The Roku Channel's fantasy series The Spiderwick Chronicles and former late night host Conan O'Brien's return to the small screen leads the list of original shows premiering this week.

The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the children's book series of the same name by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, debuts April 19 and follows the Grace Family, whose move into their family's ancestral home unveils hidden mysteries as well as a secret, fantastical world around them, according to Roku. The eight-part series stars Christian Slater, Joy Bryant, Noah Cottrell, Lyon Daniels and Mychala Lee. 

Max's Conan O'Brien Must Go reality series stars the former Conan late-night show as he travels to remote places to visit people who have appeared on his based on his Conan Without Borders travel specials and his Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast. All four episodes of the series debut on April 18.  

Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting during the week of April 15-21. For some videos, viewer discretion is advised.

April 15, The Stranger (movie), Hulu

April 16, An American Bombing: The Road to April 19 (documentary), HBO

April 17, Under the Bridge (drama), Hulu

April 18, Dinner With Parents (comedy), Amazon Freevee

April 18, The Upshaws (returning series), Netflix

April 19, The Barnes Bunch (documentary series), WE tv

April 19, Jane (returning series), Apple TV plus

April 19, The Never Ever Mets (reality series), OWN

April 21, The Jinx-Part Two (documentary series), HBO 

April 21, Secrets of the Octopus (documentary), Nat Geo

Season four of Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog starts on Nat Geo Friday, April 12. Millan is, of course, known as the Dog Whisperer, but the show, as the title suggests, focuses on humans as much as dogs. 

“I train people; I don’t train dogs,” he said. “I rehabilitate dogs.”

The season sees Millan as what he calls a “matchmaker” — finding the right dog for an owner that wants one, and finding the right owner for a certain dog. He told Broadcasting+Cable the matchmaking aspect is not something he’s done before on TV. 

Millan spends time with the family seeking to adopt, gets a feel for what kind of energy they put out, then introduces them to three dogs he thinks might be a match. “I watch you interact with the dog and teach you how to see the signs that most people don’t see,” he said. 

The first episode sees a family that includes an 8-year-old boy learn some lessons about what it means to adopt a dog. Millan “must inspire the new pet parents to overcome fears and work together,” according to Nat Geo. 

The second episode features Millan working with an overexcited pit bull whose owner wants the dog to get therapy certified. 

Millan operates out of his 43-acre compound, the Dog Psychology Center, in Santa Clarita, California. 

The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan premiered on Nat Geo in 2004, so 2024 marks Millan’s 20th year on TV. That anniversary saw him in New York April 10, where the Empire State Building was lit up in his honor. “For 20 years I’ve been coming to New York, and I had no idea what the lights on the Empire State Building meant,” he said. “Until yesterday.”

Millan shared his thoughts with those gathered at the Empire State Building before flipping the switch. “My goal in life is to better the planet by making sure our energy is good, our philosophy is amazing and our actions are great, and therefore our dogs behave exactly how we behave,” he said. “It’s all about being a better human for a better planet.”

Looking ahead, Millan is talking up his Halo Collar product, which sets up what it calls “virtual fences” to keep dogs from venturing out of sight, and also features an activity tracker, which shows the human how much resting and how much moving the dog does when you’re out of the house. The Halo Collar can also help the owner find a dog who has run away. 

“It was very important for us to create a device that tells you where your dog is 24/7,” Millan said. 

With advice for dog owners everywhere, Millan said humans typically offer their pets hugs and kisses, but the dogs need more. “People say, I just want to give my dog affection, but this is not just about love and joy,” Millan said. “It’s leadership and love, not just love.”

Asked about lessons he’s learned across two decades on TV, Millan cited an animal one might not associate the Dog Whisperer with. “To change the energy and the philosophy of the world, and the world doesn’t really understand what you’re talking about, sometimes you have to be an eagle and fly by yourself,” he said. “It’s not been an easy ride to maintain the faith, the hard work, the passion and the creativity that I came to America with.”

As you may have heard, there’s a solar eclipse going on Monday, April 8, and the news networks are all over the uncommon event. The so-called path of totality will run from northern Mexico, through Texas and across the Midwest, including Indianapolis and Cleveland, then on to Maine. The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. happened in 2017, and the next one, after April 8, is scheduled for 2044. 

The Weather Channel has Stephanie Abrams kicking things off that day at 6 a.m., reporting from Fredericksburg, Texas on America’s Morning Headquarters. Heather Zons hosts the interactive live chat called Follow the Shadow. 

Weather Channel will have meteorologists up and down the swath of the country experiencing the total eclipse, including Alex Wilson in Dallas, Jim Cantore in Indianapolis and Felicia Combs in Russellville, Arkansas. 

ABC News and Nat Geo will team up on the two-hour live special Eclipse Across America, on at 2 p.m. Monday on a range of networks, including ABC, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Disney Plus and Hulu. David Muir and Linsey Davis anchor, with assists from Nat Geo talent Mariana van Zeller, Cristina Mittermeier and Babak Tafreshi, among others. Reports come from Del Rio, Texas, Carbondale, Illinois and Indianapolis, along with other sites.

On CBS, it’s Total Eclipse of the Heartland, on CBS and CBS News Streaming April 8 from 2 to 3:30 ET. CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil anchor from Indianapolis. Janet Shamlian will be in Kerrville, Texas, Omar Villafranca in Dallas and Dave Malkoff in Cleveland, along with other correspondents in other locales.  

The CBS stations are in on it too, including KYW Philadelphia chief meteorologist Bill Kelly on the set in Philly, WCBS New York anchor Kristine Johnson in Niagara Falls and WBZ Boston reporter Mike Sullivan in Burlington. 

Over at NBC, Lester Holt anchors Total Eclipse 2024 starting at 2 p.m. from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’ll anchor NBC Nightly News that evening from Indianapolis too. 

Among the Today crew, Al Roker will be in Dallas, and Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and other talent at the Museum of Natural History in New York. Correspondents will be up and down the eclipse path, including Jesse Kirsch in Cleveland, Kate Snow in Houlton, Maine and Maura Barrett in Bloomington, Indiana.

Correspondent Katy Tur anchors coverage of the eclipse beginning at 2 p.m. on MSNBC. 

NBC’s owned stations will cover the event on their FAST channels starting at noon ET. KXAS-KXTX Dallas-Fort Worth produces the live-streaming special. 

Fox Weather, for its part, offers America’s Total Eclipse that day, with meteorologists and correspondents in a bunch of cities, including Stephen Morgan in Dallas, Kendall Smith in Indianapolis and Janice Dean in Little Rock. 

CNN’s coverage will include Brianna Keilar and Boris Sanchez on CNN News Central from 1-4 p.m. ET, and CNN en Español anchor Rey Rodriguez reporting from Mazatlán, Mexico. Meteorologists Chad Myers, Allison Chinchar and Elisa Raffa will provide eclipse context from the studio. 

NewsNation has Brian Entin, senior national correspondent, anchoring with NewsNation Now talent Nichole Berlie and Connell McShane from Chicago at 1 to 4:30 p.m. ET. Correspondent Brooke Shafer will report from the Indianapolis Speedway and Caitlyn Becker from Niagara Falls, among other correspondents in various locales. 

Nat Geo will bring back freshman shows Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and A Real Bug's Life,  part of several announcements the network made Thursday during its Television Critics Association press tour event.  

The second season of Limitless with Chris Hemsworth will find the actor delving into a series of physical and mental obstacles that people across the world face daily, including mental agility, pain, burnout and interpersonal connection, according to the network.  

“Millions of viewers around the world were inspired and wowed by the combination of science, endeavor and the incredibly committed Chris Hemsworth in the first season, so it’s with huge pride that we announce its return,” National Geographic EVP Global Factual and Unscripted Content Tom McDonald said in a statement. “This new season will have the scale, the drama and the challenges you’d expect from Limitless, but we’ve also got some big and exciting surprises in store for the audience and for Chris himself.”

A Real Bug's Life will also return for a second season on the network, with actress Awkwafina narrating the series that focuses on insects and their moving stories. The five-episode new season will debut this fall on Disney Plus. 

The network also announced that actor Paul Rudd will host Secrets Of The Octopus, the third installment of the Secrets Of … franchise. The series, which will debut April 21, will focus on the lives of the mysterious creatures, according to the network. 

"Secrets of the Octopus immersively takes the audience into the lives of one of the world’s most intelligent and mysterious creatures and features behavior never before captured on film,” McDonald said. “It’s a joyful, illuminating series narrated by Paul Rudd with real warmth and humanity.” 

In other announcements, Nat Geo greenlit production on several new titles including Pathological: Chasing A True-Crime Con Man, a true-crime series which chronicles the the rise and fall of bestselling French author and serial killer expert Stéphane Bourgoin; Sally, a documentary movie exploring the life and legacy of groundbreaking astronaut Dr. Sally Ride; Legends, an unscripted series that delves into the colorful world of competitive Bollywood dance, and a new installment of the Shark Beach franchise featuring actor Anthony Mackie. 

