Discovery en Español 2009-2010.

Discovery en Español announced an Upfront slate of programming that capitalizes on a content strategy that resonates with viewers and advertisers alike.

Kicking off the 2009-10 Upfront are several epic blockbusters that utilize the latest in videography and cinematography as in the celebrated Planet Earth to capture nature’s magic in a way that will truly astound.  The caliber of “Yellowstone,” “South Pacific,” and “Life” will amaze audiences and provide a window to the world that people don’t often experience.

Discovery en Español will also offer specials and series that aim to inform, surprise and enlighten.  Across all its key genres: Adrenaline, Ingenuity, Wild Discovery, Real Life Drama, Living, Our World and Green, the network has selected the best of what Discovery’s networks have to offer allowing Hispanic viewers to enjoy this stellar programming in their native language.

“Discovery en Español continues to deliver the most relevant and highest quality entertainment available to U.S. Hispanic audiences,” said Luis Silberwasser, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Discovery Networks U.S. Hispanic Group.  “By elevating the standard for Spanish-language television, we not only stay true to our core principles but also to a proven content strategy that has consistently delivered strong ratings for our network”.

Beyond new programming and specials, Discovery en Español will offer returning favorites including “Man vs. Wild,” “Whale Wars” and “Deadliest Catch,” as well as spectacular originals such as “La Ley del Corrido” and a new series spin-off of the highly acclaimed “Maras” special that made its original debut in 2007.

Highlights of Discovery en Español 2009-10 Upfront Schedule include the following:

EPIC BLOCKBUSTERS

South Pacific
A 6-part landmark series on the extraordinary wildlife and culture of the world’s biggest and most romantic ocean – the South Pacific.  The South Pacific conjures up images of blue water, idyllic beaches and exotic human histories – but that doesn’t do justice to its extraordinary variety.  This is a landscape of extremes: here are the world’s highest volcanoes, deepest ocean trenches and thousands of islands scattered across the largest ocean on Earth.  Coral gardens thrive in its warmest waters – and icebergs float in its coldest.  The South Pacific is home to some of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles on the planet.  This landmark series reveals the astonishing variety of this vast ocean, which stretches from the heat of the tropics to the freezing waters of the Antarctic.

Life
From the Emmy-award winning team that brought you the critically acclaimed PLANET EARTH comes Life.  From the small but mighty to the gargantuan yet ingenious, this is the definitive exploration of earth’s most spectacular living creatures.  Life captures stories that reveal the world’s most spectacular and fascinating animal behavior.  Driven by the endless struggle to survive, wildlife is filmed on every continent and in every habitat across the world, with each drama-filled episode entirely dedicated to one of the planet’s 10 most important wildlife groups.

Yellowstone: Tales from the Wild
In a magnificent three-part series we follow as the stories unfold in the lives of three charismatic wild characters, whose dramatic lives and fortunes are bound together in Yellowstone.  Our cameras are there during three seasons in the life of Yellowstone, from the bitter snows of winter, through the richness of spring and summer and into the drama of autumn.  As the year turns, we tell the intertwined stories of Yellowstone’s great icons: the grey wolf, the grizzly bear and the herds of buffalo and antelope that stalk these plains.  We follow known, identifiable individuals and families in their struggle to survive this landscape where wildfires rage in summer and winter temperatures plunge to 50 below.

SPECIALS

Werewolves
A natural history documentary with a twist.  It dares to imagine that werewolves aren’t a myth, but are actually a part of our world.  The film will impart a vivid picture of every aspect of these creature’s lives from how they breed to how they remain undetected, all of it backed up by scientific explanations so plausible that even the hardiest skeptic will struggle to spot where reality ends and make-believe begins.

Discovery Atlas 2010 (4D)
Atlas 4D reinvents the Atlas concept, creating a new and solid story-telling backbone for this landmark series.  It ties together 10 or 12 fascinating stories about a region into one grand narrative, the epic saga of a place passing through time.  We explore the world’s iconic regions, places like the Great Rift Valley or the Himalayas, the Ganges or Patagonia.  Each of these areas is revealed through a set of enthralling stories about its peoples, its geology, its flora and its fauna.  These individual chapters are joined together by a striking CGI-enhanced “God’s Eye View” called 4D, linking them in both space and time.

Last Days of the Dinosaur
During their final one million years on our planet, a generation of dinosaurs faces a threat far more destructive than any of their ancestors have ever experienced.  Climate change of monster proportions is throwing their world into chaos – global warming is pumping the air full of energy, fuelling extreme weather and a super-charged atmosphere, which can change in an instant.  Dinostorm is the epic story of a natural disaster on a dinosaur scale.  Shot in glorious HD this spectacular, sweeping special will do for the world of dinosaurs, what Planet Earth did for ours.

La Ley del Corrido (Original Special)
El Corrido, a musical genre characteristic of the North of Mexico, has become a phenomenon throughout the country as well as in the United States.  This documentary delves into the daily routines of the ultra successful musical group Los Canelos, to obtain an insider’s look into the dynamic life of its members, best known as los Corridistas.  Throughout this insightful special, audiences will also become privy to testimonials by other famous musicians, producers, family members and experts.  The special offers a close and personal look at why this musical genre has now become known as the “narcocorrido” and why belonging to this multimillion dollar business can be exceptionally dangerous.  Success, murder, censorship, all combines into a unique special that reveals the other side to this popular musical culture.

