“Meerkat Manor” returning (sort of)

Animal Planet’s cute “docu-soap” hit from about a decade back, Meerkat Manor, is being packaged with reversioned footage from the first two seasons and a new narrator for two 90-minute specials debuting on sister network Discovery Family Channel in June.

meerkat-manor

Meerkat Manor: The Monarchy Begins, and Meerkat Manor: The Monarchy Under Attack will air June 2 and 9, respectively. As you can tell from the photo above, the repackaging is inspired by Downton Abbey, as new narrator Rupert Graves explains the drama in the “Whiskers Mob” of meerkats that became viewer favorites (hopefully the post-Edwardian garb will not be CGIed onto the real meerkats). The first two seasons were originally narrated by Sean Astin for the series’ American airing.

“With an innovative, fast-paced movie-style format showcasing the ‘best of’ Meerkat Manor’s first two seasons, Discovery Family Channel will attract a new generation of viewers to this timeless program,” said Tom Cosgrove, general manager of Discovery Family Channel. “Re-told in the skew of today’s iconic drama series, Downton Abbey, these specials present the manor’s anthropomorphic social dynamic in a way the entire family will love.”

More from Discovery Family Channel:

“Told in Graves’ distinguished voice, MEERKAT MANOR: THE MONARCHY BEGINS and MEERKAT MANOR: THE MONARCHY UNDER ATTACK bring viewers back inside the “upstairs/downstairs” drama and intrigue of the manor. These highly social and emotionally complex creatures stand at just one foot tall and weighing in at two pounds—but don’t let their small stature fool you. Meerkats are tough enough to kill a cobra and can thrive in one of Earth’s hottest and driest locales, Southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert. At the center of the manor and the Whiskers is feisty matriarch Lady Flower, who rules with an iron paw. Full of rich characters and uniquely relatable themes and storylines—including deception, intrigue, love and loyalty—these specials capture every facet of meerkat life told from an imaginative perspective.”

Meerkat Manor: The Monarchy Begins airs June 2 at 8pm ET on Discovery Family Channel.

Meerkat Manor: The Monarchy Under Attack airs June 9 at 8pm ET on Discovery Family Channel.

1 Comment

  1. I missed the June 2 and 9th showings of the revamped Meerkat Manor. Do you know when they will be shown again?

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