Nat Geo is shifting its approach to Emmy-nominated anthology series Genius by featuring two icons, civil-rights leaders the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, in its fourth season.

The eight-part series, launching February 1, is an intimate look at both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King’s complex lives as husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons as it showcases their humanity and leadership qualities, Nat Geo said.

Genius MLK/X stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as King, Aaron Pierre as Malcolm X, Weruche Opia as Coretta Scott King and Jayme Lawson as Betty Shabazz.

Series executive producer Gina Prince-Bythewood said the series captures the spirit and essence of Malcolm X and King, along with their wives. “We knew the narrative we wanted to tell to put these two men and two women together to show their parallel stories – not just in the iconic moments and the historical things they’ve done, but in their personal lives as well,” Bythewood told Multichannel News. 

While the first three Genius series, showcasing Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin, only featured a single icon, the dual narratives of Genius MLK/X won’t hurt the show’s ability to adequately profile both legendary leaders, according to executive producer Reggie Rock-Bythewood.

“As great a series as [Genius] has been, we never came in with a mandate to do what was done before,” he said. “We came in with our own personal mandate to disrupt the genre, and we’re so happy that we’re the first season of the show that looks at two different Geniuses.”

Along with the Bythewoods, the series is executive produced by Raphael Jackson, Damione Macedon, Channing Godfrey Peoples, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Francie Calfo, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Sam Sokolow and Jeff Stetson.

Click below to listen to an interview with the Bythewoods on the latest episode of the “Content Spotlight” podcast. 

Part three of the ABC Owned Stations documentary series Our America: Trouble on Tap premieres Saturday, October 28. Trouble on Tap looks at drinking-water issues in America and ABC News and National Geographic are partners on it with the owned stations. 

Part three is called “Drilling into California’s Water Crisis” and KFSN Fresno anchor Dale Yurong hosts. The episode delves into the emerging water crisis that is putting the security of the state’s water, food and economy at risk. Yurong examines the giant drought plaguing California, the issue of sinking groundwater as numerous wells run dry, and the flooding that takes place during the California wet season. 

KFSN, KABC Los Angeles and WLS Chicago air the episode October 28, the California stations doing so at 10 p.m. local time and the Chicago stations at 11 p.m. local time. 

KTRK Houston and WPVI air the episode Sunday, October 29. ABC Localish does so Monday, October 30 and KGO San Francisco airs it Saturday, November 4. 

WTVD Raleigh-Durham runs Drilling into California’s Water Crisis Sunday, November 5, and WABC New York airs it December 31.  

Our America: Trouble on Tap utilizes data from the station group’s Data Journalism Unit to examine how the effects of environmental pollution, climate change and aging infrastructure are eroding the ability of more and more communities across the United States to have access to free drinking water.   

The first episode is Life with Forever Chemicals, which came out April 21, and the second, out September 30, is America’s Lead Problem.

Our America: Trouble on Tap is produced in partnership with Tracy J. Wholf, coordinating producer of the climate unit at ABC News, and Justin Allen, executive producer with ABC Owned Television Stations and National Geographic. Tim Sarquis, Brandon Ridge, Jacqueline McLean and Ricky Courtney of KFSN are executive producers for part three. 

Episodes are available on station sites and apps, Hulu, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku, among other digital platforms. 

The ABC station group addresses a number of social issues under the Our America brand. 

Sharkfest starts July 2 on National Geographic and lasts throughout the month of July. Disney networks Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN2 are also taking part. Disney Channel will feature shark content July 8 and 9, Disney XD will feature ten hours of shark stuff July 3-7, and Disney Junior will do so July 3-9. 

Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior and Nat Geo Kids’ YouTube channels will all have shark-themed shorts beginning July 3.

ABC’s owned stations will feature Sharkfest content from the past year. 

Disney Plus and Hulu will stream every Sharkfest premiere. There are over 22 hours of original programming in this summer’s event, and more than 50 hours of what Nat Geo calls enhanced content. 

Sharkfest ventures from Australia to the Bahamas, South Africa, and Indonesia, among other nations. Stateside, Sharkfest stops in Hawaii, Cape Cod, MA, Florida and New York, among other destinations. 

Premiering July 2 on National Geographic, Disney Plus and Hulu are Bull Shark Bandits, Shark Eat Shark and Saved From a Shark. July 3 features six-episode When Sharks Attack 360, Return of the White Shark and Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead. 

Other Sharkfest highlights include Shark Below Zero on July 5, eight-episode When Sharks Attack … and Why, premiering July 6, and Sharks vs. Dolphins: Bahamas Battleground on July 10.

Sharkfest has been going on for 11 years.  Last year, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Plus, Hulu, ABC and ESPN partnered with Nat Geo on Sharkfest.   

In other shark-related summer TV events, Shark Week starts on Discovery July 23. Jason Momoa hosts the 35th edition of Shark Week. “My love of sharks came long before my time as Aquaman — it began several generations before me,” said the actor at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation. 

Discovery has not yet shared programming plans for the summer event. 

A Small Light, a limited series about a woman who helped hide Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, debuts on Nat Geo May 1, and turns up on Disney Plus and Hulu a day later. The series is the true story of a young woman named Miep Gies. It “looks at the way in which an ordinary woman like Miep stood up to evil in the world — and became a heroine in doing so,” said Nat Geo. 

Bel Powley plays Miep and Liev Schreiber portrays Anne Frank’s father, Otto. 

Carolyn Bernstein, executive VP of global scripted content at Nat Geo, said she had never heard of Gies when the project was mentioned. “Miep and her extraordinary story was totally new to me,” she told B+C. “She was the most inspiring, extraordinary ordinary person, and an everyday superhero.”

There are eight episodes. 

Gies worked for Anne Frank’s father, first making jam and then moving up to secretary. As things grew more perilous for Jewish people in the Netherlands, she agreed to help the family hide in the rooms above Otto’s office, Miep bringing them food and supplies. After Anne Frank was killed, Gies delivered her diaries to Otto. 

Bernstein called it “the most inspiring, aspirational story. It’s hard to put into words how inspired I am.”

A Small Light shot in Prague and Amsterdam. The title comes from a quote from Gies, where she said, “Even an ordinary secretary or housewife or a teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room.”

The showrunners, husband and wife duo Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, spent six years researching the story, Bernstein said. Visiting the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, they were told that many children don’t know Frank’s story until they arrive at the museum. “They thought that telling the story through Miep’s point of view was a fresh way to tell the story, to make sure people know the story and don’t forget the story,” Bernstein said. 

Gies is a fun character, bold and brave, a bit of a partyer, with a good sense of humor. Bernstein said Powley, whose credits include The Morning Show and The King of Staten Island, brings “levity and romance and humor and wit and vulnerability and incredible courage” to the role. “She puts everything in an actor’s arsenal into a role in a way that we dream of. She fulfilled our fantasy of what this role could be. We got lucky.”

Schreiber only added to the “dream casting,” Bernstein said. “They both read the script and found it impossible to say no.”

While the series is set in World War II, it is timely today, Bernstein said, because prejudice and fascism are, unfortunately, alive and well. “The idea that an ordinary person, an everyday person, can make a difference in the fight against intolerance, prejudice, fascism and hatred is all too timely a notion,” Bernstein said. 

She hopes the series pushes viewers to ask themselves what they would do should they find themselves in Miep’s situation. “Would the audience have the same moral clarity, rise to the occasion and do the right thing?” Bernstein asked. 

The reviews are positive. Variety called the series “a profound take” on Anne Frank’s timeless story. “In A Small Light, as in life, there are no innocent bystanders, only people who refuse to act. Ultimately, Miep preserved history with Anne’s diary. She returned the young girl’s words to her brokenhearted father, the sole survivor out of the eight hidden in the annex. A Small Light showcases humanity’s wounds, and what’s at stake if people refuse to stand up to evil.”

The New York Times, for its part, called the series “a handsome, literate and moving production.”

Bernstein described A Small Light as “a call to action” for anyone who encounters hatred today. 

“Everyone should know this story and soon everyone will,” Bernstein said. “I feel really privileged to tell it.”

PASADENA, Calif. — Natalie Portman will narrate Nat Geo’s Earth Day series Secrets of the Elephants. The series premieres April 21. James Cameron, director of Avatar: The Way of the Water, is an executive producer.

Cameron turned up at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour to discuss his Secrets of series. Next year will be Secrets of the Octopus, with Bees and Penguins to follow.

