National Geographic has lots of great new content heading to our screens in 2023, with a vast amount of different documentaries and specials. National Geographic content is generally being shared between the linear television channel and Disney+, but release dates can vary between platforms and countries.

And this is only a small selection of what’s to come in the year ahead, as National Geographic is also acquiring additional documentary films and new seasons of established shows.

Here’s a look at some of the National Geographic content coming in 2023:

Note: This list is subject to change

The Magic Of Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Season 2

With the help of experts’ opinion, the filmmaker sheds light on the behind-the-scenes experience of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s SeaBase aquarium.

“The Magic Of Disney’s Animal Kingdom” returns on New Year’s Day on the National Geographic channel and arrives on Disney+ on January 4th 2023 in the US.

A Small Light

The powerful, eight-episode limited series tells the remarkable story of 20-something secretary Miep Gies (Bel Powley), who didn’t hesitate when her boss Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to hide him and his family from the Nazis during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan (Joe Cole) and several other everyday heroes watched over the eight souls hiding in the secret annex. It was Miep who found Anne’s diary and preserved it so that she and Otto could later share it with the world. The series title comes from something Gies said late in her life: “I don’t like being called a hero because no one should ever think you have to be special to help others. Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room.”

The Eight-Part Series Will Premiere This Spring on National Geographic and Disney+

Secrets Of The Elephants

In “Secrets Of The Elephants”, we travel the globe to meet different families of elephants, each with their own set of remarkable cultural behaviors which they’ve adapted to suit the environment in which they live. This series deploys the latest science and brand-new camera technology to reveal the elephant’s secret world, revealing not just how truly extraordinary they are in their own right but also how similar they are to humans. Desert elephants, forest elephants, Asian elephants and African savannah elephants each have an incredible story of intelligence, grace and survival to tell.

For “Secrets Of The Elephants”, Emmy Award-winners James Cameron and Maria Wilhelm for Earthship are executive producers. Lucinda Axelsson is the executive producer for Oxford Scientific Films. Her credits include “China: Nature’s Ancient Kingdom,” “Serengeti,” “Wild Brazil,” “Elephant Diaries,” “Elephants of Samburu,” “Meerkat Manor,” “Spy in the Wild.”

“Secrets of the Elephants” is coming to Disney+ on Earth Day on Saturday, 22nd April 2023.

A Real Bug’s Life

A Real Bug’s Life is an adventure into a world beyond your imagination where life is on a completely different scale and little creatures rely on amazing powers to make it through the day.

Beyond Belief with David Blaine

This new series presents a rarely seen side of magician and endurance artist David Blaine. This new documentary adventure series brings viewers along as Blaine goes on a global odyssey across remote cultures, each embedded with unique histories and practices. He will hunt for extraordinary people — including shamans, fakirs and magicians who perform magic that defies what doctors and scientists think is possible — and convince them to share their secrets.

Dance The World With Derek Hough

Dance is the lifeblood of every culture. Dance is a global connective tissue that brings families and strangers alike together. Derek Hough, renowned as one of the best dancers of his generation, will be our guide on a journey to discover the roots of the most popular dance styles and trends around the world from the cultures, environments and people who forged them. In each episode, Derek will team up with a celebrity guest to embark on a quest to uncover the global cultural traditions that shape dance. Unleashed and inspired, every step in their adventure will culminate in a once-in-a-lifetime spectacular performance.

Grant Kahler is executive producer and showrunner. For National Geographic, Betsy Forhan is executive producer, Charlie Parsons is vice president of development, and Alan Eyres is senior vice president of production and development.

Restaurants At  The End Of The World

Adventurous chef, entrepreneur and global trailblazer Kristen Kish travels the world in search of the people, places, culture and traditions behind the world’s most remote restaurants. Running any successful venture takes a certain tenacity and grit, but those who set up deep in the wild, cut off from the grid and normal supply lines, are in a class all their own. From local purveyors, farmers and herders to kitchen crew, managers and chefs, Kristen is going behind the scenes to meet the people, hear the stories and see the day-to-day balancing act required to keep food on the table in the most remote outposts on earth.

