5 New Shows to Watch For This Year on National Geographic

Even if you’re not an avid follower of National Geographic’s 24/7 channel, at least you’ve caught an episode of “Explorer” or the Neil deGrasse Tyson reimagining of Carl Sagan’s classic “Cosmos.” Nat Geo has its fair share of reality programming as well, like “Wicked Tuna” and “Ultimate Survival” each emphasizing the extreme environments surrounding the intrepid protagonists of each show. And like all networks, the National Geographic Channel announces new titles every year. So here are five of the latest Nat Geo series you may want to have on your radar. Keep in mind most of them do not appear to have release dates yet and are currently still in production.

Photo credit: National Geographic Channels

“Breakthrough”National Geographic has collected an impressive amount of talent providing their own POV on current scientific developments and innovations. People like filmmakers Ron Howard, Bret Ratner, Peter Berg, Akiva Goldsman and actors Paul Giamatti and Angela Bassett. Produced by Howard, Brian Glazer and Michael Rosenberg through their Image Entertainment label, Nat Geo also premiered the series through various VOD and internet platforms on Sunday, Nov. 1 of 2015. It’s already being compared to a popular ESPN series as the “scientific 30 For 30.” But at least one episode is well worth watching if not for the moment where Oscar nominee Giamatti discusses body modification with “body horror” veteran David Cronenberg.

Photo credit: National Geographic Channels

“The Great Human Race” (air date unknown)

As a series, “The Great Human Race” was announced back in April of 2015 along with some of the other titles listed here. While one could chalk this up to being yet another variation of the kind of reality series focusing on individuals attempting to go from point A to point B while indulging in what amounts to be an elaborate scavenger hunt, the hook of “Great Human Race” is all about retracing the steps of our ancestors as they progressed from “the cradle of civilization to the New World.” Anthropologist Bill Schindler and survivalist Cat Bigney will have to endure some very heady situations per episode.

Photo credit: National Geographic Channels

“Primal Survivor” (air date unknown)

When announced, this series was then titled “Primal Survival.” According to Nat Geo’s Press website, they’ve since made a slight modification to the name. Professional survivalist Hazen Audel uses skills and techniques he’s learned while living with indigenous tribes throughout the world. Per the press release, Audel will go to “the crocodile-infested rain forest of Papua New Guinea, the scorching deserts of the Sahara, and the frozen heights of the Himalayas.” Eh, doesn’t sound too challenging, does it? I’d, like, be totally game if I knew an In-N-Out Burger was somewhere near those frozen Himalayan heights.

Photo credit: National Geographic Channels

“The Yard” (air date unknown)

A documentary series about the construction and engineering teams working in some of North America’s largest shipbuilding operations.

“50 States Of Survival” (air date unknown)

National Geographic sure seems to love their survival-themed programming. Very little info is available on this series except for a mention within a press release issued last April. According to Nat Geo, “50 States of Survival” will feature an expert survivalist, an engineer and a “gadget guru” as they attempt to use their knowledge to… compete? Work together? Anyway, we can assume this will involve surviving the usual extreme environments with little to no resources.

So there you have it, five new titles airing on the National Geographic either very soon or in the very near future. You can check out their website for updates on scheduling and broadcast premieres.