TVSquad

Oprah Winfrey is all over the news these days as she fires up her new network and considers moving her talk show from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Now, we get to listen to her narrate the epic BBC nature series, Life. Subtitled by the BBC with, "The Definitive Exploration of the Adaptability and Diversity of Life on Earth," the eleven-part series examines evolution and the behaviors that animals devised to live, thrive and survive. Discovery Channel is bringing it your way in March after Oprah vocalizes a bit.

I know the BBC has done this sort of thing before. In fact, no one does it better. But this time around, they're using state-of-the-art high-definition filming techniques.

But why is Oprah necessary? I have nothing particularly against the woman. Despite her massive media pull, I manage to more or less steer clear of her estrogen fest. But, the BBC production comes pre-narrated with world-famous naturalist, Sir David Attenborough. Is over-dubbing necessary?

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then new episodes of The Amazing Race, Three Rivers, and Cold Case.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Cowboys vs. the Eagles.
• FOX has a new Brothers at 7, then new episodes of American Dad, Family Guy, Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show, and The Cleveland Show.
• Cartoon Network has a new Ed, Edd, 'N Eddy at 7.
• At 7:30, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• At 8, PBS has a new Nature, then a new Masterpiece Contemporary.
• At 9, HBO has a new Curb Your Enthusiasm, followed by the season finale of Bored To Death.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9, then a new Californication.
• Food Network has a new Next Iron Chef at 9, then a new Iron Chef America.
• Syfy has 2012: Startling New Secrets at 9.
• At 10, AMC has the season finale of Mad Men.
• Discovery has a new Storm Chasers at 10.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Titan Maximum.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new episode of The Venture Brothers, followed by a new Metalocalypse.

Check your local TV listings for more.

When watching any nature special from PBS or the BBC featuring dangerous wild animals photographed at reasonably close range, how often do you stop and consider the very real danger men and women are in while getting that footage?

That danger proved deadly this past weekend when a rampaging African elephant trampled and killed a British tour guide (Anton Turner, 38) who was trying to protect a group of children visiting Tanzania.

The kids were in Africa serving as TV hosts for the CBBC (BBC's children's channel) show, Serious Explorers. Seven children were planning to follow the steps of Victorian explorer Dr. David Livingston.

Reports say, when the elephant charged a group of the CBBC kids, Turner challenged the elephant and attempted to shoot his rifle at the animal. But, he was unable to open fire in time and was trampled. Turner leaves behind a pregnant wife.

• Nickelodeon has a marathon of The Nanny all night.
• Travel Channel has a Man vs. Food marathon all night.
• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then new episodes of The Amazing Race, Three Rivers, and Cold Case.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Giants vs. the Cardinals.
• At 7:30, FOX has Baseball Playoffs, the Yankees vs. the Angels.
• At 8, PBS has a new Nature, then a new Masterpiece Contemporary.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 9, followed by new episodes of Next Iron Chef and Iron Chef America.
• Also at 8: TCM has The Blob, then Die, Monster, Die!
• At 9, HBO has a new Curb Your Enthusiasm, followed by a new Bored To Death.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9, then a new Californication.
• History Channel has a new, two-hour MonsterQuest at 9.
• Animal Planet has Werewolves: The Dark Survivors at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie Always and Forever at 9.
• Retro TV has two episodes of the original Mike Hammer at 9, followed by The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Titan Maximum.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new episode of Venture Brothers.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• NBC has the Golden Globe Awards Red Carpet at 7, then The Golden Globe Awards.
• At 8 (or whenever football is over), CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of Cold Case and The Unit.
  
• FOX has the season premiere of 24 at 8.
• PBS has a new Nature at 8, followed by a new Masterpiece Classic.
• Disney has a new Hannah Montana at 8.
• At 9, Food Network has a new Ultimate Recipe Showdown at 9.
• Lifetime has the movie Trial By Fire at 9.
• At 11, E! has the Golden Globe Awards After Party.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At 12:15am, Cartoon Network has a new Drinky Crow Show.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then a new Big Brother, a new Cold Case, and an episode of Dexter.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, then a new, two hour Extreme Makeover and a new Brothers & Sisters.
• NBC has a new, two hour American Gladiators at 7, then the new Knight Rider movie.
• The CW has a new CW Now at 7.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then new episodes of King of the Hill, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• PBS has a new Nature at 8, followed by a new Masterpiece.
• At 8:30, TNT has the NBA All-Star Game.
• At 9, HBO has a new episode of The Wire, then a new Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.
• There's a new episode of The L Word on Showtime at 9.
• At 10, AMC has a new Breaking Bad.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has a new Aqua Teen Hunger Force, then a new Squidbillies.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S02E20)

This is an early review.

This two-parter really made me hate Clay Puppington, and I don't think I can say that about any other cartoon character. Hell, Cartman from South Park has done tons of horrible things, even indirectly killed people, but watching Clay treat Orel so poorly and so dismissively made me want to break off his frail, wire-supported arms.

