Nat Geo goes for miniseries, talker

National Geographic Channel (NGC) in the US has greenlit a docu-comedy miniseries from the producers behind King of the Hill and its first original late night series.

History of the World (working title) is being produced by Altschuler & Krinsky Works and National Geographic Studios and will explore how life on earth began and how it developed into what it is today.

John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky will exec produce, alongside 3Arts Entertainment’s Michael Rotenberg and NGC execs including Robert Palumbo.

The show will use a mixture of comedy, animation and documentary storytelling to explore a range of topics, including how the world came about and how it was populated.

NGC has also greenlit a late night chat show, which will be fronted by renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Star Talk, based on Tyson’s popular podcast of the same name, will feature celebrities, comedians and scientists to discuss the latest developments in our vast universe.

It is slated to air in April and will be produced by National Geographic Studios, taped in front of a studio audience at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium.

Meanwhile National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has greenlit two-hour special Dino Autopsy, from Impossible Factual.

The show will feature a life-sized model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and attempt to reveal how it digested food and caught its prey. It will air internationally on National Geographic Channels in 171 countries and in 45 languages.

The commissions continue the revamp of the channel undertaken by Courteney Monroe, who was promoted from chief marketing officer to CEO to replace outgoing David Lyle just under a year ago.