Animal Planet Has New Shows And Wild Entertainment.... See What's Up At The 2013 Animal Planet Upfronts

Animal Planet is riding high on a good ratings season, which launched pushed it to become a top 20 cable network. In 2013-2014 Animal Planet will bring back 20 returning series, and at least 11 new series.  Animal Planet has seemed to have found its niche blending human and wild, and allowing all the series to have human characteristics. From monsters to whales, fishing to polar bears animal planet has something for the animal lover in all of us. Animal Planet’s newest star, pro wrestler Eric Young will be a lead on the new series Off the Hook.  Animal Planet will be sure to live up to being a top 20 cable network.

NEW ORIGINAL SERIES

ALASKA BUSH FAMILY

Deep in Alaska’s wilderness, Billy and Ami Brown, along with their seven children, thrive by living off the grid alongside some of the world’s most dangerous animals while they endure the harsh climate and challenging terrain. In ALASKA BUSH FAMILY, viewers get an inside look at the Browns’ unorthodox way of life and discover how they survive in such a remote and often life-threatening environment but wouldn’t live any other way.

ANIMAL BFFs

ANIMAL BFFs tells the irresistible stories of odd couples from the animal kingdom. They say opposites attract, and there’s nothing cuter than the moment when friends from different species meet for the first time. Each tale begins with the story of how these creatures met and follows them on a journey that reveals surprising truths about their unusual friendships. Whether these fuzzy pals are taking their first trips across the yard or conspiring to steal food from the kitchen together, ANIMAL BFFs’ tongue-in-cheek narration brings out the drama, comedy and occasional romantic connections that occur along the way.

CATCH AND RELEASE

In CATCH AND RELEASE, five of the world’s most elite, thrill-seeking survivalists come together to do just that: playing a “game” that puts their skills to the ultimate test. Each survivalist has a different background: there’s a Green Beret; a former Navy SEAL; two survival-school instructors; and a primitive-skills expert. Each is captured one at a time by the other four, is dropped in one of the world’s harshest environments and has a maximum of 100 hours to find his way back to civilization, alive and unscathed, or he loses the game. It’s man against nature (and his four best friends) as each action-packed, dramatic episode of CATCH AND RELEASE crisscrosses the globe – from dense jungles to frigid glaciers – to match wits in this game of survival. And with reputations and bragging rights on the line, do these guys have what it takes to survive the ultimate challenge?

CLIPPED!

Whether it’s a lion, tiger or bear, no grooming design is too crazy for dog groomer extraordinaire Angela Kumpe. The Arkansas groomer specializes in outrageous transformations, and her “my-way-or-the-highway” attitude combined with her amazing skill has all of the South talking and her ornery employees squabbling. Kumpe lets her imagination run wild to fulfill the requests of her demanding clients who have very colorful imaginations. No request is too outrageous, but things can get crazy when Fido enters the shop as an ordinary dog and comes out looking like a bumblebee!

EEL OF FORTUNE

Animal Planet has found its next big catch. This time, it’s the not the size that matters. This new series follows teams of New England fishermen as they search for the elusive elver eel, a lucrative fish that is a delicacy across many Asian countries. The price of elver eels, once at $50 per pound, has skyrocketed to an unprecedented $2,600 per pound with the industry earning more than $40 million during the 2012 season. Elver eels, which look almost like cellophane noodles, may be tiny, but they can bring a potential windfall to those few lucky fishermen who can obtain an eel-fishing permit in Maine. Now, the second leading industry in Maine behind lobstering, EEL OF FORTUNE (wt) captures the outrageous adrenaline rush and sleepless nights of the eelers who have a “golden ticket” as they embark on their daily journey to capture as many elver eels as they can.

ICE COLD GOLD (PREMIERS APRIL 21^ST 2013)

Animal Planet’s ICE COLD GOLD spotlights a spirited team of miners who are among the first Americans to prospect for precious metals and gems in parts of Greenland where humans never have set foot before. The six-part series follows eight men who leave behind their families, friends and homeland to strike it rich against all odds while they struggle to survive against the harshest of conditions. Greenland’s a veritable beast, but the motley crew of ICE COLD GOLD miners is up for the challenge. Each thinks he has what it takes to walk away with gold, rubies and sapphires before winter and large mining companies swoop in. What transpires as the miners cope with the unpredictable, harsh unknown? Are they humbled by their journey? Do their personalities get in the way? Most importantly, do they strike ICE COLD GOLD?

MY TINY TERROR 

In MY TINY TERROR, Animal Planet’s small dog trainer travels the country and trains some of the naughtiest and tiniest dogs. While these teacup pups may look sweet, they’re causing mayhem in their owners’ homes. From incessant yapping at strangers to ankle bites that end with hospitalization, our expert has seen it all. He helps families on the verge of giving up these small nightmares and restores harmony to these homes.

