Nova (TV series)

Nova
The current Nova logo since 2005
Created by	Michael Ambrosino
Developed by	Michael Ambrosino
Narrated by	Jay O. Sanders, Jamie Effros et al.
Theme music composer	Walter Werzowa John Luker Musikvergnuegen, Inc. Ray Loring (additional)
Opening theme	Walter Werzowa John Luker Musikvergnuegen, Inc. Ray Loring (additional)
Ending theme	Walter Werzowa John Luker Musikvergnuegen, Inc. Ray Loring (additional)
Composer(s)	Walter Werzowa John Luker Musikvergnuegen, Inc. Ray Loring (additional)
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	44
No. of episodes	812 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Paula Apsell (senior)
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	WGBH-TV
Release
Original network	PBS
Picture format	HDTV
Original release	March 3rd, 1974 – present
External links
Website

Nova (stylized NOVΛ) is an American popular science television series produced by WGBH Boston. It is broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the U.S., and in more than 100 other countries. The series has won many major television awards.

Nova often includes interviews with scientists doing research in the subject areas covered and occasionally includes footage of a particular discovery. Some episodes have focused on the history of science. Examples of topics covered include the following: Colditz Castle, Drake equation, elementary particles, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Fermat's Last Theorem, global warming, moissanite, Project Jennifer, storm chasing, Unterseeboot 869, Vinland, and the Tarim mummies.

The Nova programs have been praised for their good pacing, clear writing, and crisp editing. Websites accompany the segments and have also won awards.

From 1982 to 2013, David Koch contributed $18.6 million to WGBH Educational Foundation, including $10 million to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) show Nova.[60][verification needed]

Nova was created on March 3, 1974, by Michael Ambrosino, inspired by the BBC 2 television series Horizon, which Ambrosino had seen while working in the UK. In the early years, many Nova episodes were either co-productions with the BBC Horizon team, or other documentaries originating outside of the United States, with the narration re-voiced in American English. Of the first 50 programs, only 19 were original WGBH productions, and the very first Nova episode, "The Making of a Natural History Film", was originally an episode of Horizon that premiered in 1972. The practice continues to this day. All the producers and associate producers for the original Nova teams came from either England (with experience on the Horizon series), Los Angeles or New York. Ambrosino was succeeded as executive producer by John Angier, John Mansfield, and Paula S. Apsell, actually as senior executive producer.