“With an over 135-year-old legacy in natural history content, we’re just as passionate about who’s telling our stories as the stories we tell,” said Courteney Monroe, content president, Nat Geo. “Whether it be our onscreen scientists in Secrets of the Elephants, our narrators like Natalie Portman, or our filmmakers like Jim Cameron, we have become a port-of-call for best in class talent who want to tell meaningful stories that inspire a deeper connection to our world. Our Secrets of franchise reinforces our commitment at National Geographic to remaining THE leader in natural history storytelling."

Cameron shared a clip of the National Geographic special Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron. The special will air February 5 leading into the remastered film’s theatrical release February 10. 

“On the Avatar films, we're creating a fantasy view of nature but, thematically, underneath all that is this idea of the interconnectedness not only of nature itself but of us with nature, as inhabitants of nature,” Cameron said. “In the Secrets series we try to forge an even more intimate and emotional connection with nature — to illuminate how these amazing creatures think, how they feel, how they communicate, how they function as complex societies and cultures.” 

Cameron and Maria Wilhelm of Earthship are exec producers on the Secrets of series.

Portman’s movies include Thor: Love & Thunder, Jackie and Black Swan. ■

National Geographic’s ninth annual Sharkfest will continue to focus on the science of sharks but will add a few new wrinkles -- and a new distribution partner in Disney Plus -- to keep shark fans glued to the month-long programming event that kicks off July 5. 

“It’s the most ambitious Sharkfest we’ve done yet,” said National Geographic Partners senior VP of development and production Janet Vissering. “Like every year, shark scientists and oceanic experts have pulled out all the stops for this year’s Sharkfest.” 

Vissering said that viewers’ fascination with sharks has continued to grow over the decades since the 1970s hit movie Jaws debuted and as more publicity is given to shark sightings as well as the rare and unfortunate shark attacks on people. She added that she hopes the Sharkfest programming lineup brings greater understanding and information celebrating sharks.

Also Read: National Geographic Sets '9/11: One Day in America' Documentary Series

Streaming service Disney Plus will join National Geographic in streaming this year's Sharkfest programming beginning July 9. The service will also premiere National Geographic Documentary Films’ Playing With Sharks on July 23. Vissering said the inclusion of Sharkfest content on Disney Plus helps expand the reach of the event to audiences that might not be familiar with the network’s annual programming stunt.

This year’s Sharkfest lineup on Nat Geo launches July 5 with Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth, which is a slight departure from the network’s traditional scientific-themed shark programming. The television and film star will team with shark conservationist Valerie Taylor to explore the sharks that have led to an increase in shark attacks along the east coast of Australia.

“We always have celebrities who want to do a shark show,” said Vissering, adding that Hemsworth brought to the table an affinity for and appreciation of sharks, as well as a desire to seek better understanding on how to stave off and eventually co-exist with the predators. 

Below are Sharkfest shows, descriptions and premiere dates per National Geographic. Dates are subject to change.

WHEN SHARKS ATTACK

National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 8/7c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 2, at 8/7c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

The world’s beaches quickly turn deadly in this terror-filled deep-sea saga when sharks descend, shocking the local community and sending scientists reeling. What causes these spikes in activity? And how can they be prevented?

SHARK BEACH WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH

National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 9/8c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 2, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

Chris Hemsworth is on a mission to uncover the science of shark behavior and discover how humans and sharks can safely coexist. After an increase in local shark attacks along the east coast of Australia, Hemsworth seeks to understand different species of sharks and their behaviors while also exploring new preventative measures and the latest technology to help stave off shark-human encounters. The special from Nutopia (“One Strange Rock”) also features underwater conservationist and legend Valerie Taylor.

ROGUE SHARK?

National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 11, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

In October 2018, the remote islands of the Whitsunday in Australia were rocked by a series of shark attacks. Incredibly, all the victims were attacked in the same small patch of ocean, no larger than four football fields. Was a rogue serial killer on the loose? Or was something new drawing sharks and humans into conflict?

ORCA VS. GREAT WHITE

National Geographic — Premieres July 6, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 3, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

Off the coast of South Africa in 2017, orcas began hunting and killing great white sharks. Now, researchers in New Zealand set out to discover if it could happen again. Diving with several shark populations along New Zealand’s southern coast, they investigate this murder mystery and seek answers to this burning question: have their local orcas developed a taste for great white sharks?

SHARK GANGS

National Geographic — Premieres July 7, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 12, at 8/7c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

For years sharks have been viewed as solitary predators, but scientists have recently discovered a surprising new behavior. In this special, we reveal how this apex predator likes to hang out in gangs. So what is behind this behavior? Do sharks enjoy a social life, or are they working together to become even more effective hunters?

CROC THAT ATE JAWS

National Geographic — Premieres July 8, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 4, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

From mysterious severed heads and ambush attacks to mob hunts and stand-offs, what happens when two of the deadliest predators on the planet go head-to-head?

WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS SHARK?

National Geographic — Premieres July 9, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 5, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

The great white has a reputation for being the scariest in the sea, but Explorer Jacques Cousteau called the oceanic whitetip “The most dangerous of all sharks …” Two teams of experts dive deep into the world of the oceanic whitetip to reveal what makes this species a top contender for the title of “world’s most dangerous shark.”

SHARK ATTACK FILES

National Geographic — Premieres July 12, at 9/8c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 9, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

This action-packed series is an investigation into bizarre and fascinating shark behavior. Featuring footage from actual attacks, interactions and behavior captured by both professionals and observant bystanders, every twist and turn leaves viewers sitting on the edge of their seats. Scientific experts and investigators dive deeper into the mystery of these unexplained behaviors and come to a stunning revelation that ties these extraordinary events together.

SHARK ATTACK INVESTIGATION: THE PAIGE WINTER STORY 

National Geographic — Premieres July 12, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 6, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

Paige Winter was only 17 years old when she lost a leg and portion of her hand to a shark. Experts unpack the details of Paige’s attack to determine what kind of shark is responsible and what can be done, if anything, to avoid this happening again. Despite all Paige has lived through, this inspirational teen remains an advocate for sharks and, with the guidance of professionals, takes brave steps to overcome her greatest fears.

WORLD’S BIGGEST BULL SHARK?

National Geographic — Premieres July 13, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 10, at 9/8c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

It was a freak encounter that broke all the records. In 2012, off the coast of Florida, shark scientist Dr. Neil Hammerschlag caught the mother of all bull sharks—it stretched more than 10-feet long and weighed over 1,000 pounds! They named her Big Bull and set her free. Bull sharks in Florida patrol the beaches, terrifyingly close the swimmers, and feast on seasonal migrations of baitfish. Many long thought these sharks were just well-fed, but now some scientists believe that Big Bull is the matriarch of a unique population of giants. There is only one way to find out ... and you gotta get close.

KILLER SHARK VS. KILLER WHALE 

National Geographic — Premieres July 15, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 11, at 9/8c

Disney+ — Beginning Aug. 6

The mystery of orcas attacking great white sharks for their livers leaves scientists baffled. This unusual predatory behavior has been witnessed in three parts of the world: California, South Africa and Australia. But the most shocking outcome is the disappearance of the other sharks after the event. How are they communicating with their kin and getting out of dodge when the killer whales move in?

PLAYING WITH SHARKS

Disney+ — Premieres July 23

A true pioneer in both underwater filmmaking and shark research, Valerie Taylor is a living legend and icon in the underwater world whose life’s work has become the basis for much of what we know about sharks today. Through remarkable underwater archival footage, along with interviews with Valerie herself, PLAYING WITH SHARKS, from National Geographic Documentary Films and twice Emmy®-nominated director Sally Aitken, follows this daring ocean explorer’s trajectory from champion spearfisher to passionate shark protector. From the birth of cage diving to “Jaws” hysteria to the dawn of cageless shark diving, Valerie became a trailblazing advocate for the ocean’s most maligned and misunderstood creatures.

National Geographic airs the ninth annual Sharkfest starting July 5. The event starts with When Sharks Attack and then Shark Beach With Chris Hemsworth, as the movie star investigates how people can live more harmoniously alongside sharks. 

National Geographic promises 21 hours of new premieres and 60 hours of “enhanced content” over six weeks. 

Corporate sibling Disney Plus runs Sharkfest programming starting July 9, and features highlights from previous seasons beginning June 25. Disney Plus premieres Playing With Sharks, which sees conservationist Valerie Taylor offer a close examination and explanation of shark life, July 23. 

Hulu will stream the six previous seasons of When Sharks Attack. Nat Geo Wild airs Sharkfest content, too.  

“The mysteries of the ocean’s most iconic predators are so vast, even with eight years of shark-focused content under our belt, there still remains more to be discovered,” says Janet Vissering, senior VP of development and production, National Geographic Partners. “Like every year, shark scientists and oceanic experts have pulled out all the stops for this year’s Sharkfest, revealing new discoveries, shocking revelations and bizarre shark behavior never seen before. It’s going to be jaw-some!”

