DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
 
 
 
PLANET EARTH II: "THE MAKING OF"
March 25, 2017  | By David Bianculli

BBC America, 10:11 p.m. ET

 

MINISERIES FINALE: And finally, there’s this stand-alone episode of Planet Earth II, explaining how the nature documentary film crew captured some of its magnificent images. It’s a jaw-dropping episode on its own, but, to me, it adds to a very storied and tenure sub-genre of TV nature documentaries. The fabulous series NOVA, which is still on PBS, began its run with an episode I still remember fondly, and clearly: The Making of a Natural History Film, one of the first nature documentaries to turn some of its cameras on the filmmakers themselves, and reveal just how much patience, ingenuity and artistry was required to capture scenes of “raw” nature. And that was back in 1974, so long ago that it was a year before I became a TV critic. But truly, it was one of the television programs that made me want to be a TV critic. So you young people watching Planet Earth II tonight, watch carefully… and be careful what you wish for.

 
 
 
 
 
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