Discovery Communications is set to announce an ambitious slate of new and returning programs for its many properties Thursday afternoon at the cable concern's annual upfront in New York City. Among the highlights: Billy Ray Cyrus (left) hosts a new TLC series about military families; magicians Penn & Teller hit Discovery to explain "Secrets of the Universe"; and TLC adds "I Kid with Brad Garrett," a humorous update on the "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" formula hosted by the "Everybody Loves Raymond" alum.
Other surprises revealed: TLC has acquired not one, but two, series about gypsies. Discovery Channel will air a special that has a real potential to win the award for best-titled documentary ever: "Where's My Mammoth?" And two Animal Planet series also carry titles we love, even as we remain completely mystified by the appeal of their probable content: "Ned Bruha: The Skunk Whisperer" and "Hillbilly Handfishin'." (Yes, the "g" is awesomely left off "Hillbilly Handfishin'.")
Also read: Science Orders 'An Innocent Abroad 2: The Bucket List'
Here is Discovery's release announcing the full slates of new shows and specials for Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet.
DISCOVERY CHANNEL
SPECIALS
FROZEN PLANET
From the award winning team behind PLANET EARTH comes the ultimate portrait of the earth's polar regions. The Arctic and Antarctic remain the greatest wilderness on Earth. The scale and beauty of the scenery and the sheer power of the elements - the weather, the ocean and the ice - is unmatched anywhere else on our planet. The Poles are also home to many of the most charismatic of animals: much of the most spectacular scenery and animal behavior have never been filmed before. FROZEN PLANET is the ultimate portrait of these great, awe-inspiring wildernesses.
WHERE'S MY MAMMOTH?
WHERE'S MY MAMMOTH? is the definitive natural history of one of the most iconic animals that ever lived. Thanks to climate change, the Siberian permafrost is melting, revealing vast quantities of woolly mammoth remains. This is a detective story that travels from the permafrost of Siberia to the Asian rainforest, and from the sci-fi world of genetic research into a brave new world of virtual zoos.
NEW SERIES
PENN & TELLER'S SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
Vegas show-stopping iconoclasts and world famous anti-Magicians, Penn & Teller bring their unique vision of the world to Discovery. Aided by a series of spectacular stunts, Penn & Teller reveal the SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, answering the big, urgent questions of the modern world such as: Can you lift a 5000lb car with human hair? Does cursing help with pain management? And did ancient aboriginal Australians really create a cure for snoring? But there's a twist: Each episode presents up to ten amazing stories, but one of them is a lie. A multiplatform audience will play along to guess the fake - and only at the end of the show will it be unmasked.
