Watchworthy

The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows 

Ranker TV
Updated May 22, 2020 8.9k votes 1.6k voters 16.8k views 31 items

Wondering what to watch on Discovery channel? This list of the best Discovery Channel shows on now has you covered. For years, the Discovery channel has produced programs that are both educational and engaging. If you're looking to learn something new while you relax in front of the TV, these Discovery channel series can help. 

Many Discovery shows on now focus on Alaska. Alaska: The Last Frontier, Alaskan Bush People, and Buying Alaska explore the rugged and often underlooked state. Other shows focus on gold mining, such as Gold Rush and Bering Sea Gold. But not all Discovery Channel shows are about strange jobs in odd places - Cash Cab, BattleBots, and the revamped MythBusters are about competitive or investigative skill. With everything currently airing on the network, at least one of these popular programs is bound to suit your taste.   

Which are the best Discovery shows? Vote your favorites to the top of the list. 

Data-driven recommendations based on voting from over 40 million monthly visits to Ranker. Try the free app
list ordered by
1
BattleBots is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Alison Haislip, Jessica Chobot, Fon Davis

Premiered: 2000

Genres (Tv): Reality television

BattleBots is an American competition reality television series. Competitors designed and operated remote-controlled armed and armored machines designed to fight in an arena combat elimination ...more
2
MythBusters is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Jon Lung, Brian Louden

Premiered: 2003

Genres (Tv): Non-fiction, Special Interest, Educational television, Science, Documentary, + more

MythBusters is a science entertainment television program created by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is transmitted by ...more

More MythBusters ❯

20 Mythbusters Myths You Were Saddest to See Busted #150 of 806 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch #33 of 383 The Best TV Shows of The Last 20 Years

3
Expedition Unknown is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
mrchrishain added Josh Gates

Premiered: 2015

Genres (Tv): Adventure, Mystery, Reality-TV
4
Mythbusters Jr. is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Adam Savage, Elijah Horland, Jesse Lawless

Premiered: 2019

Genres (Tv): Education, Reality TV

Mythbusters Jr. (Discovery Channel, 2019) is an American science entertainment television program. This spin-off of Mythbusters teams up host Adam Savage with six kids, all under the age of 16, ...more
5
Outrageous Acts of Scien... is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Outrageous Acts of Science

Premiered: 2013

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Scientists and amateurs conduct experiments and post their exploits online.
6
Cash Cab is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows

Premiered: 2005

Genres (Tv): Game show

Cash Cab (Discovery Channel, 2005) is an American game show hosted by stand-up comedian Ben Bailey that is part of the global Cash Cab franchise that originated in the United Kingdom. Starting ...more
7
Deadliest Catch is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Rick Quashnick, Sig Hansen, Edgar Hansen

Premiered: 2005

Genres (Tv): Drama, Documentary, Reality television

Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel, 2005) is an American reality television series. It portrays the real life events aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab, snow ...more

More Deadliest Catch ❯

Deadliest Catch Is A Load Of Bull-Fish #328 of 806 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch #28 of 284 The Best Reality TV Shows Ever

8
Gold Rush is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Gold Rush Paul Christie, Todd Hoffman, Parker Schnabel

Premiered: 2010

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Gold Rush was a 2006 reality competition created by Mark Burnett and AOL and hosted by Mark Steines. The format was of an internet scavenger hunt that is offering chances to win $US50,000, ...more
9
Shark Week is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Nancy Linsky, Kevin Tyler Moody

Premiered: 1987

Genres (Tv): Special Interest, Documentary, Reality television

Shark Week is an annual, week-long programming block created by Tom Golden on Discovery Channel which features shark-based programming, real and fictional. In recent years fictitious ...more
10
Naked and Afraid is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Michael Brown, Amanda Kaye, Amber Hargrove

Premiered: 2013

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Naked and Afraid is an American docudrama series that airs on the Discovery Channel and premiered on June 23, 2013. Each episode chronicles the lives of two survivalists who meet for the first ...more
11
Street Outlaws is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Kye Kelley, Travis Santa Cruz, Bobby Decote

Premiered: 2013

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Street Outlaws (Discovery Channel, 2013) is an American reality television series. The documentary-reality series takes an inside look into the world of American street racing.
12
Alaska: The Last Frontie... is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Bray Poor, Atz Kilcher, Bonnie Kilcher

