After six years on ER, playing Carol Hathaway in NBC's hit medical drama, Julianna Margulies made a vow to stay away from roles that involved delivering complex scientific jargon. She was so strict with herself that, when Scott Free first approached her with The Hot Zone, a six-part tale about the origins of the Ebola…

Free Solo's path to likely Emmy nominations has been paved with gold—the Oscar kind. The film about mountain climber Alex Honnold's breathtaking ascent of Yosemite's El Capitan—without ropes—won the Academy Award in February for Best Documentary Feature. It's now on Emmy nomination ballots in multiple nonfiction…

Over three seasons of National Geographic's docuseries The Story of God, the filmmaking team and host Morgan Freeman have traveled widely, exploring faith traditions around the world. But there's some parts of the globe they generally avoid—anywhere with arctic temperatures. "I’m allergic to it," the Oscar-winning…

The Hot Zone limited drama series about the Ebola virus starring Julianna Margulies drew record ratings for National Geographic, becoming the network’s most-watched scripted series of all time. The Hot Zone averaged a .82 in Live+3 ratings in the demo over three nights, besting previous record holder Genius: Einstein…

Last night in Los Angeles, two thousand National Geographic fans descended upon The Greek Theatre for the network's Emmy Contenders Showcase, a one-of-a-kind outdoor experience and concert event. Upon entry, guests were treated to activations inspired by five Emmy-contending series and one stunning documentary, which…

EXCLUSIVE: The National Geographic scripted series Barkskins has added Aneurin Barnard (The Goldfinch, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Radioactive), Thomas M. Wright (Acute Misfortune, Top of the Lake, The Bridge) and Tallulah Haddon (Kiss Me First, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) as series regulars. Based on…

National Geographic has tapped Keegan-Michael Key (Friends From College, Toy Story 4, Lion King) as host of its Brain Games reboot. The eight-episode season, produced by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz's Alfred Street Industries and Magical Elves, adds a Hollywood twist to its classic mind-bending format by challenging…

UPDATED with wrap-up: The first Walt Disney Company Upfront Presentation offered a newly bulked-up media company flexing its Madison Avenue muscle at at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. The first upfront since Disney’s merger with most of 21st Century Fox showcase all of its ad-supported brands: ABC, ESPN, Freeform…

National Geographic has given a green light to Race to the Center of the Earth, the network’s first-ever global adventure competition series, from producers behind hit show The Amazing Race. Production is set to begin later this year. Race to the Center of the Earth pits four teams against one another in a nonstop…

EXCLUSIVE: The Estate of Aretha Franklin has joined Genius: Aretha, the third installment of National Geographic’s Genius scripted anthology series. Sabrina Owens, representative of The Estate, will serve as a producer on the series. It was announced at TCA in February that the upcoming season of Genius would be…

EXCLUSIVE: National Geographic has set its next documentary, which will focus on famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. Two-time Oscar-nominated and two-time Emmy-winning director Liz Garbus (The Farm, Angola USA, What Happened, Miss Simone?) will direct and produce, with Oscar winner Dan Cogan (Icarus) as producer…

EXCLUSIVE: David Thewlis (Wonder Woman, Harry Potter films) has been tapped as the lead of Barkskins, National Geographic's scripted drama series based on the 2016 bestselling novel of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx. The series hails from Elwood Reid and Fox 21 TV Studios. Created by Reid, Barkskins…