Made in Latin America (Original Special)
This documentary series travels throughout Latin America to show the secrets behind the manufacturing of well-known regional brands.  From handmade to high tech, in each episode the series host visits a factory to follow closely how raw materials are used to make authentic and popular Latin America products every day.  Whether Argentine Havana chocolates to Embraer airplanes, Made in Latin America has full access to the factories and people behind these creations.

NEW SERIES

River Monsters
Forget the big fish that swim the oceans – everybody with a TV knows about them. If you want to see the strangest, largest most dangerous, most elusive beasts of the deep, then you have to go to the world’s murky rivers and lakes and prepare for a completely different kettle of fish.  Ecologist, adventurer, anthropologist and angler extraordinaire Jeremy Wade will be doing just that as he immerses himself not just in the waters to search for fresh-water behemoths, but in the local cultures and traditions surrounding these monsters.

Science of the Movies
Science of Movies is an exciting new magazine series that lifts the curtain on the science behind our most spectacular celluloid dreams.  Taking our lead from our off-beat / techie / fanboy host, Science of the Movies is a fast paced, entertaining and energetic look at the latest and greatest in movie and TV technology, innovation and trends.

Maras the Series (Original Series)
Maras is a new series spin-off of the highly acclaimed Maras special that first aired in 2007.  MARAS the Series will take an objective and somewhat chilling look at a problem that has grown to epic proportions.  Latin American bred gangs are the topic of much of the current news coverage on the escalating drug war on the US border.  MARAS the series will continue to explore this growing phenomenon and its roots by going deep into the bowels of the most dangerous and violent communities here and in Latin America, underscoring the realities through vivid exchanges with its members (reformed and current), leaders in the community and the authorities.

Walk the Lion
Walk the Lion features charismatic big cat expert Dave Salmoni as he spends a year in Africa’s Kalahari Desert with a pride of lions.  Armed with only a walking stick, Salmoni will hunt, sleep and talk with the lions sharing in the births, deaths and day-to-day emotions of the pride while the possibility of quick death pervades his every movement.  Salmoni will be wired with radio microphones at all times as well as an array of unique cameras to capture the action up close.

Crimes that Shook Latin America (Original Series)
A six-hour docudrama series that takes an in-depth look at some of the nastiest criminals in Latin America.  Each episode focuses on the acts that made these villains notorious and feared in their countries.  Interviews with survivors and investigators are blended with news reports and reenactments to support the narrative.  “Crimes that Shook Latin America” is planning to feature serial killers, such as Mexico’s Juana Barraza and Brazil’s Franciso das Chagas Rodrigues.

Bio Recon
It’s one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, but venom expert Donald Schultz is willing to risk his own life to do it.  Whether harvesting venom from the fangs of deadly black mamba in South Africa or collecting new species of deadly jelly fish off the remote coasts of Papua New Guinea, Donald is fearless in the worldwide pursuit of bio-specimens for groundbreaking scientific discoveries.

RETURNING SERIES

Storm Chasers
Changing weather patterns, colliding air masses and 700,000 square miles of flatland create the ideal conditions for storm chasing.  It’s become the annual rite of spring for a motley collection of scientists, enthusiasts and eccentrics.  Follow extreme filmmaker Sean Casey and thrill-seeking meteorologist Reed Timmer on the trail of Mother Nature’s deadliest and most violent creations.

I Shouldn’t Be Alive
Why does one person live against all the odds and another die?  Stories of human survival make compelling television; they lock into our most basic human instincts and tell us so much about the human condition.

Man vs. Wild
Adventurer Bear Grylls is put to the ultimate test.  Left in the middle of nowhere, Grylls employs his encyclopedic knowledge of nature to scavenge for food and keep his body in order.  Headache? Grylls searches for pain-relieving plants.  Hunger? He eats maggots in the Rocky Mountains or a fresh-killed zebra on Africa’s savanna.  No matter the climate or locale, Grylls is up to the task.

Deadliest Catch
Rough waves and fierce weather make winter on the Bering Sea a difficult and dangerous place to do business…and for the fishermen who work these waters, risk to life and limb is just another part of the job.  This series will take viewers deep into the Bering Sea with five boats and their crew through the three toughest fishing seasons in the world.

Whale Wars
Highlighting both the controversial whaling trade and the tactics that the Sea Shepherd Society and its staff and volunteers use to attempt to cripple it, this series documents the group’s sojourn across the icy Antarctic waters at the far end of the globe.

Raging Planet
RAGING PLANET was the series that set the standards for all weather and geology series a decade ago.  Now the series is back with a vengeance.  RAGING PLANET II will be the ultimate spectacular weather and geology series, built on a backbone of fascinating science.

Out of the Wild: Alaska Experiment
A dramatic and visceral new documentary series The Alaska Experiment pits Man against Nature in an epic struggle.  It’s an immersive and powerful series – the ultimate survival and wild food guide.  With stunning aerial photography and sweeping panoramas we’ll capture the full, dangerous beauty of America’s last frontier.