Nat Geo Green-Lights 8 New Original Shows
By Staff -- Multichannel News, 5/14/2007
Las Vegas — Dwarfism, gigantism and animal intelligence are among the subjects explored as part of National Geographic Channel's slate of eight original shows, spanning specials and limited series, the network announced at The Cable Show here last week.
Nat Geo's new shows include Inside Extraordinary Humans, a four-part series that investigates what makes a human body out of the ordinary and features looks at dwarfism and gigantism. Produced by Authentic Entertainment, the Science of Dwarfism and Science of Gigantism installments will begin airing in July.
In August, Nat Geo will take viewers on the Road to War, which takes a comprehensive look at how and why the U.S. went to war in Iraq, via interviews with key decision-makers, including former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, and special assistant to the president David Frum, among others.
Animal Genius, a three-episode series, uncovers the hidden intelligence and cognitive capabilities of dogs, pigs and snakes. National Geographic Television is the producer of these specials, the first of which Hog Genius, is currently scheduled to premiere in September.
Through a pair of hours, Engineering Programs will take viewers inside the construction of America's highway system and the Los Angeles sewer system. The first examines this nation's 47,000 miles of highways, while the second traverses the 6,500-mile sewer and 1,500-mile storm drain that serves the City of Angels. Produced by Powderhouse, they are scheduled to debut in the fourth quarter.
Nat Geo, which earned its best-ever quarter from January through March of this year, when it averaged a 0.5 household rating in primetime, has also commissioned the specials, Science of Superhuman Strength and Science of Steroids. These one-hour programs examine human strength, both natural and enhanced, to learn the physical realities behind real superhuman strength and the truth amid the controversy that surrounds steroids.
On the series side, the network will also develop 10 and six new episodes for its existing Naked Science and Lockdown skeins, respectively.
Nat Geo also has launched a free, ad-supported broadband service dubbed NGC Wild! The site, NGWild.com, will feature short-form content including exclusive original content, as well as excerpts and previews from full-length shows, officials said.
NGC Wild! will also link from its broadband site to integrate with the cable channel's site, and the National Geographic Society's Web site.