POLAR BEAR CROSSING

It takes a special type of person to live with bears, and the townspeople of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada live with thousands of polar bears year round. In POLAR BEAR CROSSING, the residents of Churchill have chosen to accept these unpredictable creatures as their aggressive neighbors, but their lives are shaped by the “tides” of the migrating bears. Knowing danger could be lurking around the corner, the residents of Churchill are outnumbered two to one by polar bears, so they’ve learned to co-exist with them by braving frequent attacks and living their lives.

TOP HOOKER

TOP HOOKER is an in-your-face, full-throttle competition series that pits 10 expert fishermen against one another in a series of wild, never-before-seen fishing challenges. Unlikely competitors from a fearless harpoon gun-wielding woman to a South-African bodybuilder, the contestants struggle through countless off-the-hook challenges with the hope of being crowned TOP HOOKER and winning the $30,000 bounty! It's a nautical game of catch and release. Who can catch a spot in the next round - and who’s going to be thrown back home?

TREEHOUSE MASTERS (PREMIERES MAY 31^ST 2013)

TREEHOUSE MASTERS has viewers climbing to a majestic world up in the treetops with visionary and tree whisperer Pete Nelson as he designs private escapes for those with a passion to reconnect with nature and awaken their inner child. Designing multi-bedroom dream tree houses complete with functional plumbing and electricity to simple, one-room lofts, Pete goes out on a limb to create breathtaking realities for a host of clientele. However, creating these fantasy arboreal homes doesn’t come easy. Pete and his team of designers and carpenters, including son Charlie, must endure Mother Nature’s shifty antics, dangerous construction equipment and dizzy heights in order to build these sanctuaries. In addition to building these hideaways, Pete, along with his wife, Judy, and daughter, Emily, own and operate TreeHouse Point, a bed and breakfast in Washington, to where people can escape their modern-day realities. In TREEHOUSE MASTERS, Pete brings people closer to nature one tree at a time.  

UNDERWORLD

Expert cave diver Curt Bowen and his team of intrepid explorers are on a deadly quest to explore and find the answers to history’s buried secrets that are submerged in underwater caves across the globe. But finding the answers could cost them their lives. The truth they seek is deep underground in a haunting, alien landscape few humans ever have seen. Traveling to the farthest corners of the globe and following a trail of evidence that leads them ever deeper into the silent, deadly world that lies below, Curt and his team risk it all beneath the Earth’s surface. The beauty they encounter is matched only by the danger they must face as they journey into the UNDERWORLD

2013 WILL BRING SPECIALS/STUNTS…..

MONSTER WEEK

MONSTER WEEK is back this spring with all-new stories and exciting revelations that introduces Animal Planet viewers to legendary and frightening creatures. Giving behind-the-scene access to monster hunters and their hunts, MONSTER WEEK,a week-long adventure, digs deep into our fascination with the unknown. Not to be missed – check out RIVER MONSTERS’ season finale as host Jeremy Wade looks for the legendary Loch Ness Monster, and tune in to the network premiere of MONSTER SQUID: THE GIANT IS REAL, a first-of-its-kind special that highlights the most ambitious search ever mounted to find the greatest mystery of the deep – the giant squid. Stay tuned for DEVOURED: MAN-EATING SUPER SNAKE RETURNS and MAN-EATING SUPER SQUID, and prepare for an apocalypse of creatures invading beaches, attacking boats and ambushing humans like never before.

PRIMATE PLANET

PRIMATE PLANET introduces viewers to our extraordinary, colorful and fascinating extended family scattered across the globe. Primates are our closest relatives, yet we know so little about their peculiar lifestyles and behaviors. Getting up close and personal with black-eyed lemurs, patas monkeys and olive baboons in Africa; slow lorises, red-shanked doucs and orangutans in Asia; and titi monkeys, red uakaris and tufted capuchins in South America, this three-part series reveals the beauty and diversity among primates.

PUPPY BOWL X

Animal Planet’s pup-culture phenomenon PUPPY BOWL returns on Super Bowl Sunday™ with a very special all-star, all-adorable cast that's itching to play in a winning combination of terrier tackles, canine touchdowns, puppy penalties and Fido first downs. This year's big game marks the 10th Anniversary of the PUPPY BOWL franchise and features the cutest, furry puppy players to ever hit the grand gridiron. Iconic fan favorites including the water-bowl cam, Kitty Half-Time Show and @MeepTheBird return to the field to celebrate the biggest game in puppy athleticism.

SWARM CHASERS 

In every corner of the Earth, weird and wonderful animals swarm together in massive congregations. SWARM CHASERS (wt) showcases some of the most extraordinary natural events on Earth, including one-and-a-half million bats that emerge nightly from their home beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, TX, and the 100- million crabs that turn Australia’s Christmas Island red during their annual swarm. Scientist George McGavin sets out to learn what drives creatures to flock together.