Other Sharkfest specials include Rogue Shark?, Orca Vs. Great White, Croc That Ate Jaws, World’s Most Dangerous Shark? and Killer Shark Vs. Killer Whale. 

Discovery hosts Shark Week and has not yet shared the date for the summer stunt. 

National Geographic continues its Genius franchise with a focus on the life of R&B music legend Aretha Franklin.

Much like its first two Genius projects about Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, Genius: Aretha is defined by the excellent performance of its lead star, Cynthia Erivo. It doesn’t take long for Erivo to embody the look and aura of the legendary singer. It also doesn’t take long for Erivo to deliver her well-established musical vocals to Aretha’s biggest and well-known hits, opening the series with a rendition of Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” during a live 1967 concert performance. 

The series also doesn’t wait long in delving into Franklin’s personal life, which has been mostly private and undisclosed to most observers. In just the first episode, viewers will learn of Franklin’s initial experiences with racism as a child; her complicated relationship with her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin (Courtney B. Vance), a well-known Detroit Baptist minister nicknamed “The Man with the Million Dollar Voice;” her often-turbulent early marriage; and her experiences as a young mother.

Also Read: Networks Look Overseas for Their Next Big Series

Viewers will also get a glimpse of Franklin’s grit and determination to be a star, as well as her natural musical abilities. Franklin was a self-taught pianist, and in one scene depicting a recording session, she explains to a group of musicians her vision of how a song should sound not through intricate musical terminology but through her own language and vibe. The mostly white musicians quickly pick up on Franklin’s cues, resulting in one of her biggest hits. 

The eight-episode series will take viewers through Franklin’s life and career, from her chart explosion and literal coronation as the “Queen of Soul” at a concert, to her unabashed support for the Civil Rights Movement, to her awkward but eventually successful transition through several changes in musical styles and trends. Fans of Franklin as well as of the Genius franchise will certainly not be disappointed in Genius: Aretha. 

National Geographic will air all eight episodes of Genius: Aretha across four consecutive nights beginning March 21.

The themes of diversity and inclusion resonated throughout several virtual panels during the opening week of CTAM’s portion of the Television Critics Association Winter Tour.

The first of a scheduled two weeks of virtual presentations from more than a dozen cable networks and streaming services showcased a number of new programs featuring diverse casts and producers. Network executives, producers and talent said the shows continue the industry’s efforts to offer more on-screen representation that reflects the diverse audiences that watch television.

The need to create more diverse on-air content for Hallmark Channel was the message conveyed during the network’s TCA executive panel, led by recently appointed Crown Media Family Networks president and CEO Wonya Lucas, as well as executive VP of programming and network publicity Michelle Vicary. Hallmark — which has been criticized for not featuring diverse characters in lead roles in its original movies — is now moving toward providing more diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera, according to Lucas. 

“The significant achievements made in the D&I space in 2020 laid the groundwork for us to branch out in our storytelling to approach the complexity of what it means to love and be a family in a more authentic, varied and inclusive way,” Lucas said. “We continue to strive to defy common stereotypes and give our characters more depth and dimension … to more broadly represent the human condition.”

Lucas took over in July after former Crown Media Family Networks president and CEO Bill Abbott stepped down last January, following the network’s controversial move to pull a commercial featuring a kissing scene involving a same-sex couple. She referenced as an example of the network’s increasingly diverse slate a 2020 original holiday film — Christmas Comes Twice — which featured a biracial female astrophysicist as a lead character. Vicary also cited the movie Mixed Up in the Mediterranean, debuting Feb. 20 and featuring Hallmark’s first gay lead character.

“I would say probably 25% of our movies had diversity in them,” Vicary said.

Lifetime, National Geographic, HBO, OWN  and other networks touted new shows with characters that defy stereotypes often associated with characters of color. HBO Max’s Genera+ion, which follows a diverse group of high schoolers testing the boundaries of race and sexual identity in a conservative community, looks to depict today’s teens in an authentic way, according to 19-year-old executive producer Zelda Barnz. 

“Something that’s real and authentic is intersectionality, and the people who identify across the gender and sexuality spectrum, and with different races and different ethnicities,” Barnz said of the show, which debuts March 11. “We drew a lot of inspiration from authenticity and real-world influence when we were writing and creating the show.”

OWN’s new legal drama Delilah provides a rare look at an African-American lawyer and the unique challenges she faces from a race and gender perspective, said lead actress Maahra Hill. The series, from Greenleaf producer Craig Wright, premieres later this year. 

“I think she reflects Black women and Black America in ways that we haven’t seen on a consistent basis,” Hill said. “I do think that she’s an accurate reflection of women who are trying to balance their lives, as well as fight for things that are meaningful to them in their life.”

HBO’s revival of In Treatment also features an African-American female lead in Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black), in the role of the therapist originated by Gabriel Byrne. Executive producer Jennifer Schuur said the new series moves the original show — which ran from 2008-2010 — into the present day and deals with issues prevalent in today’s culture. 

“We have an opportunity to say some very important things about our particular time,” Schuur said. “We have racial justice movements and the Me Too movement happening; we talk about toxic masculinity and addiction. We cover a lot of topics all set in the present day.” 

Unscripted series dominate the list of shows premiering as the calendar turns to November. 

Nat Geo’s City So Real debuts Oct. 29 and looks at the contentious 2019 Chicago mayoral election, while HBO’s documentary The Soul of America looks at the United States’ current political and historical moment by examining its past.

On the scripted front, Disney Plus returns its Emmy-winning series The Mandalorian for a second season on Oct. 30.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Oct. 26 to Nov. 1 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Oct. 26 -- Temple (drama) -- Spectrum

Oct. 29 -- A Creepshow Animated Special (horror) -- Shudder

Oct. 29 -- That Animal Rescue Show (reality) -- CBS All Access

Oct. 29 -- Top Secret Videos (reality) -- truTV

Oct. 30 -- Justin Bieber: Next Chapter (reality) -- YouTube

Oct. 30 -- Truth Seekers (horror/comedy) -- Prime Video

The fourth season of Savage Kingdom starts on National Geographic Aug. 14. About wildlife survival in Mombo, Northern Botswana, Savage Kingdom is narrated by Charles Dance. Nat Geo describes the setting as “where peace never lasts long, and power comes with a price.”

There is a dreadful drought in Northern Botswana. “The tables are turning; dominance is shifting; and every player in this Game of Thrones must fight not only to survive but to defend his or her rightful place in an ever-changing, cut-throat kingdom,” said Nat Geo, promising battling lions, leopards and wild dogs. 

Those include leopard Motshidi, who appeared in last season, and lion Tsebe, the female leader of the Southern Pride and “Queen of all Mombo,” said Nat Geo. 

An actor, Dance played Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones. 

There are six parts to the new season. Two episodes air each Friday for three weeks.

It is a summer like no other for the various networks offering shark-centric stunts. Sharks around the world have had more freedom to roam with so many humans stuck at home, offering scientists a unique opportunity to chronicle their true behavior. Discovery, home of Shark Week, mentioned how fewer people hanging out at the beach “has given sharks the opportunity to reclaim the oceans.”

Shark Week runs Aug. 9 to Aug. 16, and vows to go where none of the 31 Shark Weeks before it have gone. “It’s a really unique, almost once in a lifetime opportunity to study great whites in a way they’ve never been observed before, without the influence of human activity on the water,” Howard Swartz, Discovery senior VP of production and development, said. “There are really surprising observations, surprising results.”

National Geographic, for its part, expanded its SharkFest event from three weeks last year to five weeks, going from July 19 to Aug. 8 on Nat Geo and Aug. 9 to Aug. 22 on Nat Geo Wild. Geoff Daniels, Nat Geo executive VP of global unscripted entertainment, said the absence of the Olympics and most pro sports on television spelled serious opportunity for other content, including shark stuff. “The appetite is almost insatiable,” he said. “We saw there being a real good opportunity to expand and grow our following.”

RELATED: Nets Strutting Out Stunts This Summer

While conditions may be ideal this year for shark TV on the content side, there are good reasons why Discovery has been doing Shark Week since 1988 and why other networks have followed that lead: viewers tune in and sponsors turn up. Shark Week averaged , for one,1.36 million total viewers during prime last year and made Discovery cable's top non-news network in prime for adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. In total-day ratings, Discovery was cable’s No. 1 network during Shark Week in adults 18-49 and 25-54.

Fintastic Fare

In terms of pandemic-themed programming, Shark Week offers Shark Lockdown, about how the hunting patterns of great whites off New Zealand may have changed without many people in the water, Aug. 9. Sharks of Neptune is on Aug. 13, looking at how great whites in Australia “are returning to their natural behaviors” without mankind getting in the way.

