Expedition Unknown: Egypt Live <\/em>(working title). The programming stunt will be hosted by adventurer and explorer Josh Gates, who will be joined by Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass and Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. It promises viewers a look inside the inner chambers of an excavation site, where archeologists recently uncovered a network of vertical shafts leading to an underground network of tunnels and tombs with 40 mummies believed to be part of the noble elite. Sure to be a highlight, there is a mysterious limestone sarcophagus that was found buried deep within the complex of chambers, and the identity of the mummy inside has been a mystery for 3,000 years\u2014possibly until now.<\/p>\nNational Geographic, meanwhile, revealed itself as the new home of Running Wild with Bear Grylls <\/em>(which had been airing on NBC). Nat Geo already has a relationship with the well-known adventurer, as he serves as host and narrator of the network\u2019s upcoming natural-history series Hostile Planet<\/em>.<\/p>\nNational Geographic is ramping up its natural-history programming as well. Among the additions to the lineup are America<\/em>, a six-episode series that paints a portrait of contemporary America, and Planet of the Whales<\/em>, which will be filmed for more than two and a half years, in 24 locations, to reveal the life of five different whale species.<\/p>\nAlso looking to make some noise in the live space, Nat Geo is bringing back Yellowstone Live<\/em>. The live broadcast that garnered 13 million viewers in its debut last summer will return to the nation\u2019s most cherished national park this June. The four-night live event promises to showcase even more of the wildlife and vistas the greater Yellowstone ecosystem has to offer.<\/p>\nNat Geo has teamed up with Procter & Gamble on Activate<\/em>, a new multiplatform storytelling partnership and six-part documentary series. Premiering globally this fall on National Geographic in 172 countries and 43 languages, the Activate<\/em> series will focus on extreme poverty, inequality and sustainability issues to mobilize global citizens to drive meaningful and lasting change. It will be bolstered by custom content distributed across National Geographic\u2019s social, digital, linear and print channels. The series will feature celebrity activists such as Uzo Aduba, Rachel Brosnahan, Hugh Jackman, Gayle King, Usher and Pharrell Williams.<\/p>\nNat Geo WILD is also making moves in the live space, with Animal ER Live<\/em>, from Live PD<\/em> creators Big Fish Entertainment. The four-week live event series will follow animal emergencies in real time at animal hospitals and mobile vet emergency units across the country while being anchored by a team of veterinary experts from a studio in New York City.<\/p>\nRiding high on the wave of interest in true-crime programming, Investigation Discovery (ID) has lined up The Atlanta Child Murders<\/em>, a special that revisits a case from 1979 when the remains of two 14-year-old boys were found in Atlanta. What was uncovered in 23 months was a total of 29 African-American children stolen from their families and murdered. Multiple suspicions led nowhere, and decades later, no person has been tried for these murders, and the killer has never been confirmed.<\/p>\nOver on Animal Planet, Evan Goes Wild<\/em> features Dr. Evan Antin, voted the \u201csexiest veterinarian alive\u201d by People<\/em> magazine, in his first TV series, as he chases his wildlife bucket list: swimming alongside humpback whales in Tahiti, exploring caves with bats and snakes in the Philippines and tangling with crocs in the Yucatan.<\/p>\nTravel Channel highlighted the new series Portals to Hell<\/em>, featuring TV personality and executive producer Jack Osbourne and paranormal researcher and investigator Katrina Weidman, who join forces to explore locations with sordid pasts and dark histories that are especially sinister and purported to be doorways to the spirit underworld. The channel has also added to its lineup Mission Declassified<\/em>, featuring investigative reporter Christof Putzel, who reveals new information from an unsolved case that takes him on an adventure into the past. Episodes include \u201cEscape from Alcatraz,\u201d \u201cThe Hunt for DB Cooper,\u201d \u201cThe Lindbergh Kidnapping\u201d and others. Following the closure of H2, Travel Channel is reviving America Unearthed<\/em>, in which forensic geologist Scott Wolter examines artifacts and strange finds to discover the secrets of the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\nFood Network has a new family-centric culinary competition, Family Food Showdown<\/em>, with host Valerie Bertinelli. Meanwhile, HGTV is continuing with its strategy of combining charismatic real estate\/renovation experts and homeowners with relatable property challenges. HGTV stars Christina Anstead (Christina on the Coast<\/em>), Alison Victoria (Windy City Rehab<\/em>) and David Bromstad (My Lottery Dream Home<\/em>) were joined on stage at the TCA presentation by the network\u2019s newest home-renovation expert, New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight (Farmhouse Fixer<\/em>, a pilot), for a panel discussion about identifying and seizing new on-camera career opportunities.<\/p>\nTLC is bringing back one of the network\u2019s most notable stars: Kate Gosselin, who audiences came to know from the reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8<\/em>. The single mom of eight is returning to TV with Kate Plus Date<\/em>, which will follow her quest to find love.<\/p>\nWhile there\u2019s much buzz about all the high-quality scripted flooding TV screens today, there\u2019s plenty on the roster of factual fare for U.S. viewers to get excited about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The U.S. factual networks revealed a slew of new highlights during the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour last week, touting everything from live events to big-name presenters to buzzy wildlife docs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":12285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,69],"tags":[85,213,215,254,1009,147,244,108],"class_list":["post-12284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-discovery-channel","tag-food-network","tag-investigation-discovery","tag-nat-geo-wild","tag-national-geographic","tag-television-critics-association","tag-tlc","tag-travel-channel","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
TCAs: What\u2019s Coming Up in U.S. Factual - TVREAL<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n