WILD ALASKA

Twice the size of Texas, Alaska is America's largest state, but with a population of about one person per square mile, it is also home to America's largest wilderness frontier. In WILD ALASKA, travel to this ancient and remote land where each day is a fight for survival for the animals and people who inhabit it. In the Arctic north, join the largest concentration of polar bears on the planet as they scavenge for food on land while they wait for the ocean to freeze and seals to arrive. On the southern coast, witness the uneasy relationships between grey wolves and brown bears, two of Alaska's top predators, as they fight for prime position before the annual salmon run. Visit Denali, an area located in the shadow of North America's tallest mountain, for a rare glance at the remarkable Arctic ground squirrel, the only mammal that can cool its temperature below zero and still survive.

RETURNING SERIES

AMERICA’S CUTEST CAT

The search is on for AMERICA’S CUTEST CAT, and if you’re kitty crazy, this show will certainly have you saying "awww." America’s Cutest Cat highlights the extremely cute, hilarious and ridiculous antics of cats across the web-o-sphere in three episodes. The competition is fierce as these ferocious felines scratch their way to the top. The adorable series counts down the top-five videos in pre-determined categories, such as “Tuckered Tabbies” and “Cats and the Cradle.” Trusty Animal Planet personalities and feline experts provide competition commentary to tackle the cuteness debate and crown a winner.

AMERICA’S CUTEST DOG

Calling all puppy lovers, AMERICA’S CUTEST DOG is back on Animal Planet with some serious cuteness. There are thousands of videos of puppies on the Internet, but this series highlights the extremely cute and cuddly antics of puppies across the web-o-sphere in three episodes. The pups are gnawing on the biggest treat of them all: the prestigious title of AMERICA’S CUTEST DOG. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and this adorable series counts down the top-five videos in pre-determined categories, such as “Paw Pals” and “Pups at Play.”

CALL OF THE WILDMAN

For the past three decades, Turtleman has been diving into Kentucky's murkiest ponds in search of feisty snapping turtles capable of biting through bone. Turtleman has the uncanny ability to catch monster-snapping turtles and other pesky critters with his bare hands and to return them into the wild unscathed. Now busier than ever, Turtleman and his crew of backwoods buddies, featuring banjo-toting Neal James, are back to protect Kentucky homes and businesses from new and even wilder varmints including coyotes, llamas, venomous snakes, pigeons, skunks, raccoons and even bulls! And with winter quickly approaching, a little cold weather isn't going to stop this turtle team from seeking out critters in new and exotic locations.

FINDING BIGFOOT

The team uses unconventional methodologies and new technologies to lure the creature from behind the shadows to get physical video and/or audio evidence to prove that there is a community of these sasquatches among us! The intrepid cast of investigators – Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) president Matt Moneymaker, researchers James “Bobo” Fay and Cliff Barackman, and skeptical scientist Ranae Holland – has traveled across the U.S. and followed up on evidence and first-hand eyewitness accounts. Now, the cast continues its international searches and re-visits some of the “squatchier” locations to uncover startling evidence of the mysterious and highly intelligent enigma that has eluded capture for centuries and fascinated man for just as long.

GATOR BOYS

GATOR BOYS follows the death-defying exploits of Paul Bedard and Jimmy Riffle, two extraordinary alligator trappers who risk injury and death to hand capture nuisance alligators that have invaded the backyards, swimming pools and businesses of Florida residents. Their ultimate goal is to take alligators out of harm’s way before they are captured by trappers who kill the animals and sell them for their skins and meat. It takes serious skill to get face to face with these deadly creatures, and they do it all for the love of the alligators. Paul is known for his commanding personality and his ability to swim under water with minimal tools and to capture unsuspecting gators. Giving him the unmatched ability to handle nearly any dangerous reptile with ease, Jimmy has been wrestling alligators since he was 11 years old.

MONSTERS INSIDE ME

For some, monsters are fictional creatures that only live within the pages of storybooks; for others, they are the life-threatening parasites that hijack human bodies. MONSTERS INSIDE ME returns to Animal Planet to recount the harrowing dramas of people infected by deadly parasites as doctors and scientists try to unravel each case before it’s too late. Lurking in the shadows of our bodies and showing no mercy, these monsters live among us. Explaining how each parasite finds its perfect host, Dan Riskin, zoologist and biologist, returns as the host of the series.

MY CAT FROM HELL (PREMIERES APRIL 17^TH 2013)

The Cat Daddy is back! which test his feline knowledge and may teach this seasoned cat man some new tricks. When it comes to fiery felines and their overwhelmed owners, anything is possible, and Galaxy is on a mission to help find the sources of conflict between humans and their furry friends. This season's gamut of calamitous cat cases includes felines that can't control their bladders, kitty turf wars, cat mood swings and a ferocious feline that does severe damage to its 95-year-old owner.

