Discovery Something New at the 2013 Discovery Channel Upfronts

*UPDATED JUNE 17th*

Discovery is sticking with its unscripted format and is rolling out a New Development Slate that includes 7 new series, 2 live specials, 4 natural history special and for the first time ever 1 scripted mini-series. Discovery’s new series are filled with inspiring adventures, unprecedented access, compelling characters and destinations that are rarely seen on television.  Discovery is determined to engage current viewers, and encourage other viewers all there is to discover at the Discovery Network. 

NEW SERIES……

BIG BRAIN THEORY: PURE GENIUS (Premieres Wednesday May 1st @10pm)
Who will become America’s next great innovator? Discovery is looking for the next great technological mind that could change the future. While there are countless shows searching for the next great singer, dancer and chef, there is nothing quite like this on television. Each week, seemingly impossible engineering challenges are solved by the 10 contestants. Actor, producer, and civil servant Kal Penn serves as host.

BACKYARD OIL (Premieres April 23rd @ 9pm)
In this high stakes comical rollercoaster ride through the world of wildcat oil drilling, the right equipment, the perfect location and a hint of good luck is the key to making millions - if you know where to sink that drill bit. The series follows the fortunes of the most boot-strappin’ oil men in all of Appalachia as they help others find that sweet, sweet crude. Oil sells for close to $100 a barrel, and there’s a modern day oil boom hitting Kentucky as people race to enlist the services of the BACKYARD OIL men to make them millions. Most think they have oil, few find it, and it’s up to this motley crew to fight until the bid is won and the next great monster oil well is drilled.

CUTTER OIL (WT)
A small family run oil company competes against the big corporations in a race for Black Gold in the heart of Ohio. It’s a fiercely competitive dirty business. When rigs break and land is swiped from underneath them, hundreds of thousands of dollars can be lost in an instant. The Cutter’s will be running on blood, sweat, tears and pure instinct in an all-out struggle to keep the business and this family together.

THE HUNTSMEN
Men across the world work jobs in the most extreme terrains while dealing with brutal conditions, unforgiving weather and aggressive wildlife. When predators come too close to camp, these workers have one group they can turn to in their desire to keep everyone involved safe -- The Huntsmen. These modern day mountain men, elite outdoorsmen and survivalists, will take on any job, working in the deserts, jungles and highest mountains to do all they can to keep human/animal interactions at a minimum.

NAKED AND AFRAID (Premiering Summer 2013)
In Discovery’s new survival series, a new pair of strangers each episode will find themselves stranded in some of the world’s harshest environments with no food, no water, no tools…and no clothes. As their extreme survival skills are put to the test for 21 days, each couple must battle the elements, each other, and their own inner weakness to triumph over the terrain and their predicament.

NAKED CASTAWAY (Premieres Sunday April 14th @ 8pm)
Ed Stafford, the first person ever to walk the length of the Amazon River, undertakes an extreme physical and mental survival challenge as he lands naked and alone on the desert island of Olorua near Fiji. He has only his brain, bare hands and a camera to keep him alive. He'll take no food, water, clothes, knives or tools, so from the moment he arrives he’s on a race to stay alive. As a man can only last three days without water and three weeks without food, Ed will attempt to survive on the island for 60 days.

ROCK RAIDERS (Premieres in 2013)
In the gem world, “Texas” Don Kogen is a legend. Don and his crew travel the secluded corners of the world on the hunt for the rarest and most expensive stones known to man, for the chance to make (or lose) millions of dollars all the while trying to stay one step ahead of his competition.

SCRIPTED MINI-SERIES…..

KLONDIKE Discovery Channel’s first ever scripted mini-series, based on Charlotte Gray’s book Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike. KLONDIKE brings to life the tale about six strangers and their collective fight for survival and wealth in a small, frontier town in the remote Klondike. KLONDIKE is a co-production between Discovery, Entertainment One Television (eOne) and Nomadic Pictures in association with Scott Free Television.

LIVE SPECIALS…..

WALLENDA LIVE
This special will be one of the most daring and captivating live events in history. Nik Wallenda, known as "The King of the High Wire", will traverse the majestic Grand Canyon without using a harness. Wallenda will tightrope walk, untethered, higher than he's ever attempted before at 1,500 feet above the Little Colorado River, a height greater than the Empire State Building.

FAST N’ LIVE
FAST N’ LOUD’s Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman put their building skills to the test on last year’s CHOPPER LIVE: THE BUILD OFF, and now the runners up are stepping up, grabbing the reigns and taking over the live build off!! FAST ‘N LIVE will pit build teams against each other in the ultimate high stakes live build off. Some of America’s junkiest cars will be restored into classic rides and fans will once again have the opportunity to vote for their favorite team.


NATURAL HISTORY SPECIALS/SERIES…….

SHARK WEEK (Premieres August 2013)
This is cable’s longest running programming event and everyone’s favorite summertime ritual. Every year the sharks return to Discovery Channel, slashing through a sea of competition to rack up new ratings successes. Grab your scuba gear and climb into the cage, because it's time for Great Whites, Hammerheads, Whale Sharks and more! This consistent audience pleaser never fails to deliver as it reveals remarkable new insights into these magnificent and elusive creatures.

HIDDEN KINGDOM
There are entire worlds out there that you’ve never seen before; worlds where an extraordinary yet unlikely cast of characters face epic life and death struggles every day. This series reveals the astonishing lives of the tiny animal superheroes in our world we may overlook. In the hidden kingdom, they reign supreme as they are more resourceful, more courageous and even more deadly than the larger animals we know so well. Enter the Hidden Kingdom and you’ll discover a land beyond your imagination. Where a crack in the mud is a canyon and a puddle is as vast as an ocean.

PENGUINS: SPY IN THE HUDDLE
From the makers of WINGED PLANET and POLAR BEAR: SPY ON THE ICE comes an innovative look at one of the world’s most beloved birds. The team spent nearly a year in the close company of three penguin species, deploying fifty spy cameras in order to capture the true character and struggles of nature’s most devoted parents. The spy cameras are disguised as rocks, eggs and even penguins themselves - providing an unprecedented glimpse at these lovable and charismatic birds.

SURVIVAL
A natural history landmark series with a new experiential approach and distinct visual style. Structured as a serial, for the first time we will follow a cast of star animal characters from episode to episode as they struggle to overcome the challenges of life. The result is the most complete picture ever created of the epic fight to survive.


RETURNING SERIES……….

Long running Investigation Discovery series Mythbusters and Deadliest Catch are set to return for their 10th and 9th season respectively. Dual Survival and Gold Rush will be the only series to return for their 4th season. Moonshiners, Bering Sea Gold, Curiosity, Fast N’ Loud, and on the bubble series Alaska: The Last Frontier, will all enjoy a third season in 2013. Finally Jungle Gold and one of the most talked about reality series on television Amish Mafia have both been renewed for a sophomore season on the Discovery Channel.

UPDATE

Alaska: The Last Frontier - Premiered Sunay May 19th @8PM
Blood and Oil - Premieres Tuesday, June 18th 2013 @10PM


BREEZY'S RECAP

I'll be honest, I do not watch the Discovery Channel unless it is playing reruns of shows that I watch on TLC. I plan to watch Amish Mafia from the beginning, and Moonshiners might get a glance over. After that there isn't much that I am interested in watching. That being said, if there is anything you would like me to review let me know in the comments. What will you be watching on the Discovery Channel?