Contrary

This all women news-analysis program provides an important, timely forum for diverse women to discuss national and international issues and policies.

Katherine Ryan: Parental Guidance

From potty training at eight months to co-sleeping, some might consider Katherine's own parenting methods to be extreme - but that's nothing compared to the extreme parents she'll be meeting in this series. With special access to Katherine's family life, viewers will see how she juggles parenthood with the glamourous and often intense lifestyle of being a comedian at the top of her game.

Justice, USA

A compelling 360-degree insider's view of Nashville's criminal justice system, offering unprecedented access to the men's, women's, and juvenile jails, as we watch inmates, deputies, lawyers, and judges confront issues of incarceration, mental illness, and addiction.

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