CNBC Originals, Vol. 2

In this CNBC documentary, "Squawk Box" Co-Anchor Carl Quintanilla will look at garbage - how we create it, how we get rid of it, and how we often just put it out of sight all at significant cost to individuals and society alike. One thing about the garbage business, it's always picking up.

Water, our most precious natural resource, is at risk. CNBC explores a global crisis.

CNBC’s Phil LeBeau takes you inside one of the great comeback stories of the American auto industry.

CNBC examines how marijuana, the world’s most commonly used illicit drug, dares to move out of the shadows and into the mainstream of American life.

The Facebook Obsession is the real story behind the rise of the largest social-media site in the world, told through the company's founders, friends and foes. Correspondent Lester Holt delivers a comprehensive look at how this Internet phenomenon, with half a billion users, is affecting society in ways most people are unaware of.

CNBC cameras go behind the scenes at your local big box market, Whole Foods, and fading mom-and-pop stores to find out what the supermarket industry knows about you -- and what you don't know about them.

In this CNBC original documentary, Correspondent Brian A. Shactman reports on an industry that continues to thrive despite all we know about the dangers of smoking.

Find out the secrets behind the money, the lies, the emotional pain, and the financial gain that happens when wealthy couples go from trusted allies to warring factions in CNBC’s “Divorce Wars.”

In the United States, we are Internet dependent. Our financial systems, power grids, telecommunications, water supplies, flight controls and military communications are all online – making them vulnerable to countless attacks by cyber criminals. The goal could be a 10-minute blackout, an attack on our national security, a stock trading glitch or the theft of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property. The FBI has recently made cyber crime a number one priority, one that costs the U.S. an estimated trillion dollars a year. CNBC’s "Code Wars", hosted by Melissa Lee, takes you onto the frontlines of the war on cyber. Cyber attacks are almost impossible to trace, making cyber crime and acts of cyber warfare the ultimate anonymous crime. So how do we protect our systems whose components are largely manufactured abroad? Can our nation's infrastructure be protected from cyber attacks? And how can the U.S. win a war in which conventional rules of combat do not apply? CNBC tackles the tough questions in "Code Wars: America’s Cyber Threat."

CNBC goes inside one of the most successfully managed brands and companies in the world -- BMW. Its familiar blue and white logo stands as the symbol of prestigious, high-performance, luxury cars. A one-time aircraft engine manufacturer that eventually moved to motorcycles and offbeat sports sedans, BMW today commands brand recognition and respect that is the envy of the commercial world. CNBC Correspondent Carl Quintanilla takes viewers inside BMW’s secretive Tech Center, where teams of engineers obsess over the technical and mechanical details that the company says justify its cars’ high prices. Acoustic specialists consider every sound in the car, from the exhaust note to the window motors; ergonomic engineers labor over the stunningly complex mechanical labyrinth that is a modern seat; and crash specialists deliberately wreck a parade of high-dollar vehicles to improve safety. BMW is a company enjoying success, but also facing significant challenges. Growing environmental and political pressures are making it increasingly tough to market high-performance cars, but BMW is staking its future on its ability to build vehicles that are both sustainable and fun. BMW also faces daunting competition, not only from other German manufacturers like Audi, but also from carmakers in Japan, Korea -- and soon, China. BMW: A Driving Obsession is the fascinating story behind a once small, struggling company that transformed itself into a global luxury car powerhouse, and is now going flat out to maintain its edge.

CNBC’s Phil LeBeau will take viewers inside Boeing to see whether this enormously important American company, and one of the nation's largest employers, can rise to the challenge of a rapidly changing global aviation market.

The coffee addiction is not an understatement. Americans crave their daily fix and drink an estimated 400 million cups a day. But, coffee is so much more than just a drink. As one of the most actively traded commodities, coffee is now a multibillion-dollar global industry. What is it about coffee that keeps us coming back for more? Is it truly the caffeine or is it something else... the aroma, the taste, the sense of gathering a cup of coffee brings. We’ll examine the cultural fixation and go behind the scenes with two major players in coffee today - Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee. The story of how coffee gets to this country is mostly unknown and fascinating... put it this way, if you think standing in line to get your cup of Joe is a hassle, wait until you see how a cherry off a coffee tree eventually makes it to your local barista. From the jungles of Peru to America’s coffee cafés, CNBC’s “The Coffee Addiction” takes you on the coffee journey from bean to cup.

A Hollywood stuntwoman, a Victoria's Secret photographer and an inner-city music teacher. Discover why these people say they have the Best Jobs Ever.

Can PepsiCo create healthier products? CNBC takes an look inside the quest of a global powerhouse and how it is changing the foods we eat.