(S02E19)

This is an early review.

Clay Puppington: Hunting dogs are just nature's rabbits.

With every episode, more and more layers have been peeled back from the dynamic between Orel and his father. At first, Orel seemed blissfully ignorant of his father's distance and abuse, but over the course of this season, Orel, like all kids do eventually, is realizing his father is only human, and not a very sane one, either.

National Geographic has eight new series (and some returning series) on tap, set to roll out over the next several months.

Inside the Green Berets airs June 3 at 9:00 p.m.

Inside the Taliban airs June 4 at 9:00 p.m.

Critical Situation, a new series that explores how people responded when faced with some of the most dramatic moments in history kicks off June 12 at 9:00 p.m. I'll be posting a preview of this new series soon.

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then new episodes of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and Without A Trace.
• NBC has a new, two hour Dateline at 7.
• FOX has a new, one hour King of the Hill at 7, then a new Simpsons.
• At 8, The CW has a new 7th Heaven.
• There's a new Nature on PBS at 8.
• Walter Isaacson talks about his new book Einstein on CSPAN 2 at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Emeril Live.
• At 9, FOX has a new Family Guy, then a new American Dad.
• HBO has a new Sopranos at 9, then a new Entourage.
• At 10, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia, followed by a new Reno 911.
• BBC America has a new Footballers Wives: Overtime at 10.
• Showtime has a new ep of The Tudors. It's on at 10 too.

Check your local TV listings for more.

I've listed a few upcoming series and specials for folks like myself who enjoy nature, but don't actually want to go outside. Here's a few you might find interesting:

On April 11 at 8:00 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel, Explorer will examine exactly what happens when a person is struck by lightening. "Struck By Lightning" uses brain imaging and CGI to follow the path of a lightning bolt through the human body.

NGC's Naked Science looks at evidence that a meteorite not only killed off the dinosaurs, but may have also been what caused them to spring up in the first place. How is that possible? I have absolutely no idea. "Dino Meteor" debuts April 12 at 10:00 p.m.

On March 18 at 8 p.m., the National Geographic Channel will air a three-hour documentary on Galapagos, thirteen islands off the southern coast of South America that were central to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Put together from over 300 hours of footage shot over a three-year period, Galapagos is being lauded by National Geographic as the most in-depth look at the islands in over two decades.

The documentary will be presented in high def and will not only explore the various forms of wildlife, but also the surrounding ocean and the volcanoes that first gave form to the islands. If I sound like a commercial for the program, that's only because I live for any series having to do with the natural world. Galapagos is even more interesting because it's not only a remarkable ecosystem, but also the center of a time-tested theory about our origin that changed the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

Ah, technology. No longer will you have to go outside to appreciate the wonders of nature. Instead, the Discovery Channel is going to bring you the wonders of the natural world in glorious high definition starting March 25 with an eleven-part series, Planet Earth.

The program, created by the same people behind Blue Planet, is the result of 70 camera operators working for 2,000 days in 2000 locations using advanced techniques and technology. Discovery will also air behind-the-scenes footage after each episode and will provide extra content online. I'm guessing that after seeing the world in high definition your only recourse will be to track down Mother Nature and spit in her face in disgust.

That would be NATURE, the long-running PBS series, not nature itself, which has been around much longer than twenty-five years. If you're a fan of nature programs like I am, then be sure to check out The Best of NATURE - 25 Years, a ninety-minute retrospective that will look back on the last twenty-five years of the award-winning PBS program that began in 1982. The special will be hosted by Lynn Sherr, who previously hosted the NATURE special about giraffes, "Tall Blondes," based on her book of the same name. The special will look back at old episodes to show how animals must learn to survive in the wild, learn to hunt and/or escape, reproduce, and sometimes readjust to life in captivity. The special will also pay tribute to George Page, the creator of NATURE who passed away last year.

The Best of NATURE - 25 Years airs January 14 at 8 pm on PBS. You can also catch a new NATURE special, "Christmas in Yellowstone," tomorrow night at 8 pm.

On Sunday December 10, the National Geographic Channel will premiere In the Womb: Animals, a two-hour special that uses ultrasound imagery along with computer imagery and visual effects to show how different species such as elephants, dogs and dolphins develop while in utero. Call me a sucker for nature programs, because damn it, I live for these kind of specials. You'll see how a dolphin learns to swim while still in the womb, and get a glimpse of the wonders of evolution when the elephant fetus develops ducts like a fish, and the dolphin fetus develops "legs" of sorts.

Okay, now I'm starting to sound like a commercial for the program, but what can I say, this science stuff fascinates me. Just look at that picture on the right of an elephant developing in the womb and tell me it doesn't blow your mind*. Okay, I'll stop with the awe now, but if you're as into this stuff as I am, you should check out some video previews here.

*It's actually a CGI, but it's still pretty damn cool.