NBC revives natural history programming with "The Americas."

NBC is bringing natural history back to broadcast television with a new series called "The Americas." This move is significant because natural history shows have mostly been seen on PBS and cable networks in recent years. Series like "Planet Earth" on Discovery and "Our Planet" on Netflix have dominated this popular genre. "The Americas," narrated by Tom Hanks and featuring music by Hans Zimmer, premiered on February 23. It will run for ten episodes, with new ones released weekly until April 13. The series focuses on major regions in the Americas, such as the Amazon, Patagonia, and the Gulf Coast, and was produced by the same team that created "Planet Earth." NBC's president of Universal Television Alternative Studio, Toby Gorman, views this series as a key experiment. He believes that natural history programming appeals to a wide audience and defines what he calls a "four-quadrant" show, which is designed to attract viewers from all demographics. The project took five years to produce and included 180 expeditions around the Americas. Gorman stated it is likely NBC's most expensive unscripted project ever. Early viewership numbers are promising, with over 20 million people having watched it across NBC and Peacock, marking it as the most popular new alternative show this season. Executive producer Mike Gunton explained that this series allows them to reach a broad audience in a way that’s rare for factual content. Gorman highlighted that the network aimed to enter the natural history space with a project that exceeds previous efforts in scale and ambition. Additionally, NBC has announced plans for another series called "Surviving Earth," which will explore prehistoric times using digital technology. Although it does not yet have an airdate, Gorman expressed hope that "The Americas" could lead to more natural history projects in the future.