Vast, wild, and remote, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is where some of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles unfold. Situated in northeastern Alaska, this Refuge has long protected survivors of the Ice Age that still roam a frozen wilderness. Now, this icy fortress is melting due to climate change. For the caribou, musk oxen, polar bears, and Arctic foxes, the Ice Age is slipping away.

From the UFC Octagon in Las Vegas and the anthropology lab at Dartmouth, to a strongman gym in Berlin and the bushlands of Zimbabwe, the world is introduced to elite athletes, special ops soldiers, visionary scientists, cultural icons, and everyday heroes—each on a mission to create a seismic shift in the way we eat and live.

Family secrets, lies, high drama and generations of contemporary history unspool in this international story that begins with World War II and concludes with an emotional 21st-century family reunion. Izak was born inside the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp in 1945 and sent for adoption in Israel. Secret details of his birth mother, an unknown brother in Canada and his father’s true identity slowly emerge in this extremely personal investigative film.

Twenty years ago, a young American hiker named Chris McCandless, the accomplished son of successful middle class parents, was found dead in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness and became the subject of the best-selling book and movie “Into the Wild.” Now, PBS retraces Chris McCandless’ steps to try to piece together why he severed all ties with his past, burnt or gave away all his money, changed his name and headed into the Denali Wilderness. McCandless’ own letters, released for the first time, as well as new and surprising interviews, probe the mystery that still lies at the heart of a story that has become part of the American literary canon and compels so many to this day.

An elixir to our current state, “Dear Santa” takes us on the fanciful and poignant journey of a little known program called Operation Santa. For more than 100 years, human elves have been helping Santa respond to the thousands of letters children write and mail to him. This gripping documentary crisscrosses the country, following the most emotional letters as the elves work hard to make sure each child’s Christmas dreams come true.

In this special, White riffs on such wide-ranging topics such as the unintended consequences of excessive drinking, his unique approach to funding the war and the joys of a bidet. White proves that he still hasn’t solved his “behavioral problems.”

Michael Moore’s provocative documentary explores the two most important questions of the Trump Era: How the fuck did we get here, and how the fuck do we get out?

Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the “Institute of Snap!thology,” where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.

Corey Feldman’s message regarding the pedophilia problem in the movie business.

Tyquone Greer, member of Orr Academy’s basketball team, has dreams of going to college and seeing the world. However, he and other members of the team have been scarred by numerous tragedies in the harsh inner city of Chicago. Together, he and his teammates find refuge on the court. Here, Tyquone is the leader and Coach Loe is the guide and father figure to Orr’s new formidable squad.

A feature documentary about the South African Paralympic and Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who shot and killed his girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013. The film explores the tragedy of Reeva Steenkamp’s death alongside a look at South Africa’s turbulent society.

When a devastating famine descended on Soviet Russia in 1921, it was the worst natural disaster in Europe since the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. Examine Herbert Hoover’s American Relief Administration—an operation hailed for its efficiency, grit and generosity. By the summer of 1922, American kitchens were feeding nearly 11 million Soviet citizens a day.