*Please note the dates in the U.S. have been changed and reflected in this article. *Planet Earth II has been coming together over at the BBC for quite some time, but it was only recently that we started seeing footage from the brand new docuseries. This morning, the BBC and BBC America finally announced that Planet Earth 2 will be coming and coming soon. Unfortunately, UK and US residents will be getting the documentary sequel at different times.
If you are a fan of the franchise who lives in the UK you will be getting the episodes first. The series is expected to premiere quite soon, in fact, hitting the schedule on BBC One and BBC One HD on November 6, 2016. US resident will not get the episodes for some time after that, but we still won't have too long to wait. A report from BBC America today notes that Planet Earth 2 will hit the schedule on BBC America starting on Saturday, February 18, 2017.
While the late premiere date in the States is annoying, this is pretty common for a lot of the British imports that head to American TV. Shows like Downton Abbey and The Great British Bakeoff--which air on PBS--have always aired late here. Although Doctor Who is an exception on BBC America, Planet Earth II will not be.
The good news is that once we do get Planet Earth II, it should be exceptional. The project was filmed over three years in 40 different countries and on 117 different filming trips. Planet Earth II has also brought back David Attenborough and was filmed in 4K. Early looks at the series have been exceptional, and you can take a look at the first trailer for the sequel to Planet Earth, below.
This time around, BBC America says that filming commenced in islands, mountains, jungles, grasslands, deserts and cities of the world. The first look at the series has shown changing landscapes and adorable critters. It has also looked more at urban environments and has made great use of slow motion shots. Anyone who actually gets to see this series in 4K should be pretty pumped about the final project, as the trailer on a tiny computer screen still looks pretty incredible.
If you don't have cable or access to BBC America, we're happy to note that the Planet Earth team also has a deal with Netflix and is putting together a project over at the subscription streaming service called Our Planet, although a release date on that potential project seems rather far off at this point. To find out what you can catch on TV and streaming services in the coming months, check out our fall TV premiere schedule.