Shark Week also offers new Air Jaws films dedicated to great whites leaping out of the water. Those include Ultimate Breach Off, an examination of how the shark population is holding up (that kicks off Shark Week Aug. 9) and Air Jaws 2020, which celebrates 20 years of flying sharks under the Air Jaws rubric, and is on Aug. 13. Great White Double Trouble looks at the rising wave of shark attacks in Australia, and premieres Aug. 10.

Mike Tyson, Will Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Snoop Dogg are some of the celebrities hanging out with the apex predators during Shark Week.

In its eighth season, Nat Geo’s SharkFest offers 17 premiere hours, including Sharkcano, which sees a shark scientist reveal the peculiar connection between sharks and volcanos; and Raging Bull Shark, about why the bull shark is becoming increasingly dangerous. There’s also Sharks vs. Dolphins, which sounds like a bit of a mismatch on paper, but actually is not, according to Kevin Bachar, president and executive producer/director at Pangolin Pictures, which produced the film. Dolphins’ brains, he said, are a pretty good match for sharks’ sharp teeth. “Dolphins are able to go toe-to-toe with sharks,” he said. “In fact, they’re able to turn the tables on sharks.”

SharkFest will not focus on how COVID has affected shark habits — at least not this year. “I think it’s probably too early to really understand the impact the pandemic is having on shark life and shark behavior,” Daniels said. “But it did give us the opportunity to get into oceans that were not as influenced by human presence, an opportunity to see sharks behave completely unaffected by the human presence.”

Daniels said he “wouldn’t be surprised to see that become part of the stories going forward.”

Last year’s SharkFest, which went for three weeks, reached 20 million total viewers across Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild. It averaged 555,000 total viewers on National Geographic and 215,000 on Nat Geo Wild.

Syfy might not have the nonfiction pedigree of Discovery and Nat Geo, but the network is also pushing hard on a shark stunt. One Last Bite of Summer, marking its fifth year, airs on the network Aug. 22 to Aug. 28. The half-dozen Sharknado films are featured, as for the first time is an array of high-camp original films, produced by Syfy and third-party outfits. The six Sharknado movies — including Sharknado: The 4th Awakens and Sharknado 5: Global Swarming — air Aug. 22. Ian Ziering and Tara Reid play fearless shark killers in the over-the-top horror movies, which offer loads of celebrity cameos.

In press materials, Syfy called One Last Bite “the only week of sharks you need this summer.” The rest of the stunt offers, among other movies, 5-Headed Shark, 6-Headed Shark, Planet of the Sharks, Zombie Tidal Wave and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf.

RELATED: Sponsors Keep Biting at Discovery's Shark Week

Val Boreland, executive VP, content strategy & acquisitions for the NBCUniversal Entertainment & Lifestyle Group, said the Syfy stunt is most definitely not Shark Week.

“It’s all in fun,” she said. “It’s very campy, the most ridiculous shark experience you
can have.”

Might there be more Sharknado movies? “I never say never,” Boreland said.

While Discovery and Nat Geo shoot their shark projects year-round, the pandemic nonetheless caused a bit of havoc in the production process. Discovery deployed extra boats to better allow crews to socially distance, and protocols were set up to keep the virus at bay. “It added complexity, it added expense, it added time spent putting things together,” Howard Swartz said. “It definitely created some agita, but we were able to be patient and work through it.”

Geoff Daniels said that SharkFest projects may be in production for one and a half to two years, so COVID-19 challenges were less of an issue for Nat Geo. “There are no shortcuts to be able to tell groundbreaking, thrilling, entertaining stories,” he said.

Tooth Seekers

Asked why viewers appear to be so fascinated with sharks, multiple sources cite the 1975 Steven Spielberg smash Jaws. As the wide array of horror films and series across our TV dial will attest, people simply love to be scared to death. “For some reason we gravitate to roller coasters, we go see scary movies,” Bachar said. “We’re fascinated by things that terrorize us.”

Mary Dalton, professor of communication at Wake Forest University, called shark programming “a manageable risk:” it’s scary and it’s fun, and if it gets too scary, one can simply change the channel or leave the room. “There’s the adrenaline rush, and a sense of relief when it’s over,” she said.

Dalton likens the shark stunts on TV this summer to something else that tickled our desire to be frightened: Netflix smash Tiger King. “The lure, and lore, of big cats is not that different from the lure, and lore, of sharks,” she said. “Both are exotic.”

(Also exotic? Tiger King star Joe Exotic.)

Viewers simply enjoy watching a “perfect hunting machine,” in Swartz’s words, in action. “Sharks are massive and have lots of really big teeth. People are fascinated by that.”

As Tiger King took off in the early days of the COVID lockdown, shark content may work even better for a viewing population that has been stuck at home for a good chunk of 2020, spending much of its time watching frightful tales of pandemic and protest on the news. Daniels mentioned feeling “incredibly happy” after watching SharkFest cuts from the South Pacific and the Caribbean. “It offers viewers a really wonderful and hopeful escape from the everyday,” he added.

Discovery’s Swartz suspects increased hunger for shark content this summer. “It’s a nice respite from all the news of the world, and all the realities that are going on,” he said. “People love sharks.” 

A new season of Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks starts on National Geographic June 28. A 90-minute episode starts season seven. 

“In the unforgiving waters off the coast of the Outer Banks, an elite group of bluefin tuna captains will risk it all to come out on top in the search for ‘blue gold,’” said Nat Geo. 

Seven returning captains do battle on the seas, including Dave Carraro, Grey Mayer, Bobby Earl and Nick Gowitzka. 

Wicked Tuna is produced for National Geographic by Pilgrim Media Group. For Pilgrim Media Group, executive producers are Craig Piligian and Mike Nichols. For National Geographic, executive producer is Chris Kugelman. VP of production is Matt Renner and Geoff Daniels is executive VP, global unscripted entertainment. 

National Geographic will start its Sharkfest campaign Sunday July 19, and Nat Geo Wild picks up the shark stunt Aug. 9. Across the five weeks and two networks, there will be 17 original premieres related to sharks. 

“For the past eight years, Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild have been THE destination for viewers to get up close and personal with one of the world’s most awe-inspiring creatures, and this summer we’re eating up the competition again with an unprecedented lineup of action-packed shark shows,” said Geoff Daniels, executive VP of global unscripted entertainment at National Geographic. “Over five full weeks, our viewers will get the ultimate home field advantage to witness the ocean’s super stars in their prime, so pull up your beach chairs and get ready for some Sharkfest!”

It is the eighth annual Sharkfest.

Discovery holds Shark Week in August. Shark Week began in 1988. 

Sharkfest programs include World’s Biggest Tiger Shark?, with a pair of divers in the water in French Polynesia, in search of the world’s largest living tiger shark; Most Wanted Sharks, with the hosts looking at “the most sensational sharks of all time,” according to Nat Geo; and Sharkcano, which looks at why sharks and volcanoes seem to inhabit the same spots. 

World’s Biggest Tiger Shark kicks things off July 19, with When Sharks Attack and Sharks vs. Dolphins: Blood Battle on July 20. 

Season two of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted begins on Nat Geo June 7. The show sees Ramsay traverse the globe seeking out culinary inspiration. He ventures to Tasmania, South Africa, Norway and other exotic destinations.

“We find weird places and weird people and throw Gordon in there,” executive producer Jon Kroll said. “He turns it into television gold.”

To Ramsay, local flavor is as much about residents as ingredients. “We get the opportunity to learn from the locals and hear their stories, and that gives us a much deeper experience and understanding of the world around us,” Ramsay said.

Indonesia is a highlight, said Kroll, with great food and memorable residents. “It’s the most Uncharted bang for your buck this season,” Kroll promised.

Also up there is Sumatra, where Ramsay ran with some bulls, and Tasmania, where people “definitely have a bit of a screw loose,” Kroll said. In Tasmania, the host, and producers, sample a local whiskey smoked in sheep poop. In Guyana, Ramsay joins the locals in hunting caiman by hand, and in South Africa he was stalked by a rhino and a couple of hippos.

“It’s been all we can do to keep that man alive,” Kroll said.

Season two of L.A.’s Finest premieres on Spectrum Originals June 8. Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba play partners in the LAPD. The show was inspired by Jerry Bruckheimer’s Bad Boys franchise.

Fox revealed it will air L.A.’s Finest in the fall. The producers are stoked to have the show in front of many more viewers. “There’s no better feeling than to have the show we made, that we’re incredibly happy with, to now have the opportunity to have it seen by millions more viewers,” executive producer Brandon Sonnier said.

L.A.’s Finest, from Sony Pictures Television, was initially a pilot at NBC before shifting to Spectrum Originals. Now it’s headed back to broadcast. “It’s just been a wild journey,” executive producer Brandon Margolis said.