For World of Wonder, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell and Jeremy Simmons are executive producers. For Cinetic, Ross Fremer, Brian Oakes and Christine O’Malley are executive producers. For National Geographic, Betsy Forhan is executive producer, Charlie Parsons is vice president of development, and Alan Eyres is senior vice president of production and development.

Untitled Jeff Jenkins Project

Travel blogger and influencer Jeff Jenkins didn’t even step foot on a plane until he was 20 years old, but ever since, he’s been embarking on an epic global odyssey seeking out destinations and adventures way outside his comfort zone. Guided by his philosophy that “life begins where your comfort zone ends,” Jeff will spend one week completing one epic adventure he never thought he could do and would scare most people. Along the way, experiencing out-of-the-box cultural experiences, Jeff will cross paths with larger-than-life-locals, sharing every awe-inspiring adventure with viewers.

For Hit+Run, Rob Shaftel and Jon Kroll are executive producers. For National Geographic, Sean D. Johnson is executive producer, Bengt Anderson is vice president of production, and Alan Eyres is senior vice president of production and development.

Farming Is Life

The last year and a half have set a generational shift in motion, with millions of people taking a deeper look at how to live more intentionally and adventurously. Many people dream about living more in tune with and connected to nature, understanding how to grow food and improve the soil underneath our feet. But farming is hard. Despite all the beauty and wonder, the lifestyle comes with a steep learning curve, and families and livelihoods are on the line. FARMING IS LIFE follows farming expert and influencer Indy Srinath, aka Indy Officinalis, as she encounters aspiring farmers hoping to make their dreams a reality. From her childhood on a homestead in North Carolina, Indy apprenticed at farms across the country before running a 7-acre mushroom farm and a prominent community garden in downtown Los Angeles. In a cinematic tour across North America, Indy helps aqua, rooftop, indoor, homestead, suburban and foraging farmers who are at a breaking point. For Indy, solutions can transcend conventional forms through the solidarity of farmers helping farmers. This is a series for anyone who dreams of growing, rearing, harvesting and breeding because, to them, farming is life.

FARMING IS LIFE is produced by Nobody’s Hero and ITV America. Jonty Nash, Christopher Potts, Sarah Howell and Bill Pruitt are the executive producers. For National Geographic, Drew Jones is executive producer, and Janet Vissering is senior vice president of development and production.

Extraordinary Birder

Life-long birder Christian Cooper takes us into the wild, wonderful and unpredictable world of birds. Whether braving stormy seas in Alaska for puffins, trekking into rainforests in Puerto Rico for parrots, or scaling a bridge in Manhattan for a peregrine falcon, he does whatever it takes to learn about these extraordinary feathered creatures and show us the remarkable world in the sky above.

For Lucky 8, George Kralovansky, Irfan Rahman, Kimberly Woodard, Jon Kroll and Doug Veith are executive producers. For National Geographic, Pam Caragol is executive producer, and Janet Vissering is senior vice president of development and production.

Science Fair: The Series

From the Directors and Producers of Emmy Award-Winning Documentary SCIENCE FAIR
Inspired by the Sundance Festival favorite and SXSW Audience Award-winning documentary SCIENCE FAIR comes a new series from directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster about the agony and ecstasy of the beloved and brainy teenage subculture of competitive science. In this new gripping docuseries, we follow the ups and downs of some of the most brilliant young innovators, engineers, and scientists on the road to the Big Show — the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). SCIENCE FAIR: THE SERIESfollows a group of inspiring teens who represent a vast spectrum of ISEF hopefuls. In addition to U.S. competitors, the series follows several fierce international contenders who have already beaten out the competition in their own countries to make it to ISEF. The result is a global character-driven coming-of-age story playing out across a science fair season, from the birth of an idea to a cutting-edge research project ready to compete in the “Olympics of science fairs.”

For Muck Media, Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Jeffrey Plunkett and Meri Haitkin are executive producers. For National Geographic, Chris Kugelman is executive producer, Kevin Mohs is vice president of Production, and Alan Eyres is senior vice president of production and development.

And this is just some of the content heading to our screens in the future.

Which National Geographic documentary are you looking forward to watching in 2023?

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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