Inside NATURE on PBS

Inside NATURE on PBS is a companion podcast to the long-running PBS documentary series, and it offers something you can't get from the films alone: the stories behind the stories. Hosted by Fred Kaufman, the executive producer of the NATURE series, the show features conversations with the filmmakers, researchers, and conservationists whose work makes those documentaries possible. The catalog is small, just 14 episodes released between 2016 and 2018, but the content holds up remarkably well. Episodes cover the crisis facing the Northern White Rhino, the desperate efforts to save the vaquita (the world's rarest marine mammal), the technical challenges of filming wildlife in extreme environments, and the emotional toll conservation work takes on the people doing it. Kaufman's insider perspective gives these conversations a depth you won't find in a typical interview format. The show appears to have concluded, with no new episodes since March 2018, which is worth knowing before you invest. But if you've ever watched a NATURE documentary and wondered how they got a particular shot or what happened to the animals after the cameras left, these 14 episodes answer those questions directly. The 4.3 rating from 77 reviews is respectable for a niche companion podcast. Think of it less as an active show and more as a finite collection of excellent behind-the-scenes wildlife storytelling from one of the most trusted names in nature television.