''Nature'' is a wildlife

television program A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via Terrestrial television, over-the-air, Satellite television, satellite, and cable te ...

produced by Thirteen/WNET

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It has been distributed to

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

public television Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

stations by the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

television service since its debut on October 10, 1982. Some episodes may appear in syndication on many PBS member stations around the United States and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

. This series currently airs on Wednesday on PBS. It is a weekly one-hour program that consists of documentaries about various animals and ecosystems. The on-camera host of the first season was

Donald Johanson Donald Carl Johanson (born June 28, 1943) is an American paleoanthropologist. He is best known for discovering the fossil of a female hominin australopithecine known as "Lucy" in the Afar Triangle region of Hadar, Ethiopia. Biography Ea ...

, with voice-over narration by George Page. Starting with the 1983 season, Page became both the on-camera host and the narrator until the series' 19th season in 2000. Since then,

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

winner F. Murray Abraham has frequently narrated episodes, as has ecologist Chris Morgan. ''Nature'' has close ties with the UK series '' Natural World'', broadcast by

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

. The program uses a silhouette of a camel thorn tree as its logo.

Nominations and awards

Fred Kaufman and the crew of NATURE-Silence of the Bees at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards

''Nature'' has been nominated for 22

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, winning 8 during its longevity. In 1986, host George Page was nominated for best Outstanding Individual Achievements in Informational Programming. In 1988 and 1989, it won two Emmy Awards for best Outstanding Informational Series. In 2000, it was nominated for best Outstanding Main Title Design. The episode "Silence of the Bees" won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

in 2007.67th Annual Peabody Awards
May 2008. ''Nature'' received the Stibitz-Wilson Award from the

American Computer & Robotics Museum The American Computer & Robotics Museum (ACRM), formerly known as the American Computer Museum, is a museum of the history of computing, communications, artificial intelligence and robotics that is located in Bozeman, Montana, United States. Th ...

in 2023. The award was accepted by executive producer Fred Kaufman, series producer Bill Murphy, and series editor Janet Hess.

Reception

''Nature'' has received generally positive reviews from television critics. Linda Stasi of ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' called it, "A wonderful, remarkable show. Don’t miss it." David Bianculli of ''TV Worth Watching'' called the miniseries "Attenborough's Life Stories", "Beautiful and inspiring." Kaitlin Milligan of ''

Broadway World BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City, New York. Launched in 2003, the site covers Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional, and international theater productions, with sections devoted to particular countries, cities, or regi ...

'' wrote, "Awe-inspiring."

Episodes

In other media

Comic book

Three issues of a ''Nature''

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

were produced from 2006–2008. They were full-color corollaries to on-air episodes like "Silence of the Bees," "In the Valley of the Wolves," and "The Beauty of Ugly." ''Nature Comics'' was targeted at pre-teens and teenagers as an educational tool, and was distributed for free to museums, schools, and nature centers. ''Nature Comics'' featured the talents of a number of notable cartoonists, including

Josh Neufeld Josh Neufeld (born August 9, 1967) is an alternative comics, alternative cartoonist known for his comics journalism work on subjects like graphic medicine, equity, and technology; as well as his collaborations with writers like Harvey Pekar and Br ...

Rick Veitch Richard Veitch (; born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground comics, underground, and alternative comics. Biography Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont. One ...

, Lauren Weinstein, and Thomas Yeates. The series was edited by David Reisman. ''Nature Comics'' #2 was given an Association of Educational Publishers 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award (in the Specialized Audience Instruction/Graphic Novel category)."2008 Distinguished Achievement Award Winners: Curriculum,"
Association of Educational Publishers website. Accessed Sept. 22, 2010.

Issues

''Nature Comics'' #1 (2006) — related episodes: "Christmas in Yellowstone" (Season 23), "Penguins of the Antarctic" (Season 23), and "Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History" (Season 23) * Mark Schultz (cover art) * Jonathan Bennett *

* Lauren Weinstein * R. Kikuo Johnson *

Sabrina Jones Sabrina Jones (born on October 6, 1960, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American painter and comic book artist, writer, illustrator, and editor. In addition to her own graphic novels, she is associated with artist/activist collectives such a ...

''Nature Comics'' #2 (2007) — related episodes: "Silence of the Bees" (Season 24), "In the Valley of the Wolves" (Season 24), and "The Beauty of Ugly" (Season 24) *

* Lauren Weinstein * R. Kikuo Johnson (cover art and inside story) * Thomas Yeates *

* Jeffrey Lewis ''The Unexpected World of Nature'' (a.k.a. ''Nature Comics'' #3) (2008) — related episodes
"The Dragon Chronicles"
(Season 25)
"The Wolf That Changed America"
(Season 25), and "Frogs: The Thin Green Line" (Season 25) *

(cover and inside story) * Thomas Yeates *

* R. Kikuo Johnson * Lauren Weinstein * Hope Larson *

References

External links

* * *
''Nature Comics'' official website
* ''Nature Comics'' free PDFs
#1#2#3
{{PBSTV 1982 American television series debuts 1980s American documentary television series 1990s American documentary television series 2000s American documentary television series 2010s American documentary television series 2020s American documentary television series Television series by WNET Documentary films about nature American English-language television shows Nature educational television series Television series about mammals Television series about birds Television series about arthropods Television series about fish Television series about reptiles and amphibians Discovery Channel original programming PBS original programming