Nat Geo Unveils Spring 2021 Slate

During National Geographic’s Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour presentation, the company revealed details about the content it’s set to roll out in the coming months, including four new projects from the creators of Free Solo.

“In the wake of this extraordinary and unprecedented year, we remain focused at National Geographic on telling stories that remind us that beauty and wonder still exist in our world,” said Courteney Monroe, president of National Geographic Content. “From IMPACT with Gal Gadot to Secrets of the Whales and the return of Uncharted with Gordon Ramsay, National Geographic transports audiences around the globe, inspiring a new generation of explorers and adventurers.”

Genius: Aretha, starring Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) as Aretha Franklin, is slated to bow on March 21 and roll out over four nights. The episodes will be available the next day on Hulu. In another marquee announcement, Nat Geo unveiled the four new projects from Free Solo’s E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin as part of their first-look deal. The deal includes the feature documentaries Thai Cave and Tompkins, and series Into the Unknown and Photographer.

Additional highlighted premiere date announcements were for Race to the Center of the Earth, from The Amazing Race producers, paired with a new season of the adventure series Running Wild with Bear Grylls (March 29); Breaking Bobby Bones, paired with a new season of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (Memorial Day); the new digital documentary shorts series National Geographic Presents: IMPACT with Gal Gadot (April 19); and the Disney+ premiere of the original series Secrets of the Whales, from executive producer James Cameron and featuring National Geographic Photographer Brian Skerry (Earth Day).

March will also see the premieres of Own the Room on Disney+ from National Geographic Documentary Films (March 12), a new season of Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet on Nat Geo WILD. The new special Kingdom of the Polar Bears is slated to bow on April 22 on Nat Geo WILD. In May, Critter Fixers: Country Vets will return to Nat Geo WILD (May 22). June will see the premiere of the tentatively titled documentary Red Summer, from filmmaker Dawn Porter and Trailblazer Studios, on National Geographic; and the debut of America’s Funniest Home Videos: Animal Edition on Nat Geo WILD (June 20).