Plot Synopsis

NERVE CENTER goes behind the scenes at some of the biggest and busiest super systems ever built, giving unprecedented access to the people and places that keep them ticking 24/7. Each 60-minute episode highlights 24 hours of a different super system, and is filled with stats, stakes and stories of how complex mechanisms work, as seen through the experiences of the front line workers. Starting from the high-pressure moment of peak operations, this program introduces the key personnel that drive the momentum from behind the scenes, and then shows how everything interconnects seamlessly -- and sometimes not so seamlessly -- to deliver the goods. Episodes feature: Washington DC Fire & Emergency Medical Services, which gets 160,000 calls a year; Cirque du Soleil's 'O', which has enthralled over 10 million people with a stage production that requires 145 technicians to ensure the safety of complex riggings and winches; Port of Los Angeles, which supports $500 million worth of cargo every day in a facility that spreads across 7500 acres and requires workers to move 30 containers an hour while maintaining security for 80 shipping lanes; Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which is the world's busiest airport with 150 planes an hour and a staff that creates 20,000 meals for 600 planes while overseeing a quarter of a million people who pass through the gates daily; The Panama Canal, which lets 13,000 vessels avoid a two-week journey around South America every year; and Grand Central Terminal provides convenience for 130,000 people daily -- all controlled from a secret basement room 10 stories underneath. Science Channel aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Monday, April 9, 2012 at 9pm ET.