7.8 /10 1 Votes
8.1/10 Top Documentary Films Original language(s) English Running time 45 minutes Final episode date 16 March 2010 Program creator David de Vries | 7.7/10 IMDb 7.7/10 TV Country of origin United States No. of seasons 2 (+ 1 special) First episode date 21 April 2009 Narrated by James Lurie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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No. of episodes 20 (+ 1 special) (list of episodes) Writers David de Vries, Jim Hense, Douglas Cohen, Frank Kosa, Sam Dolan, Savas Georgalis Similar The Universe, Modern Marvels, Ancient Aliens, How the Earth Was Made, Ancients Behaving Badly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Life After People is a television series on which scientists, structural engineers, and other experts speculate about what might become of Earth should humanity instantly disappear. The featured experts also talk about the impact of human absence on the environment and the vestiges of civilization thus left behind. The series was preceded by a two-hour special that aired on January 21, 2008 on the History Channel which served as a de facto pilot for the series that premiered April 21, 2009. The documentary and subsequent series were both narrated by James Lurie.
Contents
Life after people series season 1 tv spot 2009
Format
The program does not speculate on how humanity may disappear, stipulating only that it has, and that it has done so suddenly, leaving everything behind including household pets and livestock that have to fend for themselves. The thought experiment is based on documented results of the sudden removal of humans from a geographical area and the results that have occurred when people discontinue the maintenance of buildings and urban infrastructure. Lurie's narration begins:
The series' episodes thematically offer examples of urban and biological decay. The focus is on specific locations such as skyscrapers, religious icons, bridges and dams, and government buildings, and the fate of certain related objects, such as artifacts, documents and human bodies. The fate of some kinds of flora and fauna are covered as well. Each episode also contains a segment in which experts examine real locations that have been abandoned by people, including ghost towns and other sites of deterioration, where the deterioration has been caused by events similar to those outlined in the episode. Although the series speculates on the fates of landmarks around the world, the main focus is on situations that may occur at locations in the United States.
The various events that may occur after people disappear suddenly are depicted using CGI dramatizations. The timeline of predicted events begins approximately one day after the disappearance of mankind and extends up to one hundred million years into the future (one day, one week, one year, 10 years, 15 years, 25 years, 50 years, 100 years, 200 years, etc.).
Tagline
The program's tagline is the ominous greeting:
Ratings
The two-hour special documentary had an audience of 5.4 million viewers and was the most watched program ever on the History Channel. The program was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and narrated by Struan Rodger on May 29, 2008 and in Australia on Channel Seven on November 25, 2008, edited down to air for 90 minutes, with narration by Australian television presenter Simon Reeve.
The success of the special eventually spawned a spin-off television series, which premiered on the History Channel on April 21, 2009. A second season began airing on January 5, 2010.
Home media
A&E Home Video has released these DVDs:
That of the original documentary:
That of the first season of the series:
That of the second season of the series: