# Modern Marvels (1993)

> A long-running American documentary series that explores the invention, engineering and history behind everyday objects, buildings and disasters.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/5779

## Facts

- Seasons: 23
- Episodes: 707
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: documentary
- Created by: Bruce Nash
- Network: History, A&E, H2
- Cast: Adam Richman, Lloyd Sherr, Abdul Qadeer Khan, George C. Kenney, Justin Talley
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199248/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: curious, upbeat, informative, enthusiastic, accessible

## What critics say

Viewed as an accessible, reliable factual series that explains how everyday objects and structures are made, though its formula is considered repetitive.

## Synopsis

Modern Marvels (1993-2022) is an American factual docuseries created by Bruce Nash and broadcast on History, later A&E and H2. Hosted on screen by Adam Richman and narrated throughout by Lloyd Sherr, the show runs for twenty-three seasons and roughly seven hundred episodes, each about forty-four minutes long. Rather than following a continuing storyline, every episode takes a separate subject and traces its history, design and production, from commonplace items like ink and coffee to skyscrapers, bridges, and engineering disasters. Viewers see the inventors, dreamers and occasional schemers behind everyday technology, with archival footage and on-location visits to factories and construction sites. The tone is curious, upbeat and accessible, a steady stream of explanation that rewards casual attention as much as focused viewing. Its topic-by-topic format makes it easy to dip into at any point. Fans of How It's Made, Connections and Engineering Disasters will find similar appeal in its mix of industrial process and historical storytelling. The result is a long, cheerful education in how the modern world got built.

## Shows like Modern Marvels

- [Explained (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68544)
- [The World According to Jeff Goldblum (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78528)
- [The Toys That Made Us (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/65770)
- [How the Universe Works (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/31140)
- [NOVA (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/3387)
- [Horizon (1964)](https://ember.film/tv/1858)
- [The Universe (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/2491)
- [How Stuff Works (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/62637)
- [Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/28463)
- [MythBusters (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/1344)

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