Best Origin Movies & TV Shows

Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. From working class origins, she has reached the top of her game. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.

It all starts with one question: How will you make the world a better place? From household names to rising stars, meet the women who are changing our world. They live among primates in the jungle...dive the oceans for clues to the health of our planet, discover our human origins in African caves, and test new technologies in outer space. They break glass ceilings in newsrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms and classrooms. Women are reshaping our world, and how we see it, and here are their stories!

Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.” After baseball, he was a widely-read newspaper columnist, divisive political activist and tireless advocate for civil rights, who later struggled to remain relevant as diabetes crippled his body and a new generation of leaders set a more militant course for the civil rights movement.

An aspiring clown grappling with her gender identity combats a fascistic caped crusader in writer-director Vera Drew's uproariously subversive queer coming-of-age origin story.

Haunting creatures come to life in a hunt for the truth about infamous monsters and their origins. Experts explore the latest evidence, eyewitness encounters and active investigations while unveiling their mind-blowing theories about these nightmarish beasts.

Recreating festivities from Henry VIII's era, Lucy Worsley dresses, eats, drinks, sings and parties like it is 500 years ago - discovering long-lost traditions as well as familiar customs.

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder is an American animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show centers around a Batman-esque super hero, the Blue Falcon, and his assistant, bumbling yet generally effective robot dog Dynomutt, who can produce a seemingly infinite number of mechanical devices from his body. As with many other animated super-heroes of the era, no origins for the characters are ever provided. Dynomutt was originally broadcast as a half-hour segment of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour and its later expanded forms Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics and Scooby's All-Stars; it would later be rerun and syndicated on its own from 1978 on. The cast of The Scooby-Doo Show appeared as a recurring characters on Dynomutt, assisting the Daring Duo in cracking their crimes. Originally distributed by Hanna-Barbera's then-parent company Taft Broadcasting, Warner Bros. Television currently holds the television distribution to the series.

Amid the stark discord of twin cities Piltover and Zaun, two sisters fight on rival sides of a war between magic technologies and clashing convictions.

Host Alton Brown explores the origins of ingredients, decodes culinary customs and presents food and equipment trends. Punctuated by unusual interludes, simple preparations and unconventional discussions, he'll bring you food in its finest and funniest form.

A group of allied intelligence agents discover that extraterrestrial beings arrived on Earth centuries ago and have been thriving through the exploitation of humans. Believed to be the origins of many of the creatures humans know from myth, folklore and legends, including vampires and werewolves, the group discovers that these aliens have now formed a sinister cadre bent on taking over the world for themselves. In response, the agents form a top-secret multinational agency known as The Global Alliance, charged with protecting the world from the alien threat and keeping it a secret from the public at any cost.

Carl Sagan covers a wide range of scientific subjects, including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe.

Cutting-edge stories about the origins of the universe, black holes, exploding stars, the search for ET life, and the nature of the planets. How did the universe begin? Where will it end? Are there other worlds like Earth?

Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson provides clarity for the vision of the cosmos as he voyages across the universe with never-before-told stories that delve into the scientific concepts of the laws of gravity and the origins of space and time.

1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus is based on the book “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” by Charles C. Mann (Knopf, 2005). It brings to life the complexity, diversity and interconnectedness of Indigenous peoples in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus. Presented from an Indigenous-perspective the series is a journey along a timeline that dates from 20,000 years ago to 1491. The origins and history of ancient Indigenous societies in North, Central and South America are interpreted by leading Indigenous scholars and cultural leaders in the fields of archaeology, art history, ethnology, genetics, geology, and linguistics.

Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man. While wrestling with the implications of his new abilities, Miles discovers a super collider created by the madman Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, causing others from across the Spider-Verse to be inadvertently transported to his dimension.

The continuing story of Peacemaker – a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it – in the aftermath of the events of “The Suicide Squad.”

Henry Louis Gates Jr. takes a look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century. A breathtaking and personal journey through two hundred thousand years of history, from the origins, on the African continent, of art, writing and civilization itself, through the millennia in which Africa and Africans shaped not only their own rich civilizations, but also the wider world.

The origins of the world’s greatest hero–from Krypton refugee Kal-el’s arrival on Earth through his tumultuous teen years to Clark Kent’s final steps toward embracing his destiny as the Man of Steel.

Witness the awesome power and the unimaginable destruction of explosive volcanoes, ground-buckling earthquakes, and deadly tornadoes as you head into the field with scientists who risk their lives exploring the origins and behaviors of these fearsome natural disasters.

Metal Evolution is a 2011 documentary series directed by anthropologist and film-maker Sam Dunn and director, producer and music supervisor Scot McFadyen about heavy metal subgenres, with new episodes airing every Friday at 10pm EST on MuchMore and Saturday at 10pm EST on VH1 Classic. Its origins come from Dunn's first documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, which included the acclaimed "Heavy Metal Family Tree."

