National Geographic has tapped high-profile actors Will Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch to host new shows as part of the network’s development slate of new non-fiction and national history series for Disney Plus, the network announced Monday during its Television Critics Association Winter press tour presentation 

New shows highlighted include Pole to Pole, in which Smith (Nat Geo's Welcome to Earth) traverses from the South Pole to the North Pole; and Super/Natural, in which Cumberbatch narrates how super sensing animals and insects experience the national world, according to the network. 

Also on the docket is America the Beautiful, a national history series narrated by Michael B. Jordan that examines North America and its animals; Beyond Belief with David Blaine, in which the famed magician travels around the world to reveal closed guarded magic and cultures and We Feed People, from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer debuting May 27 on Disney Plus. 

Other shows in development include Great Migrations, which takes a fresh look at our planet on the move; Home, a definitive portrait of life on Earth from BBC Studios’ National History Unit; the Jon Favreau-produced Lion, which tells the profound story of one pride of lions from Jon Favreau; the James Cameron-produced Secrets of the Elephants and Secrets of the Octopus; Sentient, and The Biggest Little Farm docuseries. ■ 

Showtime has greenlit a new limited series starring actor Benedict Cumberbatch, the network said Monday.

Cumberbatch will star and executive produce Melrose, a five-part limited series based on the Patrick Melrose series of semi-autobiographical novels written by Edward St. Aubyn. Cumberbatch plays an aristocratic and witty playboy who struggles to overcome the damage inflicted by a horribly abusive father and the mother who condoned the behavior, according to Showtime.

Michael Jackson and Rachael Horovitz (Moneyball, Grey Gardens) will serve as executive producers along with Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland.

"We are delighted to be part of this incredible series,” Cumberbatch and Ackland said in a release. “We have been huge fans of these books for many years and [scriptwriter] David Nicholls adaptations are extraordinary."