What we all need now, perhaps, is a gorgeous portrait of nature, soothing and serene.
Then again, we might need vampires on the prowl. Either way, the AMC cable networks have it covered; on Friday, they announced plans for:
– “Planet Earth: A Celebration,” at 8 p.m. Aug. 31 on all four channels – BBC America, AMC, IFC and Sundance. It repackages some of the scenes from “Planet Earth II” (shown here) and “Blue Planet II,” adding new narration (by David Attenborough and new music by Hans Zimmer and colleagues; the string parts will be by the BBC Orchestras, with British rapper Dave on piano
– And the return of AMC’s zombie world.
The last new “Walking Dead” aired March 5. After a six-month gap, the show will be back to abruptly wrap its season at 9 p.m. Oct. 4 … immediately followed by the debut of “The Walking Dead: The World Beyond.”
That’s a spin-off that jumps ahead, to follow the first generation to grow up in the zombie era. Two sisters, joined by two of their friends leave the relative safety of their Nebraska homes.
A week later, on Oct. 11, “Fear the Walking Dead” will start its season, taking over the 9 p.m. spot. Other autumn arrivals, chronologically, include:
– “Top Gear” returns Aug. 30 on BBC America, with a special in Nepal. The new crew – Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris – will go from Kathmandu to the “forbidden city” of Lo Manthang. After that, the regular season will include a road trip through Peru.
– The “Wonderstruck” nature series returns to BBC America at 8 p.m. Sept.12. This time it has three weeks of films featuring baby animals.
– Two shows will debut Oct. 1 on the new AMC+ streaming service, then will reach the AMC channel early in 2021. “The Gangs of London” is a 10-part mobster tale;. “The Salisbury Poisonings” is the true story of the aftermath of a spy-related poisoning, with an entire British town shut down, for fear that a lethal nerve agent could spread.
– On Oct. 5, the night after the zombies return, AMC will debut “Soulmates.” It’s an anthology, set in the future, focusing on people who do or don’t decide to take a test to find their perfect soulmates.
– “Doctor Who” will revive a long-ago season – this time via animation. That goes back to 1967, with only two of the six parts of a story surviving in the BBC archives. A voice recording, however, has been preserved; now that entire serial has been restored with animation; it will air at 8 p.m. Oct. 7-8 on BBC America. Also, a holiday “Who” is coming at Christmastime.
– “History of Horror” starts its second season at 10 p.m. Oct. 10 on AMC. Eli Roth will include such varied souls as Stephen King, Jordan Peele, Roger Corman, and Rob Zombie. Roth will also talk to his fellow actors, including Jack Black, Megan Fox,, Bill Hader and Piper Laurie.
– “Baroness von Sketch” starts its fifth and final season Oct. 14 on IFC. It’s a clever Canadian sketch-comedy show, with an all-woman cast.
– “Deutschland 89” debuts at 11 p.m. Oct. 29 on Sundance. It focuses on a spy whose world changes when the Berlin Wall comes down in 1989.
– “The A Word” returns – after a two-year break – to Sundance, at 11 p.m. Nov. 4. Joe, who is autistic, is 10 now and splitting life between his divorced parents, who live 100 miles apart. His sister returns from college with a secret that changes things further.