Nature (TV program)

Nature is a wildlife television program produced by Thirteen/WNET New York. It has been distributed to United States public television stations by the PBS television service since its debut on October 10, 1982. Some episodes may appear in syndication on many PBS member stations around the United States and Canada, and on the Discovery Channel. This series currently airs on Wednesday on PBS.[2][3]

Nature
Genre
Created by
Theme music composerAlex Lasarenko[1]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons40
No. of episodes615 (February 23, 2022) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • David Heeley (1982-1992)
  • Fred Kaufman (1992-present)
Running time55 minutes
Production companyWNET
Release
Original networkPBS
Discovery Channel
Original releaseOctober 10, 1982 (1982-10-10) –
present

It is a weekly one-hour program that consists of documentaries about various animals and ecosystems. The on-camera host of the first season was Donald Johanson, with voice-over narration by George Page. Starting with the 1983 season, Page became both the on-camera host and the narrator until the series' 19th season in 2000. Since then, Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham has frequently narrated episodes, as has ecologist Chris Morgan.

The program uses a silhouette of a camel thorn tree as its logo.

Nominations and awards
Fred Kaufman and the crew of NATURE-Silence of the Bees at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards

Nature has been nominated for 22 Emmy Awards, winning 8 during its longevity. In 1986, host George Page was nominated for best Outstanding Individual Achievements in Informational Programming. In 1988 and 1989, it won two Emmy Awards for best Outstanding Informational Series. In 2000, it was nominated for best Outstanding Main Title Design. The episode "Silence of the Bees" won a Peabody Award in 2007.[4]

Nature received the Stibitz-Wilson Award from the American Computer & Robotics Museum[5] in 2023. The award was accepted by executive producer Fred Kaufman, series producer Bill Murphy, and series editor Janet Hess.

Reception

Nature has received generally positive reviews from television critics. Linda Stasi of New York Post called it, "A wonderful, remarkable show. Don’t miss it."[6] David Bianculli of TV Worth Watching called the miniseries "Attenborough's Life Stories", "Beautiful and inspiring."[7] Kaitlin Milligan of Broadway World wrote, "Awe-inspiring."[8]

Episodes
Further information: List of Nature episodes

In other media

Comic book

Three issues of a Nature comic book were produced from 2006–2008. They were full-color corollaries to on-air episodes like "Silence of the Bees," "In the Valley of the Wolves," and "The Beauty of Ugly." Nature Comics was targeted at pre-teens and teenagers as an educational tool, and was distributed for free to museums, schools, and nature centers.

Nature Comics featured the talents of a number of notable cartoonists, including Josh Neufeld, Rick Veitch, Lauren Weinstein, and Thomas Yeates. The series was edited by David Reisman.

Nature Comics #2 was given an Association of Educational Publishers 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award (in the Specialized Audience Instruction/Graphic Novel category).[9]

Issues

Nature Comics #1 (2006) — related episodes: "Christmas in Yellowstone" (Season 23), "Penguins of the Antarctic" (Season 23), and "Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History" (Season 23)

Nature Comics #2 (2007) — related episodes: "Silence of the Bees" (Season 24), "In the Valley of the Wolves" (Season 24), and "The Beauty of Ugly" (Season 24)

The Unexpected World of Nature (a.k.a. Nature Comics #3) (2008) — related episodes: "The Dragon Chronicles" (Season 25), "The Wolf That Changed America" (Season 25), and "Frogs: The Thin Green Line" (Season 25)

References
  1. "Download the NATURE Remixes". PBS Nature. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  2. Anderson, Kelly (September 27, 2011). "Call of 'Nature'". RealScreen. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  3. Jensen, Elizabeth (May 30, 2011). "PBS Plans Promotional Breaks Within Programs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  4. 67th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2008.
  5. "Stibitz-Wilson Awards".
  6. Stasi, Linda (April 18, 2008). "'KING' OF THE APES". New York Post. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  7. Bianculli, David (January 23, 2013). "NATURE: "ATTENBOROUGH'S LIFE STORIES"". TV Worth Watching.
  8. Milligan, Kaitlin (September 17, 2018). "THIRTEEN's Series NATURE Returns to PBS". Broadway World. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  9. "2008 Distinguished Achievement Award Winners: Curriculum," Association of Educational Publishers website. Accessed Sept. 22, 2010.
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