The inspiring origin story of a basketball superhero, revealing how LeBron James and his childhood friends become the #1 high school team in the country, launching James's breathtaking career as a four-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

Follow a new generation of the Dutton family during the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home.

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

Two spaceships, one manned by benevolent Maximals, the other by evil Predacons, crash-land on a pre-humanoid planet while en route to Earth. Their crews assume indigenous animal forms to protect themselves from an overabundance of natural energy, transforming into robots to do battle. Thus, the Beast Wars have begun...

Professor Brian Cox asks the biggest questions we can ask. Are we alone? Why are we here? What is our future? Join him in a stunning celebration of human life as he explores our origins, our place and our destiny in the universe.

Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.

In 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, a young grifter named Estella is determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.

Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Carpenter Clint Harp hits the road in search of incredible historical structures across the country that are in need of restoration, while exploring their origins and dreaming of their futures.

The origin stories and turbulent journeys of the tech titans who shape our world. We track how tech became the dominant industry in the world, from the dawn of internet to the present day.

Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo's Grandfather disappeared mysteriously in 1962. The community searching for him sang songs of encouragement that were passed down for generations. Harjo explores the origins of these songs as well as the violent history of his people.

Lost Relics of the Knights Templar follows one of the world’s most prolific yet unknown treasure hunters, Hamilton White, and his long-time friend, Carl Cookson, as they trace the origin of an amazing hoard of relics – believed to have belonged to the legendary Knights Templar.

A rock and roll horror fantasy where we meet the immortal Louise and her beloved Charlie. Unfortunately, due to Louise's supernatural origins, every man she sleeps with must die! Charlie was Louise's first love from the 1920's, who she accidentally killed before realizing what she is: a descendant of Lilith, the mother of all demons! This race of women must feed on the souls of men once every full moon, or else they will menstruate to death. Now a hundred years later, Charlie returns reincarnated, and Louise must struggle with staying away from the love of her life, or risk losing him a second time! PMS has never been this deadly!

Strip The City uses stunning CGI animation and expedition - driven actuality to strip major cities naked of their steel, concrete, air, ocean and bedrock - layer by layer, act by act - to explore their hidden infrastructure and solve key mysteries surrounding their origins, geology, archaeology, industry, weather and engineering. Each episode will explore six iconic features of each city - one per act. Each icon will take us a layer deeper into the city. They will range from man - made skyscrapers and metro systems to natural dunes and lakes.

Of all the continents on Earth, none preserves a more spectacular story of our planet's origins than Australia. NOVA's four-part "Australia's First 4 Billion Years" takes viewers on a rollicking adventure from the birth of the Earth to the emergence of the world we know today. With help from host and scientist Richard Smith, we meet titanic dinosaurs and giant kangaroos, sea monsters and prehistoric crustaceans, disappearing mountains and deadly asteroids. Epic in scope, intimate in nature, this is the untold story of the land "down under," the one island continent that has got it all. Join NOVA on the ultimate Outback road trip, an exploration of the history of the planet as seen through the window of the Australian continent.

A group of bright Sarah Lawrence College students fall under the dark influence of a friend's father, Larry Ray. With unprecedented access to the survivors who lived with Ray, the series follows the cult from its origins through its still-unfolding aftermath.

This docuseries takes an unprecedented look at the enduring and influential legacy of DC, allowing fans to rediscover the universe of characters, as well as the iconic comic book company’s origins, its evolution and its nearly nine-decade cultural impact across every artistic medium.

After reluctantly returning to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush who is now a police officer—he’s an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.

This special takes a look at the show’s origin and evolution, through interviews with the cast and original directors, featuring special musical performances, as well as behind the scenes commentary on Martin’s impact.

After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies — and allies — from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins.

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

Take a photographic journey thorough time from the violent birth of our planet four and a half billion years ago, through ice-ages, massive volcanic eruptions and the dinosaurs' reign to the first humans. For the first time, see the incredible story of our planet unfold in one single, seamless camera move.

Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama.

After years of blood, sweat and tears, a woman of humble origin ends up becoming a drug trafficking legend, with all that that means...

The Walking Dead: Origins is a series of specials exploring the journeys of the series' most celebrated characters. Each episode charts the story of the zombie apocalypse from the point of view of a single character and features new interviews and narrations from the actors that portray these iconic characters, interwoven with clips from the most pivotal moments of their journeys so far.

The origin story of Bruce Wayne's legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company in 1960s London and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, before they become Bruce Wayne’s parents.

The gorgeous and charismatic Bo is a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious origins.

When global catastrophe strikes, the World's Greatest Super Heroes answer the call to join Justice League. Justice League works together as a team to overcome a dangerous array of intersteller invaders and world conquering megalomaniacs.

A group of experts fan out across the nation to investigate unexplained objects found by ordinary people in their own backyards across America. They study the objects, test them, date them, and deliver real answers about the object's origins.

Dave Myers and Simon King take an adventurous road trip to explore the local way of life and the origins of some of the West's favorite Asian cuisine.