Would you know how to flee a burning building, or escape a sinking car? Do you feel safe when you fly? If these questions made you pause – even just a little – then you need more Discovery Channel! Starting in September, Discovery Channel presents new series and specials and returning programs that show how to survive potentially life-threatening situations (WORST CASE SCENARIO and EXTREME PERIL) and delivers the latest in aviation investigations (UNDERWEAR BOMBER: DETROIT PLANE PLOT and MAYDAY); plus the mind-expanding challenges of our world and the universe (DAILY PLANET, STEPHEN HAWKING’S UNIVERSE and CASH CAB).
Programming highlights for Discovery Channel in September include:
New Series:
WORST CASE SCENARIO
Wednesdays at 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET/11 and 11:30 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 1
Based on the bestselling books and hosted by survival expert and star of MAN VS. WILD, Bear Grylls, this 12-part series demonstrates how to survive potentially life-threatening situations. Former British Army specialist and renowned for his survival skills in the world’s harshest environments, Grylls turns his focus to the critical urban situations faced by “ordinary people.” In each half-hour episode, Grylls shows how the right knowledge and skills can help anyone succeed in urban survival situations that could arise without warning – from escaping a high-rise apartment fire to getting out of a sinking car.
EXTREME PERIL
Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 17
Harrowing real life stories of rescue are caught on tape in this gripping 12-episode series. Relive those terrifying moments – as they happened – from the inside out. First-hand accounts and scientific CGI deconstruct what went right, what went wrong, and how bravery and a little luck saved lives.
New Specials:
UNDERWEAR BOMBER: DETROIT PLANE PLOT
Fri., Sept. 10 at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT
In this one-hour special, learn the untold story of Al Qaeda’s Christmas Day 2009 attempted terror attack onboard Northwest Flight 253 over the skies of Detroit. How did alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab remain under the U.S. intelligence radar and evade three sets of airport security?
INTO THE UNIVERSE WITH STEPHEN HAWKING: “The Story of Everything”
Sun., Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT
In a riveting new two-hour special, Professor Stephen Hawking presents the wonders of the universe, revealing the splendour and majesty of the cosmos as never seen before. See how the universe began, how it creates stars, black holes and life – and how everything will end.
Returning Series:
DAILY PLANET
Weekdays at 7 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 7
Halfway through its second decade, DAILY PLANET explores the latest science behind the headlines and the coolest scientific developments that impact our lives in every way. This season – DAILY PLANET’s 15th! – join hosts Jay Ingram and Ziya Tong for the program’s ever-popular theme weeks, including “The World is Just Awesome” (Sept. 13-17), “Supercars Week” (Oct. 25-29), “Flying Things Week” (Nov. 15-19), and “High-Tech Toys Week” (Dec. 6-10).
HOW IT’S MADE
Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 7
Did you ever wonder how some of the ordinary, everyday things we take for granted are made? Things like toothpicks, compact discs, cereals, fibre optics, potato chips and airplanes? This half-hour series returns to Discovery Channel with 13 new episodes revealing the inside scoop on how the items we use every day are manufactured and how new technological processes are improving our lives.
SWAMP LOGGERS
Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning Sept. 28
In the unforgiving swamps of North Carolina, Bobby Goodson goes where most loggers don’t dare – the swamp. Where most average loggers find trouble, this swamp logger finds treasure in high-dollar timber. Back for a new 10-episode season, SWAMP LOGGERS follows fourth generation logger Bobby Goodson and his rugged crew of men into the swamps in a high-stakes quest for highly-valued timber. But harsh weather and a bad economy wreak havoc upon his family business, Goodson All Terrain. To keep the company afloat, Goodson’s equipment must operate with few breakdowns and deliver 20 loads to the mill daily in order to make ends meet. And this year, it’s going to take all he has to keep his business from sinking into the swamp.
MAYDAY
Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 8
Statistically safer than car and train travel, thousands of airline passengers board flights everyday without hesitation. But when airline disaster strikes, it is often catastrophic. From structural failures and design flaws, to complex computer systems that even cabin crews don’t fully understand, MAYDAY combines compelling human drama and detailed aviation science to reveal the unsettling truth that aviation safety improves one crash at a time. Featuring cockpit recorders, news footage, eyewitness accounts, survivor and family interviews and gripping re-enactments, eight new episodes investigate aviation disasters to find out what went wrong… And why.
CASH CAB
Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 11
Unassuming people enter the “Cash Cab” as simple passengers taking a normal taxi ride, only to be shocked when they discover that they’re instant contestants on Discovery Channel’s innovative science-themed game show. Buckle in with host Adam Growe for a third season with 13 new episodes.
