Good (if belated) news: “Americas” will be back

After a way-too-long pause, NBC has decided there will be a second season of “The Americas.”
It has also added a surprise: A new hour — “The Americas: A Wild 250th — will air at 9 p.m. July 2, two days before the U.S. turns 250.
The series (shwon heree) is a lush British-American co-production, viewing the natural world in all three continents. Some critics (including me) raved, some had restrained approval.
Award voters were also restrained. The show drew nominations for narrator Tom Hanks and composer Hans Zimmer, but not for the show itself.
The 10-part series (plus a making-of episode) ended in April of 2025. NBC then waited 14 months before renewing it. The series won’t return until 2028, but there will be a Mother’s Day edition (about wildlife moms) next year.
This summer, NBC has had ratings success with a “fun facts” edition, putting pop-up info within reruns of previous episodes. Those air at 9 p.m. Thursdays, following a new show (“Surviving Earth”) that uses tech tricks to depict life millions of years ago.
“Americas” episodes coming up are:
— June 25: The Andes.
— July 2: The “Wild 250th” special. It will focus on creatures sometimes linked to the American image, including buffalo, sea lions and bald eagle.
— July 9: Patagonia.