The Brandons said the series stepped outside the network procedural structure when it moved to cable, making for a more unique viewing experience. It also offers a couple big names in the lead roles. Union plays Syd, who departed the DEA to join the LAPD, and Alba plays Nancy, who is dealing with a rebellious teen-age stepdaughter.

Whether their first names were an homage to 1986 punk biopic Sid and Nancy has not been confirmed.

Bruckheimer executive produces L.A.’s Finest.

“What you get when you put movie stars on the show, and Jerry Bruckheimer, is motion picture-
quality entertainment,” Sonnier said. “It’s like a real action movie in your living room.” 

National Geographic revealed its 2020-2021 lineup. New series include 9/11 and Breaking Bobby Bones (working title). Docuseries 9/11 has six parts. Marking 20 years since the tragic event, it will offer a comprehensive account of what happened that day. Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin are executive producers. 

Breaking Bobby Bones is a 16-part series about the radio personality. In each half-hour episode, “Bobby travels to far-flung destinations across the country to find people with unique jobs, skills, hobbies and abilities. Upon arrival, he meets local heroes who challenge him to conquer (or at least attempt) the tricks of their trades, living up to his mantra — Fight. Grind. Repeat,” said Nat Geo. 

“People’s understanding of the world around them has been shaken. And they are coming to National Geographic in record numbers, I believe, because particularly in times of uncertainty, people flock to brands that they trust. And National Geographic is one of the most trusted and beloved brands in the world,” said Courteney Monroe, National Geographic Global Television Networks president. “When it comes to our television programming, we are doubling down on what we do best, which is to deliver premium, creatively ambitious programming that connects audiences to the world around them, satisfies their curiosity and transports them to places they may otherwise never go.”

The Explorer series launched in 1985. Nat Geo said it has been “newly reimagined” to be a “truly multiplatform content initiative.” Each hour-long episode takes viewers inside unfolding expeditions around the globe and to the front lines of groundbreaking scientific, technological and historical discoveries, with ABC News talent the guides. 

Race to the Center of the Earth has eight parts and debuts in the fall of 2020. Nat Geo calls it “an adrenaline-fueled global competition that pits four teams against one another in a nonstop sprint across the globe for a $1 million prize.”

Trafficked With Mariana Van Zeller has eight parts and premieres in January. The series “explores the complex and often dangerous inner workings of the global underworld — smuggling networks, and black and informal markets,” said Nat Geo. Each episode sees Van Zeller on a mission to understand a specific black market and the lives of the smugglers and outlaws who run it. 

The next installment of the network’s Genius franchise focuses on Aretha Franklin. 

Cynthia Erivo plays Franklin. From Brian Grazer and Ron Howard of Imagine Entertainment, it debuts in the fall. 

Planet of the Whales debuts in April 2021 and dives deep into whale culture and “the extraordinary communication skills and intricate social structures of five different whale species,” said Nat Geo. 

New documentaries include Blood on the Wall, about a caravan of migrants from Central American heading to the U.S., Rebuilding Paradise, about the firestorm that hit Paradise, California, Saudi Runaway, about a young woman reckoning with an arranged marriage, and Torn, about climber Alex Lowe, who was killed in an avalanche in the Himalayas.  

All air in the fall. 

Returning series include Brain Games with Keegan-Michael Key, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Running Wild With Bear Grylls, Wicked Tuna and Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks and the Life Below Zero franchise.

Sharkfest happens in summer 2021. 

Scripted historical series Barkskins premieres on Nat Geo May 25. Elwood Reid created the series, based on the novel by Annie Proulx. David Thewlis and Marcia Gay Harden star. 

Barkskins “examines the mysterious massacre of settlers in the vast and unforgiving wilds of 1690s New France that threatens to throw the region into all-out war,” said Nat Geo. 

There are eight episodes. Two air on premiere day. 

The day after they air, episodes are available on Hulu. 

Tallulah Haddon, Lily Sullivan, Aneurin Barnard and Zahn McClarnon are also in the cast. 

“It’s the first and last show set in 1690s Canada,” Reid told B&C. “We bring together a disparate group of characters, drop a few bodies and see what happens.”

Cable networks and streaming services will offer several new series and documentaries for viewers to peruse during the Memorial Day holiday week.

Prime video's drama series Homecoming will return May 22 for a second season with a new mystery-themed storyline, according to the streaming service. The new season stars Janelle Monáe (pictured) as a young woman who wakes up in a rowboat that's adrift in a lake with no memory of who she is or how she got there. 

Nat Geo will debut its new drama series Barkskins on Memorial Day (May 25). The series follows a group of settlers traveling from France to the uncharted land of North America during the 17th century. RELATED: Series Review 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of May 18 to May 25 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

May 18 -- Blackballed (sports documentary) -- Quibi

May 18 -- Dead Still (dramedy) -- Acorn Tv

May 20 -- At Home with Amy Sedaris (returning series) -- truTV

May 20 -- Sleeping with Friends (reality) -- YouTube

May 21 -- The Split (drama) -- Sundance

May 21 -- Double Cross (drama) -- UMC

May 22 -- Homecoming (drama) -- Prime Video

May 25 -- Barkskins (drama) -- Nat Geo

May 25 -- Grant (documentary) -- History

Labor of Love debuts on Fox May 21. The unscripted show features Kristy Katzmann, a career woman who is ready to be a mother. Labor has 15 “sexy and sophisticated” guys competing to be the father, Fox said.

Kristin Davis of Sex and the City hosts. Executive producer Anne Walls called Labor “a deeper exploration into the journey of parenthood.”

The producers aimed to come up with an entertaining show that also informs women of the options they have regarding parenthood. “Women face a lot of choices in their mid-to-late 30s and early 40s,” executive producer Laurie Girion said.

Katzmann made an immediate impression on the producers in their talent search. “She’s so intelligent and articulate and beautiful,” Girion said. “She’s also open and willing to share.”

After eight weeks of challenges and dates, Katzmann will decide if she’s found the right partner, or go it alone.

The producers feel the show has a bit more substance than other find-a-mate series. “It gives the viewer an opportunity to think about all the different possibilities of parenting,” said Spike Van Briesen, executive producer.

Barkskins begins on Nat Geo May 25. It’s a peculiar scripted series adapted from a novel by Annie Proulx. “It’s a bear of a book, 700 pages, hundreds of years,” said Elwood Reid, exec producer/showrunner. “It’s a tricky thing to wrangle.”

Reid was drawn to it because Proulx “is an idol of mine” and because the subject matter is so out there. Set in what was called New France in Canada, the Catholic church has sent Jesuit priests to convert the indigenous people, and France sent indentured servants to populate its territory, along with young women to find husbands.

“It’s the first and last show set in 1690s Canada,” he said. “We bring together a disparate group of characters, drop a few bodies and see what happens.”

David Thewlis and Marcia Gay Harden are in the cast. Reid calls it “a rip-roaring good tale.” 

HBO Max Gets Craft-y

And May 27, Craftopia debuts on HBO Max. Lauren Riihimaki, known on YouTube as LaurDIY, hosts the kids crafting competition show.

Producing a TV show is a taller order than making something for YouTube, she said. “There are so many more moving parts,” Riihimaki said. “So much more goes into a show like Craftopia.

The contestants are between the ages of 9 and 15. Riihimaki is blown away by their skills, whether it’s crochet, origami or baking. “It’s pretty incredible to see what these kids are doing,” she said.

Riihimaki was a pretty crafty kid in her time, but not like these kids. “Oh my gosh, nothing at this level!” she said. 

USA Network’s premiere of Suits spinoff drama series Pearson and Netflix's reality series Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee lead the list of new and returning shows debuting this week.

Pearson, which premieres July 17, stars Gina Torres as lawyer Jessica Pearson, who moves to Chicago to work for that city’s mayor after being disbarred in New York, according to USA Network.

The series’s debut follows the premiere of the ninth and final season of Suits.

Also premiering this week is the new season of Netflix’s reality series Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, starring Jerry Seinfeld and featuring appearances by Eddie Murphy, Seth Rogen, Ricky Gervais and Jamie Foxx.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services:

July 15 -- Girl Cruise (reality series) -- VH1

July 16 -- Behind Closed Doors (documentary) -- HBO

July 16 -- Human Discoveries (animation/comedy) -- Facebook Watch

July 16 -- Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein (comedy series) -- Netflix

July 19 -- All of Nothing: Carolina Panthers (reality sports) -- Prime Video

July 19 -- Killjoys (returning series) -- Syfy

July 19 -- Queer Eye (returning series) -- Netflix

July 21 -- Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (reality series) -- Nat Geo

National Geographic will profile the life of music legend Aretha Franklin in the next installment of its Genius anthology series, with Pulitzer Prize award-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks serving as executive producer, the network announced Sunday during the 2019 TCA winter press tour.