For 100 years, it's been one of the most influential schools in the world, turning out Fortune 500 CEOs, Hollywood moguls, Wall Street wizards, the current Mayor of New York and the President of the United States. But what's it really like to go to Harvard Business School? In this CNBC Original, correspondent Carl Quintanilla goes inside the ''West Point of Capitalism'' as it commemorates its centennial. Features interviews with GE's Jeff Immelt, JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon, Time Inc.'s Ann Moore and more.

In the world of consumer electronics, Best Buy is often considered the 'last man standing' - a title both flattering and daunting. What started as a local record store 45 years ago is now a national big box giant with more than 1100 stores. In recent years, the retailer has seen its profits dwindle, due to intense online competition, high overhead costs and declining sales. Best Buy has faced many challenges in its history but has always managed to bounce back. In an age when smart phone apps can compare prices on the spot, can this behemoth keep itself from becoming just a showroom for competitor's websites? CNBC Correspondent Tyler Mathisen goes behind the scenes of Best Buy during the Black Friday frenzy, profiles CEO Brian Dunn, meets the Geek Squad, and reports on how the big box is fighting back.

NBC News and Today Show Correspondent Amy Robach reveals how online daters are using cutting-edge technology in search of love and how digital entrepreneurs are getting rich helping them do it. You’ll meet scientists, mathematicians and psychologists who claim they can draw revealing conclusions about you from what you do -- and don’t do -- on their websites. Can online dating really deliver what it promises? CNBC takes you inside a business trying to unlock the secrets of the human heart with science.

Costco is famous for turning the experience of warehouse shopping into an adventure. Costco, one of the nation’s top three retailers and the world’s largest membership warehouse chain, has thrived by turning convention on its head. The company never advertises, charges its 64 million members to shop there and doesn’t mark up any product more than 15 percent. It’s a business model that works, generating $93 billion in annual sales. Correspondent Carl Quintanilla shows how Costco has grown to 600 stores, attracting loyal and affluent customers. This CNBC Original documentary takes you inside a cultural icon where bargains add up to billions in revenue.

With more than 300 stores, nearly $2 billion in sales and even the First Lady as a fan, J.Crew has transformed from a once-flailing, lackluster brand to a fashion force. Leading J.Crew is CEO Millard “Mickey” Drexler, known for his intuitive sense of what the public craves and his ability to lift troubled companies to new heights. Since taking over J.Crew in 2003, Drexler has successfully introduced designer quality clothing for the masses -- driving the company’s revenues up 170 percent. From New York to Italy, CNBC anchor David Faber explores the process of conceiving, creating and marketing a new line of clothing. How will J.Crew meet the twin challenges of expansion and a rapidly changing landscape in the Internet age of retail? CNBC takes you inside this growing retailer and explains what’s made the stylish, contemporary brand a success.

The search is on for the next generation of Silicon Valley superstars. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel is offering 20 teenage innovators $100,000 to drop out of college and turn their visionary ideas into reality. Thousands apply, but only 41 finalists will be invited to San Francisco, where they’ll face their biggest test yet: convincing Thiel that they have what it takes to change the world.

Some of the world’s most brilliant young innovators have come to San Francisco to compete for the ultimate prize: $100,000 and the support of legendary tech investor Peter Thiel. Now they have just two minutes to make their case to a room full of Silicon Valley’s best and brightest. All of the finalists have big dreams and big ambitions - but only 20 will win the chance to become a Thiel Fellow.

CNBC's extraordinary behind-the-scenes access takes you inside Marriott International, one of the largest hotel empires in the world. Spanning 74 countries, 3700 properties, and 18 brands, it pulls off the massive feat of housing and feeding guests in more than 645,000 rooms each night.

Death isn't just a certainty; it's an industry, built around rituals designed to ease grieving - and drive profits. Once bound by tradition, this highly competitive and little-understood business is reinventing itself for the 21st century. CNBC goes inside the fascinating world of the $17 billion death care industry, exploring the steady rise in cremation and some unconventional ways to say goodbye.

The AR-15, used in the Newtown and Aurora shootings, has become a lightning rod in a wrenching debate over what this type of gun is for and whether anyone should have one. CNBC examines the controversy and the rise of the AR-15, the rock star of America’s gun industry.

Twitter has been called the pulse of the planet - home to Lady Gaga, LeBron, foreign revolutionaries, journalists, tech geeks, and the Pope himself. CNBC tells the fascinating story behind the rise of Twitter, the social media giant whose 200 million active users have made it a fixture around the world.

There's a technological revolution underway, powered by devices as small as a grain of rice. Sensors capable of tracking and recording everything we do are in our phones, our cars, even our bodies, and they're connected to the Internet. Virtually all products that use electricity now have the ability to "talk" to each other and to us. And what they have to say is profoundly transforming our lives.

Colorado makes history as the first U.S. state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. NBC News correspondent Harry Smith tells the story behind this stunning development, which has been called one of the great social experiments of the next century.

One year after recreational pot sales were made legal, CNBC takes you back to Colorado to examine the growing profits and potential perils of this $600 million industry.