NORTH WOODS

LAWFollow Maine's elite game-warden service in an all-new season of NORTH WOODS LAW as it navigates the rugged and vast terrain of the Pine Tree State. For the wardens, each punch of the time clock is a ticket to extreme danger and drama as undercover stings and intense rescues are all in a day’s work. Whether they're tracking and catching dangerous poachers, investigating mysterious crimes or attempting daring and dramatic rescues, these wardens risk life and limb to protect animals and to serve the people of Maine.

OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES

The ultimate fishing road-trip series featuring professional wrestler Showtime Eric Young continues! Young, an avid yet novice outdoorsman, gets out of the ring and turns in his tights for some tackle. He’s on the adventure of a lifetime to hear, smell and taste big and small stories of those that got away. Using all sorts of unique bait, tackle, poles and transportation, Young is the makeshift MacGyver of fishing while he learns the best and most unique techniques as he crisscrosses the country to try his hand at various fishing practices, ranging from wildly dangerous to all-out weird! During his quest, he learns an interesting array of intricate and industrious methods used by some of America’s fishing masterminds. Young embraces odd, local traditions practiced for decades and centuries, and no matter how long it takes, how crazy it seems or how many bumps and bruises he gets along the way, Young won’t stop ‘til he catches the ultimate fish.

PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES

PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES follows Tia Maria Torres, renowned pit bull trainer and founder of Villalobos Rescue Center, as she unites pit bulls and parolees in a mission to rescue both from their troubled pasts. Last season, Tia faced her greatest challenge yet: rebuilding Villalobos after she moved the entire operation from California to New Orleans. With her family, trusted parolees and a crew of new Louisiana parolees by her side, Torres meets unexpected challenges including a deadly hurricane, but she’s pulled out all the stops and has rescued more dogs than ever in an entirely new environment. Villalobos has found a new home, and no matter what struggles the team faces, the dedication to providing rescued pit bulls with safe and loving homes is unwavering.

RIVER MONSTERS (RETURNED APRIL 7^TH 2013)

There may come a time when the question of what really lurks below is answered, but that time isn’t now. In the new season of RIVER MONSTERS, host, biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade takes the treacherous and mysterious to new heights with the most dangerous adventures of his lifetime. His journeys include a mission to Chernobyl’s nuclear wastelands to search for a mutant fish in a race against time to avoid radiation exposure; a trip to Nicaragua to capture an elusive killer torpedo; and a bloodthirsty quest on American soil to pursue of a prehistoric, underwater vampire.

TANKED

Wayde King and Brett Raymer, co-owners of ATM (Acrylic Tank Manufacturing), the leading aquarium builders in the world, continue to take on challenges that push the limits of their outrageous fish-tank designs. The duo is accustomed to creating and constructing over-the-top tanks for a wide variety of clients including A-list celebrities, athletes and high-profile hotels and restaurants. With a new 33,800-square-foot warehouse in Las Vegas, the guys have even more space to create bigger and crazier aquariums in new episodes that premiere this spring and summer.

TOO CUTE!

TOO CUTE! returns to document the coming-of-age stories of curious kittens and precious puppies. Beginning with the tentative first steps of these adorable animals, TOO CUTE! follows these cuddly creatures on their adventures to a brand-new world where cuddly knows no bounds, and fluffy reigns supreme. These furry friends are simply too lovable, too curious and TOO CUTE!

WILD WEST ALASKA

In the new season of WILD WEST ALASKA, travel to the edge of civilization where bears outnumber people, life is basic and primitive and hunting for food, protection and survival is a necessity. At Wild West Guns, the state’s largest and most successful gun shop, owner Jim West and his team build weapons for any occasion. The shop serves as the premiere stop for every Alaskan living off the grid. Whether it’s for a request for an everyday hunting trip or for an excursion deep into the Alaskan bush, a steady stream of colorful characters is sure to walk through the door. But like Jim and his team say, “In Alaska, the odds are good when the goods are odd.”

BREEZY'S RECAP.....

I was a girl scout for over ten years, but I have never been a nature girl or even an animal girl for that matter. I like the zoo and the aquarium but other than that, animals really do not hold my interest for very long that being said, I love the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. Whoever thought of that was a genius, and I hope he or she got a promotion. The new and returning series on animal planet definitely sound interesting, and if there is nothing else on I will definitely take a peak at what it happening on this network. I love discovery communication, but this channel is just not in my top ten most watched cable networks. What so you think, will you be watching something on Animal Planet? What's your favorite upcoming show? Let me know in the comments.