PBS to Premiere Whale Special, Ken Burns Country Music Doc

PBS and Smithsonian Channel have partnered on a new two-hour natural-history special tentatively titled When Whales Walked: A Deep Journey.

The film will feature a group of scientists making discoveries in China, Kenya, Argentina and other locations around the world, and will use 3D graphics and CGI to recreate the vanished creatures. When Whales Walked: A Deep Journey is produced by Twin Cities PBS and Shining Red Productions for PBS and Smithsonian Channel.

“When Whales Walked: A Deep Journey dives deep into the fascinating origins of some of the world’s most incredible creatures,” said Bill Gardner, VP of programming and development at PBS. “By exploring the latest scientific discoveries, we bring millions of years of natural history alive in some very unexpected ways. We’re thrilled to partner with the Smithsonian Channel and Institution to showcase these spectacular new breakthroughs in evolutionary history.”

“When we marvel at the wonders of the natural world, like an elephant’s trunk or the size of a blue whale, we rarely ask, ‘Where did that come from?’ It turns out, scientists are finding some truly extraordinary answers,” said Charles Poe, senior VP of production for the Smithsonian Channel. “This film will introduce our viewers to the surprising ancestors of animals we know and love. We’re very excited to be launching our first partnership with PBS to take viewers on an utterly unique journey to the deep past.”

PBS is also slated to premiere Ken Burns’ Country Music, a 16-hour docuseries that chronicles the history of country music and features the Carter family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and more.

The eight-part docuseries will air on Sunday, September 15 through Wednesday, September 18, and on Sunday, September 22, through Wednesday, September 25, at 8 p.m. The first four episodes will launch on station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and PBS apps on September 15, while the second four episodes will begin streaming on September 22. Each episode will stream for a period of three weeks. PBS Passport members will be able to view the entire series for a period of six months beginning on Sunday, September 15.

In honor of Burns’ profile on country music, Ryman Auditorium will present “Country Music: Live at the Ryman, a Concert Celebrating the Film by Ken Burns.” Burns will host the evening that will include performances by Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Rhiannon Giddens, Vince Gill, Brenda Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Holly Williams and Dwight Yoakam among others. The event,  which will take place on Wednesday, March 27, will be recorded for broadcast on PBS at a later date.

Perry Simon, chief programming executive and general manager for general audience programming at PBS, said: “As with so many of their films, Ken and Dayton guide us on a journey through history that educates and entertains, providing an intimate look into the creative lives of those women and men who came together to develop an authentic American art form.”

“PBS and our local stations are pulling out all the stops to make Ken Burns’ Country Music the big event for the fall season,” added Simon. “We are thrilled to kick off this effort with a bus tour through Tennessee, and to partner with Opry Entertainment and Florentine Films, Ken’s production company, to produce this wonderful concert and make it available to people throughout the country on PBS later this year.”