Related: Complete Coverage of TCA Summer Press Tour
Beverly Hills, Calif. — A Mars event series and a global water crisis miniseries highlighted the programming announcements National Geographic Channel made Wednesday from the stage at the Beverly Hilton during the Television Critics Association summer press tour.
The network is partnering with Imagine Entertainment and RadicalMedia to launch Red Planet, an event series about the quest to colonize Mars and the first manned mission in 2032. The series, set in 2032 and the present day will include scripted elements and interviews with scientists and innovators involved in the research and development for the first manned mission in 2032.
National Geographic Channel has also greenlighted Parched, a new documentary from Emmy- and Oscar-winner Alex Gibney. Produced by Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, Parched will explore the accessibility and scarcity of fresh drinking water. It will be created as both a TV miniseries and a feature documentary with a limited theatrical release.
StarTalk, the Emmy-nominated talk show hosted by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, will debut its second season on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 11 p.m. President Bill Clinton will stop by as the new season’s first guest.
In addition, the network is developing Last Men Out, a drama series about the end of the Vietnam War from executive producers Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson.
