Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom gets a reboot and a spot on NBC’s fall 2023 lineup with Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild. The reboot’s co-hosted by wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and veteran wildlife expert Peter Gros and will premiere on Saturday, October 7, 2023, 60 years after the original show debuted on the network.
The original series averaged 34 million U.S. viewers and ran for 26 seasons. Over its run, the unscripted conservation series earned four Emmy Awards, including Achievements in Daytime Programming (1967), Program and Individual Achievements in Daytime Programming (1967), Special Classification Achievements (1969), and Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievements (1970).
NBC and Mutual of Omaha offered this description of the new series:
“Wild Kingdom pioneered the nature adventure genre, setting the standard for today’s wildlife programming. This prestigious show brought animal conservation to millions of American living rooms for the very first time, and blazed a trail for all the natural history shows that followed it. This most loved and respected wildlife program still has one core mission: to inspire the next generation of wildlife enthusiasts to preserve species under threat of extinction in our modern world.
The message of Protecting the Wild is not one of despair, but hope. By highlighting the work of America’s heroic conservationists — whether they’re the scientists, wildlife experts, or even members of the public — this new season will show the next generation that it’s a fight that can be won. And everyone can play their part, no matter
how small.
Join us for our new adventure to spotlight conservation success stories of some iconic North American animals such as the desert tortoise, Channel Island fox, bats, puffins, and black-footed ferrets.”
