CNBC cameras and correspondent Carl Quintanilla travelled across the country and journeyed as far away as China to give viewers an unprecedented look at how a quick-service hamburger stand grew into one of the most famous brands on the planet.  McDonald's serves 52 million people daily, but only viewers of this CNBC Original get to see the company's test kitchens, meet the head chef and learn the secrets of the sauce!

With unprecedented access, CNBC pulls back the curtain on Coca-Cola, the most recognizable brand on the planet. In an original one-hour documentary, "Coca-Cola: The Real Story Behind the Real Thing," CNBC's Melissa Lee reveals never-before-seen labs, secret archives and high-tech product testing.

Cameras follow Coke's urgent campaign to reinvent itself after years of losing ground to arch-rival Pepsi in the race to develop new, blockbuster beverages. Meet the men and women whose mission it is to put the buzz back in the bottles and see how Coke gets its drinks into the mouths of people in the farthest corners of the globe. From the production line to "Cola Wars," discover the secret that makes Coke pop.

It's the ultimate getaway... an exclusive look inside the $30-billion cruise industry. Correspondent Peter Greenberg spends seven days aboard the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet. The 15-story floating city is a destination of its own. It's a hotel, a shopping mall, a casino and full-service Spa - sailing the oceans of the world. And be prepared to spend on everything from oil paintings to Botox!

Big ships cost big money, and one misstep, whether it's bad weather, a late departure or even running short on beer, can mean the difference between profits and loss.

CNBC presents the definitive report on the defining story of our time. CNBC correspondent David Faber investigates the origins of the global economic crisis, with first person accounts from home buyers, mortgage brokers, investment bankers and investors – most of whom let greed blind them, leading to the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression.

Maria Bartiromo takes viewers Inside The Mind of Google for a rare look at the world's most powerful technology company and its crown jewel, the Google Internet search engine. This is the fascinating story of how two grad students, in barely a decade, took a one-time research project and turned it into a global technology powerhouse...changing the way we interact with information, the Internet, and each other.

See how Google came to dominate the search industry and turn it into a profit machine... and see where it's taking its next step... and how the company plans to address arguably the biggest controversy in today's digital age: privacy.

While it may not be traded on Wall Street any time soon, marijuana has become a booming cash crop. CNBC's Trish Regan goes behind the scenes to explore the inner workings of this secretive industry, focusing on Northern California's "Emerald Triangle," now the marijuana capital of the U.S. In this scenic pocket of America, the pot business, much of it legal under state law, now makes up as much as two-thirds of the local economy.

It was once too taboo to talk about, but not anymore. In a CNBC original production "Porn: Business of Pleasure" nothing is off limits when it comes to the controversial multi-billion dollar industry that aims to please but has been known to offend.

The porn industry has changed technology and can be found in millions of homes, hotel rooms and hard drives across the country. BUT, the business is facing economic challenges. It's under assault and not just from the many critics who see it as socially corroding, degrading to women and a risk to the young.

General Motors, once the reigning symbol of American industrial might, is now bankrupt and being kept afloat by government loads.  CNBC's Phil LeBeau goes inside GM headquarters to report on a company whose very survival is at stake.

Not so long ago, General Motors was the largest corporation in the world and the reigning symbol of American industrial might. Now, the biggest of Detroit's Big 3 has collapsed under the weight of foreign competition, dwindling sales, and a global credit crisis that's left it without enough cash to survive. CNBC goes inside GM, from the factories to the suppliers to the executive suite, as the former industrial giant scrambles to stay alive with the help of a lifeline from the federal government.

In 2004, CNBC's David Faber took an unprecedented look inside the world's largest retailer. Since then, much has changed. A brutal onslaught of lawsuits, intense criticism and a plummeting stock price have resulted in re-invention at the largest company in the world. Today there’s new leadership at the top, major store renovations and a newfound focus on environmentally friendly policies.

So far, it looks like Walmart’s new image campaign is working. While many companies are cutting back or going bankrupt in the midst of recession, Walmart continues to grow -- outperforming its major competitors.