Thank you National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild for staying true to your brand. At the Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour in 
Pasadena today, network executives announced an impressive lineup of new specials and new series that continue to explore our world in breathtaking detail, as well as, help foster the “smart” in all of us. Despite fierce competition, CEO Courteney Monroe said that no matter what: “compelling content will always prevail.” Shows she credited for “currently working and resonating with our audience” are the network’s docuseries Ultimate Survival Alaska (airing Sundays), Wicked Tuna (returning Sunday, Feb. 15) and Life Below Zero (returning in April). “All three of these shows enjoyed record ratings success during their most recent runs, this, when most returning nonfiction series are in decline. These shows represent the backbone of our programming and ratings foundation,” Monroe said. “Their success will continue to support the launch of new shows aimed at a similar audience and are really key to our future growth.”
That explained, the network announced bringing back Explorer starting this summer. “Exploration, inside access, gritty interviews, and smart hosts were pioneered by Explorer long before anyone else was doing that, and we are going to get back into that business and claim what is rightfully ours,” Monroe said. Kudos, NGC!
The network also looks to strengthen its stake in the science arena, especially after the success of this past summer’s ratings hit Cosmos, hosted by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Cosmos holds the network’s highest ratings ever, so it was no surprise when they announced that Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson will be back as the host of their first-ever, late-night series Star Talk, based on his current podcast of the same name. Monroe described the show as an “edgy, late-night alternative with a credibility and authenticity that are hallmarks of our network.” The series will combine pop culture with science and feature celebrities, comedians and scientists discussing the latest developments in our universe.
Furthering the network’s “smart” mission are projects like American Genius and The Big Picture With Kal Penn. American Genius (a miniseries coming this summer) looks at America’s most creative inventors, however, it pits them against their biggest rivals in a cinematic/drama-fueled storyline. From Tesla versus Edison, Gates versus Jobs, Hearst versus Pulitzer, it’s the “full blooded battles of will and ego and unlocked the secrets of American innovation,” tells executive producer Stephen David.
Kal Penn, from How I Met Your Mother and the Harold & Kumar franchise, takes viewers on a data based journey to understand how things like money, sex, food, sports and crime influence our lives in The Big Picture With Kal Penn (coming this spring). Penn described the series as a “show that looks at the human experience or human interest stories through the lens of seemingly random data points.” For example, they look at the town that consumes the most pizza in the United States — surprisingly, Orlando, Florida, and then explain why. “What’s it like in Orlando? What’s the pizza like there? Is there something tremendous about it? …So it’s more of a light, fun look at random things like that.”
Killing Jesus is an epic-production (filmed in Morocco, where Channel Guide’s Lori Acken was on set) and is based on Bill O’Reilly’s best-selling book of the same name that chronicles the life of Jesus of Nazareth through the retelling of the intense political, social and historical conflicts that ultimately led to his death. The three-hour movie stars Kelsey Grammer as King Herod, True Blood’s Stephen Moyer as Pontius Pilot and Haaz Sleiman as Jesus. The movie is set for a March premiere.
Wild River Timber (premiering in June) is being described as “Huck Finn meets Alaska.” Yes, another series based in Alaska. This one follows a cast of modern-day pioneers as they navigate down the Yukon River, collecting timber to earn a living, facing harsh obstacles that test their survival skills.
Still in the early stages of production is History of the World, which NGC President of Original Programming and Production Tim Pastore described as a history lesson that uses a mixture of comedy, animation, puppetry and documentary storytelling to explore topics like the origins of man, spirituality, money, leisure time, sports, hygiene and even entertainment. “This docucomedy will not only have the signature National Geographic storytelling that is both authentic and credible, but will also inject a unique sense of humor, giving the History of the World a little bit of heart and, hopefully, lots of laughs.”
Also planned is the sure-to-be fascinating Dino Autopsy, which will literally go under the lifelike skin of a full size T. rex – for a fake, of course, autopsy — to reveal how the 65,000,000-year-old beast may have lived. “Working with world renowned specialists, collaboration with esteemed veterinary surgeons and paleontologists, Dino Autopsy will build the first full size, anatomically correct Tyrannosaurus rex,” Pastore said. “There will be a heart — hundred times larger than a human’s — eyes the size of softballs, and serrated teeth up to 12 inches long. And there will be chainsaws. The massive monster will be lifelike inside and out, giving scientists the chance to touch it, smell it, scan it, x-ray it, and eventually cut it open from head to toe for the first time.”
Other programming announcements for NGC:
• New episodes of Ultimate Survival Alaska continue on Sundays at 9pm ET
• Brain Games returns January 19
• Alaska State Troopers premieres for a new season on February 11
• Wicked Tuna returns on Sunday, February 15 at 9pm
• Life Below Zero returns for another season in April
• Wicked Tuna: North vs. South has been picked up for a second season and will begin filming next week