Genius: Aretha Franklin will chronicle the life of the Queen of Soul, who passed away in 2018. Franklin follows Genius installments on Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.

Parks will serve as showrunner for the third season of the anthology series, with veteran music producer Clive Davis — along with Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman — serving as executive producers. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo will also serve as executive producers, according to Nat Geo executives.

Related: National Geographic to Premiere 'Free Solo' Commercial Free in March

In other Nat Geo TCA news, the network has secured the rights to NBC’s non-fiction series RunningWild With Bear Grylls, which is currently in production and slated to premiere in December 2019.

-- The network has greenlit to series The Right Stuff, an adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s best-selling nonfiction account of the early days of the U.S. space program. Production will begin this Fall 2019.

-- Premiere dates for several new and existing series include The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (March 5), Hostile Planet (April 1), Science Fair (May 9), The Hot Zone (May 27), Going Viral (May 2019), Yellowstone Live (June 2019), and Apollo: Mission to the Moon (July 2019).

Season two of Mars kicks off on National Geographic Nov. 12. The season examines the conflict of science versus industry, and whether humankind ends up making the same mistakes on Mars that it has made on Earth.

There are six episodes. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer executive produce and Dee Johnson is showrunner. Mars’s mix of scripted and documentary makes it “very, very unique,” Johnson said.

Season one had a colony of science-minded individuals on the Red Planet. Season two adds a crew of profit-driven industry types. “They have a completely different agenda,” Johnson said.

Season one looked at whether Mars would kill the astronauts who arrived there. Season two examines whether the humans will kill Mars.

“It’s a unique show,” Johnson said. “You’re not going to see anything else like it.”

You’re not going to see anything like SundanceTV’s Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle either.

It has been 40 years since preacher Jim Jones convinced hundreds of followers to take their lives, and SundanceTV marks the dark occasion with Jonestown Nov. 17-18.

It is based on Jeff Guinn’s book The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple. The book, and the special, depict Jones’ transformation from charismatic preacher to murderous demagogue.

While Jonestown was located in Guyana, Guinn said demagoguery seems to play particularly well in the States. “There are parallels [to Jonestown] throughout American history, and there are parallels today,” said Guinn. “Americans have always been vulnerable to demagogues.”

Such agitators typically traffic in negativity, Guinn said, and promote an us-versus-the enemy mentality. They also try to stifle other voices that followers might otherwise hear.

He unearthed a number of intriguing tidbits in his book research. A large number of the 900-plus who died that day 40 years ago resisted taking the poison, he said, and were lethally injected. “We’re talking mass murder,” Guinn said.

A couple of murderers get their closeup when Escape at Dannemora, about the prison break in upstate New York in 2015, premieres on Showtime Nov. 18. Ben Stiller executive produces and directs. Stiller heard quite a bit from local residents as they shot footage around Clinton Correctional Facility. “At first they were a little bit skeptical,” he said at the Television Critics Association Press Tour. “I understand that. The biggest thing was, tell the whole story.”

The residents didn’t want the convicts, Richard Matt and David Sweat, representing their community. “A few bad apples aren’t representative of what really goes on here,” Stiller said.

Same goes for Tilly Mitchell, the prison employee who abetted Matt and Sweat.

“They’re upset that she’s representative of a place they take pride in,” he said.

A brigade of military-focused scripted series has invaded TV screens, as cable networks look to offer action-packed, often heroism-themed content depicting the U.S. armed forces.

National Geographic Channel’s The Long Road Home, which premiered on Nov. 7, is cable’s latest entry in the military genre, joining sophomore shows Shooter (USA Network) and SIX (History).

Related > MCN Review: 'The Long Road Home'

Cable programmers aren’t the only distributors deploying shows in the genre. The broadcast networks have launched three freshman shows during the during the 2017-18 television season, including Valor (The CW), The Brave (NBC) and SEAL Team (CBS).

Even Netflix’s latest series from Marvel, Marvel’s The Punisher, is based on a former marine ensnared in a military conspiracy, according to the streaming service.

Related > Watch Netflix's Trailer for 'Marvel's The Punisher'

Enjoyed Success in Past
The shows are tapping into a void of programming in what’s historically been a successful genre of television, network executives said.

“Military-themed series have a long history of success,” said Barry Jossen, executive vice president of A+E Studios, which is producing the Navy SEAL-themed series SIXfor History. “There are so many great stories to be told, filled with compelling characters and lots of aching emotion.”

Such shows also provide audiences with clear-cut heroes in a TV environment where characters often blur the lines between good and bad, executives said, reflecting the very real military conflicts covered in the news.

Related > MCN Review: History's 'SIX'

“There is a tremendous interest among the viewing audience right now to understand the military and the sacrifices that the families go through,” said Dale Ardizzone, chief operating officer for INSP, which airs the documentary series Brush of Honor about military portrait artist Phil Taylor. “All the things that are going on that have shown what a dangerous place the world can be at times combined with the social media efforts in making the lives of [military men and women] so personal have been the driving factors for the popularity of these shows.”

Nat Geo’s eight-part series The Long Road Home — based on the bestselling book by ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, chronicling the 2004 “Black Sunday” ambush of a U.S. Army platoon in Baghdad — is the network’s first foray into military programming drama. Nat Geo has produced many unscripted programs about war, the military and the valor of service members.

Related > Watch Nat Geo's 'The Long Road Home' Trailer

“It is a populist approach to storytelling, and it makes sense to tell stories that celebrate the American military, which is a really a timeless idea,” Carolyn Bernstein, National Geographic executive vice president and head of global scripted development and production, said.

Though The Long Road Home is a scripted series, its story is based in fact and depicts the lives of both the soldiers deployed in Iraq and their family members at home, Bernstein said. “For us, this was a story that deserved to be told in a complete and dramatic fashion that featured relatable and universal humanistic values,” she said.

History will return combat drama SIX for a second season in 2018. The show allows the network to tell a military story through the eyes of members of a Navy SEAL Team, affording viewers a more humanistic viewpoint of those who protect and serve their country than traditional documentary series can provide.

“SIX feels real, very real,” Jossen said. “It is a perfect blend of mission stories, providing insight into the brotherhood of SEAL Team members and home life with the varied conflicts of family, commitment and life that goes on while these heroes are away. The high-stakes drama of SIX elevates viewer emotion, who find relatable connections to their own lives.”

The action and scenarios depicted in shows such as SIX are very similar to the current conflicts facing the U.S. armed forces around the world, Jossen added. For instance, there are multiple depictions of missions in Africa on the show that preceded the Oct. 4 ambush of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers in Niger.

“SIX is telling stories that are timely and topical as anything else on TV or in the movies,” he added.

Not a Political Thing
Although it’s difficult not to equate the rise of the genre with the general populist and pro-military themes espoused by President Donald Trump, Nat Geo’s Bernstein said such shows can entertain and build on the positive values of the military without being overtly political.

“It’s really about these people who have stories of their own to tell that have nothing to do with politics,” she said. “We’re less focused on whether it’s the perfect timing [for military shows]. From our perspective, this kind of approach to storytelling with a military subject feels like its always the right time to tell this story.”

Added INSP’s Ardizzone: “If we look at it really close, the support for the military in these shows is really apolitical. In a time when there’s a lot of divisiveness in the country, when you look at the military and celebrate the sacrifices and the challenges that the people who serve go through, it really is bipartisan, compelling entertainment.”

Lynn Sadofsky, vice president of production and development at National Geographic, has joined Scripps Networks Interactive in a similar post.

At Scripps Sadofsky will be vice president of programming and development for Food Network, Cooking Channel and Travel Channel, reporting to SVP Courtney White. She will be based in New York.

Her past programming credits include Wicked Tuna, Brain Games, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Food Detectives and Saturday Night Live.

“As a respected and skilled leader in the industry, Lynn’s impressive career has spanned both the production and network side of the business,” White said of the new hire. “I had the privilege of working alongside Lynn a few years ago and I was invigorated every day by her dedicated work ethic, attention to creative detail, strong management of talent and team, and her collaborative nature.”

National Geographic Channel will look to programming veteran Carol Bernstein to lead its scripted programming efforts, the network said Thursday.

Bernstein will serve as executive vice president and head of Global Scripted Development and Production for Nat Geo, tasked with spearheading the effort to significantly expand the network’s scripted efforts into long-term, global franchises, said network officials.

Bernstein, who will officially join Nat Geo Jan. 4, was previously at from Endemol Shine Studios, where she had been recently Executive Vice President since March 2015. Bernstein originally joined Shine America in 2007 as Executive Vice President, Scripted Television.

Bernstein will report to National Geographic Global Networks CEO Courteney Monroe.