Premiered: 2011

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Alaska: The Last Frontier is an American reality cable television series on the Discovery Channel. Season 4 is currently being broadcast. The show documents an extended family at their homestead ...more
13
Fast N' Loud is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Christie Brimberry, Richard Rawlings, Aaron Kaufmann

Premiered: 2012

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Fast N' Loud is a reality styled Discovery Channel TV show featuring Richard Rawlings, 45, and Aaron Kaufman, 33, from the Dallas, Texas-based Gas Monkey Garage as they search for run-down cars, ...more

More Fast N' Loud ❯

#2 of 66 The Best Car TV Shows #123 of 148 The Dumbest Reality Shows of All Time

14
The Last Alaskans is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Bob Harte, Edna Korth, Ray Lewis

Premiered: 2015

Genres (Tv): Reality

The Last Alaskans (Animal Planet, 2015) is an American reality television series. Four families living in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska struggle and thrive in the untouched ...more
15
Moonshiners is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Jeremy Schwartz, Tim Smith, Josh Owens

Premiered: 2011

Genres (Tv): Docudrama

Moonshiners is an American docudrama television series on the Discovery Channel that dramatizes the life of people who produce moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains of North and South Carolina ...more
16
Bering Sea Gold is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Thom Beers, Mike Rowe

Premiered: 2012

Genres (Tv): Reality TV

Bering Sea Gold (Discovery Channel, 2012) is an American reality television series. Set in Nome, Alaska, on Norton Sound, the show follows boats equipped with various setups to achieve gold ...more
17
Alaskan Bush People is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Matt Brown, Bill Brown, Gabe Brown

Premiered: 2014

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Alaskan Bush People (Discovery Channel, 2014) is an American reality television series. A journey deep into Alaska's bush, where naturalist and adventurer Billy Brown, along with his wife, Ami, ...more
18
Naked and Afraid XL is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Naked and Afraid XL Alana Barfield, Danielle Beauchemin, Honora Bowen

Premiered: 2015

Genres (Tv): Reality

Naked and Afraid XL (Discovery Channel, 2015) is an American reality television series, and a spinoff of Naked and Afraid. A group of people are given the task of surviving in the wilderness for ...more
19
Diesel Brothers is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Diesel Dave, Heavy D, Muscle

Premiered: 2016

Genres (Tv): Motoring, Reality

Diesel Brothers is an American reality television series. A group of friends in Utah own and operate a business that specializes in all things diesel. These guys don't just sell parts for diesel ...more
20
Dual Survival is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Cody Lundin, Dave Canterbury

Premiered: 2010

Genres (Tv): Survival skills, Television documentary, Adventure film, Reality television

Dual Survival is an American reality cable television series which airs on the Discovery Channel. The show features a pair of survival experts in predetermined scenarios while in challenging ...more
21
American Chopper is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Paul Teutul Sr., Paul Teutul Jr., Michael Teutul

Premiered: 2003

Genres (Tv): Reality television

American Chopper (Discovery, 2003) is a reality television series. The series centers on Paul Teutul, Sr., and his son Paul Teutul, Jr., who manufacture custom chopper-style motorcycles.

More American Chopper ❯

The 15 Best 'American Chopper' Memes That Will Make You Laugh Every Time #386 of 422 The Best TV Shows to Rewatch #212 of 284 The Best Reality TV Shows Ever

22
Yukon Men is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Pat Duke, Darren O'Hare, Bill Justice

Premiered: 2012

Yukon Men is an unscripted American cable television series aired on the Discovery Channel. It is produced by Paper Route Productions and has premiered on August 24, 2012. The series details the ...more
23
Wheeler Dealers is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows

Premiered: 2003

Genres (Tv): Automotive, Documentary

Wheeler Dealers is a British television series produced by Attaboy TV for the Discovery Channel, fronted by Mike Brewer and mechanic Edd China. The premise of the show is that Brewer and China ...more
24
Vegas Rat Rods is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Dave Lefler, Twiggy Tallant, Steve Darnell

Premiered: 2014

Genres (Tv): Reality television

Vegas Rat Rods (Discovery Channel, 2014) is an American reality television series. Steve Darnell and his band of oddballs work out of a Las Vegas garage, stripping and rebuilding Mad Max-style ...more
25
Edge of Alaska is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows
Edge of Alaska Neil Darish, Gary Green, Jason Lobo

Premiered: 2014

Genres (Tv): Reality-TV