TVSquad

It's difficult to watch A Man Among Wolves, the story of Shaun Ellis, a man who chooses to live among wolves in captivity to better understand them, and not draw comparisons to Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog's documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived in the wild with bears and ultimately was killed by one.

Reading about Man Among Wolves, the National Geographic Channel's documentary on Shaun Ellis, a man who takes on the mannerisms of wolves to help them learn to survive in the wild, I couldn't help but think of Werner Herzog's 2005 film Grizzly Man, the story of Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived among bears and was ultimately killed by one along with his girlfriend. I found Grizzly Man both fascinating and absurd: fascinating because it provided a view of these animals that's rarely seen, and absurd because of Treadwell's tenacious and unwavering belief that a human being could live among wild animals and not be in danger.

Ellis, the focus of Man Among Wolves, which airs April 16 at 9:00 p.m., does not live among wolves in the wild. Rather, he raises abandoned cubs and teaches them by example how to survive in the wild. I'm not an animal expert of any kind, but my first question would be, "aren't such survival skills instinctual?" I guess my question will be answered when I watch the documentary.

Jerry Bruckheimer is eating Wolf for breakfast. And by "Wolf" I mean "Dick Wolf" the man behind Law and Order. Also, you'll understand why I used his last name instead of his first name in my opening sentence, though that would have been much funnier. Anyway, Bruckheimer, the man who makes shows everyone but me seems to enjoy, has four shows in the top ten (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; CSI: Miami; Cold Case; and Without a Trace) compared to just two from Wolf (Law and Order: Criminal Intent; and Law and Order). I think the next step for these two producers is clear: Join forces and rule the airwaves. I imagine something like CSI: Law and Order, or maybe A Cold Case of Law and Order in Miami.