“We are incredibly fortunate Carolyn is joining the network to oversee our scripted efforts,” said Monroe. “Her vast experience, exceptional creative taste and strong industry relationships will enable us to reach unprecedented new heights with our scripted endeavors in ways that support our brand and new programming vision.”

National Geographic Channel set an all-time ratings record with 3.7 million viewers, the network announced Monday.

The original movie, based on Bill O’Reilly's best-selling book, bested the 3.4 million viewers generated by the 2013 movie Killing Kennedy, according to Nielsen. Killing Jesus also garnered a 2.8 household rating, marking the second-highest in network history, according to Nat Geo.

Furthermore, the 1.0 rarting among adults 25-54 is the highest rated for the demo since Killing Kennedy and is more than 300% higher than NGC’s Sunday 8-11 p.m. average so far this calendar year, according to Nat Geo.

 “Killing Jesus was our most ambitious production to date, coupled with one of our largest cross-platform promotional campaigns,” said National Geographic Channels CEO Courteney Monroe in a statement. “We are thrilled that audiences responded to the film with the same enthusiasm and passion we had for this production since day one. The success of our premiere last night is due to the hard work and dedication of the production team on the ground in Morocco, the talented and versatile cast and the support of our partners at National Geographic and Fox.”

Killing Jesus will encore on Fox News Channel this Friday, April 3, at 8 p.m. ET and Easter Sunday, April 5, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, said Nat Geo. 

The editors of Multichannel News have announced the 2015 class of Wonder Women.

The 13 women, who appear in a congratulatory announcement on page 27 of Monday’s Multichannel News, comprise the 17th class of cable, telecommunications and related entertainment and technology executives to be so honored. Their profiles will appear in the Jan. 26, 2015, edition of the magazine, and they will be saluted at a luncheon event at the Hilton New York on Thursday, March 19, 2015. The event, as always, is co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women In Cable Telecommunications.

More information -- including photos and bios of the honorees, event details and a roster (and videos) of past speeches from Wonder Women luncheons -- are available now at a newly re-launched microsite, mcnwonderwomen.com. Keep that site bookmarked for future news, including celebrity hosts and an upcoming separate class of Women to Watch.

Here is the 2015 class of Wonder Women (alphabetically).

• Lynn Charytan, Senior Vice President of Legal Regulatory Affairs, Senior Deputy General Counsel, Comcast Corp.
• Katy Ferguson, Executive Vice President, Managing Partner, Entertainment, Horizon Media
• Jennifer Hightower, Senior Vice President, Law and Policy, General Counsel, Cox Communications
• Sandra Howe, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, ARRIS
• Susette Hsiung, Executive Vice President, Production, Disney/ABC Cable Networks Group
• Sandra Kapell, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, Cablevision Systems
• Judi Lopez, Senior Vice President, Affiliate Distribution & Marketing, NUVOtv and Fuse
• Sarah Madigan, Executive Vice President, Content Distribution, Univision Communications
• Melissa Maxfield, Senior Vice President of Federal Government Affairs, Comcast Corp.
• Courteney Monroe, Chief Executive Officer, National Geographic Channels U.S.
• Tina Pidgeon, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, General Communication Inc.
• Jane Rice, Senior Vice President, Distribution, A+E Networks  
• Claudia Teran, Executive Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs, Deputy General Counsel, Fox Networks Group, and General Counsel, Fox Sports

National Geographic Channel plans to expose the health consequences of sleep deprivation and what keeps Americans up at night in a television event, Sleepless in America on Nov. 30 at 8 p.m., the network announced today.

Nat Geo has partnered with The Public Good Projects and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to bring forward the dangers of sleep deprivation in America, through the science of sleep by the nation's leading researchers.

“Chances are you didn’t sleep enough last night. Lack of sleep is a surprisingly serious public health issue, and it’s essential to enlighten the public before the problem becomes unmanageable,” said John Hoffman of The Public Good Projects.

Produced by The Public Good Projects for NGC, John Hoffman is executive producer and director, Alexandra Moss is executive producer and Jon Bardin and Tomek Gross are producers. Michael Kovnat is an executive producer, Lynn Sadofsky is vice president of production, Noel Siegel is senior vice president of production and development and Tim Pastore is president, original programming and production for National Geographic Channel.

Scientists will delve into the health consequences, including diabetes, heart disease and depression, as well as the reason behind why we sleep.

“Feeling tired is only one consequence of getting poor quality sleep,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D in a release. “NIH-funded research has helped illuminate a wide array of health challenges stemming from chronic sleep problems. Researchers have uncovered links between poor sleep and health issues ranging from obesity to cardiovascular disease to mental health disorders.”

The special will also dig deeper into our society's failure to prioritize sleep and what is really behind America's sleeplessness, from the light bulb to work schedules.

To find out more about Sleepless in America, click here.

National Geographic Channel said Chug, a new bar-crawl series from Zane Lamprey, whose former shows in the drinking-and-travel genre include Three Sheets and Drinking Made Easy, has been scheduled for Monday, Nov. 24, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Rum company owner Lamprey -- who raised $500,000 to fund the show using the crowd-sourcing site Kickstarter -- travels around the world, delving into local cultures when it comes to food, customs and, of course, alcohol. The show title, Chug, refers to the host's chugging through each place by train, not to be confused with the actual art of chugging beer, the channel said in a release. Lamprey breaks down specific ingredients to local breweries, learning about the history and the craft along the way.

Coincidentally, the same night (Nov. 24) at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Travel Channel is premiering its own hour-long show about visiting other countries and learning about local traditions, including drinking, namely Booze Traveler, hosted by Jack Maxwell.

Chug is one of three new food-based miniseries to air on Nat Geo. Eat: The Story of Food is set to debut on Nov. 21 and road-tripping Eric Greenspan Is Hungry premieres just ahead of Chug, on Nov. 24, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Chug premiere episodes are:

• Chug: Kuala Lumpur: Nov. 24 at 10 p.m.
• Chug: Sydney: Dec. 1 at 10:30 p.m.

National Geographic Channel has signed actor Kal Penn to host a new series Mapology, one of a number of new shows announced Tuesday during the cable portion of the Television Critics Association tour.

Mapology, starring Penn (How I Met Your Mother, Harold and Kumar) explores different themes through the mapping of new data and interacting with interesting characters, said network officials during the network's TCA session.

“We continue to develop new series that demonstrate our commitment to producing cool smart programming that is fun, entertaining and accessible,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Channel in a statement. “With Mapology, we’re stripping down the layers of the world to discover hidden connections that will enhance our audience’s views of what’s really happening, not only the world at large, but in their small world.”

The network also announced the Sept. 7 premiere of a new special, 9/10: The Final Hours, which takes viewers moment by moment through the day before the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in New York City, said network officials.

In addition, the network will focus on the consumption of alcoholic drinks around the world in the new series Chug. The show will follow “drinkaloguer” Zane Lamprey as he travels by train to sample alcoholic beverages at exotic locations around the world. Another travel series, Eric Greenspan is Hungry, debuts in November and will follow Greenspan as he visits people around the country who farm, raise, nurture, hunt and butcher livestock for food consumption, said the network.

The National Geographic Channels management overhaul continued with the promotion of Courteney Monroe from chief marketing officer to CEO and the appointment of David Hill as chairman, and the departure of David Lyle as CEO.

The changes, made by joint venture partners the National Geographic Society and Fox Networks Group, came a day after it was announced that channels president Howard Owens was leaving. Under Lyle and Owens, National Geographic Channel, the largest in the channels group, had a record ratings year in 2013, boosted by original series such as Brain Games and Wicked Tuna and specials such as Killing Kennedy.

Hill, who currently serves as senior executive vice president of 21st Century Fox and is on the National Geographic Channels board of directors, will provide counsel to the executive and programming leadership team. He also will remain on the NGC Board and continue to play a leadership role in the production of American Idol. A member of the Fox extended family since 1993, Hill has overseen Fox broadcasting, sports and DirecTV when it was in the Rupert Murdoch camp, among other senior roles.

Lyle, a longtime Fox executive, has served as CEO of National Geographic Channels since 2011.

As CEO, Monroe, a former top marketing executive at HBO, will be responsible for all operations of the domestic National Geographic Channels, which include National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO.

“Courteney is a truly remarkable executive, with a proven track record of energizing programming brands — both here at National Geographic Channels and during her time at HBO,” Fox Networks Group chairman and CEO Peter Rice and National Geographic Society CEO Gary Knell said in a joint release. “She is also a proven leader, who has a clear vision of the television landscape, and we are very lucky to have her overseeing our domestic channels.”

“David Lyle led National Geographic Channels U.S. through a period of tremendous commercial and creative growth, including the highest-rated period in the channel’s history,” Rice and Knell also said. “We will be forever grateful to David for his efforts and we join the entire National Geographic family in wishing him the best in his future endeavors.”