Brilliant. Just brilliant. A really friendly introduction to the evidence for evolution built right into our own bodies. My only hesitation about recommending this series is that the presenter teaches human anatomy at the University of Chicago Medical School, and, in the first episode, there is a little bit of actual human dissection (real corpses) that might make some people uncomfortable. I would urge people to get through these parts which might be a little gruesome for ordinary people, because the show as a whole is outstanding. Even though I am very familiar with evolutionary biology, I still learned many interesting things and felt that this was time very well spent. If you're looking for an excellent way to introduce open- minded people to evolution, this would be a great start--I've already suggested this production to one interested person. The scientists depicted in these episodes are all exceptionally nice and totally normal people, so they come across as completely nonthreatening. Also, it helps that religion is never even mentioned once, so there is less likelihood of alienating a part of the potential audience. No strident and aggressive atheists driving off anybody here. (Whether you think that is good or bad is up to you.) Just super-friendly and enthusiastic experts explaining the facts of existence as we best understand them currently.

This PBS documentary should be required viewing in schools as early as 6th or 7th grade. Neil Shubin's enthusiasm (which his old partner makes note of in the first episode) is so captivating as he takes on a journey across the globe and reliving his memories of the discoveries he and his colleagues made years ago. I love the variety of case studies that reveal broader scientific facts about evolution. I had a general understanding of anatomy and evolution coming into this documentary, but I learned so many new and interesting facts like how similar our embryos are to fish and reptiles even after millions of years of evolution. The high quality of the animation and motion graphics are icing on the cake. I hope PBS stays around forever. It's so nice to see our tax dollars well spent once in a while.