TV - Planet Earth

Planet Earth on The Discover Channel

Category: Nature Documentary Grade: A+

I don't write about television shows much. That's really because most of the TV I watch is just junk. For the most part, I watch TV to be entertained, not educated. (Although, as an aside, if Sanjaya wins American Idol and Frankie wins The Apprentice, I'll probably give up on reality TV).

Once in a while, however, a show comes along that is so stunning that I've just got to tell people about it. Discovery's Planet Earth could easily be the most amazing TV show I've ever seen. I know what you're thinking -- what could be more boring than a "nature" show. Well, you're wrong. To make this series of eleven episodes, the crew used incredible, state of the art and beyond equipment including satellite imaging, gyro-stabilized cameras on helicopters and balloons, amazing long distance photographic equipment with everything filmed in high-definition. Most amazingly, the crew had vast amounts of patience sometimes sitting in barely tolerable conditions for weeks just to get a few seconds of video.

There are things in this series that, at least according to the narrator, have never been filmed before -- a snow leopard on the hunt, birds of paradise up close, a polar bear and her cubs as they break out of their hibernation cave. But even things that are familiar become mind-boggling in the detail that's shown. You really spend most of the hour with your mouth hanging open. Each episode focuses on a particular type of habitat. So far we've watched Deep Ocean, Mountains and Pole to Pole. Every time you think you've seen the ultimate, they throw something even better. These shows are likely to end up with their own section of our recorder permanently so we can watch them over and over.

One of the interesting things they've done - the shows are just over 45 minutes apiece. Each is then following by a brief "making of" documentary, also in HD. Seeing what the crew went through, the technology they had to use and exhilaration they felt when the "got the shot" is fascinating.

Two warnings about this series:

1. They're probably not suitable for small children. This is raw nature programming so, while there's not a lot of gore, there's a lot of predators going after their prey. I hate for kids not to see this but, watch it first before you show it to them.
2. If you don't already have high-def, I hesitate to recommend this. Its probably still gorgeous in standard-def, but this is the kind of programming that high-def was made for. You may find yourself heading to Best Buy to upgrade!