''Life After People'' is a television series on which scientists, mechanical engineers, and other experts speculate about what might become of planet Earth if humanity suddenly disappeared. 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 History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

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.

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 A thought experiment is an imaginary scenario that is meant to elucidate or test an argument or theory. It is often an experiment that would be hard, impossible, or unethical to actually perform. It can also be an abstract hypothetical that is ...

is based on documented results of the sudden removal of humans from a geographical area and thus, the discontinuation of 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 town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

s 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 humankind and extends at various intervals up to one hundred million years into the future.

Episodes

Series overview

Special (2008)

Season 1 (2009)

That's the end

Season 2 (2010)

Home media

A&E Home Video has released these DVDs: That of the original documentary: *Title: ''Life After People'' (History Channel). **UPC: 733961110906. **DVD Release Date: March 18, 2008. **Run Time: 94 minutes. That of the first season of the series: *Title: ''Life After People: The Complete Season One.'' **UPC: 733961155303. **DVD Release Date: October 27, 2009. **Run Time: 470 minutes. That of the second season of the series: *Title: ''Life After People: The Complete Season Two.'' **UPC: 733961221626. **DVD Release Date: July 27, 2010. **Run Time: 425 minutes.

Ratings

The two-hour special documentary had an audience of 5.4 million viewers and was the most watched program ever on the

. The program was broadcast in the United Kingdom on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

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 and included additional footage of a decaying Sydney Harbour Bridge, with narration by Australian television presenter Simon Reeve.

References

External links

* * of production company * * () * (original documentary) * (series) {{History shows, state=collapsed 2008 American television series debuts 2010 American television series endings Channel 4 documentary series Documentary films about environmental issues Ecological restoration American English-language television shows History (American TV channel) original programming Documentary television series about science Urban decay Thought experiments Human extinction Documentary television shows about evolution